There is a universe of roughly 15 previous YES votes from which Democrats are worried about losing a handful.
Right now, it looks like they can afford to lose NO MORE than 7 of these YES votes most of which will come from the Democratic anti-abortion rights crowd.
But what about previous YES votes that Democrats need to work to keep YES? The White House and Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill are prepared to lose some of these. The first six names below are of most concern to the Democratic leadership and most likely to bolt.
Stupak
Carney
Rahall
Berry
Driehaus
Arcuri
Dahlkemper
Pomeroy
Ellsworth
Hill
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Owens
Cardoza
Costa
-----Original Message-----
From: Mitch Stewart, BarackObama.com
To: XXX
Sent: Thu, Mar 11, 2010 11:53 am
Subject: Day 2: Call Rep. Childers
XXX --
President Obama has called for the House to vote to move health reform forward as early as next week. Your representative, Rep. Travis Childers, stood with the President to create as many as 3.9 million jobs with the Recovery Act, and deserves our thanks. Now, it's important to make it clear that the voters back home stand with President Obama and want health reform.
We're in the final march for reform and it all depends on this next crucial vote. Please call Rep. Childers today, express your support for health reform, and say we're prepared to stand together -- OFA supporters in Mississippi have pledged 46,308 hours to volunteer for members of Congress who support reform.
According to our records, you live in Mississippi's 1st congressional district. You can reach Rep. Childers's office at (202) 225-4306. Please call now -- then click here to let us know you made a call.
(Not your representative? Click here to look yours up. )
We know the stakes: Coverage for millions of uninsured Americans. Ending insurance company abuses, like denying coverage to those with pre-existing conditions and drastically raising premiums. Reining in costs that are bankrupting families and crushing businesses. Putting life-and-death decisions in the hands of patients and doctors, not insurance company bureaucrats.
Everything we've worked for depends on winning this upcoming vote in the House of Representatives -- and it's going to be very, very close. If there was ever a time to pick up the phone and make a difference, that time has come.
Thanks for joining together for this Final March for Reform. Because of you, we're going to win this.
Mitch
Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America
Paid for by Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee -- 430 South Capitol Street SE, Washington, D.C. 20003. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Gregg Harper (R–Miss.) delivered the following remarks today on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in opposition to a Democratic health care plan that the majority plans to advance through vague procedural tactics.
“Late last night the House Budget Committee approved the reconciliation shell bill with two Democratic Members joining all Republicans in opposing this enormous entitlement expansion – and we still do not know what changes the Speaker will bring forward.
“The President has asked Congress to hold an up-or-down vote on the Senate’s so-called health care reform proposal. Let’s have that vote! The President has argued that Democrats ‘need courage’ to pass his one-size-fits-all government takeover of health care. But where’s the courage in hiding behind procedural chaos like the ‘Slaughter Solution?’
“No matter what anyone says a yes vote on the reconciliation bill is a vote for the Senate’s flawed trillion dollar bill containing kickbacks like the ‘Cornhusker Kickback’ and the ‘Louisiana Purchase’ and allows for federal funding of abortion.
“The bottom line is this health care bill is so bad that the Democrats have to resort to trickery. I will not support a bill that will increase family’s insurance premiums and force hundreds of millions of dollars in unfunded mandates to my home State of Mississippi.”
The Senate Version – The Last Step to Government Run Healthcare
Our Representative in Washington claims to be conservative. But he’s voted for the most liberal Speaker in the history of the U.S. House and voted for two big government stimulus bills that have failed to keep unemployment below 9.7 percent. Now, here he goes again. It appears he will vote for the Senate’s version of healthcare reform. According to his own words, he is poised to vote against the wishes of North Mississippians again, joining arms with Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid to establish federally mandated healthcare exchanges. When is our Representative going to accept the fact that North Mississippians do not want government run healthcare?
There is something you need to know about the Senate version of healthcare that has received little media attention. According to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, prior to the December 24, 2009 passage of the U.S. Senate healthcare bill, Harry Reid removed the public option and replaced it with a 383 page amendment called the “Managers Amendment.” If Childers votes the Senate version into law, this amendment will give the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the agency that runs the federal civil service, authority to contract for government sponsored health insurance plans which will compete against private health plans in federally mandated, state managed health insurance exchanges. State management of these exchanges will take place under stringent federal regulation. Private health plans competing in these exchanges will have to comply with federal rules. Essentially, these exchanges will be conducted in a highly regulated, standardized environment, where private sector innovation will be driven out.
