When Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal took office in January 2008 the Louisiana unemployment rate stood at 3.8%. The Louisiana Workforce Commission announced that the unemployment rate in September 2014 in Louisiana was 6%. In the 80 months Jindal has been governor the unemployment rate in Louisiana has increased 2.2% as of September last month.
The unemployment rate nationally when President Obama took office in January 2009 was 7.8%. In September 2014 the national unemployment rate was 5.9%. In the 60 months the President has been in office the national unemployment rate declined 1.9% as of September 2014. Despite all the negative attacks by Jindal on the U.S. Economy, job creation and Obama's policies, the President has done a better job at reducing the national unemployment rate than Jindal has done in reducing the Louisiana unemployment rate.
One has to consider the fact that the state of the national economy has an affect on states economy, job creation and unemployment. We saw that during past recessions and economic recovery on the national level and experienced that during the 2008 recession and the economic recovery that is taking place now nationally. State's economy does not cross state lines and help another state economy, but the national economy crosses the line of all 50 states and has an affect on them.
There are governors such as Jindal who like to place blame and are incapable of giving any credit to the President for any positive advancement in the national economy, job creation and lowering unemployment. To do so would remind the people that it is once again a democratic administration that is moving the country and its opeople forward out of another republican recession. Does any one remember Jindal or any other Louisiana official serving in congress blaming Bush for the 2008 recession or the record job losses? This writer does not remember any one of those doing so.
The 6% unemployment rate for Louisiana in September was the 5th straight month that unemployment has increased while 31 other states unemployment rate decreased in the same month. When democratic governor Kathleen Blanco took office in January 2004 the number of people employed (non-farm) in Louisiana was 1,916,247 and when she left office in January 2008 the number of people employed was 1,972,655 an increase of 56,308 employed in the 4 years she served.
When Jindal took office in January 2008 the number of people employed in Louisiana was 1,972,655 and on September 30, 2014 the number of people employed in Louisiana was 1,987,900 an increase in employment of 15,245 in the 6 years and 8 months he has served so far. Governor Blanco did a better job than Jindal has done so far and Jindal has been in the job 2 years and 8 months longer than Blanco.
There were 77,393 unemployed in Louisiana when Blanco left office in Janury 2008. In September 2014 there were 129,724 unemployed on Jindal's watch. Makes no difference be it the state or federal level, democratic administrations perform better than republican administrations where it counts most in moving the people forward. And of course, its the reason republicans are always in the attack mode against democrats. When you can't compete, try to destroy and be negative against the other party.
When Blanco left office her administration left a surplus close to a billion dollars to the Jindal administration which he blew big time like Bush did on the federal level with the surplus left by President Clinton. And as of this writing Jindal has not balanced one state budget except by gimmicks. (explained in previous commentary in PolitiDose) In the news recently is the story by Louisiana state Treasurer John Kennedy, a republican who pointed out Jindal used one time money from the state's insurance fund to balance the state budget and now is looking for a way to increase insurance premiums for retired state workers to shore up the fund.
As this writer has reported many times over in PolitiDose, republicans find a hundred different ways to get into the pockets of the average worker while preaching conservatism, the phony ideology. Yes there are some things that never change.
Note: All numbers shown above concerning unemployment and employment concerning Louisiana taken from the records of the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
This commentary written by John Lucia.
