HOUR ONE:

Author Danny Gregory shares his new book Art Before Breakfast. "Creativity is a way we cope with the world." Gregory says that his drawing has a "meditative quality." Gregory was born in London and grew up in Pakistan and Australia. He was a White House intern in the Carter administration, a McDonald's fry cook, and worked in half a dozen ad agencies.

Publisher and editor Jeremy Alford joins the show from LA Politics to discuss the budget. There will be a 1.6 billion revenue shortfall for the next fiscal year. Commissioner of Administration Kristy Nichols says they want lawmakers to scale back a dozen refundable tax credits which would save the state 526 million dollars. They want to raise the cigarette tax by 47 cents. The cigarette tax could generate about 100 million dollars.

Ebony Tucker, Director of the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, is concerned people who still buy tickets to Cosby's show don't take these alleged victims seriously. "Particularly these people who are putting these events together," said Tucker. "We would hope the public would be more sympathetic towards the women who have come forward." The comedian released a statement thanking fans for love, support and trust and added he can’t wait to warm the hearts of the audience with the gift of laughter.

"Just because you like The Cosby Show doesn't mean Bill Cosby isn't capable of criminal activity," said Tucker.

HOUR TWO:

Republican political consultant Scott Wilfong and liberal political blogger Dayne Sherman analyze the proposed solutions by the Jindal administration to the budget problems.
Even with a cap on certain tax credits, the cut in the proposed budget to higher ed is 211-million dollars. Nichols offered solutions to further reduce cuts to higher education and one includes raising the cigarette tax and using those revenues to provide families with a tax credit to help offset the costs for higher fees at public colleges.

The potential drop in funding for health care services is 235-million dollars according to the proposed budget. Lawmakers who serve on the budget committees seemed to like some of the ideas and Delhi Senator Francis Thompson is glad the cuts to higher ed and health care are not as bad as once feared. "I'm pleased we have temporary fix fix to the problems that we have," Thompson said.

Lawmakers will now spend the next several weeks going over the budget and will eventually approve a spending plan in June.

Wilfong and Sherman comment on "Bobby Jindal on David Vitter: ‘Turn the recorder off, I’ll tell you what I really think about him’"

"Louisiana is not a pro-choice, pro-gay agenda," Wilfong says. He asserts that Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Hilary Clinton have "crazy agendas."

"There is personal animosity between Bobby Jindal and David Vitter," Wilfong says.

Dayne Sherman says, "Grover Norquist may be more influential in Louisiana than the pope."

"Had this meltdown not occurred with the David Duke thing, I think Scalise could be speaker now," Sherman continues.