10 Issues Facing Louisiana in 2024

By Woody Jenkins, Editor, Central City News – Baton Rouge

With a new Republican governor, all Republican statewide elected officials, and a two-thirds majority in the Louisiana House and Senate, the next few months will be an historic time to correct injustices, make fundamental changes in the direction of state government, and chart a new and better course for the future of Louisiana.  

1.

COMPENSATION FOR

VIOLATIONS OF 

CIVIL RIGHTS BY 

JOHN BEL EDWARDS

It is important to realize that this state has been devastated by the misrule of the outgoing governor, John Bel Edwards.  He attacked the Constitutional rights guaranteed by the U. S. Constitution and the Louisiana Constitution. He instituted one-man rule and ruled by decree. He launched an all-out attack on freedom of speech and religion, free enterprise, and private property.  He shut down schools, churches, and businesses, caused massive loss of jobs, and had people arrested or marginalized by his unlawful actions.  Some Louisianians have sued for redress, and the new governor and attorney general should act right away to settle these suits on fair and adequate terms that insure that these tyrannical acts will never be repeated. They include

• Pastor Tony Spell and Life Tabernacle Church v. John Bel Edwards for imprisoning the pastor, ordering them not to hold church, constant surveillance of the Spells and their congregation, barring them from leaving the state, having members of the congregation fired from their jobs, and many other fragrant acts violating their Constitutional rights to freedom of religion, freedom of association, and freedom of speech.

• Firehouse Barbecue v. John Bel Edwards for unlawfully ordering the owner, Danielle Bunch, to close her business, ultimately resulting in her going out of business and experiencing massive losses.

• Bars suing John Bel Edwards for forcing the businesses to close, resulting in the loss of income and the loss of their investment.

• The civil suit relative to the murder of motorist Ronald Greene who was beaten to death by State Police and which murder was covered up by John Bel Edwards.

2.

END COVID 

MEASURES, RETURN

STATE GOVERNMENT

TO NORMAL

Three years after COVID began, Louisiana state government is still engaging in many of the ridiculous “protocols” it adopted during the so-called pandemic.  One of the most egregious is “telework” or “working remote.”  Even today, in many departments of state government, many state employees are absent from offices while they work remote.  The Division of Administration says state employees can work remotely two days a week if they will less than 75 miles from Baton Rouge and three days a week if they live more than 75 miles away.  As as result, some agencies have as few as 60 percent of the workforce on duty on any given day.  On this matter, the private sector can do whatever they please, but this is government work paid for by the taxpayers, and the taxpayers deserve their employees to be at their posts eight hours a day.

3.

ABOLISH STATE

CORPORATE

INCOME TAX

For Louisiana to be competitive with Texas, Florida, Tennessee, and other Southern states, it must abolish the corporate income tax. As long as it has a corporate income tax, this state will never attract corporate headquarters and the kind of investment those states have.

4.

ABOLISH STATE

PERSONAL

INCOME TAX OVER

AGE 65

One of the big draws of Texas, Florida, and Tennessee is the lack of a personal income tax. Louisiana may not be ready to make that leap, but a major step in the right direction would be to abolish the personal income tax for residents over 65.  With our great climate, easy life style, and wonderful food, entertainment, and culture, Louisiana can become a retirement center, but only if we repeal the income tax for people over 65.  As they come, they will buy houses, make investments, and support our businesses.

5.

CUT GOVERNMENT

SPENDING TO PAY FOR

INCOME TAX CUTS 

Some members of the legislature want to repeal the corporate and personal income tax but they are looking for other taxes to raise to replace the lost income.  This is a wrong-headed approach! The point is not to shift from one tax to another but rather to eliminate taxes and reduce the cost of government accordingly.

6.

STRICTLY ENFORCE

LAWS AGAINST

VIOLENT CRIME

The primary purpose of government is to protect our liberty and also to protect us from criminals and foreign invaders.  But we have become one of the crime capitals of the nation with three of the most violent cities in the country. Too many violent offenders have been given chance after chance.  It’s time to be tough on violent crime, put the criminals behind bars, and leave them there for their full sentence.  We must also to build parish jails as needed and provide a safe place for those who are incarcerated where they can learn a skill and have a path forward. 

7.

BUILD NEW

PSYCHIATRIC

HOSPITALS

The epidemic of homelessness in Baton Rouge and other large cities in Louisiana is a result mainly of the fact that we have closed our mental institutions and have attempted to “mainstream” the mentally ill.  That has been a colossal failure.  We must provide 24-hour/365-day in-patient care for the severely mentally ill and get them off the street.  Sheriff Sid Gautreaux says that over 80 percent of the inmates in the parish prison are mentally ill.

8.

CONNECT EDUCATION

TO SKILLS NEEDED

FOR LOUISIANA JOBS

There is much discussion about the fact that many young people cannot read and write, that they come from terrible home situations, and that the lack of fathers in the home is one of the biggest reasons so many of our families — and our schools — are in crisis.  However, there is one approach that is bound to help.  Skilled jobs are going unfilled, but high school dropouts and even graduates can’t find a good-paying job. We need a strong system of identifying the training and skill sets actually in demand in our state and matching an educational program designed to provide students that training and those skills.

9.

PROMOTE

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

AND CUT 

BUREAUCRACY

Before COVID, the United States had more than 27 million small businesses, but big government dictatorship crushed many of them.  Meanwhile, the heavy hand of government bureaucracy makes it almost impossible for many businesses to even get an occupancy permit or operate normally.  We must return to true free enterprise and throw off many of the arbitrary licensing boards and regulations that prevent people from making a living. For the poor and downtrodden, free enterprise is often the best hope for a path to economic freedom.  We must rediscover our roots in economic liberty, and let freedom ring!

10.

PROMOTE ENERGY

PRODUCTION, 

MANUFACTURING AND

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Prosperity is closely tied to readily available and inexpensive energy. Louisiana is blessed with vast sources of oil and natural gas.  We must encourage and promote production.  That will make our state wealthy and help the entire nation.  Meanwhile, Louisiana is already one of the nation’s largest producers of chemical products.  We should expand on our strengths and use our unique geographic location and available human resources to become a manufacturing center for a wide variety of products.  Historically, Louisiana was the gateway to Latin America, but New Orleans lost interest and that title was taken by Miami.  However, our proximity to Latin America makes it an ideal trade partner.  We have so much to offer from agricultural products to shipbuilding that foreign markets should be our bread and butter.

E-mail woodyjenkins2020@hotmail.com