Time for Louisiana to put up or shut up

It’s been a standing joke for a number of years. No matter how bad things get in Louisiana, the state could say at least it’s not Mississippi. Well not anymore. A new national study by Wallethub.com has just been released ranking the Bayou state as America’s worst state to live in. That’s not the only bad listing. U.S. News & World Report puts Louisiana in last place for the second year in a row. When bad news rains, it certainly pours on Louisiana.

Both lists cite widespread poverty, violent crime across the state (65% higher than the national average), poor health where 40% of the population is listed as obese, poisonous industrial pollution, and the worst state in the nation when it comes to at risk youth who are unemployed and poverty stricken. And these lists don’t touch on the state having the highest and least affordable insurance rates compared to any other state, along with meager educational attainment.

Mississippi has jumped from last to 45th, making a five state leap, and has made huge strides in educational improvement. The New York Times reported recently that Mississippi “is lifting education outcomes and soaring in the national rankings.” Louisiana’s educational system has become an eyesore from start to finish. Early childhood education is dramatically underfunded. There’s no good news in the elementary and secondary levels were truancy remains high, and parents are not held accountable.

When it comes to higher education, the U.S. News & World Report national rankings were released just last week. The state’s flagship LSU came in with a ranking of 188th. University of Louisiana in Lafayette, that tries continually to keep up with LSU, made the same list at 465th. Out of the 10 top public universities, seven are located in California. How does California and Louisiana differ? California has one board of qualified educators that oversees all of higher education. Louisiana has four boards, each that undercut the other for tax dollars. Board members in the Bayou state are generally appointed based on their political connections and campaign contributions rather than having any particular educational expertise.

When it comes to fighting crime, the governor has made no bones about calling out the National Guard to protect the public. However, the protection is in Texas on the Mexican border. The state spends $3 million annually to send the Louisiana National Guard abroad. That $3 million could be a shot in the arm in dealing with crime throughout the state. We ought to be a lot more concerned about crime in Louisiana rather than what happens 1000 miles away.

The Bayou state is so far behind in the national rankings that it calls for dramatic leadership that is not afraid to shake up the system and rub a number of vested interests raw to the bone. I’ll have to hand it to former Governor Buddy Roemer. He beat me in the 1987 gubernatorial race by saying he was going to shut down a number of state agencies that were dramatically underperforming. When he ran for President, he would not accept more than $100 in campaign contributions. Yes, he lost, but he was on the right track a number of years ago.

There are way too many “dust bunny” agencies that soak up tax dollars but are completely unnecessary. A board to regulate florists and barbers? Why? Are twenty levy boards operating in Louisiana necessary when much bigger states up and down the Mississippi river only have one? I could go on and on.

Rather than a constitutional convention as some so-called experts are calling for, I think we first need a government efficiency commission, made up of non-politicians bringing in groups like the Public Affairs Research Council, the Council for a Better Louisiana the Bureau of Governmental Research and another similar organizations. Give them the tools to review and shake up state government from top to bottom. No sacred cows. Set in stone for the citizens of Louisiana to decide. Make the choice quite clear. Either get the state off the bottom of the barrel as has been for years and move forward. Or just continue to languish in last place. It’s time to make some hard decisions.

Peace and Justice

Jim Brown