The Ville Platte Gazette from Ville Platte, Louisiana • 4

"You know, the fact that T.V. talk show hosts are paid millions of dollars a year says something of the deterioration of the moral fiber of this Pascal Fuselier 9 KJl Mailbag Iff turn ttie eo-pV always intcfpX iq plus Out of touch Letter to editor: Citizens, please read these two parts of letters that appeared in The Dally World Sunday. March 14. We feel the school personnel running our schools are out of touch with reality. This stunned me when I read those two articles, so I called the two authors for permission to use all or part of their articles.

Their response was surely. One of the authors, Lottie P. Beebe, a school board member in St. Landry, wrote: "Parents, taxpayers, teachers, I ask. "Have you reached the point at which you feel hopeless or are you merely unconcerned? Today's children are our future.

Children are our most prized possessions and should be worth defending. "Sacrifices must be made and echoing the words of President Clinton. 'Let's ask not what is in it for me, but what is In It for I appeal to you the taxpayers to demand accountability from your elected officials. It is time to stop the Idle chatter and get on with business. Are you going to Ignore the irresponsible decisions that will negatively affect our children's education? You must get involved.

One person or one group is not going to be successful in implemenUng change. If you are concerned, please let me hear from you." The second writer, Randy F. Mayeux. wrote: "Evangeline Parish had a 135 increase in the administrative staff for the same period. 10.2 increase In teachers and 62.2 in support personnel with a 14.0 increase In student enrollment.

Statewide during that period, the See Mailbag, Page 10A All-French radio format very unique Government fraud going unchecked BEFORE TAXPAYERS fork over more tax dollars they should demand a system of accountability for federal and state frauds and failures. Our pocketbooks have been pummeled by thou sand -dollar toilet seats and billion-dollar helicopters that can't fly. The debacle landed square on our shoulders during a recession, and crooks like Michael Mllkin get slapped on the wrist while we pick up the tab. The latest insult is a $50,000 bill from the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. It seems while no one was looking, a former budget department manager made off with $373,000 from a dormant account.

The first $50,000 of the purloined loot is not Insured, and guess who has to pay? The account, inactive since 1989, was used by the tourism department to fund expenses for conferences it had arranged. And while those conferences stopped four years ago, no one bothered to safeguard the funds in that account -what amounts to public money. Worse yet, the embezzler felt safe enough to plunder the account over a five-year period from 1986 until July of 1992. No one had a clue to what was going on until an anonymous whistle-blower dropped some documents on a supervisor's desk. The question we have is, "Who was minding the store?" The person suspected in the embezzlement scheme has resigned her position and admitted to forging five checks for a total of $4,866.

The state has filed a claim against its insurer, Fidelity and Deposit Co. of Maryland, for I $323,000 of the missing $373,000. No doubt the premium for that insurance will rise if the Maryland insurer even considers continued coverage in such a climate of bureaucratic incompetence. It should be obvious to the powers that be federal and state, executive and legislative that hay have a lot of housecleaning to do before they'll convince taxpayers to fork over new taxable income for more bailouts. Too often when public monies are wasted, embezzled or lost, there's little recourse for reimbursement The culprits are sent to federal white-collar prisons to do time measured in months, and the victims and the public are left holding the bag.

Real responsibility for the ineptitude is blamed on the faceless "bureaucracy." The politicians shrug their shoulders and duck their heads until the latest insult is forgotten. Before we fork over any more taxes we should demand personal responsibility and a method of swift punishment for any individual guilty of waste, corruption or incompetence. Every government employee, from elected officials down to the lowliest clerk, should be made to sign on the dotted line. It may be the only way we'll get a responsive and responsible government. THE LAKE CHARLES AMERICAN PRESS Crow's Nest lb I i tiadaimaig.

Bonjour Mes Amis: Well, we finally got our touch of winter the last weekend before spring arrives. It was mild compared with what they got In Birmingham and on the east coast. Last week Bob Moore was in Mamou in the KROF Roving Van. He was very excited about KROF's totally new French format. As of March 1, KROF-AM in Abbeville began broadcasting totally in French.

Located on 960 on your AM dial, KROF Is probably the only radio station in the United States that broadcast only in French. Signing on at 6 a.m. and signing off at 6 p.m. the music, news and commercials are entirely in French. Garland Bernard.

KROF's general manager, says. "We're taking Cajun French one step further and see if the market will take it." The announcers include Kermit Venable, 'Tee-Boy" Bourgeois. Bob Moore, Bardley Meaux. and. of course.

Carney Doucet Is still there on weekends. If they are successful It will be a big plus for the French revival in Louisiana. I wish them luck and being retired (sort of) I really enjoy that. After five years of watching drag queens, porno queens, women who steal their daughter's boyfriends and people who have an uncontrollable urge to climb trees and defecate on bald-headed people on T.V. talk shows this will be a welcomed alternative.

