Letters: Moret toots Louisiana’s horn

Over the last four years, despite facing a deep national economic downturn and harmful policies of the Obama Administration that have constrained our growth, Louisiana has significantly outperformed the South and United States.

Only six states in our country have more jobs today than in January 2008. Louisiana and Texas are the only two such states in the South. In fact, Louisiana’s job growth has been second-fastest in the South since 2008, and third-fastest over the last 12 months.

Per-capita personal income in Louisiana has increased by more than $2,700 over the last four years, improving our national ranking to its highest level in more than 80 years.

According to the U.S. Census, for more than 20 consecutive years, more people moved out of Louisiana than moved in, but for the past four years in a row, more people moved into Louisiana than moved out. People are voting with their feet and moving here because Louisiana has experienced job growth while most other states have experienced job losses.

Two significant contributors to Louisiana’s relative economic performance have been our state’s dramatic business climate improvements, as well as our aggressive business retention, expansion and recruitment efforts. Since 2008, Louisiana has improved to its highest-ever position on every major national ranking of state business climates, and we have secured projects that are creating more than 51,500 new jobs and more than $12.6 billion in new capital investment.

We’ve had many economic development wins right here in the Capital Region:

SNF is investing $350 million and creating 500 new, high-paying jobs in Iberville Parish. Electronic Arts is creating 600 jobs at LSU. Albemarle relocated its Fortune 1000 headquarters here from Richmond, Va. We secured a buyer to recapitalize, modernize and reopen the paper mill in West Feliciana Parish. Coca-Cola built a modern bottling facility, relocating operations from Mississippi. Bercen Inc. relocated its headquarters and research-and-development facility from Rhode Island to Livingston Parish. Criterion Catalysts expanded, relocating operations from California to West Baton Rouge Parish. TraceSecurity relocated jobs from Dallas and San Diego. Many existing employers announced expansions or modernizations, such as BASF, GP, Honeywell, Orion Instruments, PreSonus, Starmount Life Insurance, Stupp Corporation and Shintech.

Recently released Census data on poverty showed that Louisiana significantly outperformed the South and United States over the last four years, but it also showed that we have more work left to do. While we’ve made significant progress, we’ve still got too many people looking for work or better-paying jobs.

We believe that the best anti-poverty program is a good job, which is one of the reasons why we have made economic development our top priority since Day 1, and why we will continue to do so.

Stephen Moret, secretary

Louisiana Economic Development

Baton Rouge

Comments

1) Comment by Bighug - 27/09/2012

Things have really gone downhill since Obama started giving all that money away through the programs he started, such as food stamps, social security, medicare, and unemployment pay. Then he started wars in the Middle-east and opened up our borders.

2) Comment by DMJ - 26/09/2012

I notice you didn't say anything about the cuts to higher education and health care....or how, despite the certainty-crushing anti-business policies, since they're real and all, Louisiana was able to achieve all that stuff Moret was bragging about....or how unemployment is down, yet poverty is up in Louisiana....or how the stock market is back to pre-crash levels, yet unemployment remains at 8%....The job creators made their money back...why aren't they hiring? Oh right...they're waiting for the certainty to come back to the markets. Yes, folks, the Mitt Romney theory of economic development- elect him and things will get better just because. He said it best himself, "if we win on November 6th there will be a great deal of optimism about the future of this country. We'll see capital come back, and we'll see—without actually doing anything—we'll actually get a boost in the economy." The certainty will come with the optimism that is result of not even really doing anything. I miss anything? Oh right, Obamacare.... because we all know how much Mitt Romney hates mandates. Everyone convinced?

3) Comment by DMJ - 26/09/2012

Ahhh....so more supply-side, less regulation will result in the certainty, which only a Republican president can bring to markets. Give me a break. Just think about that phrase "too much uncertainty in the market." Was there ever a point when there was certainty in the market? Next time, why not just post the link to the article, instead of typing the whole thing out? You'll save yourself the typing time.

