Jindal is out of touch---

In 07 when he ran I supported him rather enthusiastically. I contributed more cash to his election than I had to any other candidate ever. I worked two little community events with one of my neighbors.

We had him over to a little cookout we put together for him and it was there I first questioned my support of him. He came across canned, rehearsed and rather clumsy when he was off script. It was like Teepell gave him a list of talking points. He was phony too in his brand new ropers he no doubt thought our rather rural community would like. Nonetheless I thought he was going to change things.

I should have paid attention to my reservations.

In Jindal's first term he demonstrated he is no real conservative. He funded the sale of the chicken plant in Union Parish. He threw $500 million stashed in LED funds at all kinds of businesses friendly to his campaign. He hired a trial lawyer to represent the state in lawsuits against BP. He grabbed all the federal largesse he could after Gustav and BP. He supported the building of the largest state run hospital in state history. He put together a huge package of sweet deals for Tom Benson--unbelievable deals really. Our capital spending kept on going up. Of course he sweetened the film credit deals to the point of absurdity even making them cash redeemable with the State. He consolidated power in the Governor's office with his so called ethics reforms creating a powerful tool to squash political opponents. No one can claim to be a fiscal conservative and do such things.

In term two I thought he was coming around. I wanted school choice and a tightening of heretofore unlimited spending of higher ed and medicaid. He talked of ending the state income tax. It all sounded good. Real change finally. We see now it was all lip service.

Today in my junk mail is a piece Jindal supposedly has written calling out Obama over Crimea. The man has not stopped running for whatever it is he wants since he came on the scene in Louisiana. Nobody gives a darn what the governor of Louisiana thinks about Russian foreign policy.

Jindal would be far, far better off to run the state in a conservative manner and properly answer his critics. Instead he has let them define his issues and he has lost loads of political capital. He should have gone to the wall on school choice and insisted it be statewide and available to all for example. He should have pointed out to the critics of his higher education cuts that he tried to close the budget busting SUNO so other institutes would not have to endure cuts but they wouldn't let him. He should call BS on the film credits as Governors across the country are trying to do. He should grab hold of his plan to end the income tax and make the discussion loud and long. He walks off from fights too easily and ends up with no support.