Louisiana Ranked #1 in Nation For Projected 2011 Job Growth

What a difference a conservative governor makes! A recent survey projects that Louisiana will top state in the US for job growth in the upcoming year:

Louisiana was ranked No. 1 in the nation in a recent survey measuring projected job growth in the first quarter of 2011.

Employer resource company Manpower Inc. recently released its Employment Outlook Survey. It has been publishing the survey, which polls employers across the country about their hiring plans, since 1962.

"This is great news for Louisiana, and we hope that it is also good news for Central Louisiana," said Jim Clinton, chief executive officer of Cenla Advantage Partnership. "Hopefully, it's a harbinger of a broader and deeper recovery for the state, the region and the nation."

"Since the beginning of the national recession, Louisiana's economy has outperformed the South and U.S. by any reasonable measure," said Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret. "Our state's job performance during the recession was far better than the South and U.S., and Louisiana has been growing jobs at a faster rate than the South and U.S. since the official end of the national recession in June 2009."

The spread between those businesses looking to increase staff is much higher than those who are looking to contract their staff levels are much wider than the national average:

In Louisiana, for example, 21 percent of employers surveyed planned to increase their staff, compared to 7 percent who planned to decrease, giving the state a net employment outlook of plus-14 percent.

The national net employment outlook, according to the survey, was plus-4 percent, with 14 percent planning to hire and 10 percent planning to cut.

As a general rule, red states
have fared the recession and weak economy better than blue states, and Louisiana hasn't been any different. Gov. Bobby Jindal has been doing a great job, so far, and his hard work is starting to pay off and bear fruit for Louisiana.

Jindal Signs Bill That'll Allow People to Bitterly Hang Onto Their Guns With Their Bibles While in Church

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed a bill into law today that would allow people to bitterly hang on to their guns and their Bibles in church (excluding churches with schools on the premises) at the same time:

Gun control supporters are up in arms over Louisiana's new law allowing churchgoers to pack heat along with their Bibles.

Gov. Bobby Jindal gave his blessing this week to churches, synagogues and mosques to allow concealed handguns on their premises, overturning a state ban....

Supporters of the measure say it can be a deterrent against criminal activity in church and will give an option to ministers and pastors to incorporate concealed handguns into their security plans.

Opponents argue it's inappropriate to have concealed handguns in church.


"The question Louisiana residents need to be asking themselves is: Is someone who takes a single eight-hour class fit to defend themselves should a crisis situation arise in the church?," said Ladd Everitt, a spokesman for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. "We would say no."

The Supreme Court gave individuals back the right to bear arms last week, and this is another extension of that right in Louisiana.

Jindal Takes Page Out of Obama's Book on Transparency: Vetoes Opening Oil Spill Documents

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R) seems to be taking a page out of the Obama Administration's book with regards to their apparent policies on transparency:

Gov. Bobby Jindal rejected a bill Friday that would have required him to make public and to preserve all his office's documents involving the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

In his veto letter, the governor said the legislation would have hurt the state's position in future litigation against BP PLC, the oil giant that leased the rig which exploded April 20 in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 workers and causing the disaster.

"This bill would allow BP and other parties with potential liability to the state to obtain information retained by any state agency responding to this tragic event," Jindal wrote, saying such access could jeopardize the state's position in seeking legal remedy for the spill's damage.

I'm usually a big support of Jindal, but in this case I must disagree with him. I can't see any legal reason why it can't be released, unless there is something in the report that BP doesn't know about in the report. This report is considered the equivalent to an investigation of BP's wrongdoing, and like a DA, they might need to keep certain details away from the offending party, in order to ensure the success of the investigation.

However, I doubt that is the case. Jindal needs to release it. If he does indeed have aspirations to move to the big house over on Pennsylvania Ave in DC, this could haunt him as an example of his lack of transparency. Jindal takes a definite step backwards in the minds of Americans minds, after he has been seen as a real leader in the wake of Obama's lackadaisical response to the spill.

Lead House Republican Burgess: Did the Administration Put Salazar in Witness Protection?

As the House Energy and Commerce Committee is conducting an investigation on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the Administration role in it, there is an important piece of the puzzle that has gone MIA. Leading Republican, Michael Burgess of Texas, on the subcommittee wonders where in the world is Ken Salazar:

Word came down Thursday evening from the House Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats:

“The joint hearing of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and the Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment entitled 'The Role of the Interior Department in the Deepwater Horizon Disaster,' scheduled for Tuesday, June 29, 2010 has been postponed.  A new date and time for the hearing is to be determined.”

The star witness of the scheduled hearing?  Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), top Republican on the subcommittee has repeatedly requested oversight testimony from the Obama administration on their actions in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion.

The Majority has set up the greatest Witness Protection program this Congress has seen,” Burgess said.  “Secretary Salazar had already agreed to be present for next Tuesday’s hearing, so it appears that the Democrats are delaying this hearing for purely political reasons.”

As far as I can tell I have found, I can find where Salazar has given any reason for his absence.

