Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is on the cover of the latest issue of Governing Magazine, a mail order pub for politicians, bureaucrats and public policy buffs. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is on the cover of the latest issue of Governing Magazine, a mail order pub for politicians, bureaucrats and public policy buffs. With the cover headline "Streamliner in Chief," the magazine examines Jindal's highly touted efforts to make state government a leaner, more efficient operation.
Two years ago, the Jindal administration began one of the most serious efforts to streamline state government in the country. Since then, as the Great Recession has intensified and state revenues have fallen, politicians in most states -- including high-profile Republicans such as Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour -- have cut spending and raised fees and/or taxes. Not Jindal. Instead, his administration has doubled down on his effort to make government smaller. Detractors say that to stick with his conservative philosophies and further his political ambitions, Jindal is prepared to run Louisiana's health and higher education systems off a cliff.
The story treads the familiar ground of Jindal's rise to prominence in state politics under a reform agenda and his status as a rising star with the national Republican Party. It also takes a looks into Jindal's often controversial hands-off approach with the state Legislature, with some insight from local state Sen. Mike Michot, and previews next year's budget showdown, where Jindal will have an estimated $2 billion revenue shortfall to contend with. Read the full article here.