WAGUESPACK

annoying distractions not worthy of interrupting our contentment lifestyle? Will we still have family to celebrate with if our children continue to move to other states seeking employment and quality of life?

Living life with blinders on can block out a lot of uncomfortable things. It’s the path of least resistance. Contentment can be quite peaceful. It can also be the enemy of growth and improvement. For Louisiana’s sake, I suggest we try setting our contentment aside for the year and instead pin our ears back and lean forward into reaching new heights, higher than ever before. Let’s make discontentment our new contentment.

Why this year? Because 2023 is the best chance we have had in generations to right so many of our historical wrongs and add growth and opportunity to the things we do well today.

bold new energy but short on experience in the Capitol. It is imperative for reform-minded people around the state to step up, support these new leaders and articulate for them a new innovative agenda to help Louisiana compete with states like Texas, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina in the South that are beginning to separate themselves from the pack.

To fill this gap, LABI is pushing LA23: A collaborative, data-driven effort to design a strategic vision for the state that can make Louisiana an economic driver of the South by 2030. Optimistic? Yes. Ambitious? You bet? Unrealistic? Not even close.

YOU GOOD? You sure?

Some will argue that everything is fine, change is scary, growth is complicated, expectations are too hard to meet and hard work is simply too hard. They think setting lofty goals just sets you up for big falls. They are content at being, well, content and wanting for nothing else.

Oscar Wilde once said, “True contentment is not having everything, but in being satisfied with everything you have.”

Walt Whitman said, “I have learned that to be with those I like is enough.”

Are they right? Is that where we are as a state? Are we happy enough in Louisiana just to have good friends, close family and a fun culture? Does the desire by some to add to this bubble utopia a less bureaucratic government, more effective education system, safe cities and an ambitious economic game plan all amount to an exciting opportunity for growth or just

First of all, this is a market-share moment for us. The South is in a boom period. States all around Louisiana are attracting new businesses and new families as folks in other states flee big taxes and oppressive regulations across the country. Broken international supply chains are being repatriated back to America, and the South is primed to scoop up new manufacturing jobs. Louisiana is, thus far, sadly missing out on this moment, as our GDP and population ranks are shrinking, disappointingly, in the face of this tailwind. In short order, if we fix some long-term broken policies with short-term bold solutions, we can start winning, too.

Second of all, term limits bring us the best chance in a generation to reset our leadership mandates. We will elect a new governor, several new statewide officials, many new legislators and BESE members. These new leaders will not be the ones we have had for years, they wil come in with good intentions and new aspirations. These new faces will be armed with

The question is not one of capacity, it is one of heart, determination and resolve. Do we have what it takes to strive higher than ever before, push ourselves to be the best versions of ourselves and stand for nothing short of excellence? I sure as hell hope so, because if we choose this year to finally find that inner bravado, we can make drastic leaps in market share and opportunity thanks to term limits, fresh ideas and the Southern Renaissance taking place all around us.

You ready? I mean, really ready, for what will be asked of you this year? If so, let’s go grab that destiny we have long deserved.

To make it happen, we need each of you to do something this year we don’t often ask of our fellow Louisianans. You’ll need to do some soul searching, ask a few tough questions of yourself, demand more than ever before of the state as whole, and then be prepared to handle the truth no matter what daunting path unfolds.

You see, 2023 is going to be a gut-check moment for all of us who have the privilege of calling Louisiana home. The type of gut check that will have long-term ramifications, good or bad. The truth is most