A close race could produce the nation's first Indian-American governor...Posted on 09/29/2003 4:59:04 PM PDT by GraniteStateConservative
A close race could produce the nation's first Indian-American governor...
Is the U.S. about to get its first Governor of full-fledged Indian — and we don't mean Native American — ancestry? In Louisiana's race for Governor, Republican Bobby Jindal, 32, born and raised in Baton Rouge by parents who emigrated from India, is in a surprising dead heat for first place with Democratic Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Blanco. Jindal already has a whiz kid's resume: state health secretary, executive director of the national commission on Medicare, president of the University of Louisiana system and a top health-policy adviser to the Bush Administration — all before the age of 30. He has wooed Louisiana's relatively conservative voters with his advocacy of tax cuts for job creation and his opposition to gun control and abortion.
Jindal's popularity surprises even some old Bush Administration colleagues. "I wished the guy luck, but I never thought he'd go anywhere," says one. If, as expected, he and Blanco finish in the top two spots in this Saturday's primary, they will square off in the November general election. Democrats seem to have an edge, but Jindal could win. If he does, he would be Louisiana's youngest Governor ever — and instantly a national figure in a party eager to show that it can reach out to minorities.
I like seeing that.
Wow, even younger than Huey P. Long.
|
|
|
|
|
Louisiana is blessed with a rich faith tradition, and we have benefited from the work of many of our religious communities in areas such as civil rights, social justice, and ethics. Our state is strengthened when we draw upon the contributions, voices, and ideals of people of faith.
Government must always exhibit a strong recognition of, and support for, the role of faith in our society. Religion is not an exclusively private matter, and people of faith should not be required to separate their faith from their daily lives, their professions, or from public discourse. The public square must be faith-friendly, and the religious liberty our forefathers so highly valued must always be protected.
My own views on faith and values have been shaped over the years by a variety of relationships and experiences. Like many people, while I was raised in a household of faith, I took a rather carefree attitude toward matters of religion in my early years, not paying much attention to spiritual things. It was not until my grandfather died that I began to seriously consider the questions of life, death, and the possibility of life after death.
My best friend growing up had the courage of his convictions, and the courage to talk to me about his faith in Christ. He gave me a Bible for Christmas. I thanked him for the Bible but promptly laid it aside to gather dust. Later, after hearing the testimony of yet another friend, I decided to search the scriptures, almost as if I was trying to do some investigative reporting. A youth minister played a critical role in answering my many questions.
As I reflected on the scriptures, I knew that I had a decision to make, and I made it. As I made my profession of faith, I felt an assurance of my destiny and an understanding of the love of God. Today, my faith in Jesus Christ is central to who I am, and I pray regularly for God’s wisdom in all the parts of my life.
My Christian faith strengthened my understanding of the value and importance of marriage to the social fabric of our society. This understanding was further strengthened by my own covenant marriage, as well as my professional experiences. Working with welfare reform as a healthcare official in the Bush Administration, I learned the value of strong families from a social science perspective. For example, research has proven that marriage generates enormous social benefits for our society, including healthier children, less domestic abuse, fewer teenage pregnancies, and higher graduation rates. Most recently, the birth of my baby daughter has profoundly impacted my life. My desire for her to grow up into a principled woman has made me increasingly careful about the kinds of things she is allowed to see and hear. Hollywood constantly bombards us with increasingly violent or sexually explicit images that are unsuitable for the healthy development of our children. Too many of today’s television shows, popular musicians, and movies push our children to grow up too quickly, from dressing inappropriately to experimenting with premarital sexual activity at earlier and earlier ages. Like many parents, I am deeply concerned about this trend.
All of these experiences and relationships – becoming a Christian, working with welfare reform in the Bush Administration, growing in my marriage, and most recently, raising my daughter – have shaped my views about the appropriate role of government in our society, particularly in matters of faith and values.Government cannot – and should not – be the solution to all our state’s problems. Nevertheless, my faith, convictions, and professional experience lead me to believe that our state government should do several important things to combat the daily coarsening of our state and national society, including: protect life, actively work to strengthen marriage and families, support faith-based and community solutions to societal problems, and defend Louisiana values (e.g., opposing the expansion of gambling, supporting our Second Amendment rights, and affirming patriotism). The following Plan of Action encompasses these ideas.
