Letters to the Editor

HAVE THE IDIOTS IN WASHINGTON THOUGHT ABOUT THIS?

Congressman Bobby Jindal's (R-LA) offshore revenue sharing bill, H.R. 4761, geared toward giving Louisiana and other Gulf of Mexico states a bigger share of offshore oil and gas royalties, has passed through the House. Yet two developments for this bill still stink.

Jindal's original bill would have given Louisiana 75 percent of all royalties on oil and gas produced for up to 12 miles offshore. But the bill that passed the House will give Louisiana only 25 percent for five years and gradually 50 percent by 2016, not a fair share. Roughly 80 percent of the country's oil and gas comes through Louisiana. One-quarter of the nation's oil, domestic and foreign, comes through Port Fourchon alone. If a major hurricane was to hit Port Fourchon dead-on in the next five to 10 years while our country is greatly dependent on oil, our economy and national security would be greatly threatened. Have the idiots in Washington thought about that?

Florida's senators are threatening a filibuster. Florida sees this bill as a way to open up drilling off its coast, and they don't want their tourists to have to bear that "eyesore." Florida's oil supply should be cut, thereby causing gasoline to sell for $7 a gallon throughout the state. Then we will see how their precious tourism industry fares. For Florida to put its tourism industry above national security and coastal protection programs of the remaining Gulf States shows utter disregard for the rest of the country.

Louisiana should continue to fight until we receive 75 percent of the offshore royalties. This is not a partisan issue. Every Republican and Democrat who cares about this great state should get behind Congressman Jindal's bill. Louisiana's coast ' especially Port Fourchon ' is vital to the economy and the security of the United States. As for Florida, every Louisiana citizen should take vacations elsewhere until Florida changes its tune.