Wish list readied for real Santa

Dear Santa Claus,

We hope we are not late getting our letter to you. It was a busy year in the Tri-parish region and we are sure you have already received a lot of requests from other good boys and girls. Here is our list.

First, thank you for that Saints’ Super Bowl victory last season. It arrived after Christmas, but we understand given high consumer demand and how it is to get things on backorder delivered. The fit was perfect. It would be nice to get a new one before the existing title is too worn.

Someone told, and we know about the permits to build floodgates on the Houma Navigational Canal starting in spring 2011. We’ll just say thanks in advance and act surprised when it arrives.

Speaking of permits, could you please bring some for our friends in oil and gas production? A federal deepwater drilling ban following that April 20 spill in the Gulf, and the de facto ban n some bad boys claim does not exist any more than you do n hurt support businesses as well as offshore drillers and cost approximately 10,000 jobs, according to reports. It would be nice for those people to get back to work.

In a related matter, could you please make sure the rest of the country knows that Louisiana seafood is safe and delicious since we produce more than 30 percent of what consumers normally purchase?

We are giving folks who like to share what we have available and are sure you know people that deserve a crawfish left in their stockings.

With an 8.2 percent unemployment level, out of work Louisianans are not as plentiful as those 11 other states, or even meet the national average at 9.8 percent. Yet, those of us who have gone without employment for extended periods know how hard it can be and would like to see our neighbors back on the job.

There is a lot we could ask for, Santa, including not being forsaken when congressional redistricting takes place in 2011, politicians that live up to their claims, and local economic leaders who are open about their intentions.

We realize that our wish list is delivered only as we make things happen ourselves, but that is only because we know the real Santa Claus.

From all of at the Tri-Parish Times and Gumbo Entertainment Guide, thank you and Merry Christmas.