Our government must pursue policies that affirm the value and sanctity of human life. This central principle of any civilized society is a crucial element of America’s greatness. Because we see each person as an individual who was created in the image of God, we affirm the worth of each person, regardless of race, color, creed, wealth, ability/disability, or social status, and we respect the dignity of each individual. A society that refuses to defend the defenseless will eventually become a cold and cruel place, as is the case in so many corners of the world today. I am pro-life, and my administration will be pro-life. I don’t seek to condemn those who disagree; rather, I seek to win them over. While rulings of the Supreme Court and other federal courts have constrained what states can do to protect innocent life, we should nevertheless do what we can.
Pro-life advocates are often accused, sometimes fairly, of caring too little about what happens to the children of mothers who consider but ultimately decide against abortion. Our state needs to be more aggressive about promoting adoption as a life-affirming alternative to abortion.
Our state should ensure that counseling is provided to all women seeking abortions, and take every measure possible to ensure that those considering abortion, particularly unwed mothers, are provided the alternative of adoption.
Nearly half of all births in Louisiana are to unwed mothers. Research clearly shows that the children of these mothers are at a greater risk of living in poverty, performing poorly in school (including expulsion and suspension), displaying emotional problems, and engaging in antisocial behavior. Moreover, according to the Urban Institute, daughters of adolescent moms are 83% more likely to become teen mothers themselves. Our state should work through existing nonprofit and faith-based organizations and through new programs to provide all manner of assistance to women facing crisis pregnancies, including funds for ultrasounds, caring and informed adoption counseling, and appropriate prenatal care. Louisiana should be known as a state that embraces life, and we should work to nurture, care for, and educate those facing out-of-wedlock pregnancies and the babies they bring into the world.
Although the Louisiana Legislature has repeatedly affirmed that Louisiana is a pro-life state, approximately 15,000 unborn children are aborted in our state each year. Nevertheless, the abortion industry – and it is an industry – has gone largely unregulated in Louisiana for over 25 years. Abuses have been documented and have proven that the women who seek the provision of abortion services are themselves at risk from the procedure. The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals has issued new regulations to govern abortion providers and facilities, and these regulations must be strictly enforced. Our state must be aggressive in enforcing abortion reporting requirements and the collection of accurate statistics on the numbers and kinds of abortions performed, as well as the medical complications they generate. Informed consent laws should also be aggressively enforced.
As a health care official in President George W. Bush’s Administration, I saw the human cloning issue being debated in Washington. The details are very complex, involving many scientific facts and even more medical theories. However, my position on human cloning is not complex. Like President Bush, I’m against it. I have great respect and empathy for those people who hold out hope that many options exist that could lead to a cure for suffering people. Most of these people have pure intentions, often times hoping to provide relief for a loved one in dire need. Our society must do all that we can to help alleviate human suffering, and that certainly includes more scientific research. At the same time, we must protect the sanctity of innocent human life. If we can’t do this, we cheapen life for all. The bottom line is this – no matter how smart we think we are, we dare not ever cross the line and put ourselves into the position where we become mere men trying to play the part of God. Many politicians try to muddle through issues like this, attempting to be all things to all people. I will not. In my view, creating human life only for the purpose of destroying it, even for the most noble of causes, is wrong.
We must protect life at both ends of the spectrum, and we must stay vigilant in this pursuit, fending off all those who advocate assisted suicide and other measures designed to curtail life. The sanctity of human life does not expire at any particular age, and it is not devalued by the disabilities or handicaps of an individual. The state should continue to prohibit euthanasia, and protect the inalienable right of life of all persons, particularly the weakest and the smallest among us.
