When LA’s economic savior, Mike Olivier was doing economic development for the Mississippi Gulf Coast, he is credited with convincing the LA-based Oreck Corporation to open a manufacturing plant in Long Beach, MS. In the story in Tuesday’s Daily Monopoly we learn that, now that Olivier is working for LA, another Oreck Plant will be located in Tennessee.

Reasoning for the new plant by Oreck is easy to understand after the ravages of Hurricane Katrina. However, a hurricane is a very rare occurrence in North LA. Probably one is no more likely there than in TN. North LA also has Interstate 20 running through it. Skilled labor is available from the paper mills and other facilities that are laying off people in North LA. There are colleges in Monroe, Ruston, Gambling and Shreveport.

This latest event makes one wonder if there are other issues that caused Oreck to open another plant in TN. Could it be that in LA our taxes are too high, or regulations too restrictive or simply that fact that too much corruption exists in LA?

Not only is LA not attracting such plants, but we are losing more and more existing businesses to Texas.

There is either no interest or no ability to curb corruption in LA. Thus our only alternatives are to reduce business taxes and regulation. Of course, that might mean that government cannot continue to grow exponentially, but that’s a small price to pay for a healthy economy that would benefit over 4 million people.

Time to wake-up and smell the coffee LA!

C.B.