There is concern that the federal government can bail out the government sponsored health insurance plans if they become insolvent, giving them an unfair advantage over private plans and passing the insurance risk onto taxpayers. Unlike the House bill, nothing in the Senate bill prohibits this. Government sponsored health plans can be offered on a national basis. Private plans will not enjoy the scope of this advantage. OPM can set premiums and benefits for government sponsored plans. Private plans in the exchange will be hamstrung by government regulation of the premiums they can charge and the benefits they must pay. These exchanges will create an unlevel competitive playing field for private insurers. Over time, private insurers could very well be driven into bankruptcy or forced to leave the insurance exchanges, where most consumers will likely shop for health insurance. If this should happen, single-payer, government run healthcare will become a reality. In essence, the Senate bill presents a de facto public option. As espoused by prominent liberals like Representative Barney Frank, the aim of the public option is the eventual erosion of private health insurers. It is clear, any person who supports an exchange, basically supports government run healthcare.
Back home, our representative seems to be undisturbed by the impending government takeover of healthcare. During a February 24, 2010, tele-town hall, Mr. Childers said he is “unopposed to the Senate version.” If his own words are not convincing enough that he will vote “yes” for a government takeover, then take a look at his website. According to his official website, he believes a “Health Care Exchange will create sufficient competition within the insurance marketplace without a public option. If it does not, then we need to act accordingly to continue to bring down the cost of health insurance premiums.” Considering his open support of the Senate version, one can only assume that “sufficient competition” really refers to the federal government competing against the private sector.
To acquire the votes in the U.S. House to pass the Senate version of healthcare reform, Mr. Childers, who had thousands of dollars poured into his campaign coffers by liberals like Xavier Becerra, Barney Frank and Rahm Emmanuel, will be pressured by Speaker Pelosi to fall in line with the desires of the Democratic Party to pass the Senate bill. To push the Senate bill over the top, the White House is quietly preparing positions in the Administration to be filled by loyal House Democrats who are willing to sacrifice themselves to make this difficult vote. Mr. Childers recent tele-town hall remarks and his website show which way he is leaning. Do Mr. Childers’ loyalties lie with his party or with the people of the First District? We just can’t be certain. We deserve to know how our Representative stands on the issues. You don’t want to wait weeks to get answers, and you don’t want ambiguous or uninformed answers. I know you desire decisive, conservative leadership on the important issues of the day – on issues like healthcare reform.
Why would any Representative from North Mississippi even consider joining efforts to ram a bad healthcare bill through Congress? More importantly, how could a Representative of North Mississippians support the exchange concept that will eventually drive private health insurance plans into bankruptcy, paving the way for government run healthcare? Regardless of Mr. Childers’ vote, I can say with assurance that the people of the First District overwhelmingly do not want the Senate passed version of healthcare reform now being rammed through Congress. Nor do they want the similar White House proposal. I know this because I am in the First District every day talking to voters. Last week alone, I traveled over 1,500 miles criss-crossing North Mississippi. They have made their views clear. I couldn’t agree more.
Our country has been endangered by self-serving policies of establishment insiders and career politicians, Republican as well as Democrat. They’ve put the interests of the country behind their own desires to stay in office. Career politicians pass off the hard decisions to somebody else that will come along in the future, so that they can expand government, run-up the debt and try to run out the clock before these problems explode. Instead of career politicians, we need conservative fighters in Congress who will block expensive new entitlements like the Senate Healthcare bill. As your Congressman, I will fight, no matter the political cost, to restore the principles our country was founded upon: faith, family and freedom. I will fight to keep healthcare decisions in the hands of you and your doctor. I will fight to preserve your freedom. I’m asking for the opportunity to represent you in the United States House of Representatives.
Gov. Barbour calls health care reform bill "bad medicine"
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to force a vote on the health care bill as early as this week. Please contact your representatives in Congress and ask them to vote against this irresponsible legislation, which would only result in higher taxes and increased cost for health insurance. The only thing bipartisan about this legislation is the opposition to it. Any legislation that will impact one-sixth of our economy ought to have support across a broad political spectrum.
