[StBernard] Weekly Update from Bobby - December 17, 2006

[Westley Annis]

December 17, 2006	 
 	 
Making the decision

Since I first wrote to you about my interest in running for Governor next
year, my email account has been bombarded with encouraging messages. It
means so much to hear from friends and supporters regarding this huge
decision, one that I do not take lightly.

I want to run for Governor next year, but before I make that decision, I
want to ensure that there is enough support statewide. My wife and I have
been talking about this and praying about it, and we hope to make a decision
in the next few weeks. An important part of this decision will be whether or
not we have enough people signed up to volunteer for the campaign, and
whether or not we can raise enough money. And we want you to be part of this
effort.

To sign up to volunteer, please click here.
<http://www.bobbyjindal.com/volunteer.php> 

And to donate money to ensure we can get our message out to people
throughout Louisiana, please click here.
<https://www.campaigncontribution.com/version6/process/info.asp?id=3733&jid=
&firstname=&lastname=&address1=&city=&state=&zip=&email=&amount=&employer=&o
ccupation=&homephone=&layout=&language=>  We have set a goal of raising $1
million before the end of this year!

We greatly appreciate your support!

Victory

Great news! As many of you know, last week the House of Representatives
passed the crucial bill that I have been emailing you about and pushing in
Congress. This bill provides tax relief for American taxpayers, helps lessen
the U.S. dependence on foreign sources of energy, and will bring Louisiana
billions of dollars in offshore energy revenues. The U.S. Senate then passed
this legislation on December 8, and the President has announced that he will
sign this bill into law on December 20, 2006. This is not only an early
Christmas present, but also a significant victory for Louisiana to finally
receive a fair share of these revenues that our state deserves. This has
been my top priority since I was elected to Congress, and indeed, I passed
several other bills through committee and the House before Congress finally
approved this bill during the last hours of the legislative session.

It was a hard fought battle, stretching more than 50 years, but I am
thrilled that we were victorious in securing this important legislation and
this crucial funding for Louisiana. Now more than ever, we need the money
this bill will bring to our state, and I will continue to advocate that our
state spends this money wisely. This funding should not be used for
political projects to win votes, nor should it find its way into the pockets
of politically connected individuals. Louisiana cannot afford to waste this
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We all remember the implementation of the
state lottery that was supposed to generate tens of millions of dollars to
help make our education system the best in the nation.

This week I talked to local residents in Monroe about the importance this
money will have in both the long and short-term. I told the Monroe Kiwanis
club that this funding should be bonded out immediately so that we can get
to work repairing our coastline now. The legislation I pushed through
Congress will generate billions of dollars for our state that can be used to
repair our coast, improve our flood and hurricane protection, and build
better infrastructure. Improving our infrastructure is one way that we can
bring in more insurance companies to Louisiana and help lower rates for
consumers through increased competition. This is desperately needed, and I
will continue to be a vocal advocate for ensuring that we spend these hard
fought funds wisely.

To read more about the importance of this bill for our state, click here to
read the entire News Star story on this issue.
<http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061214/NEWS01/61214
0322> 

Keeping American ports in American control

Earlier this year, the Administration approved the sale of a company that
operates many of the major ports in the U.S. to the Dubai Ports World
Corporation. The Dubai Ports World Corporation is owned by the government of
the United Arab Emirates, a country that has a mixed track record in the War
on Terrorism. This sale gave control of the access and operation of ports
around the country, including the Port of New Orleans, to this foreign
company.

I wholeheartedly opposed the approval of this sale by the Administration. I
refuse to accept any action that increases vulnerabilities in our country or
hampers our ability to protect this nation. In these uncertain times, it is
important that the U.S. takes every precaution when dealing with the
security of critical infrastructure like our ports. More than half of the
cargo in our ports is not screened for radiological or biological devices
that would severely harm the people, economy, and security of our country.
This is not about free trade; this is about maintaining the safety of
Americans. I will not sell that safety to the highest bidder.

I was glad then to hear this week that, in the face of Congressional
opposition, the Dubai Ports World Corporation has agreed to sell operations
of U.S. ports to a U.S. company. I have been a vocal advocate in Congress
for ensuring that we are not selling off the security of our nation, as our
country already imports too much of our energy and manufactured goods, and
this sale could have made us even more vulnerable to potential attacks. As a
member of the House Homeland Security Committee, I will continue to work in
Congress to ensure our country is protected.

Fighting for our teachers

Too often in Louisiana, our teachers are taken for granted. Time and again
when I am traveling to different areas of the state, teachers will stop me
and let me know about the frustrations they face when trying to educate
children in our state.

Salaries for Louisiana teachers have yet to reach the Southern regional
average. Teachers are forced to spend time focused on discipline rather than
teaching. And to top it off, the federal government recently tried to phase
out the tax deduction for supplies that teachers purchase for their
classrooms.

Recently, Bridget, a teacher from Washington Parish, emailed me to ask for
my help in restoring this important tax deduction that expired at the end of
2005. Teachers throughout Louisiana regularly spend hundreds of dollars of
their own money outfitting their classrooms with the supplies their students
need. It does not take a lot of common sense to see that eliminating this
tax deduction was a horrible idea that punishes the men and women who are
truly educating our next generation.

Thankfully, I was able to work with my colleagues in Congress to fix this
problem in a bill that passed late last week. This important provision will
extend the deduction for some elementary and secondary school teachers. This
bill passed both the House and the U.S. Senate, and the White House is
expected to sign this legislation into law soon.

As a former president of the University of Louisiana System, the son of a
first-generation college graduate, and a graduate of public schools in
Louisiana, I know how important teachers are and how much the future success
of our students is dependent upon teachers. I will continue to be a vocal
advocate for the teachers in our state.

I hope you have a wonderful week, and as always, feel free to contact my
office if we can be of any assistance to you!

Sincerely, 
Bobby Jindal