Governor Jindal speaks at
Chamber of Commerce in Alexandria
 

Gov. Bobby Jindal promises to do things “the Louisiana way” in the upcoming fiscal year and legislative session.  No matter how much we have to sacrifice.  “I’m no economist, but you don’t have to be a Ph.D. economist to know you can’t keep printing money, you can’t keep going to China (to borrow),” Jindal said Wednesday, March 17, 2010, in Alexandria during a lunch hosted by the Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce.  “We have taken a different path in Baton Rouge.  We’re not spending money we don’t have.”  Jindal said Louisiana is losing $200 million this year in federal health-care funding for charity and rural hospitals and mental health services.  He relayed that the state stands to lose up to $500 million a year in Medicaid funding.  To meet those and other budget challenges, he said, require sacrifice.  “We have a fundamental decision to make,” Jindal said.  “Are we going to shift that burden on to the people, or are we going to tighten our belt and make tough decisions?”  “As long as I am your governor, we’re not going to raise taxes.  We’re not going to do it the Washington way, we’re going to do it the Louisiana way.  We have to do what every family and every business in this room is already doing- tighten our belt and do more with less.”  

Attending the Chamber of Commerce luncheon from Families Helping Families were John Brinkerhoff (Board Chairman), Lavasso Monk (Vice-Chairman), Charles Blank (Board Member), James Sprinkle (Executive Director) and Ann Sprinkle (Board Secretary).  In a private conversation Gov. Jindal expressed his appreciation for the services which Families Helping Families maintains as well as for our support of his budget recommendations.