Strengthen marriage and families
Healthy marriages and healthy families equal a stable and vibrant society. Countless studies have shown that children in intact families are much less likely to be poor, to abuse drugs, to experience emotional and psychological problems, and to engage in criminal activity, and much more likely to achieve higher levels of education and become productive, healthy citizens. Moreover, married men and women live longer, experience a greater sense of happiness and fulfillment, and have higher incomes and savings levels. When the state protects the institution of marriage, it reduces costs related to welfare, healthcare, and crime.
At the same time, many single parents are working valiantly to provide for their families and deserve our support and respect. These parents know first-hand how difficult it is to raise children without a supportive partner. Social science research clearly illustrates the benefits to children of growing up in married-parent families, as well as the challenges facing our single-parent families:
- A child living in a married-parent family is 80% less likely to be poor compared to a child living in a single-parent household.
- Children from one-parent families are about twice as likely to drop out of school compared to children from married-parent families.
- Children in married-parent families are less likely to have health problems, commit crimes, and use alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana or other illicit drugs.
- The risk of having a teen birth is much lower among children growing up in married-parent families, about 30 to 50 percent less likely compared to teens growing up in one-parent families.
- As adults, children who grow up in married-parent families are more likely to go to college and attain better jobs and more consistent employment.
- Children of married-parent households enjoy more stable marriages and relationships as adults compared to those growing up in single-parent families.
Married-parents tend to have more stable unions than cohabiting couples. By the time they reach age 16, roughly 75% of children born to cohabiting parents will see their parents separate. We must do what we can to strengthen the family, to make it easier for couples to stay married and to raise their kids in a climate that affirms our traditional values. Louisiana should follow the example of other states and aggressively support and fund innovative programs that foster and strengthen marriages and families.
Support the creation of educational programs to combat divorce.
The importance and sanctity of traditional marriage should be emphasized to young people through mentoring and education, and the state should explore novel approaches to reduce the staggering divorce rate. Even small reductions in divorce and unwed pregnancies would yield tremendous rewards for children and all Louisiana taxpayers.
Promote Louisiana’s Covenant Marriage law.
A unique product of Louisiana is our Covenant Marriage law, which provides engaged and married couples with an option that is more legally binding than a conventional marital contract. The law has now been adopted by other states. Covenant Marriage requires premarital counseling, a commitment to seek counseling if conflicts arise later in the marriage, and a longer waiting period before a divorce may be granted (absent abuse, neglect or adultery). My wife and I were among the first of those in Louisiana to receive a Covenant Marriage. We wanted to make a public demonstration of our commitment to each other.
Covenant Marriage offers a compelling approach to combating the problem of divorce, which is a root cause of so many societal ills. The option of Covenant Marriage should be promoted by our state.
Enforce community decency laws and standards.
Since the birth of my own daughter, I’ve become increasingly aware of the unhealthy images being projected at us seemingly every minute by the Hollywood entertainment industry. We can all act to control our children’s access to inappropriate television content; however, we have less control individually over inappropriate public acts of other citizens. Obviously, people in a free society are free to act foolish, and to do things that others consider immoral. However, we must continue to affirm our traditional values by ensuring that common standards of decent conduct are upheld in public venues. Anyone trying to raise kids in this culture understands the importance of this.
Support abstinence education programs.
Sex education programs whose bottom line is handing out condoms are not only proving to be unsuccessful, but they also violate the standards of many parents and families. We must aggressively promote the healthy alternative of abstinence until marriage. I emphasized this position at the federal level when, on behalf of the Bush Administration, I testified to Congress that funding for abstinence education programs should at least equal the funding for other teenage pregnancy prevention programs.
Did I read correctly that the Times-Picayune endorsed Jindal for governor? I still have a hard time believing that . . .
I agree that Jindal's name might just help get him elected. Why, I can just hear the Acadian crowd pronouncing his name with a Cajun French accent. It'll serve him well in the "Cajun Triangle", but northern Louisiana is a whole 'nuther ballgame.
One of Bobby's smarter moves was his AM radio spot where he criticizes the Alabama courthouse - Ten Commandments debacle. "What are the liberals afraid of? That people might be reminded that killing is wrong? That stealing is wrong? That adultery is wrong?..." I think his ads are well-received.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