Ask your U.S. representative to vote "No" on concurring with the Senate-passed health care reform bill.
Apart from arm-twisting by the White House, an advertising blitz that could cost £20 million by the end of the week, about the same level of a presidential campaign, has been aimed at about 40 undecided Democrats in the House of Representatives.
Most are conservatives who are worried that their support would cost them their seat in November, as the bill has become unpopular with a majority of Americans.
The YP Nation will remember that within hours of the Scott Brown victory, I correctly opined the impact this would have on the Mississippi Congressional delegation's only in-doubt vote - that of Rep. Travis Childers.
. . . Childers has to tap dance on the razor's edge. Local democrats have already threatened to pull support for Childers with a no vote on the final passage. A no vote that kills Obama's key piece of legislation could also serve to lessen support that DCCC and other liberal interest groups give Childers to fund what looks to be a high dollar fight. And a yes vote on the Senate plan would play into Republican hands.
The truth is that Obama should promise to campaign for Democrats voting "NO". At that point, he'd really have their attention and some leverage over them. He should take a cue from the Blues Brothers and threaten to campaign in Blue Dog districts non-stop in 2010 unless they vote for the bill.
Remarkably little has been written about the late Sen. James O. Eastland, who was Mississippi’s most powerful political figure of the 20th century. Except for a 74-year-old post office/courthouse in Jackson belatedly named for him, there are few tangible reminders of ‘Big Jim’s’ 45-year career in the U.S. Senate when he dominated state politics and blocked federal civil rights legislation.
An exceedingly valuable recent book on Mississippi’s enigmatic society, ‘The Senator and the Share Cropper,’ draws a remarkable parallel between Eastland’s plantation life and that of a fellow Sunflower Countian, Fannie Lou Hamer, the stubby ex-cotton field hand whose powerful voice made her an icon of the civil rights movement.
Written by Chris Myers Asch who holds a doctorate in history from Duke, for 10 years he taught elementary school in Sunflower County with Teach for America. Asch provides a revealing insight into plantation life in the heart of Mississippi’s Delta, viewed from a white plantation owner’s perspective juxtaposed against the subservient black laboring class. Blacks sewed the rows of rich soil, hoed unwanted weeds, then picked the fluffy white cotton bolls that for a century brought wealth to the white landowners.
While in the off-season white plantation families could travel abroad, the blacks in shotgun plantation shacks bulging with kids found their only outlet singing sacred songs in their churches and listening to leather-lunged black preachers extolling faith in God as the ultimate salvation from their oppressive plantation lives.
Oxford native Ocie Cook, 67, carried a sign that said "A no vote on health care is a no vote in 2010."
. . .
Local attorney Joyce Freeland said Childers misjudged his district when he voted no, but "he can fix it" with a yes vote when health care legislation comes back to the House.
I am just curious as to where this group of Obamacare supporters is now.
Getting a colonoscopy is usually a discrete occurrence in one's health history.
But for some very personal reasons, Rep. Steve Holland of Tupelo is letting the public know he plans to have the colon cancer screening Monday at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
Holland, 54, who is also Public Health Committee chairman, lost a brother to colon cancer last year.
Since then his other brothers, who've all had the screening, and his mother have been on his case to have one, too.
"I've really been sort of chicken about it all to tell the truth," he said. "But the time has come. My brother Don's death really said, 'Hey, Go!' "
A recent state survey indicates trouble for a number of school districts as tax collections and state aid shrink.
"You will see some school districts literally run out of money," House Education Committee Chairman Cecil Brown said Monday.
Brown, D-Jackson, suggested that as many as 10 districts could fall into the red in the coming months without the state's help.
The fund balances for the state's school districts combined have shrunk roughly in half since June 30, according state Department of Education figures recently provided to lawmakers.
Gov. Haley Barbour suggested that school districts dip into reserves to make it through tough times, but superintendents say those accounts do not reflect true "rainy day" funds as Barbour suggests.
"We keep a certain percentage back like we should, but there's no way that our fund balance could carry us through the next few years if we wanted to use it that way," said Bay St. Louis-Waveland Superintendent Becky Ladner. "We have more debt coming due than what we have in the fund balance. Most districts are probably like us."
