Governor's state tour should be dialog
July 13, 2009


No one ever accused Gov. Bobby Jindal of being a homebody. He does get around, whether it's a campaign trip to Palm Springs, Calif., or a Sunday service at First Baptist Church in Logansport.



On a symbolic level, the governor can be commended for his latest commitment, a 64-parish tour of the state with the intention of talking "jobs, jobs and jobs."

It's also important that the governor, like lawmakers returning to their home districts, is making himself available to the electorate following a contentious legislative session.

On a practical level, the key will be to make this a listening tour as well, to not merely make his case in a verbal blitz, but to soak up feedback and concerns from locals.

At 6.3 percent, the state's May jobless rate is well below the national unemployment of 9.1 percent, but Louisiana's rate has crept up the last several months.

In northwest Louisiana — the governor speaks to business people today in Shreveport — the big job issues are apparent.

How do we entice GM to stay, keep H3 production humming under a new Chinese owner, or adapt the plant for some other industrial endeavor?

With cuts to higher education, how do college administrators step up effectively to retrain factory workers, educate young people to meet current job demands and grow a future work force for a knowledge-based economy?

Some economic pieces have already been put in place. By signing off on legislation to kick up film tax credits to 30 percent, the governor this week once more makes the region a competitive alternative for movie producers. Another measure encourages companies to invest in state manufacturing plants so they don't become targets for closing because of inefficiencies or obsolescence. Another change in capital gains tax laws provides relief for state entrepreneurs who sell their Louisiana-based businesses.

As for natural gas exploration in the Haynesville Shale, that may be more about energy prices than help from Baton Rouge. But the hazards surrounding drilling activity do need a more effective response from Baton Rouge. The lack of confidence in state oversight of drilling in the wake of groundwater depletion, blowouts and cattle deaths has local government searching for ways to protect the public. State government, from lawmakers to bureaucrats to the governor, need to understand that a quality environment and public health are economic development issues.

Thanks in advance, governor, for keeping both your ears and mind open as you tour the state


Buck