Kathleen Blanco

God calls us to care for our fellow man, especially the neediest. I feel that call to lift up the less fortunate; the call to improve our communities and our state. It drives me to serve Louisiana as governor.

The first light of day today revealed what we had feared. The devastation is greater than our worst fears. It's just totally overwhelming.

I care for you. I want to make life safer and better for you.

My values, our values, aren't about pointing fingers. They are about offering a helping hand.

We didn't lose as many lives as had been predicted although we're still in the process of finding those we lost.

Let me be clear - I want all Louisiana citizens to have choice - including the elderly and persons with disabilities - and their families - who rely on the state for their care.

When I'm out hustling up new industries, I can offer Louisiana's many selling points. We have unmatched natural resources, a unique culture and fantastic workers.

Think about it: Every educated person is not rich, but almost every education person has a job and a way out of poverty. So education is a fundamental solution to poverty.

When your whole system, your whole civilized system goes down, this is pretty much what you get left with. We have no communications, no running water, no electricity, no real help.

Poverty is everyone's problem. It cuts across any line you can name: age, race, social, geographic or religious. Whether you are black or white; rich, middle-class or poor, we are ALL touched by poverty.

At the state level, we must take a careful look at what went wrong and make sure it never happens again. The buck stops here, and as your governor, I take full responsibility.