Democrats today urged Mississippi Appropriations Chairman and Congressional candidate (MS-01) Alan Nunnelee to side with Mississippi working families and against his national party bosses by standing up for unemployment insurance benefits. Mississippi lawmakers are currently trying to amend state law so Mississippi can accept $56 million in federal recovery funding including much needed support for unemployment insurance. Unemployment in Mississippi is at a nearly 25 year high.
“This is a defining moment for what kind of politician Alan Nunnelee wants to be. Will he stand up for middle class families in Mississippi or will he stand behind Washington fat-cats and party bosses? Mississippi families will know soon enough,” said Jesse Ferguson, Southern Regional Press Secretary at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Alan Nunnelee has to stand up and tell Mississippi families whether he stands behind Governor Barbour’s efforts to block unemployment benefits for families in need.”
Governor Barbour is opposed to accepting $56 million dollars in federal support for Mississippi that would protect benefits for the people who need them the most. [LA Times, 3/11/10]
Ferguson continued, “Nunnelee’s been more than happy to use federal recovery act funding before he ran for Congress, but now he’s a candidate and trying to please party bosses in Washington. We’ll see whether he’ll stand up for working families. If he makes the wrong choice, then Mississippi families will have none of Alan Nunnelee.”
The Jackson Clarion Ledger Editorial Board wrote: “In a state with double-digit unemployment and the poorest people in the nation, Barbour's decision to reject the $56 million was short-sighted. […] Rejecting federal jobless benefits at a time when jobs are scarce, layoffs and furloughs are plentiful and the state's economy is contracting in the name of avoiding tax hikes four years down the road ignores the plight of the jobless workers who need help now.” [Jackson Clarion Ledger, 3/12/10]
Background
Unemployment near 25-year high. “With unemployment in Mississippi at a nearly 25-year high, Democrats in the House are attempting to force Gov. Haley Barbour to accept federal stimulus dollars to bolster the unemployment fund and expand eligibility. […] January's figures show a statewide jobless rate of 12.1 percent. [Jackson Clarion Ledger, 3/12/10]
Nunnelee provided budget figures that showed $523 million in federal Recovery Act funds were used to plug holes in the FY 2010 budget. [Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 8/09/09]
The appropriations for the State Department of Education – General Programs, Education Reform Act and Vocational Education included the use of federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to defray expenses of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program. Nunnelee supported the bill. [HB No 49, 2nd Extraordinary Session, 6/29/2009]
Representative Travis Childers voted in favor of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and called it a way to “uplift Main Street and help get the hard working people of Mississippi back on their feet.” [Childers Statement, 1/28/2009; HR 1, Vote #70, 2/13/09]
At one point a few weeks ago, after the special election when Republican Scott Brown was elected to replace the late Edward Kennedy as the Senator from Massachusetts, it appeared that President Obama’s health care bill was dead. However, a decision was made by the President’s men to make a last ditch effort to pass some version of nationalized “health care reform” legislation before the November, 2010, congressional elections. Thus, the debate on what sort of health care we should have in a free society has started anew.
Paul Ryan, the six-term congressman from Wisconsin who has become a leading spokesman for the Republican point of view on health care reform, tells us that
“nder the terms of our constitution, every individual has a right to care for their health, just as they have a right to eat. Their rights are integral to our natural right to life – and it is government’s chief purpose to secure our natural rights. But the right to care for one’s health does not imply that government must provide health care, any more than our right to eat, in order to live, requires government to run the farms and raise the crops.”
In making these statements, Ryan alludes to the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment (“No person shall…be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law”). He also indirectly alludes to the Declaration of Independence (“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”).
Jackson, Mississippi – Governor Haley Barbour today vetoed House Bill 173 because the state will meet its commitments to the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association by July, eliminating any need for the bill.
The full veto message follows:
TO THE MISSISSIPPI HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
GOVERNOR’S VETO MESSAGE FOR HOUSE BILL 173
I am returning House Bill 173: “AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 83-34-39, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO EXTEND THE DATE OF THE REPEALER ON THE REQUIREMENT THAT A PORTION OF THE STATE INSURANCE PREMIUM TAX REVENUE BE DEPOSITED INTO THE MISSISSIPPI WINDSTORM UNDERWRITING ASSOCIATION REINSURANCE ASSISTANCE FUND; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES” without my approval, and assign the following reason for my veto.
