Political Poker

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Local Merit Scholar semifinalist hopes for career abroad
October 22, 2013
Reader: Common Core needs thoughtful, effectual changes
October 22, 2013
Local Merit Scholar semifinalist hopes for career abroad
October 22, 2013

You got to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em.


The great American philosopher Kenny Rogers spoke those words back in 1978, and that sage advice given on a warm summer’s evening on a train bound for nowhere still rings true today. Nowhere is this advice more relevant and timely than at the poker table where our current political system sits and bets on our economic future.

In Washington, D.C. this week, we saw Congress decide to fold ‘em, and end the government shutdown that began Oct. 1. Most Americans monitored this shutdown, when not watching football or the baseball playoffs, through the impact on their 401(k)s and through news stories detailing what parks and museums were shut off to which sympathetic group. However, for many employers in this country, the shutdown was beginning to have a tangible impact on their abilities to invest in their communities, due to challenges such as stalled permit processes and regulatory compliance, as well as cautious access to increasingly nervous capital markets.

There will be a lot of debate about the political winners and losers, but not much coverage on our country’s still unaddressed problems with excessive spending, escalating debt and ever-increasing mandates that are suffocating our growth potential. It was frustrating that none of these real issues were addressed during this standoff. However, we all know Congress will be dealt the cards once again when we hit the January deadline for government funding, and then double down for the February debt limit deadline. At that next poker game, whether Congress has the hand to win control of government spending, debt and mandates, or decides to fold once again will depend on the caliber of cards in their hand at the time and the chips they can save for the next deal.


Closer to home, I am having a hard time keeping my poker face seeing all the positive economic signs in Louisiana’s near-term. We already know of the more than $90 billion in announced projects, and that we will need more than 250,000 skilled laborers to meet that demand. Most folks know we will need more than 69,000 STEM-qualified people to fill these new jobs.

In addition, Loren Scott released his Louisiana Economic Outlook this week and there were several aces in the deck. In his report, he states that we are one of only 12 states to have more people employed today than in January 2008, and he projects that by 2015 we will employ more than 2 million people for the first time in our state’s history. Even more telling is his expectation that the different regions of the state will depend on different strategies, markets and industries to find success.

What these developments tell me is that we have been dealt a great hand here in Louisiana. This is not the first time Louisiana has had a great hand in our history but we know all too well that a good hand is useless if not played to perfection. Now is the time to bet big on Louisiana.


We should go hard at solving our workforce problem by educating our children with high-quality math and critical thinking skills in our schools. We should deliver high-quality technical and soft skills training so our children can compete in a global economy. We should demand a court system that is fair and accessible to all, but clamps down on predatory lawsuits that are chasing away investment by big employers, small employers, and both traditional and emerging markets. We must not back down from accountability in our education system, fairness in our regulatory standards and sensible spending by our government that puts taxpayers first.

Yes, we have been dealt a great hand, but it will be a temporary win if we don’t play it the right way. Let’s not get so distracted in the temporary momentum of our economy and forget to use this moment to make the policy changes necessary to make our success long lasting. If we improve our policies while the wind is at our back, there will be time enough for counting our new jobs and investment when the dealin’s done.