Louisiana Approves Its Own Infrastructure Legislation.

Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards signed into law a transportation bill on infrastructure that would increase state aid for bridges and roads approximately $300 million a year.  The new funding will help make a new Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge a reality that is needed and overdue.  The state finally became serious on the needs concerning infrastructure as President Biden made an issue on the subject on the federal level during the campaign and his short time in office.

We do know from reports from the state's legislative office the state needs approximately $14 billion to bring infrastructure up to par and is a great example how the issue has been ignored.  The approved legislation represents the largest state investment in transportation since 1984 according to reports and guess who was governor of Louisiana in 1984?  Well it was another democratic governor by the name of Edwin Edwards.  

So after eight failed years under governor Bobby Jindal, the state continues to move forward for the benefit of the people and the state.  Balanced budgets and some surpluses has brought stability to the state's fiscal health.  No more special sessions for the state legislature that took  place so often under Jindal to cut spending to balance budgets that were declared to be balanced when they first passed.

The election of John Bel Edwards came at the right time to bring leadership back into governing.  And Edwards had the character and courage to lead the state out of the grips of a pandemic and ignored the republicans in the state legislature who wanted the governor to open up the state at a time when the virus was still raging.

And once again, it is a democratic administration in the state that leads Louisiana and its people forward for the greater good and progress.

This  commentary  written by Joe Lorio

 

Job Creation and The Unemployment Rate For June 2021.

 The U.S. Labor Department reported the economy added 850,000 jobs in June and the unemployment rate came in at 5.9%.  It was the best month for jobs since August of 2020.  So in President Biden's first five full  months in office (Feb-June) a total of 2,925,000 jobs have been added for a monthly average of 585,000 jobs per month.  

And once again the pundits were wrong in their predictions.  They were expecting job creation to be approximately 700.000.  When the job numbers fail to reach their predictions on the low side they knock the economic recovery.  When it exceeds their predictions, they are silent.  As this writer stated before there are reasons for a bumpy recovery, the economic recession, then the pandemic which was a one two punch and when you include the Trump administrations failure to act, we can not expect a smooth economic recovery.

But the nation now  has a President with an economic plan and policies to move the country and its people forward.  Plus the President is an active one not willing to allow the past failures to dictate the future of America.  It has been a good five months for the President's administration and precedent tells us America and its people will enjoy a better future.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio