ST. MARTINVILLE — Gov. Bobby Jindal stopped by St. Martin Parish Wednesday as part of his Louisiana Working Tour.

The governor offered several anecdotes for the small crowd as he touted job creation and ethics reform in the state.

Jindal told the crowd, many who were elected officials and government employees, that he could talk about countless achievements the state has seen since he took office, but instead wanted to focus on one topic more important than any other: “Jobs, jobs, jobs.”

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Jindal said since January 2008 that $4.3 billion of private investment in the state led to the creation of 33,000 new jobs.

Louisiana ethics rankings have moved from 44th place to first place in the Center for Public Integrity’s legislative disclosure requirement rankings, along with a move to the top five in the Better Government Association’s BGA-Alper Integrity Index rankings, he said.

“We all hear the jokes, and we all tell the jokes (about Louisiana),” he said. “But these jokes stopped being funny.”

Jindal presented a ceremonial cardboard check from the state to St. Martin Parish for $7.25 million, money that stems from $5.3 million in Community Development Block Grants, $1.8 million in hazard mitigation money and $60,000 for improvements to the parish’s water system.

In comparing the state’s economy to the national recession, Jindal said “there is no economy in the South more vibrant than Louisiana.”

“This didn’t happen by accident,” Jindal said. “(State Rep. Fred Mills, D-Parks) and I have been tightening our belts in Baton Rouge. We’ve cut government spending by more than $700 million.”

State governments have raised taxes to deal with the recession, Jindal said, while the federal government has borrowed beyond its budget and increased the deficit.

Louisiana, however, has seen the largest income tax cut in state history, Jindal said.

“What a radical thought, if you don’t have the money, don’t spend it,” Jindal said. “I didn’t always get everything I wanted when I was a child. I got everything I needed.”

Jindal told the crowd the story of St. Martin Parish native and resident D.J. Arnaud, who returned to the parish after serving in the U.S. Army. After several years of working a job that kept him on the road six to eight weeks at a time, Arnaud began looking for something new.

He discovered his friend was starting a new company in the parish, and quickly signed on with the new venture.

That company, Louisiana System Built Homes, now fills the once-vacant, 300,000-square-foot Fruit of the Loom plant and employs approximately 130 people.

“This is what it’s all about,” Jindal said. “Thank you for believing in a new Louisiana.”