For the 2007 Election
How Do We Measure Up… How Far Do We Have to Go
To say that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have had a huge impact on Louisiana is an understatement. The fact that they have changed our state for the foreseeable future- if not forever – is a given. And the need to address the challenges wrought by the storms- and the ones that persisted before- cannot be denied.
The question is are we up to the task? The future of Louisiana hinges on the answer to that question, and the state elections in 2007 will play a critical role in determining the kind of state Louisiana will be.
Without doubt, the recovery of south Louisiana from the 2005 hurricanes remains a priority. The job and population loss that has occurred in the most devastated regions is staggering, and Louisiana needs those areas to rebound economically. This must be a focus of the 2007 elections. But it must not be the only one.
The truth is Louisiana was in dire straits before the hurricanes. We ranked high in poverty and crime, low in economic performance, health and education outcomes. People were leaving the state in droves. One national group labeled us one of the least “livable” states in the nation. That was before the storms.
In recent years, Louisiana has made incremental progress in some areas. Our school accountability system remains the best in the country according to Education Week magazine, our education scores have shown improvement, and personal income is up compared to most other states over the last decade. That’s good, but not good enough. If Louisiana has any hope of seeing a reversal in our negative economic, population and health care trends, we must do things that will accelerate our progress. We must also recognize that as we inch forward in one category or another other states aren’t sitting by stagnantly waiting for us to catch up with them. They’re moving, too. Our goal must be not just to improve, but move up the lists.
So, where are we now? To be perfectly honest, not very well positioned. Over the last year, the storms have distracted us from focusing on many of the state’s fundamental issues. That was to be expected given the catastrophe. But as we continue to work on recovery in those areas hardest hit by the storms, we must regain our focus on identifying the things Louisiana must do to move off the bottom of all those lists. We must focus our attention on the things that will move the needle. Incremental progress will not get us there. We need to take big steps. Quantum leaps.
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