Ferriday — Gov. Bobby Jindal shook hands and chatted with local public officials and regular folks of Concordia Parish Sunday afternoon at the Ferriday Arcade Theater over finger sandwiches and chicken wings.

The City of Ferriday hosted the governor and other members of the community for a holiday-themed luncheon after Jindal spoke at the Ferriday First Baptist Church’s 10:30 a.m. service.

Ferriday Mayor Glen McGlothin said aside from some local government officials, he wanted Jindal to meet people in the Parish who play a large role in the community with less recognition.

McGlothin said the crowd of approximately 50 people included clergy members, community volunteers and chamber members.

“It’s the regular folks (Jindal) needs to meet,” McGlothin said.

McGlothin said those with regular jobs who are active in the community are often the people making positive things happen.

District 21 Rep. Andy Anders and the mayors of Ferriday, Ridgecrest and Vidalia also attended the meet and greet session.

Jindal addressed the crowd casually with a talk that hit on various issues facing both Louisiana and the nation as a whole.

Jindal lamented the national debt officials in Washington, D.C., have acquired and the federal handling of the oil spill.

He said the current burden of debt will fall on the current generation’s children, and adding to the $13 trillion tab needs to stop.

Jindal said he was frusterated with the slow moving, bureaucratic federal response to this year’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

“(Supplies) were just sitting there,” Jindal said of the relief efforts he witnessed.

He praised Louisianans for their productive suggestions and immediate reactions to the oil spill compared to national officials.

“(Residents) knew what it took because they knew (the area) like the back of their hand,” Jindal said.

He also praised the state for faring better in the national economic recession than most other states. He said the country is still in the midst of the worst recession since the 1930s Great Depression, despite conflicting reports that is has come out of a recession.

Louisiana is among the top five highest rated states for its state gross domestic product, and the unemployment rate in Louisiana is lower than the national average, Jindal said.

Jindal also talked about his administration’s fight against corruption, saying Louisiana is no longer ranked at the bottom of “most corrupted” lists but instead has improved sufficiently in terms of political ethics and integrity.

“We’ve all heard the jokes about crooked Louisiana politicians . . . but when I hear Jay Leno and David Letterman, I’m just glad to hear them (joke about) the governor of Illinois instead of Louisiana,” Jindal said.

Jindal said Louisiana’s credit rating is better than average, which he attributes to responsible policies that support balancing government budgets just as any business would.

Jindal also spoke about the importance of discipline in education.

He said many parents tend to make excuses for their children these days when teachers address discipline problems, and the teacher often ends up being criticized.

“That’s why we created the Teacher Bill of Rights,” Jindal said.

The state statute includes nine rights of teachers, which aim to protect the authority of teachers.

He said the No. 1 reason good teachers leave public schools is due to unfavorable classroom environments often caused by of discipline problems.

Jindal closed his speech with a story reminding those gathered at the Arcade Theater to keep Christ in Christmas.

He said several years ago when his daughter was 3 years old, she requested a birthday cake for Jesus’s birthday on Christmas. Since then, the family has continued making a birthday cake for Jesus each year and has brought the tradition to the governor’s mansion.

Jindal said the birthday cake tradition serves as an important reminder that Christmas is ultimately a time to celebrate Jesus, despite the various exciting traditions associated with holiday.

Sunday was the governor’s fifth appearance in Concordia Parish since he was elected in 2008. It was it was his first visit to Ferriday.