A New Birth of Public Service

Pastors teach that leadership is a spiritual gift. Governor Bobby Jindal has that gift. It was evident during the campaign and, especially, on his inauguration day.
The Governor sets before us a compelling vision. He dreams of a Louisiana where government is just and efficient. He describes a state that not only keeps its young talent and energy but draws entrepreneurs from around the nation and the world. He envisions both changes to the mindset and changes to the structures and systems in our state.

Our Governor is looking to create a state government that deliberately and consistently serves the people rather than serving itself. This vision of creating true public service among our public servants strikes a chord with all Louisianians.

We share the new Governor’s dislike and disdain for unnecessary bureaucracy and endless red tape. We want our public employees, elected and appointed, to respond with delight and energy when we tell them we are trying to launch a new business or expand a current one. We don’t like the domination of the idea of government "permits." It conveys to us that government is paternalistic, distrustful and afraid of its entrepreneurs. It says to us that someone somewhere is sitting in an office waiting to delay and obstruct our progress with a dozen obscure documents and interwoven treks to untold other government employees sitting in their offices.

The idea of government "permission" for the implementation of new business ventures conveys no sense of urgency or immediacy. Bureaucracy cannot really process the idea of an "emergency." A bureaucrat will sit in his chair while the city is burning and wait for someone to bring him the correct form before he turns on the water.

Police and fire departments are organized to respond with immediacy and energy to any call for assistance. That is what citizens of our city and state long to see in the government offices overseeing building and business permits. We want our public servants to lunge out of their chairs when they hear a new business venture is in the works. We want them to give us a call.

"Say, this is the permitting office at Baton Rouge. I hear you’ve got a new idea for alternative fuels. How can I help you make that idea happen?"
We want to change the mindset from government "permission" to true government service. We want our state and city departments organized around the notion of quick response to new initiatives rather than continual delay. This change is warranted because the clock is ticking. We should all be operating in emergency mode in regard to economic development, housing, heath care, education, and criminal justice.

This change of mindset and approach does not require a loosening of necessary safeguards for our citizens. We want buildings to be safe for occupancy and vehicles to be safe for driving. But we are ready to end the protectionism and territorialism that plagues our public institutions.

Governor Jindal is ready to create a new culture for government and industry in our state. Everyone can help. Nonprofits can examine their operating systems for waste and delay in service to the people. Businesses can begin now to plan expanded services.

Employees in the government sector should make certain that "serve" and "protect" are on an equal footing in their areas of concern. A sense of urgency concerning the development of business, health care, education, housing, and criminal justice must permeate all of our public institutions. Quick response to requests for inspections should become a high priority in all permitting offices.
Departments of state, as well as other organizations, may evolve over time into self-serving institutions—entities without a clear sense of mission that exist primarily to care for employees of that institution. When that happens in our public institutions we no longer have "government of the people, by the people, and for the people."

A new day will dawn in Louisiana as a new attitude of urgency and service permeates our public sector. While individual efforts to recover from the devastation have been Herculean and the churches and nonprofits have been lauded for their response, everyone recognizes the key role of government agencies in facilitating and accelerating our move from last in line to first in opportunity.