Dear Bobby Jindal . . .

I know you didn't ask for any advice from me, a resident of -- and voter in -- Nebraska. But I was born, raised and educated in Baton Rouge. I'm even a fellow alumnus of Baton Rouge Magnet High School, though a few years before your time there.

It's a tragic flaw on my part, I am pretty certain, but for better or worse, I still care about Louisiana. I hate the abject crookedness that's raped, swindled and held back my homeland for . . . well, forever.

I want Louisiana to do better. I want it not to be No. 1 in suck, while being No. 50 in everything else.

But then I see this in today's online edition of The Advocate in Baton Rouge:

A Colorado-based company is making a new push to open a landfill near Alsen, and the group donated heavily to U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal’s campaign for governor.

Jindal received a total of $50,000 from supporters in Littleton, Colo. — all on Monday.

Littleton-based Louisiana Land Systems is currently applying for an industrial waste landfill permit. The contributors are from allied businesses, their executives, and family members of the executives, according to campaign records.

Members of the Alsen community in north Baton Rouge and then-state Rep. Kip Holden, now mayor, were among those who fought a previous attempt to open the landfill. The state Department of Environmental Quality denied the permit in December 2000 because of a failure to show “genuine demand.”

The landfill site is at the end of Brooklawn Drive, just west of Scenic Highway, according to DEQ records.

Alsen resident Juanita Stewart of the Concerned Citizens of North Baton Rouge said she was “somewhat surprised” to learn the Colorado company was trying again.

“We’re certainly going to fight them,” Stewart said. “We fought them in 2000, and we’ll do it again.”

Stewart said she is aware of community efforts from Louisiana Land to win public support.

Already near Alsen are the Ronaldson Field construction landfill and the PetroProcessors Superfund hazardous waste sites.

Jindal refused comment on the story. His spokeswoman Melissa Sellers said Jindal never discussed any landfill project when he spoke with the donors.

Jindal and the Colorado group discussed only how outside states can help Louisiana small businesses attract investors, Sellers said.

BOBBY, YOU SAY you're a reform candidate. Looking at the Advocate story, you have a funny way of demonstrating your commitment to reform.

I'm not a politician, but I'd like to think I have a decent enough sense concerning , uh, decency. And here is the proper response when a bunch of Colorado landfill entrepreneurs band together to give you $50,000 in campaign donations:

No, thank you.

You tell them you have plenty enough money, you can't help them, and here's all your money back.

Give the money back. NOW.

A successful Jindal Administration might be the last chance Louisiana has before irrevocably becoming some sort of American Chechnya. You're carrying a lot on your "reformist" shoulders.

Act like it.