Burgess went on to go after the Obama administration for their lack of transparency in this crisis:

“It has been 67 days since the spill began, and we still have no sworn testimony or documents from the Obama administration before this committee,” Burgess said.  “Given the frustration of the public with BP and the administration’s handling of the oil spill and response, one would think the Democrats would be eager to find out why federal authorities approved BP drilling plans and what role the federal government played in responding to the oil spill.  We need answers to a host of questions and soon -- the American people are demanding answers now.”

Burgess sent a letter to Salazar asking him to prepare answers for oversight questions he would raise in the hearing.  But within hours, the hearing was “delayed” until further notice.

The American people are looking for answers in this crisis. They want to know why it happened and how it will be fixed, and as we saw in Obama's pitiful excuse for an Oval Office Address, the Administration seems to be short on answers.

Miss Me Yet?: Louisiana Residents Say Bush Handled Katrina Better Than Obama Handled BP Spill

A new PPP poll that looked at how Louisiana residents feel about Obama's handling of the BP oil spill has revealed somewhat shocking results:

Our new Louisiana poll has a lot of data points to show how unhappy voters in the state are with Barack Obama's handling of the oil spill but one perhaps sums it up better than anything else- a majority of voters there think George W. Bush did a better job with Katrina than Obama's done dealing with the spill.

50% of voters in the state, even including 31% of Democrats, give Bush higher marks on that question compared to 35% who pick Obama.

Overall only 32% of Louisianans approve of how Obama has handled the spill to 62% who disapprove. 34% of those polled say they approved of how Bush dealt with Katrina to 58% who disapproved.

This is huge. It shows that people have become fed up with the inaction from Obama regarding the clean up project. Now, the difference in between the two isn't big, but the fact that it is even close is still big. Polls like this is why Obama has been down in the Gulf states almost everyday this week and plans on doing an address from the Oval Office on the subject, tonight. People from the left and right have been complaining, and it is catching up to him.

Not surprisingly, BP has taken a biggest hit in the world of public opinion:

While the poll results indicate a lot of unhappiness with the President, ultimately BP is getting the largest amount of blame from voters in the state. 53% of voters say they're angriest at the oil company to 29% who say their greatest unhappiness is with the federal government. And 78% say BP has the greatest responsibility for cleaning up the spill to only 11% who say that onus lays with the federal government. 44% think BP CEO Tony Hayward should be fired to 29% who think he should not and 26% who are not sure.

Another surprising finding is that people haven't soured on off-shore drilling as everyone thought they would have. I guess this didn't "change the psyche" of the Louisianians regarding how they feel about the industry. So, much for being like 9/11. Right, Obama?:

One thing the oil spill has not done is created a spike of opposition to offshore drilling in Louisiana. 77% of voters still support it with only 12% against. Only 31% say the spill has made them less inclined to be in favor of drilling while 42% say it hasn't made a difference to them and 28% say they're now stronger in their support.

As I alluded to the other day, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has been picking up the slack on handling the crisis, and that fact is not being lost on the residents of the Cajun State:

If there's any 'winner' in this unfortunate event it's Governor Bobby Jindal. 63% of voters approve of the job he's doing, the best PPP has found for any Senator or Governor so far in 2010. There's an even higher level of support, at 65%, for how he's handled the aftermath of the spill.

This is becoming more and more like Obama's Katrina, no matter how much some Obama apologists would like you to believe otherwise. This should start translating into even lower approval ratings soon and make it even more difficult to win re-election in two years. He has to get a handle on this situation without making it look like kabuki theater, as he did with his Captain Kick Ass speech.

Louisiana Judge Recuses Himself From Marrying Couple Because They're Interracial, Officials Call For Him to Lose Job

Did I just step into a alternate reality where Loving Vs Virginia never outlawed bans on interracial marriages? In this day and age, this is ridiculous.

Keith Bardwell, a white justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish in southeastern Louisiana, wouldn't issue a license to or preside over the nuptials for Beth Humphrey, who is white, and Terence McKay, of Hammond, La., who is black. The two were later married by another area justice of the peace.

Bardwell, who's held his post more than 30 years, said he refused to perform the ceremony because of his concern for the future of the couple's children.

Bardwell told "Early Show" co-anchor Harry Smith , "I've had countless numbers of people that was born in that situation, and that they claim that the blacks or the whites didn't accept the children. And I didn't want to put the children in that position."

First of all, it not his job to worry about their kids that aren't even alive yet. Second, it is blatantly racist and unconstitutional. He should be to resign. After all, I can't see him getting re-elected anyway, not after this stunt.

Gov. Jindal and LA Sen. Landrieu have already called for his resignation. Sen. Vitter is tap-dancing around the issue a bit, but he'll probably follow suit, as well.

Former Louisiana US Rep. Jefferson (D) Starts Bribery Criminal Trial Tomorrow

The New Orleans area former US representative that was defeated by the first Republican to win in the district in decades is about to start his trial:

Former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson faces several obstacles to being acquitted of bribery, racketeering and other federal charges -- and topping the list is explaining the $90,000 cash stashed in his freezer.

Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat who represented parts of New Orleans until losing his bid for re-election last year, goes on trial Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria on allegations that he received more than $400,000 in bribes in return for using his influence to broker business deals in Africa.

Just more corruption from the most ethical Congress evah!