4) Comment by agagent - 26/09/2012

"Here are the key findings in the poll, as highlighted by NAM: 67 percent say there is too much uncertainty in the market today to expand, grow or hire new workers. 69 percent of small business owners and manufacturers say President Obama’s Executive Branch and regulatory policies have hurt American small businesses and manufacturers. 55 percent say they would not start a business today given what they know now and in the current environment. 54 percent say other countries like China and India are more supportive of their small businesses and manufacturers than the United States."Here are the key findings in the poll, as highlighted by NAM: 67 percent say there is too much uncertainty in the market today to expand, grow or hire new workers. 69 percent of small business owners and manufacturers say President Obama’s Executive Branch and regulatory policies have hurt American small businesses and manufacturers. 55 percent say they would not start a business today given what they know now and in the current environment. 54 percent say other countries like China and India are more supportive of their small businesses and manufacturers than the United States.Here are the key findings in the poll, as highlighted by NAM: 67 percent say there is too much uncertainty in the market today to expand, grow or hire new workers. 69 percent of small business owners and manufacturers say President Obama’s Executive Branch and regulatory policies have hurt American small businesses and manufacturers. 55 percent say they would not start a business today given what they know now and in the current environment. 54 percent say other countries like China and India are more supportive of their small businesses and manufacturers than the United States."-Gehrke

5) Comment by agagent - 26/09/2012

55 percent of small business owners would not start company today, blame Obama- "55% of small business owners and manufacturers would not have started their businesses in today’s economy, according to a new poll that also reports 69 percent say President Obama’s regulatory policies have hurt their businesses. “There is far too much uncertainty, too many burdensome regulations and too few policymakers willing to put aside their egos and fulfill their responsibilities to the American people,” said Jay Thomas, president of the National Association of Manufacturers, which commissioned the poll along with the National Federation of Independent Businesses . . . ."-Joel Gehrke,The Washington Examiner

6) Comment by agagent - 26/09/2012

Simple to understand: higher gas prices (illegal Gulf drilling moratorium, slow permitting process, put vast areas under federal control off limits to energy exploration and development, rescinded Bush administration permits, stopped Keystone pipeline), wasteful federal red tape cost the private sector trillions; tighten credit markets becuase of Dodd- Frank (while not addressingtrillions of bad mortgages in Frannie and Freddie), extending unemployment benefits to about 2 years increased costs of unemployment insurance, Obamacare increased cost of health insurance, Obamacare added a trillion dollar in new taxes, businesses cannot plan they do not what the tax rate will be, higher energy costs - closing coal mines and generating plants without backup, federal waste and discrimination against non-union workers by favoring unions, Solyndra and other failed green federal grants, city and state governments still spending because of stimulus bailouts, GM still unsustainable because of above average labor costs, state budgets burdened added welfare and Medicaid costs crowds out other parts of the budget, failed to close border - illegals taking American jobs, etc.

7) Comment by DMJ - 26/09/2012

Yeah, folks, Obama is hurting the economy and here's all the ways we're doing great... Cognitive dissonance, anyone? Why even mention Obama in this at all? Notice how he doesn't say which policies are supposedly hindering Louisiana's economic development. And if we're doing so great, why is poverty increasing? Why is there consistently giant holes in the budget, filled by cuts in health care and higher education? Lemme guess....those are Obama's fault? Moret's a party-line hack.

8) Comment by lovemykids - 26/09/2012

How much did we give away in tax breaks?

9) Comment by gvm - 26/09/2012

Wow! More jobs and more poverty. How does that work? Could it be that many of the jobs they're touting don't pay a living wage?

10) Comment by agagent - 26/09/2012

Obama policies on job creation in the private sector: increased price of gas (illegal Gulf drilling moratorium, slow permitting process, put vast areas under federal control off limits to energy exploration and development, rescinded Bush administration permits, stopped Keystone pipeline), increased wasteful federal red tape, tighten credit markets, increased costs of unemployment insurance, increased cost of health insurance, added trillion dollar Obamacare taxes, fear and uncertainty cause by record annual deficits and looming $16 federal debt, fear of looming tax increases, higher energy costs due to closed coal mines and generating plants, discriminated against non-union workers by favoring union labor for federal construction projects, stimulus money to campaign bundlers and supporters, bail out of irresponsible city and state governments, stimulus funded grants not worthy under normal review process, favored unions and discriminated against non-union retirees in auto bailout, bailout left GM with above average labor costs, burdened states with added welfare and Medicaid costs which takes away from other parts of state budgets, flood of illegals taking American jobs, etc. you get the picture.

11) Comment by Bighug - 26/09/2012

People must be flocking to Louisiana to get their kids in our schools.

12) Comment by ScotB - 26/09/2012

The best anti-poverty program is a good job.....and a good education. Governor Jindal and Secretary Moret have made these two goals primary objectives and they are delivering results, during one the most challenging times in our nation's history. We are very fortunate to have these two in leadership roles here in Louisiana. Preventing births to single moms would be the next most expedient thing that will reduce poverty. I hope that the state will support full funding for IUD's for young women from economically challenged households. There was a recent article in The Advocate about health care professionals recommending this a critical health care objective.