The State of Louisiana

Former President George Bush, U.S. Senator John McCain and many other republicans said over and over last year that "the U.S. economy was fundamentally sound," at a time when the economy was falling apart and job losses were at record levels. They were wrong and out of touch with reality. Louisiana Governor Jindal has joined the ranks of the republican ditto heads in not understanding the real problem facing the people of Louisiana because of his ideology. Elected officials who govern by ideology will not allow themselves to understand what is happening on the ground floor.

Jindal has been saying the state's economy has out performed the nation and the south. He points to the unemployment rate in Louisiana being lower than the national rate but is silent on the fact that the state unemployment rate is up almost two percentage points from last year. State sales taxes, corporate income taxes and individual income taxes are down and playing havoc with the state budget.

The latest report published in the Times Picayune dated 12/18, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said Louisiana posted the weakest showing of any state when it comes to personal income growth during the third quarter and declined by 0.4% from the second quarter. Louisiana was only one of four states that saw a decline during the third quarter. It was pointed out earlier in politidose that median household income in Louisiana dropped 7.8% in 2008 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The downward spiral continues. The Louisiana department of Social Services latest report shows the number of state households receiving food stamps has increased 24% over the last two years. The Louisiana Workforce Commission reports the number of people collecting unemployment checks in Louisiana has more than doubled in the past year. None of these numbers are positive for the people of Louisiana despite Mr. Jindal's pronouncements.

Louisiana's fast talking governor has the same problem as the republican ditto heads, their priority is not the advancement of the quality of life for the working people. Trickle down economics failed for the third time under George W. Bush's administration and like Bush, Jindal has no real economic plan for the state because of his ideology. His administration has to keep adjusting the projected state budget deficits because he has no real plan to deal with the cause of the problem. Jindal will continue his record out of state visits to raise funds for a run at a national office and in the process fore-go any plans to really deal with the plight of the people.

Just in the last few days his administration discovered the present budget that ends June 30 has an additional deficit of $248 million that has to be closed. State colleges also reported they want to be free to raise school tuition on their own authority to the southern average. So called conservative republican officials have the same ditto head mentality. They continue to talk no new taxes and then stick it to the average worker a hundred different ways. The negative numbers show Jindal is succeeding in the continuation of the ditto head ideology at the expense of the average worker. That says it all.