[StBernard] 2007 Governor's Race

[Westley Annis]

"I am not interested in playing a political blame game. I want to run for
Governor for one reason and one reason alone: To rebuild Louisiana into the
best state possible. The best state for education, the best state for high
quality health care, the best state for high-paying jobs, and a state
government with the highest of ethical standards. Will you join me today in
leading the way to change?"

 

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Dear Friends,

Thank you for all of your help in my re-election campaign for Congress. We
worked around the clock and took nothing for granted. As a result, I won
with a historic and humbling 88 percent of the vote. I share this victory
with you. This is our victory.

In Congress, you can count on me to continue to work hard to secure our
borders, to deal firmly with foreign threats to our national security, to
make tax relief permanent, to repair our local infrastructure, and to bring
Louisiana our fair share of offshore royalties.

But I am writing today with some hard truths. More than a year after
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, too much of our state remains in shambles. It
is time for new leadership in Baton Rouge.

One year from now, Louisianians will choose who will serve as our Governor
for the next four years. And not a moment too soon.

Our state needs a Governor with a steel-like determination to get the job
done, no matter the many obstacles before us. No excuses. No run around.
Just helping the people of Louisiana to rebuild their homes, their
communities, and their lives.

As one of my most dedicated supporters, I wanted you to hear it from me
first. I have taken the first step towards another run for Governor,
reactivating the Friends of Bobby Jindal gubernatorial account.

In Washington, I hear people parse words and talk in circles all of the
time. So I want you to hear it straight from me; I want to run for Governor,
and I will be working hard over the next several months to see if I can
build the support necessary to run a strong, successful campaign.

I need your help.

Today, our state faces a serious crisis like never before. Like yours, the
future of my family depends on our state turning things around, and quickly.
I just do not see the forward-thinking leadership Louisiana needs coming
from the current administration.

But while our state has fallen on some hard times, our current governor has
done one thing very well; raise money for her campaign.

Please know I will not enter the race for Governor to play a political blame
game. I will enter for one reason and one reason alone:

To rebuild Louisiana into the best state possible.

The best state for education,

The best state for high quality health care,

The best state for high-paying jobs, and

A state government with the highest ethical standards.

Will you join me today in leading the way to change? It will be tough, but
the reward will be a state of which we can be proud. I cannot do it alone. I
am humbled to have a strong base of support in the First District, but to
win a race for Governor, I will have to expand my support to every last
corner of our state.

I need to know right away whether I can count on your help. Your special
gift of $5000, $2500, $1,000, $500, $250, $100, $50, or even $25 to the
Friends of Bobby Jindal gubernatorial account will show the rest of the
country that people across Louisiana fully support a change in leadership
and a change in the way our state operates.

If you simply cannot afford to help at this time, please consider signing up
as a volunteer or to put a bumper sticker on your car or truck
<http://www.bobbyjindal.com/volunteer.php> .

Any support you can give today will make a difference.

Louisiana is currently called the least livable state, ranking near the
bottom in education, third to last in health care, and one of the worst in
crime. We did not get here overnight. But as a native Louisianian, I will
not sit by and watch my beloved state languish any longer.

We need a fresh start. We need a new leader with the energy and innovative
ideas to overcome our significant challenges, many which existed even before
the devastation from last year.

In hard times like these, we are reminded of what really matters in life;
faith, family, and love for our neighbors and friends.

My wife and I are teaching our three young children that each one of us has
a responsibility to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Our kids are asking us hard questions now, like why did the hurricanes hurt
good people. In five years, they will be asking us much tougher questions if
we do not make some serious progress and seize the opportunities in front of
us. And that is one of the many reasons I want to run for Governor.

We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to drastically improve our state.
We owe it to our children and future generations to succeed.

In order to rebuild Louisiana, we must make vast improvements in ethics and
efficiency, in education and health care, in our economy and our
infrastructure.

First and foremost, we must bring common sense to how our government works
and restore trust with the highest ethical standards. We must also
immediately eliminate the red tape and bureaucracy that has plagued the
recovery efforts, and rid ourselves of the waste, fraud, and abuse in the
current rebuilding efforts.

Right after the storms, a helicopter pilot called my office for help. He was
ready and willing to rescue people stranded, but could not get a single
government agency to give him permission to fly. It was a classic game of
pass-the-buck bureaucracy and lives were at stake. So I took matters into my
own hands; when I got the same run around from a whole list of agencies, I
told the pilot to go for it.

I still do not know if it was within my authority, but I was not about to
risk the lives of people because of bureaucratic incompetence. If some
government agency wanted to complain about it, I was willing to take the
heat.

