We are facing the worst budget problems Louisiana has ever faced, and we have a daunting task ahead of us to rebuild our economy and tax base.
Washington is watching every move we make, as they want to be sure that Louisiana is very prudent in the way these monies are spent. They want to make sure the money is not wasted. So what did Gov. Blanco do? She has her appointees on the Bond Commission vote to build a $1 million horse arena, $500,000 for a lake and about another $5 million in pork barrel projects. What kind of message does that send to Washington, Wall Street and the rest of the world? It sends a clear message; we are throwing money down the drain in Louisiana to help some of the governor's cronies.
Gov. Blanco showed no leadership after Katrina, and once again she is showing no leadership in supporting this wasteful spending. We have hundreds of thousands of Louisiana people hurting, needing a place to live, needing clothes, food, medicine, etc. We have state buildings and colleges that were severely damaged by Katrina and Rita. We have two parishes that were totally wiped out and have no tax base. What does Gov. Blanco do? She throws away taxpayer money for pork barrel projects for her friends.
Louisiana has a long way to go in rebuilding, and with this lack of leadership and support of wasteful spending, the road is getting longer.