Should I Feel Guilty? No, I Don't Think So.

I have a confession to make.  I have voted for the bond proposal.  I have voted for an increase in taxes.  And I plan to vote for it again this year.  Now, I know that this makes me a hypocrite to some, as I have always said that I am for lower taxes and smaller government, but I just couldn’t help it.  Baton Rouge is stuck in the last century, and I hate it.  The education levels in our city (state, as well) are abysmal regardless of what the local school board tries to say, our entire economy revolves around dirty industry and government (from bad to worse!), and our citizens are afraid of the future. 

The reason that I will vote “Yes” for the bond proposal is economic development.  This project has the potential to attract many, many businesses that would otherwise have never looked at Baton Rouge.  Companies are looking for numerous things when deciding where to open their next facility, among them being tax advantages, a skilled workforce, an educated population, and quality of life. 

The Alive project will help us to meet 3 of the 4 things listed above (even my eternally optimistic mind couldn’t get “skilled workforce” out of this!).  It will offer tax advantages in the fact that an increased tax base means that we have more money, so we don’t need to tax the s*@t out of the company looking to move here.  The increased tax base of course comes from all of the other companies that also move into B.R.  When you add them all together, you get lots of extra taxes without having to add too much to our infrastructure/ expenditures (assuming they actually do move into already built-up areas, e.g. downtown).

An educated population will result from the fact that B.R. now has more ways for our population to be educated.  Education ratings do not only include how many people have graduated high school and college, but also how many post-school options are available in the area.  These include museums, libraries, etc. 

The quality of life will be increased by providing more things for families to do.  Sure, we have things to do downtown, but it is almost exclusively for adults.  Bars and casinos are great, but it would be hard to convince our new citizens to leave their kids sitting outside of the casino from 11pm to 1am while they go and gamble.

Other cities are doing all of these things to attract businesses, and if we do not do them, we will be left behind.  Many cities along the Mississippi River are rebuilding their riverfronts, and it has benefited them greatly.  St Louis is a great example, even with the crime there.  Even Vidalia, LA has seen a huge influx of businesses because of their city funded economic development.  Don’t believe me?  Take the hour and a half drive up Hwy 61 to Natchez and look around.  They have done nothing, and the city is falling apart at the seams.  They have had their heads stuck in the sand for years, and have gone from a population of almost 40,000 to around 15,000 over the last 25 years.  Vidalia, on the other hand, is doing great.  Almost all of the new development in the area is going on in this tiny little town across the river of 4,000.

And I do agree with the people who say that we need to get a private company to build this.  The only problem is that all of the companies with access to this kind of cash are in large cities.  Think about it like this.  Stock brokers go after the rich because they have money.  Why would they want to help you, me, and the other 200 families that live in our neighborhood when they can get 1 guy with as much money as all of us put together?  Companies do the same with cities.  The money is in Houston and Dallas and Phoenix, so why mess with little old Baton Rouge?  Lafayette got electricity 10 years earlier than anyone else in the region because they built their own electric company.  All of the large companies with the capital to do this were investing in the larger cities, and now, 100 years later, Lafayette is one of the bigger, better cities in the state because they had the desire to take a risk.

Come on Baton Rouge.  Stop being afraid of change, and stop driving the young people from this city.  Vote “Yes” for the bond proposal, and vote "Yes" for our future.

Musing's of A Baton Rouge Madman

Welcome!

This blog is dedicated to common sense, which seems to be lacking in Baton Rouge (and Louisiana in general......).  I will not pretend to be an expert on any of the topics covered, but I will pretend to know what I am talking about!

I consider myself a conservative libertarian, so if this is not your thing, you are in the wrong place.  You don't want me telling you how to live, and I don't want you telling me how to live, so why bother trying?  That is the basis of libertarianism - do whatever you want, as long as it doesn't impede on the rights of others.  Disclaimer: I am not a member of the Libertarian Party.  I am a libertarian in the way that we are all republicans because we live in a republic.  The word does not automatically denote the party.

Most people think of crazy nut-case anarchists when they hear the word "libertarian."  Well, I might be crazy, but I am definitely not an anarchist, and you will not find anything along those lines here.  As I said earlier, this blog is about common sense.  Example:  If a new tax makes sense, I will support it.  No, most do not make sense, but I am leaving this open, just in case.  More importantly, if spending money in a certain way makes sense, I will support that.  If the city spends $1 and makes $3, that makes sense.  Many in this city will be against it simply because they do not like change.  Kinda counter-intuitive, if you ask me.

In case you are wondering where I am going with all of this:

1. Baton Rougeians (?) need to stop trying to tell others how they are supposed to live
2. We need to use common sense, not emotions, when we make decisions about our city
3. We need to stop listening to the idiot at the water cooler who has no idea what he is talking about, and start truly studying the issues

I do not claim to be the voice of all of Baton Rouge, and I will not tell you to listen only to me.  In fact, I WANT you to get all sides.  This will help you to make an informed decision.  You need to read the newspaper, read the BR Business Report, watch local news, etc.  All of these will give you a different story, and this will help you to be informed.

Please use this blog as a place to discuss local issues.  A good, civilized debate is one of the best ways to become informed, so please, by all means, use this space to do so.  Don't forget to bookmark this site so that you can come back often and argue!!!

Disclaimer #2: I will probably include many things about LSU, as I have recently returned to school after an almost decade-long hiatus.

Again, welcome to the blog, and thank you for reading!