House Bill 173 would not provide any additional funding for the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association Reinsurance Assistance Fund (the “Windpool”) but the bill would extend the repealer on the original legislation from the end of this fiscal year to July 1, 2013. Because the state will have fulfilled its statutory commitment to this fund before the end of the current fiscal year, an extension of this repealer is unnecessary.
In 2007, the Legislature passed and I signed into law legislation that would divert $20 million in insurance premium tax revenues into the Windpool during fiscal years 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. This temporary diversion was aimed at helping to defray the cost of reinsurance, lowering the risk for insurance companies writing policies in Mississippi, and reducing insurance premiums on the Coast.
According to the Mississippi State Tax Commission, Mississippi has made good on its promise to pay $20 million during fiscal years 2007 through 2009. For Fiscal Year 2010, the state has already deposited $10 million into this fund and is slated to pay the remaining $10 million before June 30, 2010. Thus, at the end of this fiscal year all of our statutory obligations to the Windpool will have been fulfilled, with no need for this legislation.
Cochran Supports Bill to Aid Small Businesses in Mississippi
Hurricane Disaster Relief Measure Would Help Businesses That Reopened After Disasters
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) today announced his support for legislation that would offer assistance to small businesses on the Gulf Coast by waiving interest payments on disaster-related loans issued after recent hurricanes.
Cochran is cosponsoring the Southeast Hurricanes Small Business Disaster Relief Act (S.2986), which would direct the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a disaster relief program for small businesses in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas that were affected by disaster areas created by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike.
“Many small business owners operate on a very slim margin. Their ability to stay open is made much more difficult after a natural disaster, and the current economic downturn compounds those difficulties,” Cochran said. “Waiving interest payments, as proposed in this legislation, could make it easier for some small businesses on the Gulf Coast to survive and grow.”
Under S.2986, the SBA would be directed to establish a Southeast Hurricanes Small Business Disaster Relief Program through which small businesses could have up to $15,000 waived on interest payments due on SBA disaster loans. A business could apply to have its interest payments waived for up to three years.
The legislation would give priority to small businesses with fewer than 50 employees. Priority would also be granted to firms that resumed business operations in a declared disaster area between September 2005 to October 2006 for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and between September 2008 and December 2010 for Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
This legislation has been referred to the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee. The bill was authored by U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, who chairs the committee.
March 2, 1998 the National Education Association (NEA) commemorated the calendar day Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in an effort to observe the subject of reading. According to the NEA, 45 million adults and children alike participated in Read Across America 2010 after only 13 years since its inception.
While a public official here entertained East Dover Elementary students with a Dr. Seuss tale, the First Lady Michelle Obama, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and NEA President Dennis Van Roekel also gave their afternoon time to Washington D.C. students at the Library of Congress.
At the afternoon event, the NEA asked members of Congress to share their favorite books with children. Mississippi Congressman Travis Childers said his favorite is The Little Engine That Could by author Watty Piper. “It is a story about determination,” he said. “This book emphasizes the importance of persistence when aspiring toward a goal and it teaches us that anything can be done when we work hard.”
JACKSON - Lt. Governor Phil Bryant, Chairman of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, has called a meeting of the Committee for 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 17, 2010.
The Joint Legislative Budget Committee will hear a report from the Revenue Estimating Group regarding possible revisions to the General Fund revenue estimates for fiscal 2010 and fiscal 2011.
The meeting will be held in the Old Supreme Court Chamber, Room 216, New Capitol Building, Jackson.
Our race is in full swing and I can feel the momentum building. One of the most enjoyable aspects of our campaign, is getting to know you and the many people from all walks of life across North Mississippi.
As I travel from one campaign stop to another, it's encouraging to see bumper stickers on cars throughout the district. We need to continue expanding our visibility by getting more bumper stickers on cars. If you have already placed one on your car please ask your friends and family to do the same. If you need any materials please email Cadley with our campaign staff at cadley@nunneleeforcongress.com and he will be happy to get them to you.
Just as enthusiasm is growing in the campaign so is our grassroots organization. We're seeing more and more people joining our efforts to take back Washington but we continue to need your help. If you have a few hours to spare to write postcards, hand out materials, make calls to friends, or put out signs we need your help. Please email Mabel with my campaign team at mabel@nunneleeforcongress.com if you are interested in helping us in any way.
