Displaying items by tag: Louisiana economy

This Saturday is a big day for Louisiana.  Voters will choose the person to serve as our state’s governor for the next four years.  My vote goes to Gov. John Bel Edwards.

When Gov. Edwards assumed office nearly four years ago, he inherited a fiscal nightmare that was worse than anyone realized.  It was a $2 billion deficit that the state had to remedy.  

If you are Businessman Eddie Rispone or Congressman Ralph Abraham (one of the two Republican candidates) intending to unseat Governor John Bel Edwards for the rights to the state capitol’s 4th floor, you have some heavy lifting to do.

And, if you are running for political office this year or working on a political campaign, reading the just-released 2019 Louisiana Survey, a project of the Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs of LSU, is a must-do.

Louisiana supported Donald Trump like no other state in the country. This is Trump Country. So is Iowa, Kansas, parts of Michigan, Pennsylvania and others. However, according to many experts, including Tulane's economist Peter Ricchuitti, Louisiana is being hit the hardest now than most states and has a significant amount to lose, should the tariffs keep coming.

Ricchutti discussed this issue during the fourth segment of our Live Stream interview recently.

How is Louisiana's economy doing now that the oil prices have improved, especially since Louisiana is so dependent upon that industry? There have been reports about a poor Louisiana economy, so is it fair to blame the current governor, John Bel Edwards?  Is the United States losing the manufacturing battle against the world as President Donald Trump has been claiming?

The second special session of 2018 has come and gone, although it didn’t go quietly. The theatrics in the last hour of debate rivaled some of Hollywood’s greatest performances. But still, the dramatics were not worth the waste of time and, more importantly, not worth Louisiana taxpayers’ hard-earned money. 

Once again, a special session has ended in disagreement and disappointment. Legislators could not agree on the exact funding mechanism to bridge the $650 million budget deficit. The crisis is a result of the 1% sales tax increase that was enacted in 2016 but will expire at the end of the month.

Once again, a special session has ended in disagreement and disappointment. Legislators could not agree on the exact funding mechanism to bridge the $650 million budget deficit. The crisis is a result of the 1% sales tax increase that was enacted in 2016 but will expire at the end of the month.

On the heels of an improving economy locally and nationally, Governor John Bel Edwards had some good news to promote--joblessness.