Kudos to the May 17, 2009 Christian Science Monitor for their update on New Orleans. New Orleans is the anchor of Lousiana and can show that it is the only state with positive employment numbers. The “Big Easy” is far from perfect but it has survived Katrina. It is undergoing a levee improvement project, a new $3 billion refinery and a $60 million downtown residential complex. What has spurred this renaissance? Federal recovery aid, state ethics reform and business–friendly tax packages courtesy of a new Republican governor Bobby Jindal.

      There is some good news on racial disparity: The focus on charter schools is paying off with test scores showing a smaller racial gap. Is the Obama group listening or just taking orders from the teacher’s unions? Obama could learn something from governor Jindal: Lower corporate taxes, less regulation, especially for private industry. Contrast this with the Obama policies of higher taxes and added regulation. Obama’s policies are not creating any non-government jobs but summarily rules out any expansion of our energy reserves, nuclear power increases and only concentration on “green” power. Think of all the jobs that could be created by simply utilizing our domestic energy reserves. The headlines in the Monitor are the following: New Orleans asks: “What Recession?” Governor Jindal understands what makes economies grow: Lower taxes, incentives for business and less stifling regulation. Contrast these policies with states like Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, New York and New Jersey and their Democrat governors. Thanks to the Senate hacks led by Harry Reid the storage of spent rods produced by the nuclear power industry at the Yucca Mountain in Nevada was denied for future use. This does not agree with the DOE’s studies but reduces the potential of additional nuclear power plants. The no-nothings have done it again: They don’t like coal, oil or nuclear power. Hitch up the mules and covered wagons.

Gary E. Marsella
(Much of the above information was obtained from the Cato institute, Reuters and the Wall Street Journal).

Return to Home Page