Also, forward this newsletter to family and friends and ask them to sign up for email updates from the campaign at http://www.nunneleeforcongress.com .
As I've stated many times, I am running because I believe we need someone representing our district that will stand up for Mississippi values. It's also my job to tell you why I am the best candidate in the race. I want to tell you what I'm for and not just what I'm against. That's why I released a policy statement on healthcare this week. I want you and the voters of North Mississippi to know where I stand on the important issues facing our country.
Healthcare
The discussion of healthcare is a perfect example of what is wrong with Washington, D.C. Our congressman has been unwilling to tell us where he stands on the Senate version of Obamacare. Citizens of this district deserve to know where their elected officials stand on issues and what they are doing to impact the outcome of legislation.
Obamacare increases government spending at a time when we have record deficits, it raises taxes on families and small businesses, it destroys jobs at a time of record unemployment, it cuts Medicare funding for seniors, it allows tax payer funding of abortions and it forces Mississippians to abandon health coverage they like in favor of government-approved coverage.
President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and the extreme liberal factions in Washington are using every trick in the book to push this unhealthy package through Congress and I think the citizens of North Mississippi deserve to know where we as candidates stand before the votes are taken.
While Obamacare is not good for our economy and would not be good for healthcare in America, there is no question that our healthcare system needs adjustments. We need leadership who will be willing to listen and accept common sense solutions that will make our healthcare more affordable and more accessible and this is one of the reasons I could never support Nancy Pelosi as speaker. She does not, nor will she ever, represent the views of North Mississippi.
When elected I will work to make common-sense changes that will make healthcare more affordable and more accessible without hurting our economy. I have a record of converting our conservative values into effective public policy and I want to take that experience to Washington. Here's how:
1.Individuals and families should be able to keep the same insurance when they change jobs.
2.Individuals and families need to be able to select coverage that is right for them.
3.Insurance should not be restricted by state lines.
4.Self-employed individuals and families should be able to join a group plan and enjoy the same tax advantages as corporations.
5.Insurance companies should not be allowed to drop individuals or families because of illness.
6.Small businesses should be able to purchase coverage at similar rates as large corporations and government agencies.
7.Medical bills should be more transparent and easier to understand.
8.We must pass comprehensive tort reform.
9.Elected officials should not have special coverage.
These simple solutions will help make healthcare more affordable and accessible and I will work every day to take a common-sense approach to the United States House of Representatives.
As always I want to hear from you. It's important that I keep you the voter informed but also that you the voter keep me informed and address any concerns or questions you might have. Please email me at info@nunneleeforcongress.com . I look forward to hearing from you soon.
When State Auditor Stacey Pickering took office in January 2008, there were 184 open cases. Since then, the agency has opened 189 more.
Apparently there is a lot of corruption in public office, said Tougaloo College political science professor Steve Rozman.
During these tough economic times, people may be more prone to misuse taxpayer money, Rozman said. Once they do it once or twice, it may become addictive, he said, and if the oversight isn't there, they will be tempted to continue.
Pickering's office has increased collections from people misusing public dollars, recouping more than $3.6 million in the last two years for an average of $1.8 million annually.
Blackmon has been citing various objections to the legislation for weeks. He thought imposing larger fines on ill-advised officials was “a sledgehammer” approach.
Especially since some of those officials may be ill-advised by Blackmon, whose law firm represents the city of Canton. On Feb. 10, Canton Mayor William Truly told a citizen to stop videotaping a Board of Aldermen meeting. The mayor later said he shouldn’t have blocked the taping.
But what really seems to have gotten Blackmon so steamed up was the audacity of his colleagues to tinker with legislation after it had left his committee.
“I don’t expect you to be out here throwing amendments in when you haven’t brought the amendments up in committee,” Blackmon told The Associated Press of action being taken on the floor of the House.
So Blackmon got even.
And as a result, city and county and institutional governance will remain secretive in Mississippi.
Sort of makes your blood boil, doesn’t it?
This editorial represents the views of the Sun Herald editorial board, which consists of President-Publisher Glen Nardi, Vice President and Executive Editor Stan Tiner, Opinion Page Editor B. Marie Harris, Associate Editor Tony Biffle, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Flora S. Point and Marketing Services Director John McFarland. Opinions expressed by letter writers, columnists and cartoonists are their own.
