Louisiana Lawmakers Vote Themselves a Raise

Stay connected with us at americangroundradio.com, on Facebook, and Instagram. You're listening to American Ground Radio with Louis R. Avallone and Stephen Parr. This is the full show for May 13, 2026.We open with Louisiana’s latest congressional redistricting fight after a state Senate committee advanced a proposed 5–1 Republican congressional map featuring one majority-black district instead of two. We explain why this debate never truly ends in Louisiana — because it is not just about maps or census data, but about history, race, constitutional law, and competing visions of what representation in America is supposed to mean. We push back hard against the idea that disagreement over race-based districts automatically equals racism, and we make the argument that the Constitution guarantees equal voting opportunity — not proportional racial outcomes or racial quotas in representation. Stephen goes directly at the old CD6 map, calling it fundamentally un-American because it carved together communities almost entirely on the basis of race. And we ask the uncomfortable question at the center of the entire debate — if Americans are truly equal citizens, why should anyone believe they can only be represented by someone who looks like them? In our Top 3 Things You Need to Know, New Orleans officials are now facing possible legal action from Attorney General Liz Murrill after the city attempted to install a new interim Orleans Parish clerk of court despite the legislature already consolidating the offices under the current civil clerk. Then Louisiana State Senator Jay Morris revealed he and his staff received death threats after Democrats falsely accused him of using a racial slur during the congressional map debate — despite recordings showing he never said it. And in Baton Rouge, progressive activists launched a new recall effort against Attorney General Murrill herself, accusing her of “government overreach” for defending laws passed by the Louisiana Legislature — which is literally her job under state law. We dig deep into a bizarre fight inside the Louisiana Legislature after lawmakers quietly passed a major compensation increase for themselves — only for several representatives to suddenly try changing their votes after public backlash erupted. We explain how the proposal would hand legislators an additional $18,000 per year plus monthly housing stipends tied to inflation, why the economics behind the housing provision make absolutely no sense, and why conservatives should be especially skeptical of creating permanent automatic government pay increases. Stephen also points out the obvious comparison — Texas legislators make roughly $7,000 a year, and somehow the republic still survives.Later, we tackle a new poll claiming far-left Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez now leads the Democrat field for 2028 ahead of Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, and Gavin Newsom. We discuss why activists inside the Democratic Party increasingly view “fundamentally transforming America” as the central political mission — and why that rhetoric sounds eerily familiar to the language used by Barack Obama years ago.We also spend time on the increasingly absurd Los Angeles mayor’s race, where union-backed attack ads against Republican candidate Spencer Pratt accuse him of opposing taxpayer-funded housing for homeless individuals, wanting more police officers on the streets, and believing public employee unions have too much power. We play the ad and point out the obvious problem for Democrats — to normal people, every one of those “attacks” sounds like a campaign endorsement.The show also covers the Department of Justice crackdown on the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, including firearms trafficking, fentanyl seizures, and organized criminal activity tied to illegal immigration. We discuss why border enforcement and national sovereignty somehow became controversial in modern American politics — and why no nation can survive indefinitely if it refuses to defend its own borders.Plus, we break down a new report ranking the most and least transparent state governments in America, compare which states openly show taxpayers where the money goes and which states hide it, and explain why transparency should never be a partisan issue. And before the hour wraps up, the conversation goes completely sideways into French President Emmanuel Macron, internet conspiracy theories, and the dangers of believing absolutely everything you read online.Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776!