An Introductory Post

It is almost a surprise to me personally that I am creating this blog, because I had no thought of it as recently as one week ago. I mention this because opening a blog is usually the sort of thing one plans with some forethought. I have at times in the past thoughtfully considered that it might be a good idea to have a Louisiana blog, since I have been showing up at other sites to post commentary on a variety of topics relevant to Louisiana, especially matters of political interest. But as of today, October 22, 2009, I have concluded that the amount of personal time I have dedicated to blogging commentary on Louisiana elsewhere has been of such a length that I should do it within my own site.

By way of personal introduction, my name is Jacob Sulzbach. I am 54 years old and I work as an independent software and internet applications developer in Lafayette, Louisiana. I am rather well-educated I think, since I have three college degrees, coming from a background in liberal arts. I am fluent in French and Spanish and I have lived and traveled abroad more than the average American, including nearly a year I spent as a younger man in Colombia.

It is fair to say that I am a political animal. I am a dedicated fiscal and economic conservative, but I also am very much opposed to what I call "cultural conservatism," which I personally describe as a fixation upon matters of identity and conscience which from my perspective is usually backwards-looking in temperament. Though I certainly have my own views on subjects that fall within the scope of conscience, I think it neither decent nor wise to associate myself politically on such matters as abortion, gay marriage, capital punishment, and other litmus tests of personal thought which I feel deny the bedrock principle of conservative ideas, which is respect for the liberty of the individual and especially respect for his or her autonomy of thought. Simply put, I trust everyone to handle their consciences in a manner that best befits their own pursuit of happiness. I intend to let everyone think as they want free from personal judgements by me. I hope to be treated the same way, but I am astute enough to know that I should expect that on occasion within commentary posted by readers of this blog that will not be the case.

I also think it is a corrupting effect of cultural politics in general, no matter the political orientation one may follow, to judge people on the basis of their identity, which includes their personal background, and affiliation. This is actually a more serious problem among the liberal left than it is with conservatives in my opinion, since no one can dissent from the left without being attacked for their identity or affiliation, but cultural conservatives make this mistake as well. I view this as especially important with respect to immigration issues, a matter which they have thus far failed to confront realistically, at least as I see it. Conservatism must be rethought so as to return it to bedrock principles, leaving the cultural warfare to the left.

But be in no doubt that when it comes to politics and government, I preach the doctrine of fiscal and economic conservatism. I think you will be hard-pressed to find a more strident fiscal and economic conservative than me, which is something I expect will surface in this blog over time.

Politically, I am a Republican, something of which I am very proud in Louisiana, where the Democratic Party has been a historically corrupting institution of near gargantuan proportions. I also am proud to say that I am a supporter of Governor Bobby Jindal, who has done so much to bring rationality to our state, which is only just learning the meaning of the word.

I intend to cover a variety of topics here. The general scope of what I will present will be my opinions on matters which are either exclusively of local concern here in Louisiana or national issues which may impact us in some way. I live in Lafayette, the center of both Cajun Country and the oil industry in our state. I know the oil industry well, as I am both the son and grandson of petroleum engineers. I only worked within it briefly, for a few months before I first entered college, but I have been around it all my life. I anticipate that there will be opportunities for me to comment upon it in this blog.

I also on occasion will offer my personal commentary on cultural issues affecting Louisiana, which has a very rich cultural environment indeed. This could cover everything from music to food to history to God knows what.

If you are not from Louisiana and you are just arriving to this blog, please accept my sincere invitation to come down to visit and tour our great state. Forgive me if this sounds like a tourist promotion, because I guess in a way it is that, but we have much to offer the rest of the world. For one; our food just rocks! And it is actually much more diverse than you might think if you have never visited us. We have unique musical styles here as well and again the diversity is the heart of what one might treasure when experiencing it. Our history is quite unique and there is so much to learn if you have a penchant for knowing the past so as to explain the present. We have some unbelievably beautiful wilderness areas as well. The Louisiana swamps and marshlands are brimming with wildlife and scenic wonders, though it pains me to say that the threats to their preservation are marked, a matter I will most certainly address as they are dear to my heart.

I love Louisiana for so many reasons that it would be impossible for me to put them all into one blog entry. What more can I say?

And perhaps I should also mention that I am a devoted fan of the New Orleans Saints, to whose fortunes my happiness has been so hopelessly attached that I can only imagine it is by the curse of some voodoo priestess unknown to me. The Saints will most certainly surface in this blog.

I invite you to read at your leisure and feel free to comment.

Jacob Sulzbach