Ever since, I have been working in Congress to ensure that the failures of
last year are never repeated. The response from the federal government was
marred by bureaucracy at its worst, and we must continue to improve our
disaster preparedness at both the state and federal level.

The future of our children depends on the quality of their education.
Recently, a teacher told me she no longer sends notes home because half the
time she does, the parents come up to school and get mad at her.

Right now, 50 percent of our new teachers get out of working in the public
schools of Louisiana five years after they graduate. The number one reason?
The environment in the classrooms. Louisiana ranks 39th in the nation out of
40 states reviewed in discipline and this must change.

It is time we refocus our school system on performance and make the changes
necessary so every Louisiana student has a genuine opportunity to learn. We
must recruit the brightest teachers in the country, and then give them the
support they need to stay. As Governor, I would work for more support and
flexibility for teachers, increased academic achievement, and restored
discipline in our classrooms.

And since young and old alike deserve the opportunity to earn a decent wage
at a good job right here in Louisiana, we must grow our economy and
encourage companies to come do business here. That means reducing taxes and
eliminating unnecessary bureaucratic regulations. We have to stop being one
of the few states that heavily taxes corporate investment, creating a
powerful deterrent to new business start ups and a reason for businesses to
move elsewhere.

We must also build safety nets for the most vulnerable among us; building a
high-quality health care system to which all Louisianians have access.
Louisiana currently ranks as the third worst state in the country in terms
of access to affordable health care. We could help a lot of people by
adopting a Health Insurance Flexibility and Accountability model and an
Independence Plus model. These are national models of excellence used in
many states that I helped to create. Instead of an all-or-nothing,
one-size-fits-all approach, we need to do more to help working families
access health care.

And restoring our coastline and wetlands is important not only for the
quality of our life, but for our safety in future storms. As Governor, I
would make increasing our hurricane and flood protections an urgent
priority.

Last year, Louisianians experienced a fundamental shift in our quality of
life; and not for the better. It is like we had three disasters; the storm
itself, the breaking of the levees, and then poor response from both the
federal and state governments.

And the disaster continues.

With nearly $100 billion approved in assistance, we have yet to see that
much in actual work on the ground due to fraud and waste in the recovery
process.

The list of government waste in the response and recovery after Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita, at all levels, reads like a rap sheet; an estimated $2
billion lost to fraud and waste. $200 champagne, months at a Hawaiian
resort, five season tickets to the NFL football games, $175 tarps, and
hundreds of trailers sitting unoccupied. All this while families and
businesses with urgent, legitimate needs have to wait, and wait, and wait.

It is inexcusable.

In contrast, the private sector and faith-based organizations continue to
step up where government has failed; for example, providing shelter after
the storms and now demolishing and clearing neighborhoods of homes and
debris that remain more than a year later.

While Louisiana has relied heavily on our federal government in our recovery
efforts thus far, this is not the ultimate answer. Our recovery lies in the
hands of individuals helping their neighbors, businesses locating and
reopening in our communities, and trade groups once again booking their
conventions in our state to enjoy our rich culture and heritage.

The waste and fraud from the storms last year storms show that sensible
reforms must be made. As money continues to come to our state for disaster
assistance, we need a new leader who will take charge and make sure the
money is used wisely.

We all know it is time for new leadership for Louisiana. A decisive leader
who we can count on; in good times and in bad.

Next year, we must elect a leader who will take responsibility. It took our
state years to sink to the bottom of so many national rankings. It will be a
tremendous challenge to turn the tide. But we must. And I believe we can.

As a state, we face significant challenges. But they are not insurmountable.

It will be hard work, but I am up for the challenge. Are you?

I am ready to work hard to earn the opportunity to lead Louisiana into a
period of rebuilding and renewal. But I need to know you will be with me
every step of the way.

To run a successful statewide campaign requires money and manpower.

You have been a great help in my past campaigns, and I hope you know how
thankful I am for your generosity and support. Now, I hope I can count on
you again. It will mean so much to me to know you are on my team.

Please send your largest contribution of $5000, $2500, $1,000, $500, $250,
$100, $50, or even $25 to the Friends of Bobby Jindal gubernatorial
campaign.

There is no time better than the present to truly begin rebuilding our
state. Let us use these challenges as opportunities to build the Louisiana
of our dreams.

May God bless you and your family.

Sincerely,
Bobby Jindal 

Contributions to Friends of Bobby Jindal, Inc. are limited to $5000 per
legal entity for the primary election and are not deductible for federal
income tax purposes. All contributors should provide name and address.  All
contributions are publicly disclosed.