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Some people (mostly public officials) think I’m too hard on our public officials.  Having been a public servant, I have high expectations for public servants. Also, if a public official doesn’t do their job properly and well, it reflects badly on me as their employer.

Today, I have good things to say about a public official.

LA Secretary of Department of Transportation and Development, William D. Ankner took responsibility for having inconvenience the motoring public. According to the report in the Daily Monopoly ( story here) Ankner said:

“I directed that all lane closures be canceled during the Thanksgiving holidays,” he said. He said he assumed “our contractors would know that this would apply to Wednesday, the busiest travel day of the year. Obviously I was wrong, and I am sincerely sorry that our customers were inconvenienced by the closures.”

A LA public official taking responsibility is rare, but to actually apologize to the public for a mistake is so uncommon as to be noteworthy.

Kudos to Dr. Ankner! Hopefully, he will become a role model for all public servants in Louisiana.

C.B.

1 CB 12:09 pm

As Bobby Jindal travels around the country promoting himself for higher political office, I fear that he may forget a few items that need to be done in LA.   After all, Bobby’s day job is still being governor of our state.

To assist Bobby I’ve come up with a list of things to address (in no particular order) in Louisiana:

1. Out-migration.

2. The high cost of insurance.

3. The high cost of utilities.

4. The high cost of health care and its lack of availability.

5. The high cost of taxes, fees and government “red tape” that make LA uncompetitive for businesses.

6. The poor public education system.

7. The poor roads.

8. Down-size state government to reflect a smaller population and lower tax revenues.

9. The eroding coastline and flood control.

10. A plan for the next round of hurricanes and the evacuations from them.

11. The poorly trained workforce.

There are many more problems facing our state.  However, I’m willing to compromise down to these few items for Bobby’s first term as governor.

Bobby, if you satisfactorily accomplish these things for our state, you will no longer have to travel out of the state to promote yourself.  The rest of the country will beat a path to the front door of the Mansion.

C.B.

1 CB 7:42 am

Yesterday, Bobby Jindal went to Bastrop after the International Paper plant announced that it would close.

Over 500 souls will lose their jobs. The effect on local government, public schools, etc. will mean up to a 25% loss in revenues. Everyone will suffer.

The horse is out

Jindal’s efforts are the equivalent of closing the barn door after the horse escapes. It’s “hand-holding.” Jindal blames global economic conditions as if that somehow makes the jobless feel comforted.

According to a story in today’s Monroe newspaper “Gov. Bobby Jindal said Monday the state will spare no resources to prop up the community and International Paper employees….”

That is the equivalent of addressing the symptom, not the disease that afflicts our state’s economy. It’s easier and cheaper to prevent a fall rather picking up and propping up a community after a fall.

State government needs to begin doing “preventive maintenance” on the state’s economy instead of merely triaging the results of faltering economy. Put up a hand-rail instead of buying crutches for the fallen.

Any economist will say that 85% to 90% of any community’s economic growth will cut come existing businesses. What is Jindal and the leges doing for existing businesses?

A solution

The solution to the survival of all individuals and the communities in our state is to simply reduce taxes, fees and red tape.

A healthy economic climate will provide government all the revenues it needs to provide necessary services to the public.

It’s time for state government to look at its priorities in light of saving the private sector economy.

Jindal or the leges should call a special session to slash (not phase out) business taxes. It will only mean that state government must do with less. Less is better than nothing at all.

State spending has grown by $21 BILLION in the last 12 years. Surely, there are some items that LA did not have in the last 12 years that it could do without in order to save the private sector.

Survival of the private sector must be the top priority. If the private sector survives and prospers, then government will also. If the private sector fails, government cannot survive.

It’s common sense.   The private sector can survive without state government.  State government cannot survive without the private sector.

Bobby, start addressing the problem and stop the campaign rhetoric.

C.B.

1 CB 9:40 am