Another Notch for Nawlins …

Business Week just named New orleans one of the Best Cities for Riding out a Recessions.  These are some of the facts included in the article.

New Orleans, La.

Share of jobs in strong industries: 40%
Number of workers: 101,752
Metro area unemployment rate: 4.7%
Agriculture jobs: 1.21%
Professional, Scientific, and Technical jobs (legal, accounting etc.): 7.17%
Education jobs: 12.23%
Health-care jobs: 13.50%
Public Administration (Government) jobs: 5.85%

New Orleans has plenty of challenges as it recovers from 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. The population has shrunk, putting pressure on university enrollments and hospitals. And tourism is way down. But the unemployment rate remains low. The city’s banks, which did not make a large number of risky loans during the housing boom, are relatively healthy. And firms are investing heavily in construction projects in the city, rebuilding levees and building a new refinery.

Now if we could just convince Mayor Ray Nagin and all his cronies to move to Dallas, we might actually make some progress.

Meanwhile, our Governor, the exorcist, Bobby Jindhal is going down the rabbit hole of Iowa.  He’s been seems to be on the Republican’s sweetheard list of up-and-comers.  Frankly, y’all can have him.  Last year he was saying the state was so awash in funds that he wanted to get rid of the income tax.  This year, we’re looking at tremendous cutbacks and dipping into the state’s emergency fund.  This is another one of those guys that the press falls in love with but refuses to cover the whacky side.  This guy coverted to Catholicism after participating in an exorcism and has been known to say things that make Pat Robertson look enlightened.   Maybe he and Huckabee can work their voodoo in Iowa and fall into a black hole.  I’d like to see that state lose its first in the nation status and its caucus system.  They’ve been responsible for so many travesties that I think we could hold them for Treason.

Anyway,  New Orleans is still here!  Come visit us!

mardi gras float  and music at Vaughn’s