Jindal: Growing Government Won't Help

Yes, his first moment in the public spotlight wasn't exactly a great one. Even my beloved FoxNews gave him low marks. But let's take a step back and look from something that is meaningless in the long run to something that is very meaningful: what he does as a leader. Jindal recently wrote a piece for the News Star (A news outlet in Monroe, LA) about the current economic climate in relation to his home state of Louisiana. The article can be found here. A few things I found interesting.

• Louisiana's economy has outperformed the larger national economy. Yeah yeah, I know it probably depends on what measure you use and such, but the fact that Louisiana, just a few years removed from Katrina, is one of the few bright spots economically is a testament to what this guy can get done.
• He reiterates his stance against raising business taxes, and states it in simple terms:
  "Increasing taxes on Louisiana businesses would have the exact opposite effect, and I have said I will not increase taxes on our people to help meet our budget challenges. Raising taxes on our businesses, in particular, would effectively punish employers who create the very jobs we want to protect and multiply for our people." Sounds simple enough to me.
• Louisiana will be turning down some of the money from the stimulus package because it would require a permanent change in unemployment insurance that would result in businesses having to "foot the bill" as he puts it.

Obviously, the best way to get the truth about a politician is not to read an article written by the politician himself. But, despite the fact that he didn't impress in front of the camera on his first try, he's what the GOP needs. He's an old fashioned, no-nonsense, no-taxes type, much like the namesake of this blog. He also is a proponent of ethics reform, and for all the people who thought Obama's education made him the better candidate against McCain, Jindal's academic achievements are rivaled by very few.