Why the Governor’s Technology Push Matters
It seems that more often than not in today's world that folks let politics get in the way of rational thought. The most glaring example of this is Governor John Bel Edwards' push to make Louisiana and Shreveport-Bossier specifically a Technology/Cyber Security Hub. For reasons beyond my comprehension, people are beating up the Governor and dismissing the importance of what he's doing. You wouldn't believe some of the emails, texts and phone calls I've seen regarding the recent Cyber Security Summit and the Governor's Technology Pipeline.
Let me put it to you like this: in a lot of ways and for a lot of different reasons, Louisiana is traditionally the Detroit Lions of the United States. We always seem to playing from behind hoping for a lucky break. Thanks to Governor Edwards, for once, we're not playing from behind, we are winning the game!
If you want to talk about quality jobs, you can't avoid technology and cyber security. You just can't. Think about all the things in your life. If you go into Circle K, the register isn't an old school register, its a computer. At work, most places use an online HR website to request time off or to log hours. When you pay your electric bill, your transaction is handled digitally even if you personally write a check. You go to an automotive manufacturing plant, the assembly line and everything is run by robots and computers. The backbone of every municipality in the country is a computer.
Of course you still need people but there's nothing in this world that isn't technology based. To protect you, your money and your life, the world needs people to protect your personal information and to make sure things run smoothly. You don't think that's important? Just look at what happened to some cities that had lax security protocols and were recently breached by hackers. Bad things, really bad things can happen.
With all that being said, what the Governor is doing is nothing short of incredible. Using Barksdale Air Force Base as the center, the Governor is crafting a technology and Cyber Security pipeline to ensure the future of the state and our area for decades to come. He's helping put together partnerships to educate our youth. He's bringing in companies to make sure those kids that get educated don't take their skills elsewhere. In his 4 years as Governor, he's taken huge steps to set Louisiana up for the long term.
So, don't let blind hate for the Governor and his policies blind you. I'm not telling you to like the guy. I'm not suggesting you should vote for him in the upcoming election. This isn't an endorsement of his run in the Governor's mansion. What you think of the man is up to you. All I'm saying is that the Governor has done something incredible here and he deserves credit for that.
For once, we aren't scrambling to stay afloat, we're leading the charge into the future.