Louisiana Voice

Editor’s Note: Gov. Bobby Jindal this week sent the following email statewide. An obvious kickoff to his re-election campaign, we can’t help but wonder if this was done from a state computer. No matter. We thought we’d help him get it more widely distributed while adding a few of our own observations.

Dear Friends – (so personal)

This week we announced economic development initiatives we will pursue in the upcoming legislative session in order to keep Louisiana competitive (of course we’re competitive; we’re all scrambling for jobs that ain’t out there) and attractive (How “attractive” can the unemployment line be, really?) as we work to foster more job growth (Wait. What?). We announced proposals to extend the Quality Jobs Program, the Research and Development Tax Credit (so, do I get a tax credit for researching and developing a story on what a doofus our governor is?) and the Technology Commercialization Credit/Jobs Program, and to enhance the Digital Interactive Media Production Tax Credit (and just who gets this little tax break, a generous campaign contributor perhaps?)

These programs are critical tools that are working and helping us to bring thousands of jobs to Louisiana (and just where would these alleged jobs be, on the governor’s staff?) so our people can find rewarding careers. For the announcement, we were joined by executives from three companies – Baton Rouge Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Globalstar and Esperance – who cited the tax credits as helping to convince them to create jobs in Louisiana (Wow, I’m underwhelmed. But wait! Coca Cola no longer makes those glass bottles that we used to redeem for 2 cents each. Well, there goes that job.) These economic development programs are at work across the state helping us create jobs (again, just where are these jobs?) and we must extend and enhance them to create even more opportunity for our people (Of course.)

We also announced this week that we are protecting and fully funding the K-12 education formula. Additionally, we proposed a student-based budgeting pilot program that will help improve student achievement. As I told the Monroe News-Star, we will fight attempts to cut K-12 funding and continue to look for innovative ways to educate our kids.

This week we also traveled to Minden where we broke ground at the future site of Northwest Louisiana Technical College’s new campus. As I told the Shreveport Times, this new campus is critical because it’s all about creating jobs (maybe that will offset your being all about destroying jobs, careers and lives) and we want Louisiana to have the best-trained workforce in the country (Best trained, least employed. Cool.)

Finally, on Valentine’s Day, we were honored to host a reception for Louisiana’s Longest Married Couple. As the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported (He obviously thinks that by quoting these publications, they will be less critical of him—and it seems to be working!), Dorothy and Ralph Richards of Slidell are just shy of celebrating their 81st wedding anniversary. (And it was obviously through the efforts of the governor’s office and the Baton Rouge Business Report that this couple (a) lived long lives and (b) stayed together so long.)

Sincerely,

Little Governor Bobby