S2 http://www.fortune.com/adsectionsIt could also be a slogan for businesses across
Louisiana, where the economy is experiencing a
renaissance worth celebrating.
Last year Louisiana faced a crisis known as a
fiscal cliff: A $684 million budget shortfall threat-
ened drastic cuts to health care, higher education,
and essential services. In 2016, on the heels of a
recession triggered by reductions in energy prices,
the state was running a $2 billion deficit, the larg-
est in its history, and unemployment was above
6%. Over the following two years, jobs began
trending up and the economy gained strength.But the impending expiration of a temporary tax
accounting for $1.4 billion in revenue could have
halted all that, delivering a body blow to Louisi-
ana’s improving fortunes.
Instead, through efforts by Democratic Gov.
John Bel Edwards and the state’s Republican-
controlled House and Senate—and no fewer than
seven special legislative sessions—the state found
a way to avoid disaster. Today it’s operating with
its first surplus in a decade. Personal income
and the state’s gross domestic product are at an
all-time high. Unemployment has substantially...That’s a phrase often invoked in New Orleans during Mardi Gras.
FAMED FOR MARDI GRAS
FUN, LOUISIANA HIT A
SERIOUS GROWTH
STRETCH IN 2018 WITH
A RECORD $255 BILLION
G D P.
Let the
Good Times Roll...