The Daily Iberian
By Heather Miller
September 17, 2009
“Gov. Bobby Jindal stopped by St. Martin Parish Wednesday as part of his Louisiana Working Tour…
Jindal told the crowd … that he could talk about countless achievements the state has seen since he took office, but instead wanted to focus on one topic more important than any other: ‘Jobs, jobs, jobs.’
Jindal said since January 2008 that $4.3 billion of private investment in the state led to the creation of 33,000 new jobs.
Louisiana ethics rankings have moved from 44th place to first place in the Center for Public Integrity’s legislative disclosure requirement rankings, along with a move to the top five in the Better Government Association’s BGA-Alper Integrity Index rankings, he said.
‘We all hear the jokes, and we all tell the jokes (about Louisiana),’ he said. ‘But these jokes stopped being funny.’…
In comparing the state’s economy to the national recession, Jindal said ‘there is no economy in the South more vibrant than Louisiana.’…
State governments have raised taxes to deal with the recession, Jindal said, while the federal government has borrowed beyond its budget and increased the deficit.
Louisiana, however, has seen the largest income tax cut in state history, Jindal said.
‘What a radical thought, if you don’t have the money, don’t spend it,’ Jindal said. ‘I didn’t always get everything I wanted when I was a child. I got everything I needed.’…”