YOU HAVE TO READ THIS CHRISTMAS STORY!
...and be thankful you can. 80 percent of prisoners studied in the Huntsville State Prison in TX can't. 48 percent of this group are dyslexic. That's why what my friend Senator Bill Cassidy and his wife Laura just included in the First Steps justice reform bill is so wonderful. It is just a start. We need to screen and treat kids early to end the tragedy related by this American. He was not diagnosed with dyslexia until he was 23.
"I'll never forget when I had to read in sixth grade and the teacher simply embarrassed me as I floundered. I knew that day I was going to be a dope dealer."
BILL AND LAURA CASSIDY
The solutions will benefit us all. We will talk about this in the year ahead. We hope to produce a video with Bill and Laura on the issue. Please join our email list on the website or follow us on Facebook for more. A gift for us all has begun as Bill and Laura have included long overdue provisions for screening and treating those in our prisons with dyslexia. Nothing is more American than empowering someone to read the scriptures of faith, the US Constitution, and have the literacy to pursue the American dream. It's the right thing to do. It is also a fiscally conservative way to reduce repeat offenders and make offenders into tax payers. Bill Cassidy was the only US Senator from Louisiana who joined the Trump administration in supporting the First Steps legislation. He and Laura didn't stop there. By including this important provision for dyslexia they served Louisiana and America well. As a supporter of Bill early on, I believed he was a man wanting to enact policy not just preach sound bites. Bill has really had a strong year for Louisiana in that regard. Maybe other officials who always have something to say but nothing to show for accomplishments will follow his lead.
Merry Christmas Bill and Laura...Most of all, Merry Christmas to the world's greatest people who they serve.
Richard Lipsey
Put Louisiana First