Jindal’s tour is good news for state

It’s good news that Gov. Bobby Jindal is undertaking a statewide tour that will take him to all of Louisiana’s 64 parishes.

Maybe this will temper down some of the criticism he has received in the past about visiting many other states in the union in his quest for national office while ignoring his own.

Whether or not the governor undertakes further exploration on the national scene, he deserves credit for serving us well during his two terms so far. True, perhaps he went too fast in trying to rid our state of its income tax system by expanding our sales and use taxes, but when he realized he went too far, he pulled back and let the states complicated system of revenue remain until the people realize how beneficial such a change has been in other states.

Jindal’s first stop was in Alexandria where he signed legislation for funding projects at community and technical colleges statewide. Education at such schools is probably the best way to expand on our economy since Louisiana has a lot of industry that relies upon technical training and not only four-year college educations for success.

Another major highlight of his tour will be coastal restoration of our state which everyone knows we have waited too long to achieve. A comprehensive 50-year master plan for a sustainable coast was developed in 2012 but we have a long way to go before we start seeing a lot of stable land result from it.

Even if we proceed with the plan, it could take more than half that time to see much of a reverse in our receding coastline. Our low lying coast is very susceptible to flooding caused by sea level rise, subsidence and other factors.

Our governor will also have his eyes and ears open to other projects and future legislation that could make our state a better place in which to live. We need his foremost attention to the issues that matter right here at home. And it appears that with his statewide tour planned, he is prepared to give us that attention.

We feel at times the federal government could use his intelligence and expertise, but right now we are satisfied to keep the governor at home and at our undivided service.