The first Louisiana Republican elected to Congress and then elected governor since Reconstruction spoke eloquently to the Covington Rotary International Tuesday about politics and former Democratic Gov. Edwin Edwards.

Dave Treen, governor of Louisiana from 1980-1084, blazed the trail for many Republicans to follow in a state that for a hundred years was considered solidly Democratic, part of the “solid south.”

After running for Congress three times, he finally was successful in his bid for office and won election in 1972. He served four terms as a U. S. Representative before returning to the state as governor.

Treen

Former Democratic Gov. Edwin Edwards and Treen have gone from being political rivals to friends. Recently, Treen fought to have Edwards pardoned, or at least his sentence commuted, by outgoing President George W. Bush. “Why Bush didn’t commute the sentence, I don’t know,” said Treen. “He was one of the stingiest presidents we’ve ever had with pardons and commutations,” Treen said.

Only 189 pardons were doled out and 11 sentences commuted by the outgoing President, a total of 200 people released from prison. In comparison, Clinton released over 500 people when he left office.

The Rotarian audience commended Treen for his “outpouring of Christian compassion” for his former rival. In fact, Treen said they are friends and the refusal will leave Edwards with about two years left to serve, if he is allowed time off for good behavior as expected. Treen said he will be visiting Edwards next week.

“We are fortunate to have good leadership in St. Tammany Parish,” he said. Citing the accomplishments of Parish President Kevin Davis, Sheriff Jack Strain and U. S. Rep. Steve Scalise, and the statewide efforts of Gov. Bobby Jindal, he told the majority Republican audience that the Republican party has a lesson to learn from President Barack Obama in getting the vote out.

“We need to use every method at our disposal, including e-mails and the Internet,” the 80-year old former governor said. Treen was commenting on the book Obama has written on how to be elected.

Treen then began to discuss the stimulus package and how the national economic situation is going to affect every American.

The latest stimulus package, $819 billion, adds over a trillion dollars to the national debt, about $525 for each family in America. In addition, the previous stimulus package, passed by President Bush for $700 billion, only allows 15 percent of the $350 billion distributed to be spent in 2009 with another 64 percent to be spent in the next 18 months.

Three percent of this money is “shovel ready,” which means equipment should be ready to begin highway, roads and other construction projects.

The Republicans in Congress want to reduce the tax rate in order to stimulate the economy from 15 percent to 10 percent and from 10 percent to five percent. This would save a married couple $3,200 immediately, allowing them to spend the money as needed.

Republicans would also offer a tax deduction for 20 percent of their income for a small business (one that employs less than 500 people) to hire or retain employees; and to spur the real estate industry, a tax credit of $7,500 if one is putting down 10 percent of the cost of a home.

Today the national debt is $11 trillion. By the end of 2009, it will climb to $13 trillion. In other words, this amounts to about $37,000 per person for every man, woman and child in the country, or for a family of five, $185,000.

Treen said the nation as a whole needs to come to grips with the rising debt. It is having an effect on the way other countries view the United States and as a result, the value of the dollar is going down. If anyone has any ideas, call your representatives, said Treen.