Louisiana Loves Losing

Have you ever heard someone not from Louisiana, pronounce Louisiana? It’s always “Lose-ee-an-uh”. Maybe, they know something we don’t know.

According to US News, Louisiana ranks 50th as a state. We are 46th in Health Care, 48th in Education, 47th in Economy, 47th in Infrastructure, 48th in Opportunity, 50th in Crime & Corrections, 42nd in Fiscal Stability, 49th in Natural Environment. To make matters worse, we’ve been ranked last for the last 3 years, consecutively.

We can point to a multitude of items that have attributed to this lack of growth. Of course, we cannot be blamed for our location when it comes to natural disasters in relation to the Gulf of Mexico. We can be blamed for everything else.

Let’s start with Education. Since I was a child, Louisiana has been ranked at the bottom in education reports. With the Pelican state lacking economic resources and growth, most parents do not have the luxury to send their children to private school for a better education. Why should they? Why should a proper education be afforded to only those who can pay for it?

Next, let’s visit Crime & Corrections. Louisiana ranks 48th in public safety. With the national average of 85 per 100k juveniles incarcerated, the state posts 114 per 100k juveniles. The bayou state ranks well over the national averages when it comes to incarceration and violent crime. According to The Prison Policy Initiative, Louisiana would be first incarnation rates if every state would be an individual country, per 100,000 people.

U.S. News reports that Louisiana has 0.0% job growth rate. That’s less than ideal for a state that has a multitude of natural resources. Louisiana ranks #2 in crude oil refinery, #4 natural gas, #3 in chemical production, #1 in salt production, #2 in sugar production, #3 in rice production, and #1 for foreign investments, per Together Louisiana.

Okay Jarrett, why are we struggling as a state? Let me tell you. Louisiana still operates as a slave state. Everything and everyone is for sale. No sense of state pride when it comes to our government. Our state government has sold its people out for corporate dollars. Louisiana is the only state that has a state level board of authority to legislate corporate tax exemptions. These tax exemptions have impacted our schools, our roads (which rank 48th), our quality of life. I haven’t even mentioned Cancer Alley.

Also, we continue to do the same process when it comes to picking our government officials. Their goal is to control the minds of all Louisianans by keeping us uneducated while they profit and allow us to be dependent on the government. Current Louisiana senators John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy have yet to push this state forward while holding positions at the White House. Whether it has been a Republican or Democratic president, Louisiana has continued to be sold, and they have been the middle men.

We, as Louisianans, have to be more prideful when it comes our state, not only when it comes to sports. Our best minds are leaving the state for better opportunities. They want to raise their families in safer, more efficient environments. I don’t blame them. This state has so much room for growth. We need better, smarter people in charge that will no longer keep the status quo. That status is killing us.