I’ve been receiving a lot of “political announcements” lately via email. I think it’s a fantastic way to keep us informed about legislation that can potentially change our everyday lives, for better or worse. The older I get, the more I pay attention to the political sphere because frankly, I didn’t do that when I was starting my business, raising my kid and partying my butt off in my 20s and 30s. I don’t believe that a lot of people pay enough attention to what’s going on politically; I know many people who don’t even vote. That’s really a shame because if you do pay attention, and enough people pay attention, at least you’ll have a say in what happens. Enough people got involved in the last presidential election so that we at least have some hope for positive changes on a national level. I’m weary of (and broke after) paying over $700 a month for health insurance (when I’m not even sick!). And I still have to worry that my health insurance company will drop coverage if I do get sick. There’s something wrong with this picture and it’s up to us to make sure something does get done so that all of us don’t have to be anxious about what’s going to happen when we get ill or when we get old.

Lately, I’ve been communicating with state legislators about passing a bill that will allow restaurants to provide live music, like bars do. Currently, they cannot; if they are licensed as a restaurant, they cannot provide live music. I’ve beaten this tired old horse for many years now. If New Orleans is known for its music, then why in the hell can’t we have more live music? Why are venues that can have music prohibited? It just doesn’t make sense to me. There are opponents to this bill who say that if we allow live music in restaurants, neighborhoods will be destroyed because the restaurants will be able to function like bars (who are allowed to have a live music permit). I don’t agree with this. Live music doesn’t ruin a neighborhood; it can certainly enhance the quality of life in a neighborhood. Most of the opposition comes from people who don’t like the noise that live music creates. They also don’t like the caliber of people who go out to listen to live music. Shame on these naysayers.

New Orleans and Louisiana needs music in their neighborhoods, bars and restaurants. The “noise” factor is something that can be regulated locally. Once again: if you can’t stand the music, then move to the suburbs. Don’t take the joy out of making music.