Pull up those pants

By Editorial

According to a new bill filed by Louisiana Rep. Derrick Shepherd, people who wear low-slung pants that expose skin or "intimate clothing" might face a fine of up to $500 and the possibility of jail.

The first term legislator, whose fashion faux pas might dictate legislation, said that he was sick of seeing boxer shorts and g-strings hanging out of the pants of young adults.

Wow, what an agenda. It's amazing that Shepherd thinks what teenagers and young adults wear is the biggest problem in Louisiana.

What about the fact that the state has one of the highest illiteracy rates? We hope Shepherd is trying to pass legislation to increase school spending since the state falls below the national spending average. And what about the 25 percent of the population who doesn't have a high school degree, or even the 19.6 percent who lives in poverty?

We feel the bill not only infringes upon the community's first amendment right to symbolic expression, it blatantly disregards the other spectrum of problems that threaten to debilitate the state.

Over half of Louisiana's deaths are due to heart disease and cancer, illnesses with risk factors that can be controlled through changes in behavior. And what about unemployment, or health care? What about the issues that matter?

When Shepherd writes another ridiculous bill, we hope he remembers a few things. We hope he remembers that 23 percent of all deaths among teenagers and young adults are a result of homicide: a serious issue in which dress codes aren't going to solve.

We feel that as an elected official, Shepherd needs to address statewide issues, instead of concentrating on his own gripes. It's called priorities. Louisiana has enough problems as it is; they don't need another problem walking around chastising youth to pull up their pants.

In all, let's hope Mr. Shepherd's first term is his last.