Yesterday, on Wizbang Blue when I ran a post dealing with the serious poverty problems in Louisiana and how Republican Governor Bobby Jindal has failed to so far address these serious issues, I faced a great deal of criticism because I satirically used an Academy Award based theme based on the popular film, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, to make my point. However, even if some may object to my harmless lampoon of a popular movie to make my point, they still need to recognize the larger issues at hand that were in my discussion.
When Bobby Jindal became governor of Louisiana in 2007's off year election, he led many in his state that to believe that he was a competent leader who could address the many serious issues impacting Louisiana such as the serious damage to New Orleans as a result of the August 2005 Katrina storm and flood damage to this main city in the state. This serious storm broke levees resulting in serious loss of life, property damage and loss of business, jobs and homes. However so far, Jindal's conservative politics have really very done little to reduce the 19.2% poverty rate in Louisiana which continues to be the second worst in the entire nation. Jindal cannot be blamed for causing this huge poverty problem. However, he can be blamed for so far failing to address and work to remedy it.
Jindal is also thought to have presidential ambitions, and this has propelled him into a position as acting as a spokesman for the Republican Party opposing President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plans. However, the fact of the matter is that Jindal is accepting nearly all of the funds provided in the stimulus bill for Louisiana including the highway funds. Jindal then announced that he will just oppose the portion of the 1,000 page bill which offers an extension of unemployment insurance benefits for the citizens of Louisiana, despite the high poverty rate in the state. However this is a three year program, with the federal government offering the help for much of these years.
The fact of the matter is that Jindal is just playing cheap political games here. He has presidential ambitions with little real achievement to show, but signed on early to act as the Republican spokesman to oppose the economic stimulus bill, although accepting most all of the funds for his state. Unlike other Republican governors such as Arnold Schwarzenegger of California or Charlie Crist of Florida, who both openly praise the economic stimulus bill as vital for the economic well being of their own states, Jindal claims to oppose the legislation, yet accepts nearly all of the funds, but then only finds a minor portion of the bill to oppose, and not for good reason so that he can soapbox on the issue to further his own political career. That's mighty shallow in my view.
Jindal's politics are indeed inch deep and mighty shallow. Jindal knows full well that within three years the Obama stimulus bill efforts might well improve the national economy by then, so Louisiana will be unlikely to stuck with some bill for increasing unemployment costs which is actually a form of insurance policy paid for by employers, not workers. Jindal is simply playing to a few big corporate interests in his state by not asking them to pay their fair share after three years to sustain the unemployment insurance program once the federal help eases.
The fact of the matter is that Republican governors such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Charlie Crist are attempting to do the best that they can for their own citizens and realize the great benefits of the economic stimulus bill to their states and how much it means to their own people that they serve. But Jindal is merely a cheap ideologue, with a 97% partisan Republican voting record while in congress, and little spirit of compromise or bipartisanship.
Jindal is merely looking climb political ladders, even if he has to search for some minor issue such as opposing extending unemployment insurance benefits just so that he can claim to oppose something. But I think that any serious person can see this for the political nonsense that it really is.
The fact of the matter is that Jindal wants political power for himself, however the leadership abilities to back that up are somewhat absent. Jindal is merely exploiting the human suffering of thousands of unemployed Louisiana residents during this serious economic recession to further his own future political career. That's not being a good public servant in my view. Jindal's political ambitions come first with Bobby Jindal. And that's the honest truth.
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