You know, the fact that T.V. talk show hosts are paid millions of dollars a year says something of the deterioration of the moral fiber of this There are 3.129 counties in the U.S. actually 3.065 counties and 64 parishes in Louisiana. Of the 64 parishes in our state, there are seven in which at least 50 percent of the people speak and understand French. Evangeline and Avoyelles are the two northernmost.

Can you name the other five? It is possible there are some counties in our northeastern states, such as Maine and Vermont, that borders with Quebec, where 50 percent of the inhabitants speak French. But that still makes us very Friday (March 19) is St. Joseph's Day. When I was growing up Le Fete Saint Joseph was a day that was waited for with anticipation because, although it fell in Lent, dancing and partying was allowed the only day you could let your hair down during the period of penance. Usually someone in the neighborhood would host a fais-do-do.

Today St. Joseph's Day is meaningless to most Cajuns because Lent is not observed as it used to be, but it Is a big day for the Italians of Acadiana. Legend has it that the St. Joseph's Day altar started in Sicily centuries ago during a period of drought and famine. The people turned to St.

Joseph to intercede and help. Their prayers were answered when the rains came and the crops prospered. They thanked the saint by offering food for the poor. A lovely altar is set up in his honor with three levels representing the Holy Trinity. The finest grain, fruits, vegetables, seafood and wine are prepared and everyone is invited to share in the day of festivity and prayer.

When I was shipping out in Port Arthur I was invited to several St. Joseph's altar by Italian friends and it is something I will never forget. While on the subject of holy days. St. Medard's Day is June 8 and Elvin Reed told me preparaUons are being finalized for the 50th reunion of the Mamou High graduating class of 1943, and it will be in early June.

Ill have more on this You all know that a leap year comes every four years on our Gregorian calendar when February has 29 days, but did you know that the year 2000 will not be a leap year? That is correct. 1996 will be a leap year, but the next one will not be before 2004. When a year with two zeroes, which can evenly be divided by four comes around the leap year Is skipped. And someone asked me what a leap year Is called in French it Is L'annce bissextile. Et Jusqu'a une autre fois Je vous souhaite une bonne fete Saint Joseph The view from a low branch Rep.

Gunn from Montgomery, has some great ideas. Louisiana, he says, has a Cadillac government and a Jalopy economy. He wants to cut salaries of legislators, statewide elected officials and Judges. He suggests changing the name of the Office of Risk Management to the Office of Lawyer Enrichment. Our politicians want him around like fat rates want hungry cats.

Tjcpress your Views in the gazette (aitSag Off Top: A chance to talk to the bigwigs i Ah Editor I I David Ortego General Manager Paul Kedlnger Editor Bobby Dardeau Manager Bemlce Ardoln Lifestyles Editor Jeffrey S. Guillory Parish Editor Chad Fontenot Circulation Manager The Vllle Platte Gazette. 145 Court Street, Vllle Platte. Louisiana 70586. ISSN -87567851.

second clajj postage paid at the Post Office. Vtlle Platte. La. Is published semi-weekly on every Thursday and Sunday. Effective August 1.

1992: Subscription rates $24 per year ln-partsh: $29 out-of-parish; $34 out-of-state; and $45 out-of-country (sales tax Included), Single copy 50 Thursday and Sunday. Ofllclal Journal of The City of Vllle Platte, Evangeline Parish Police Jury. Evangeline Parish School Board, Village of Chatalgnler, Village of Turkey Creek. Village of Pine Prairie, Evangeline Parish Solid Waste Commission, Ward Four Water District. Evangeline Parish Water District No.

1. Telephone: 363-3939 Postmaster Send form 3579 to The Vllle Platte Gazette. P.O. Box 220, Vllle Platte. La.

70586. Greater citizen access to state government was promised by Gov. Edwin Edwards Friday, when he announced a new program. The Open Door Day Policy. Edwards said, "This program will allow average citizens to come to Baton Rouge and meet with the leaders of various state departments.

It gives our citizens a greater voice and this way they will be heard." The policy will begin on a quarterly basis with the first Open Door Day set for Friday. April 30. Citizens are to call or write to the department head that they are interested in visiting. They should state their name, subject of the meeting, address and phone number. Meetings are now scheduled for April.

July. October and January. What makes this Open Door special is that a citizen will meet directly with cabinet interested In what they have to say." He noted. This policy say to them, "we are very interested In listening to your comments and concerns because you are the people we're here to The state departments which will participate are Impressive: Culture Recreation Tourism, Corrections, Economic Development. Education, Environmental Quality, Health and Hospitals, Labor, Natural Resources.

Public Safety. Revenue and Taxation. Social Services. Transportation and Development and Wildlife and Fisheries. We know of many local people who have complained their Ideas haven't been heard by the proper folks.

Here's your chance. Call us and well gladly share the contact names and phone numbers, if you're interested. We hope this "open door" works. secretaries, not their subordinates. Youll be talking to the bigwig, the main man or woman, who can do something! Support staff will be on hand to obtain information and follow up on the citizens' concerns.

In making the announcement, the governor acknowledged citizens beliefs that, too often, "government is no longer.