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Well, the extra special session to make our state’s ethics laws tougher—and the enforcement of said laws more secretive—is under way, and can’t you feel the difference already?

Now that Bobby Jindal’s 31-point-plus-legislator-suggested-add-ons plan (otherwise known as the governor’s “Do as I say, not as I do” proposal) is winding its way through the halls of the State Capitol and the clouds of mediocrity are lifting, companies are rushing to relocate to the place formerly known as America’s banana republic and economic prosperity is just around the corner.

No more hard knock life for us, Miss Hannigan. (Cue orchestra.) “The sun’ll come out tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there’ll be sun!”

These kind of inspirational rags-to-riches stories are gold on Broadway, but down here, in the land of Broadway South, the great life is way more than a day away—and all the ethics reform in the world isn’t going to change that.

Don’t get me wrong. Ethics reform is a good thing, and I’m for Jindal and friends making it tougher for poli-ticians to spend their public service years sleazing and profiting between bites of filet mignon at Ruth’s Chris.

It’s just that when you actually ask corporate leaders and industry site consultants why Louisiana is as popular as Jessica Simpson at a Dallas Cowboys game, our great struggle with an ethically run government checks in nowhere near the top of the list.

More vexing to them is that we’re a state with a terrible public education system and workers who not only lack the skills to get the job done but also are generally in poor health.

Let’s see if I have this right: The view from the other 49 is that we’re dumb, can’t grasp the concept of “righty tighty, lefty loosey” and one poboy away from a massive coronary.

Gee, and you wonder why that whole knowledge-based economy thing seems to be passing us by?

Said one industry consultant who finds homes for companies in the financial services, R&D and pharmaceutical sectors, “I haven’t considered Louisiana in years because it’s redlined by clients.”

I guess great food, Tiger football and Mardi Gras just don’t get it done anymore. What’s up with that?

Not only is corporate America shunning us (save for those wonderful call centers) but Americans don’t want much to do with us either.

While the rest of this country braces for a recession and layoffs, we’ve got jobs coming out of the ying-yang. At last count there were more than 95,000 vacant jobs (not including government) in the state, with just over 20,000 openings in the Baton Rouge area alone. And we’re not talking about bus boy openings here. Try to find a construction firm not looking for help. And the health care industry, which has some of the highest paying jobs in the state, is looking for 10,000 able bodies. Ditto for the petrochemical industry.

So why—if the national economy is headed in the same direction as Britney Spears’ career—aren’t people loading up the U-Hauls and flocking to Louisiana?

Could it be the nation’s lonely eyes view this state as toxic?

What’s really sad is there are a lot of absolutely wonderful things about this state. And places like Shreveport and the cities along the newly branded 10/12 Corridor have incredible opportunities for knowledge-based economic growth. But all the positives are being blitzkrieged by our axis of ignorance.

And yet, few see the need to overhaul the way we approach public education and health care? Remarkable. At least industry is getting serious about workforce training, so that’s something.

Once we get done having fun with ethics reform, how about some bold thinking being directed at new and dynamic ways to educate our children? What about a health care system that actually works?

I get that we need to pass—and enforce—tougher ethics laws. Let’s just not kid ourselves into thinking that doing so solves all of our problems.

But, hey, I guess it’s a start.