Sunday, January 11, 2009

Jindal's first anniversary: will the honeymoon continue?

Like any marriage; there've been ups and downs. But like any good wedding night, mainly ups.

The Times Picayune looks back:

Since taking office a year ago this week, Bobby Jindal presided over three legislative sessions, weathered two major hurricanes, was courted to run for vice president on the Republican ticket and endured the public furor that ensued when the Legislature voted to more than double its take-home pay. He has traveled the state and the country at a frenetic pace -- visiting each of Louisiana's 64 parishes since taking office -- and engineered a major overhaul of the state ethics code and worker-training programs.

And forward:

A budget that was running record surpluses a year ago is now projected to have a $2 billion shortfall, which likely will require difficult cuts to popular programs. There are wounds that need repair in the Legislature, where some lawmakers are still smarting from Jindal's handling of the pay-raise bill and complain that the governor and his staff do a poor job of communicating.

And the administration faces tough votes as it tries to overhaul the state's Medicaid program and restructure the state's Charity hospital system.

We've already talked about most of this stuff before, so let's just part company on the post with Ambrose Bierce's old classic:

"Here's to woman. Would that we could fall into her arms without falling into her hands."

Bobby Jindal's first year in office. There -- ended with something fitting the site's content. Now I won't be banned.

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