June 30, 2005

-The following is an excerpt from the June 30th, 2005 edition of The Daily Baton Rougean.

It's T.A.P.S. For Louisiana's Kids

by Seth Coulon, Capital News Bureau

    Despite recent criticism of how Louisiana funds its public schools, the House of Representatives approved legislation that will introduce the T.A.P.S. program into all state public schools this fall. The measure will fund the new Tobacco Awareness Project for Schools - T.A.P.S. -  with an initial expenditure of $13 million.   An additional $13 million in matching funds has been promised by the Phillip Morris Company in a new departure from traditional funding protocols which will allow corporate co-sponsorship in certain public school programs.

    After facing harsh criticism for shooting down the $1 per pack tax proposed by Governor Kathleen Blanco to fund a long overdue pay raise for Louisiana teachers, Rep. Justin Favre, R - Donaldsonville - claimed victory for his plan.  "It was the eleventh hour," Favre said.  "We barely managed to rush it through at the end of the session, but this will really pay off for Louisiana's kids."  T.A.P.S. has been promoted as a state-of-the-art program to educate school-aged children from grades 4 to 12 about tobacco usage and its risks.  "Here in Louisiana we are first in the nation in teen pregnancy, first in high school dropouts, and second only to Oklahoma in teenaged smokers," said Favre.  "If there is one thing we can't afford in this state, it is ignorance.  T.A.P.S. is a proven, successful strategy."  A pilot program in Donaldsonville during the spring semester was funded by private donations as well as by matching funds from the Tobacco Institute of America.  Spokesman Pepi Standletter form the Tobacco Institute told the legislature that the pilot program was a complete success.

    "It was exciting to see these young kids learning valuable lessons," said Standletter.  "We have replaced ignorance and rumors with cold, hard facts.  The program has intensive weekly group lectures and rap sessions where kids learn the truth about tobacco.  The kids love hearing the straight story, and they especially enjoy the weekly lab sessions.  It just warmed my heart to see eight, nine, and ten year olds being exposed to all the different kinds of tobacco products.  We saw fifth graders learning the difference between the rich flavor of Marlborough Lights compared to the crisp, refreshing taste of Ultra Menthols.  I watched a group of curious and intellectually stimulated sixth graders trying out all the different new flavors of smokeless chewing tobacco.  It is the quest for knowledge that impresses me most in these young people.  When you see a kid in junior high learning how to save valuable allowance money by studying how to hand roll his own smokes or when you watch an adorable seventh grade cheerleader's child-like wonder as she puffs on a pipe for the very first time, you realize that knowledge is power for Louisiana's students.  These young people, armed with state-of-the-art materials, will be well-informed when it comes time to make their decision about tobacco usage.  I say to the parents of Louisiana's school children: we don't have to be second to Oklahoma anymore!"

    Rep. Favre and Standletter have been a frequent sight around the state capital shaking hands, passing out copies of the T.A.P.S. legislation, or just giving away cartons of free cigarettes as they lobbied tirelessly for the bill.  For the past week as the T.A.P.S. bill worked its way out of committee, Old Smoky - the Tobacco Institute of America's colorful promotional mobile kitchen R.V. - was a fixture downtown, parked on the steps of the Capital as volunteers handed out free, hearty smoked sausage po-boys to the hard-working lawmakers.  Favre was quick to share credit for the bill with Phillip Morris and the Tobacco Institute of America.  "Thanks to their generous contributions not only have we passed this bill targeted at the youth of Louisiana, but we have also been able to fund the startup for Tobacco Facts Now, a non-profit organization  which I will chair.  With a corporate endowment of $500,000 per year, I will be able to go on extensive fact-finding tours to Cancun, Aruba, and Cabo for weeks at a time for years to come."

    Encouraged by the influx of out-of-state corporate funds to help Louisiana's public schools, Rep. Clay Dongledeaux, R. Marrero, has developed a program similar to T.A.P.S.  His new bill which may be introduced in a special session called by Governor Blanco would set up a new program called S.L.A.P.P. - the Southeast Louisiana Alcohol Preparedness Project.  Representatives from Anheuser-Busch and Seagrams Distilleries are working very closely with Dongledeaux.  Liquor lobby spokesman Tippy Slayton describes S.L.A.P.P. as "a cutting edge classroom interactive learning system for teens and preteens aged 10 to 18."  Rep. Dongledeaux was frank in his assessment of the state of teen drinking in Louisiana.  "Young people are more and more frequently faced with the issue of alcohol abuse," he said.  "Either we can just turn our backs on this problem and pretend it doesn't exist or we can tackle it head first.  With S.L.A.P.P., young folks will learn in school about the dangers of the misuse of alcohol and the perils of not knowing 'when to say when.'  Ignorance in this case is deadly.  Why, most kids coming out of high school might know what the legal blood alcohol level is but they couldn't begin to tell you the difference between drambuie and aquavit.  One out of three high school seniors are not able to distinguish between a true single malt scotch and the so-called 'blended whiskies.'  Well, if this bill passes, all that will change.  I anticipate that with the emphasis shifted towards information and awareness Louisiana will soon be producing some of the best informed and knowledgeable teen drinkers in the nation."  Dongledeaux was quick to point out that alcohol abuse is not just a problem limited to teens.  His Adult Drinkers Foundation currently funded by the state liquor lobby has already broken ground on a new $3.5 million center for alcohol research and advanced studies.  The spacious center will be built on the grounds of the posh, private Country Club of Acadiana in Dongledeaux' home district.  The facility will also serve as an office and living quarters for the representative as he personally studies the effects of alcohol usage in all its forms."

    With the doors to Louisiana's public school system now flung wide open to welcome corporate partners in education, it appears the next big player will be the state gaming industry.  Representatives for Harrah's Casinos Inc. have begun discussions to get directly involved with Louisiana's young people.  "We haven't formulated a complete proposal yet," said Harrah representative Lucky Capstan.  "But we do want to help out.  These kids are our future.  Maybe we'll help sponsor football teams and teach them how to come up with decent spreads and betting lines on all the state playoff games.  Maybe we could take underprivileged kids on field trips to the casinos and riverboats and show them some basic stuff ... how to double down, when to split hands of black jack,  that kind of stuff ... educational stuff.  Hell, if these kids learn all about gambling everybody wins!"  Already the halls of the Senate and the House of Representatives are crowded with lobbyists from powerful multi-national corporations.  Organizations from McDonalds to the National Rifle Association to Novartis, the manufacturer of Ritalin, are all anxious to generously contribute to the education of the young people of Louisiana. 

    Clearly, the quest to eradicate ignorance of societal ills has changed the legislature's approach to funding education in the state's public schools.  However, less profitable measures lacking corporate sponsors including those to introduce class hours devoted to teaching HIV prevention, sex education, and the theory of evolution remain sadly neglected by state law makers.