The great pendulum of American politics has finally swung back toward the center. After decades of pushing the country ever further to the left, the Democratic Party pushed too far. In response the American people have reacted in their most time-honored way, they threw the bums out.

New Orleans suffers from the same negative consequences of misguided political policies and political leadership that inevitably led to the stunning losses of the national Democratic Party. In New Orleans the result of this has been a slow but steady socio-economic decline in the state’s once most important city. The questions now are, will the citizens of NOLA recognize the folly of what they have been led to believe? Will they look for leaders that reject the “New Orleans culture” of poverty of circumstance and spirit? Will they demand changes aligned with those of the new national psyche?

Let’s imagine what a different philosophy of government and civic attitude would look like in New Orleans and, to a great extent, the state.

There are changes of direction being rolled out in the nation’s capital that would have the most impact at home, but these are areas totally alien to the laissez-les-bon-temps-rouler attitude that infects the social and economic fiber of the city. The best hope to reverse generations of decline is for the city to operate under principles of government effectiveness and efficiency, to embrace a pro-growth economy, and to embrace pride of citizenship.

Call it corruption, call it political expediency, call it what you will, but no one would ever say that the New Orleans government delivers services in an effective and efficient way. The classic example has always been the Sewage and Water Board. The joke is that when a ten-man SWB crew goes out to work, one digs and nine watch. This attitude permeates so much of NOLA government.

One must ask, with neither citizens nor the media pressuring them why would politicians want to embark upon the politically painful path of insisting on efficiency? Why would they, when to sustain inefficiency voters can be counted on to raise taxes or the city can expect periodic windfalls from the Federal Government?

My suggestions for effectiveness and efficiency include drastic reform or even elimination of Civil Service; restructuring of government by moving to a City Manager model; establishment of private sector management policies and measurement of success; alignment of base pay and promotion with performance, not union dictates, politics, or tradition.

More than anything else the economic talking points embraced by local leaders offer no real answers, tending instead to blame the “man behind the tree” for poverty and instilling the fear of someone else getting more.

Here’s the truth: government can never reduce poverty. It can only do two things.

It can redistribute wealth, which then results in higher taxes and causes businesses and successful people to move away; or it can create a business-friendly climate that attracts businesses that provide better paying jobs and that helps us hold on to our best and brightest.

Anything else is the lie that the people have been fed for generations.

My suggestions for growth and prosperity are to accept this reality and to strive toward rebuilding a growing economy that we once enjoyed, an economy that would create opportunities and would result in a rising tide of prosperity for all sectors of the income spectrum. We can’t do this by “investing” scarce citizen capital in crony capitalism, or by sharing the wealth by adopting neo-socialist policies. We do this by having strong infrastructure, low utility costs, a civil justice system that can be trusted to be fair, an educated workforce, honest government, reliable public safety, and a city that opens its arms to new or growing business of any type.

Ask yourself, whatever gives anyone the idea that to get even average treatment a growing business must kiss the rings of politicians and be expected to make substantial political donations? The answer is the opposite, political leaders need to offer unfettered support to businesses with no expectation of the subtle corruption that permeates the “New Orleans culture”.

What do I mean about pride of citizenship? Well perhaps it is manifested best by what seems to be our single most important economic metric, the number of tons of garbage collected after Mardi Gras. In a better world we would frown on people throwing trash all over, but we cultivate it ourselves. All you must do is look at the cityscape littered with trash that our citizens throw out and the graffiti that is honored in the media as “wall art”. Clearly there is no pride here, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

If our pride were to be on display, the socio-economic metrics of our city would be so different, For instance we would be proud of the number of tourists who, after visiting, bring their business here and then hire our people, or the number of major banks we have, or a wave of renovation of historic properties because they now have economic value, or the quality of our infrastructure, or yes, even making social outcasts of those who litter or spread graffiti.

In such a city anyone looking upon tons of garbage as a positive would be looked down upon.

Our pride must come from accomplishment, not some valueless metrics as to the number of people coming here to trash our city and then taking their businesses and jobs back home with them.

When I was in politics, I set goals for myself: reverse outmigration within five years and reduce poverty by 25% within ten years, a rising tide lifts all boats. Expressing such goals, or others, would also apply to a city such as New Orleans – especially in a time of American renewal following Donald Trump’s election and inauguration when competing cities and states are bound to take to the challenge of revival and restoration.

The problem is we never hear that from our leadership. Clearly there is no motivation for political leaders to work together toward a common vision. Instead, in the resulting vacuum, ours is a city that operates at the mercy of special interests and political expediency. Ours is not a city that has the influence of a strong pro-growth business/civic sector or a media that, as in other cities, provides the insertion of goals and common sense into political discourse.

Do I believe that the people of New Orleans are ready to follow the example of the citizens all over the nation that cast their votes in favor of principles such as mine? Do I think that leaders will emerge to tell the people the truth, that the “New Orleans culture” doesn’t lead out of poverty, it leads into growing poverty. Do I believe that the civic and business community will stand up to politicians who really don’t share a vision for the city, a vision that is fundamental to a thriving place to live and work?

Well…I can hope, can’t I?