[StBernard] Stand on Principle

[Westley Annis]

Dear Friends -

I was recently honored to attend the Southern Republican Leadership
Conference in New Orleans along with Sarah Palin, Speaker Newt Gingrich and
Governors Rick Perry of Texas and Haley Barbour of Mississippi. The
conference, held every four years, was the largest in its history and the
fact that it was held in New Orleans is a testament to our work to not just
rebuild, but to build back Louisiana better than ever!

In speaking at the Conference, I stressed the many reforms we have enacted
here in Louisiana and the contrast between Washington DC's agenda to simply
spend, spend, spend and rack up more debt on the backs of the American
people. 

In Louisiana, we're streamlining government and reducing spending to live
within our means - just like Louisiana families. In Washington, they're
printing more money, borrowing more money and mortgaging our children's
future.  We need to stand on principle and work to put an end to this
out-of-control spending in Washington.  

To address our own budget challenges, we are reducing government spending
while protecting our critical priorities like higher education and health
care. In fact, we have proposed a package of initiatives to help protect
higher education and health care from dramatic cuts during budget deficits.
Our budget reform initiatives will make the budgeting process more flexible
so that higher education and health care are not forced to take the brunt of
budget cuts because they are the largest unprotected areas of the budget. As
I told the Baton Rouge Advocate
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c007%7c9390&digest
=HmuLDCTgu754Yb3CcXy5qg> , "Every option needs to be on the table" as we
confront our fiscal challenges and lay the groundwork for a New Louisiana.

We also recently joined officials from Bruce Foods to announce the expansion
of their food processing operations in Louisiana.  As the Lafayette
Advertiser
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c008%7c9390&digest
=FRAbWiNXGpSeXMfU3xYMwg>  reported, Bruce Goods "will create 43 jobs with a
payroll of $1.3 million by 2014."  Additionally, the new investment will
create 112 new indirect jobs and $3.5 million in new state tax revenues over
10 years.  The decision by Bruce Foods is the latest example of our ongoing
commitment to retain and expand Louisiana businesses so our people can
succeed right here at home.

In Baton Rouge, we awarded 800 veterans with the Louisiana Veterans' Honor
Medal. It is always a joyous and humbling experience to thank these
courageous men and women who put on the uniforms of our armed forces in
defense of the liberties we hold dear.  


Sincerely,

Governor Bobby Jindal