Governors, Mitch Daniels and Bobby Jindal are gambling with the dignity of their beloved states. When the Colts defeat the Saints in the Super Bowl this Sunday, the Louisiana Governor will fly the Colts flag in humiliation over the Pelican State. If, the Colts lose…well, not to worry.

Clearly, Jindal is glutton for punishment. I have a great deal of respect for Governor Jindal and we can only hope this giant of conservatism will recover politically after bringing shame upon his beleaguered state. Such a folly could haunt his career for years.

We can trust these men to live up to their end of the bargain…however, Democrat Governor of Maryland, Martin O’Malley disgraced the Old Line State when he reneged on a similar bet he lost with My Man Mitch over the Colts-Ravens playoff game. Did I mention he was a Democrat?

Go Horse!

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It is about stinkin’ time.

WWLTV in Louisiana is reporting that Governor Jindal is not simply going to take the stimulus money being offered by the U.S. Congress and President Obama.

“We’ll have to review each program, each new dollar to make sure that we understand what are the conditions, what are the strings and see whether it’s beneficial for Louisiana to use those dollars,” Jindal said at a recent gathering in Jefferson Parish.

Federal dollars make up, on average, 30% of State government revenues. What is so bad about this is that almost every dollar of Federal money comes with a string that either increases state bureaucracy or requires equal spending by the State on the same program or other requirements that make State budgets balloon.

So kudos to Governor Jindal for not simply gobbling up the cash that is being thrown at his state and actually looking out for his people.

UPDATE: The AP is reporting that in addition to Jindal, 5 additional Republican governors are contemplating turning down portions of the porkulus bill money. The governors to be praised are: Rick Perry of Texas, Haley Barbour of Mississippi, Sarah Palin of Alaska, Mark Sanford of South Carolina, and Butch Otter of Idaho.

Both Mitch Daniels and Bobby Jindal were mentioned in an article at National Review regarding their respective efforts to reform Health Care in their respective states. Of course, the main target that they have to address is Medicaid/Medicare. Regarding Mitch and Indiana, they mentioned the HIP program which is available to individuals and families below 200% of the Federal poverty rate. This program funds Health Savings Accounts and other methods intended to bring about customer choice in their health care to introduce market forces into the health care system.

But the bulk of the article focuses on Jindal’s proposal for Louisiana’s Health First (pdf) program. Jindal also is trying to get market forces into the health care field:

The details of Jindal’s plan reveal a rare understanding of a central failing of today’s arrangements: Government-run fee-for-service-style insurance, as practiced in current Medicare and Medicaid, is the primary cause of low quality, fragmented, and inefficient care — in Louisiana and everywhere else.

Jindal wants to tackle this problem head-on. He would restructure Medicaid by moving toward fixed-dollar entitlement and consumer choice. Medicaid recipients in Louisiana would be given the power to select from among a number of competing networks of doctors and hospitals. The state would pay these networks a monthly fee intended to cover the costs of all necessary care, instead of a fee every time a beneficiary used a service. The expectation is that health-care practitioners would be forced to rethink how they do business to find innovative ways to keep people healthy and well — and out of the hospital. Physicians and hospital administrators who believe they can provide better care at less cost would have a strong financial incentive to jump into the reformed Medicaid program, because they would share in the savings from improved productivity.

Just a reminder that conservatism is not simply doing things the same was as they always have been done and that the States remain a laboratory for innovation.

Barack Obama hasn’t even been sworn into office and rumors are already churning as to who will challenge him in 2012.  As I mentioned earlier, Sarah Palin is already topping opinion polls while Mike Huckabee has begun making return trips to Iowa with Palin hot on his heels.  But could the field already be getting full without “W” even issuing his final pardon?

From the WaPo:

Like the president-elect, Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana is young (37), accomplished (a Rhodes scholar) and, as the son of Indian immigrants, someone familiar with breaking racial and cultural barriers. He came to Iowa to deliver a pair of speeches, and his mere presence ignited talk that the 2012 presidential campaign has begun here, if coyly. Already, a fierce fight is looming between him and other Republicans — former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who arrived in Iowa a couple of days before him, and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who is said to be coming at some point — for the hearts of social conservatives.

Jindal, who was elected Louisiana’s Governor in 2007 says he only has one race in mind, alluding to his re-election 2011. But even if (most likely when) he wins re-election, speculation will be rampant about a presidential bid. And videos like the one below will only increase between now then. The WaPo refers to Jindal as the GOP version of Obama. The difference is that with Jindal, experience won’t be an issue.

(H/T – RedState)