Change is not only coming to Louisiana, it has begun!

January 14Th 2008 was a benchmark day in Louisiana Politics. My children and I sat on our sofa in our living room, in our modest little city just minutes from the capitol city of Baton Rouge and watched history taking place. Many times when you are experiencing a moment that will be prominent in history you are unaware of it. Sometimes as it unfolds you are sure that this event will reign with numerous other dates in the history book, but rarely do you know before hand that you will be a part of history. On Monday, we did. We watched Governor elect Bobby Jindal become the first Indian-American to serve as a U.S. Governor. In addition, at 36 years old Jindal will be the youngest governor. To me this is a strong sign that Louisiana is turning around. In a state where "good ole boy" is the mantra and has been dictating life and politics for as long as I can remember, having a non-white, non-good ole boy, governor is a step in the right direction. Four years ago most Louisianians couldn't look past Mr. Jindal's heritage, and many could not look past his age, feeling that he was too young to handle the position. In a state that is hugely less liberal than, say, California!!!!! the only thing that some people wanted to change was the cost of crawfish! But change is here and it is very refreshing to hear. Mr. Jindal is pulling out all the shots, calling special session to tackle, guess what????? Ethics reform! GASP!! Here in Louisiana, where we are known for backhanded dealings and corruption in government. My prayer for Mr. Jindal's next four years is that he continues to stay true to his platform and his heart. My only problem with this is that it is coming four years too late in my opinion. Many times over the course of the devastating events of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita did my husband and I ponder what might have been different if Jindal had defeated Governor Kathleen Blanco in 2004 (which could be a whole other blog entry entitled "why I think women weren't created to govern" but I'd better keep it nice since I don't have time to defend THAT position well enough right now!). We will never know how differently those event may have unfolded in the capable hands of Bobby Jindal, but now Mr. Jindal has a chance to show us what he is really made of. My hat is off to you Mr. Jindal for tackling the mountain ahead of you. Many times my husband and I have wondered why we continue to live in a state that does not value education, promotes laziness in underprivileged people, seems to care more for football than careers and degrees, and has only two seasons, hot and hotter! But this is home for us, not only because our families are here, but because we have roots here. Unless God tells us to go, we are staying and we are praying for you Mr. Jindal.