If I Were Governor, Part 3: Culture & Faith in the Public Square
Restoring Moral Clarity, Protecting Religious Liberty, and Unleashing Louisiana’s Cultural Strength
By The Bayou Insider Staff
Roads and bridges can be repaired. Budgets can be balanced. But when a culture crumbles—everything else eventually falls with it.
If we’re being honest, Louisiana isn’t just in a political crisis. It’s in a moral one. We see it in our broken homes, failing schools, rising addiction rates, and deepening isolation. Our people aren’t just looking for better governance—they’re searching for hope. For meaning. For something to believe in again.
That’s why faith and culture aren’t side issues. They’re the center of everything.
And if I were governor, I wouldn’t run from that truth—I’d lean into it.
Because here’s what I believe with all my heart:
Laws can shape behavior, but only culture shapes identity—and faith sustains both.
Protecting Religious Liberty in Public Life
We talk a lot about freedom in politics. But the first freedom—the one all others depend on—is the freedom to believe, worship, and live out your convictions without fear or interference.
That freedom is under threat.
Today, we see public schools penalizing students for bringing Bibles. Small business owners being sued for following their conscience. Faith-based charities blocked from receiving funding unless they conform to secular ideology.
That’s not freedom. That’s coercion.
If I were governor, I would unapologetically defend religious liberty in every corner of Louisiana.
Ensure churches and ministries are never shut down again, regardless of emergency declarations.
Protect the rights of faith-based schools, adoption agencies, and nonprofits to operate according to their deeply held beliefs.
Enforce conscience protections for doctors, nurses, educators, and small business owners.
Oppose any legislation that forces religious institutions to compromise on truth in the name of “inclusion.”
Faith isn’t a threat to public life. It’s the foundation of public life.
Restoring Moral Responsibility in Leadership
Good government is impossible without good people.
You can write laws, pass budgets, and reform institutions—but if the people leading them lack integrity, everything eventually collapses. That’s why the character of a leader matters. And that’s why culture and morality must be part of the political conversation.
If I were governor, I’d use the bully pulpit to elevate virtue, responsibility, and stewardship.
Promote fatherhood, personal discipline, and servant leadership as ideals worth aspiring to—not outdated relics.
Celebrate leaders who model sacrifice, not self-promotion.
Encourage civil servants to see their work not as a stepping stone to power, but as an act of public trust.
We don’t just need policy reform in Louisiana—we need a moral reset. A return to humility, honesty, and honor in how we lead and live.
A Culture Worth Defending
Louisiana has one of the richest cultural legacies in America—Cajun, Creole, Christian, and deeply southern. It’s a tapestry woven through generations of faith, music, food, language, and tradition.
And yet, we’re watching that legacy slowly be erased.
Historic monuments are torn down. Southern values are ridiculed. American history is rewritten to push an agenda. The pressure to conform to “woke” ideology is turning our public institutions into battlegrounds of censorship.
As governor, I would take a firm stand to preserve the heritage and identity of Louisiana.
Protect historical landmarks and public symbols from ideological purges.
Celebrate local history in schools, festivals, and tourism programs.
Push back against curriculum that replaces civic education with grievance politics.
Defend free speech on college campuses, in classrooms, and in the public square.
We’re not called to live in the past—but we are called to honor the past.
And there’s nothing hateful about loving where you come from.
Statewide Church and Civic Engagement Initiative
Here’s the truth: government can’t solve every problem. It can’t heal addiction. It can’t rebuild broken families. It can’t stop violence in our streets. But churches can. Mentors can. Local nonprofits can.
What Louisiana needs isn’t just more programs—it needs more partnership.
If I were governor, I would launch a Statewide Church and Civic Engagement Initiative, designed to:
Identify local churches and nonprofits already doing effective work in foster care, fatherhood, addiction recovery, prison outreach, and mentoring
Create a public-private grant program to fund results-driven efforts—without strings attached that compromise faith
Empower regional leaders to build networks of service and support outside government dependency
Promote stories of transformation through the media and state communications to inspire a culture of service
This isn’t about outsourcing government—it’s about recognizing that community transformation starts from the ground up, not the top down.
Closing: Faith, Freedom, and the Future of Louisiana
There can be no true revival in Louisiana without a return to faith, family, and moral clarity.
We don’t need a governor who preaches from the podium. But we do need a leader who understands that freedom without virtue leads to chaos—and that culture, more than legislation, shapes the heart of a people.
If I were governor, I would protect the ground where faith can flourish. I would champion families, support churches, and give back space to the communities who’ve been pushed aside by big government.
Because at the end of the day, the future of Louisiana won’t be saved by policies alone.
It will be saved around kitchen tables, in Sunday morning pews, in school gymnasiums, and on front porches—where faith still matters, and families still gather.
We don’t need to reinvent Louisiana.
We need to remember who we are—and protect it fiercely.
What’s Next in the Series
In Part 4, we’ll turn our focus to Education Reform—how to return Louisiana’s schools to the families, empower parents, end indoctrination, and bring back the teaching of truth.
Title: If I Were Governor, Part 4: Education, Civics, and the Battle for the Next Generation
Coming soon on The Bayou Insider.
Your Voice Matters
📢 Do you believe Louisiana’s culture is worth protecting?
🙏 Do you want to see more faith-based partnerships and moral clarity in public life?
We want to hear from you.
Leave a comment. Share your story. Tell us how your church, nonprofit, or community is making a difference.
Together, we can rebuild the foundation of this state—not just politically, but spiritually and culturally.
Let’s make Louisiana strong again—starting at the heart.
