Governor
Landry is coming under increasing scrutiny from his conservative supporters for
his refusal, thus far, to back legislation or take other actions that would
significantly lower insurance rates in Louisiana, owing to his desire not to
ruffle the well-feathered nests of the very
wealthy and powerful trial lawyers that the latter have made for themselves
here in our beloved Bayou State.
Such a
course of action puts him at odds with the working class, to whom he has
consistently sought to present himself as a defender. He cannot continue to try to serve both the
corrupt trial lawyers and the honest plain folk. To try to do so would consume the remaining
years of his administration in futility, along with the welfare of most of
Louisiana’s citizens. The moment has
come for Gov Landry to decide: Will he
devote himself to the high-flyin’ trial lawyers or to the lower classes?
For his
encouragement in making the right decision, he has the benefit of historical
figures who have made heroic stands to break the power of oppressors and to
uplift the downtrodden. One of the most
spectacular of those men is Basil II, the Emperor of Constantinople-New Rome
from 976 to 1025 A. D. Like Louisiana
today, the Byzantine Empire in Basil’s time was plagued by a class of oligarchs
who exploited the lower classes and spurned the legitimate power of the rulers
of Constantinople. Basil succeeded in subduing
these powerful men and in prospering the working classes:
‘The
ruthlessness and tenacity that served Basil II in his military and diplomatic
activities were displayed in his domestic policy as well. Its keynote was the
strengthening of imperial authority by striking at his overpowerful subjects,
particularly the military families who ruled like princes in Asia Minor. The
by-product of this policy was the imperial protection of the small farmers,
some of whom owed military
service to the crown and paid taxes to the central exchequer’ (Joan Hussey,
‘Basil II,’ britannica.com).
‘Basil was
popular with the country farmers,[105]
the class that produced most of his army's supplies and soldiers. To assure
this continued, Basil's laws protected small agrarian property owners and
lowered their taxes. Despite the almost constant wars, Basil's reign was
considered an era of relative prosperity for the class.[35][106]
‘Seeking to
protect the lower and middle classes, Basil made ruthless war upon the system
of immense estates in Asia Minor[34]—which
his predecessor Romanos I had endeavored to check[49]—by
executing a legal decree in January 996 that limited rights
to property ownership. If the owner of an estate could prove that he claimed
his estate prior to the Novels of Romanos, he would be allowed to keep it. If a
person had illegally seized an estate following the Novels of Romanos, he would
have his rights to the estate declared null and the legal owners could reclaim
it.[107]
In 1002, Basil also introduced the allelengyon
tax[108]
as a specific law obliging the dynatoi (wealthy landholders) to cover for the arrears
of poorer tax-payers. Though it proved unpopular with the wealthier sections of
Byzantine society,[109]
Basil did not abolish the tax;[110]
. . .’ (‘Basil II,’ Wikipedia).
In addition
to these oligarchs, Constantinople was threatened for years by the Bulgars to her
north. Warfare between them was nigh unending
during that time. But Basil II, as
alluded to above, was able to bring peace – not by capitulation to them but by
a decisive victory over them:
. . .
The rest is at
https://thehayride.com/2025/04/garlington-landry-the-lawyer-slayer/.
--
Holy Ælfred the Great, King of England, South Patron, pray for us
sinners at the Souð, unworthy though we are!
Anathema to the Union!
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