Anyone wanna dis on Governor Blanco at this point? (1 Viewer)

TPS

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Apparently there is a memorandum of understanding between Louisiana and Kuwait to study building the first new refinery in American in over 30 years.

Apparently she is in serious negotiations with a German company who wants to build a steel mill on the river somewhere between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

Various contacts were made all over Asia and many very rich Asian business people didn't know about the tax breaks from President Bush's Go Zone programs and were quite interested. Even one company (can't remember if it was Japan or Korea) inquired of her what the state was doing for film companies as he noticed that many movies were being filmed in Louisiana. She told him about how they're trying to make the area a "Hollywood South" and that there are massive tax credits available to shoot and produce here. Apparently they are in talks about building a foreign-owned studio here in Louisiana.

Then GM or Dahmer-Crysler is looking at a state built plant of several hundred acres to possibly start building cars.

Hey look, I'm not a Blanco voter either. But we've come a far way from Governor Foster only bringing in a couple of dubious pollution companies and not even having an economic development office while Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi were luring in major manufacturing plants.

If she's able to line some of this stuff up, and we're talking about thousands of manufacturing and living-wage jobs here, it's going to be hard to harp on her Katrina performance.

JMO

TPS
 
Hey, I'm one of the few people who voted against her but now I like her. No other governor in our lifetime had the self control to do what she did with our budget after Katrina. Fiscal conservatism and without one accusation of impropriety with all that federal money flying around? This can't be Louisiana we're talkin' about...
 
If she's able to line some of this stuff up, and we're talking about thousands of manufacturing and living-wage jobs here, it's going to be hard to harp on her Katrina performance.

That's a very big IF.

I will be very pleased if any one of these projects ever sees the light of day. I am not holding my breath.
 
Hey, I'm one of the few people who voted against her but now I like her. No other governor in our lifetime had the self control to do what she did with our budget after Katrina. Fiscal conservatism and without one accusation of impropriety with all that federal money flying around? This can't be Louisiana we're talkin' about...


Doesn't have a little something to do with you working for the gubment now does it?:ezbill:
 
If she's able to line some of this stuff up, and we're talking about thousands of manufacturing and living-wage jobs here, it's going to be hard to harp on her Katrina performance.

If she pulls it off, I will applaud her. But, it does not change the fact that she was a monumental failure in her early response to Katrina or the fact that the LRA seems to be incapable of issuing more than 22 checks in 4 months.

IMO, it's a balancing act. If she gets this done it's a big plus in her column, but it will be balanced out by the negatives she created in the past.

Largely, it shows what I thought about her after Katrina. She's a good Governor for economic development, but a terrible Governor during a crisis. I would like to have a Governor who can handle both equally well. I'm just not sure there is anyone out there who can.
 
Or posting from their computers? :hihi: It's funny what happens when you get wooden leg day off. Apparently covdog has seen the light of day and is eagerly anticipating his MLK day holiday.

:)

Sparkle,

I'm there with you, but hey, at least these are some serious items on the table. Out there in the world is a desire to help Louisiana. And if we're actually giving something back, then it becomes a good business decision. The Go Zone idea was outstanding (whomever came up with it) and should provide incentives for businesses all along the gulf coast. Along with state breaks and credits, it the pot gets sweetened further. Realizing our history has been muddy (at best), it's nice to see some of this stuff on the drawing board. I'm going to see if I can find some links to any of the stories. I've heard about most of them on the radio.

As for the German Steel Mill, the governor said she'll go to Germany if she has to but that she doesn't have a trip scheduled (that was as of this morning). We are one of 3 states (Alabama, Arkansas) in the running. According to a 10/24 article in the TP, we sent a delegation over there.

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-6/116168680819990.xml&coll=1

Here's an article on the LIFT studio which broke ground in New Orleans last month:

http://www.lded.state.la.us/press-a...eaks-ground-in-downtown-new-orleans-area.aspx

Here's a link to the actual Memorandum of Understanding between Minister al Sabah (sp?) and Governor Blanco:

http://www.gov.state.la.us/assets/docs/11-12 KPC-Louisiana MOU.pdf

And here's the LEDC's website showing the itinerary of Governor's Blanco's Asia trip.

http://www.lded.state.la.us/press-archive/2006/november-2006/2006111-business-wire.aspx

I've got to credit the governor. She said she'd leave no stone unturned in her search for economic opportunities. I'm just wondering where we'd be had it not been for Katrina and Rita setting us back a few years.

No matter whether she or Bobby is governor come late 2007, I think a lot of good is underway and it's a marked change from the way we've done business in the past.

Good for us (hopefully).

According to a website out of Shreveport, she was talking with Toyota to pitch the "megasite" in Richland Parish for the new Toyota plant as well as signing an agreement for the construction of a $1 billion Synfuel plant in Ascension Parish.

http://www.shreveport.com/forums/showthread.php?t=409

Here is some more information on the Synfuels plant (says $5B).

http://www.thefeedstock.com/2006/06/synfuels_inc_and_sinopec_plan.php

Here's a story out of Alexandria about the Toyota pitch:

http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061101/NEWS01/61101013

TPS
 
Steve, the problem is that the tactics she's using, while admirable, are largely 20 years old. We're late to the race to the bottom in creating benefits for incoming businesses. It's little different from the game the NFL plays, and lord knows we've had enough of those threads. It's what any decent governor ought to be doing. It's great as far as it goes, but....

The state needs decisive reform and leadership to drastically cut the size of government and the patronage that goes with it. And it's going to take someone from outside the system to do that. I just don't see her with the background or the leadership/personality/force of will to accomplish it. JMO.
 
SaintJ - you make a good point. But it is too easy to comapre Blanco to what Louisiana has had in the past - and by that measure she is doing a whole lot more. That doesn;t mean we can't do better. But do you compare her to recent Louisana governors, or to recent Alabama/Mississippi/Arkansas/Texas governors?
 
If she lands the Toyota plant in Richland Parish and the Kuwaiti Refinery, not only will I vote for her, I will actively campaign for her.

We've come a long way to just be considered for those projects. To actually land them would be a coup. It would be like firing Sean Payton after leading the Saints to a Superbowl.

Insane...
 

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