[StBernard] Honoring our Veterans

[Westley Annis]

Dear Friends,


This past Wednesday gave us all an opportunity to express our gratitude and
appreciation for everything our veterans and active duty military members
have sacrificed for our nation. I traveled to Pineville to participate in
Veterans' Day ceremonies at the Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, and to
thank many of our veterans and their families for their service. As I said
in the Alexandria Town Talk
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c982%7c9390&digest
=UIG9q0Zn%2bVM6Z9dZ3JePig> , "Whether you served in the Army, the Marine
Corps, the Navy, the Air Force or the Coast Guard, each of you answered the
call of duty and asked for nothing in return." We are forever grateful for
everything our veterans have given our nation, and it was truly my honor to
meet many of them in Pineville last week.

We also continue to receive good news regarding our state's economy. As
reported by the New Orleans Times-Picayune
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c983%7c9390&digest
=7tB1NoAfpcn8n7tDndnOag> , "Four Louisiana metropolitan areas appear on a
list of the areas that are best at sustaining economic growth" as part of
the 2009 Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners Best-Performing
Cities list. Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Shreveport-Bossier and New Orleans were
included in the top 100 cities on the list.

A recent analysis by Portfolio.com
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c984%7c9390&digest
=doCypxX3Jzfg1nDQ0mjCKQ>  also showed that our state's economy has performed
second-best in the entire country since the beginning of the national
economic downturn. As the Lafayette Daily Advertiser
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c995%7c9390&digest
=7vlY7dJI3z6AAVAz3Fr%2bBA>  wrote following our announcement last week of
Pixel Magic's announcement that they will be locating in Lafayette, we have
"reason to express some pride."

We also received great news that, following a letter I sent to the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration last week, the FDA has delayed a proposal to ban the
interstate sale of untreated raw oysters. The oyster industry employs more
than 3,500 Louisianians, so as the New Orleans Times-Picayune
<http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/editorials/index.ssf?/base/news-6/125818031120
0050.xml&coll=1>  wrote, "that's a relief for oyster producers and
consumers."

Also, people around the nation continue to take notice of the critical
improvements we have made to our state's ethics laws. As the Grand Forks
(ND) Herald wrote, "Louisiana identified a weakness and acted," and other
states should "unapologetically [follow] Louisiana's good-government lead."

As noted by the Monroe News Star
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c996%7c9390&digest
=%2f3sIoipdV02TGewjvuqM9A> , I traveled to Ruston last week to tour
Louisiana Tech University, get a first hand view of the great advances Tech
is making in high-tech fields such as micro-engineering, and emphasize our
commitment to higher education. I also visited Many as part of the Louisiana
Working Tour, and will continue to visit communities across the state in the
coming weeks.

Sincerely,

Governor Bobby Jindal