Mississippi lawmakers want to cut down on state employees who are double-dipping — drawing a state retirement while continuing to be paid either as contract or part-time workers.
The practice, say advocates of the change, has gotten more prevalent during the budget pinch, as state agencies try to cut their payroll costs by pushing part of them onto the state retirement system.
A bill working its way through the Legislature is intended to discourage the cost-shifting. It would require state agencies to continue to pay into the Public Employees Retirement System for these workers. It also would extend the waiting period before employees could return to work for a state agency beyond the current 45-day wait.
These changes are good ones, but they are only nibbling at the edges of the long-term financial difficulties facing the retirement system that covers some 373,000 state, county and city workers, including 80,000 current retirees.
Based on my past experiences in health care administration and current understanding of the proposed health insurance reform proposals, I would like to make a statement.
The proposals are complex, but the problems addressed are just as complex and difficult to solve. The program has been described as a "government takeover of health care" or even worse as a socialist plot.
On the other side, the proponents claim that it will solve all problems with the costs and availability of health care. Both sides are overstating what the actual outcomes will be.
First, a few facts: The costs of health care in our country are on a non-sustainable upward spiral. The average family of four, with an annual income of $40,000 to $50,000 expends about $12,000 to $15,000 on health insurance.
This amounts to approximately 23 percent of income. This cost is increasing about 6 to 10 percent each year. Our per-capita costs are about double those in other developed countries.
Alton B. Cobb, M.D., of Jackson served as Mississippi's state health officer from 1973-1993.
Clarion Ledger
3/14/10
There is probably no single topic has been discussed longer and more often in Mississippi than the proposed federal health care reforms.
Gov. Haley Barbour maintains that Mississippi can't afford the proposed Medicaid expansion contained in the U.S. Senate health care reform package.
In December, Barbour said: "Such unfunded mandates would necessarily cause states to raise taxes or cut vital services like education and law enforcement - more than we already have. Mandating a one-size-fits-all solution for states and expanding a broken Medicaid system - without reform - is poor policy."
Barbour maintains that the Senate proposal would cause Mississippi "to have to find some $200 million a year to support the expansion of Medicaid."
...
The American health care system needs reform. There are more than 46 million Americans without health care insurance, mostly the working poor. It is too costly and continues to escalate. Any health care reform must cover the uninsured and control rising health care costs.
Unlike Barbour, Cobb's position is that federal health care reform will benefit Mississippi in greater proportion than most other states in terms of health care coverage, which is a compelling argument.
WASHINGTON — In the fall of 1968, a serious dark-haired young man arrived in the capital to do what serious young men here do: study law. Alan S. Frumin was calm, analytical and possessed of a dry wit. To his classmates, one trait stood out. He was a whiz at mastering the mind-numbing rules of civil procedure.
Today, Mr. Frumin puts his procedural acumen to use as the parliamentarian of the United States Senate. Most of the time, it is a quiet, under-the-radar kind of job. Not these days.
As Washington enters the final act of its long-running health care drama, Mr. Frumin — a nonpartisan civil servant who got his start as a precedents writer for the House — is in a starring role. His rulings on arcane procedural questions may determine whether President Obama winds up signing a health care overhaul or whether the administration’s signature policy initiative collapses.
By Friday, Mr. Frumin had become a major preoccupation for Democrats and Republicans, as they tried to divine his views on whether Mr. Obama must sign a health bill into law before Democrats can use the filibuster-proof budgetary tactic known as reconciliation to make changes to it. In the weeks to come, there will be a slew of Republican challenges to reconciliation.
State Rep. Greg Snowden added an amendment that forced those fines to be paid by the officials themselves, and not the taxpayers.
House Judiciary A Committee chairman, Rep. Ed Blackmon, held up the bill, because he said Snowden should have added the amendment while it was in committee. The bill died for lack of action Thursday.
"Apparently the real reason he let the bill die is because he didn't like someone offering an amendment on the floor," said Snowden. "And, you know, that's my job, to do those things when they are necessary. And I had the majority of the House agree with me. So I feel good about what I did, but I'm sorry the bill died."
Blackmon said asking public officials who are not well-paid in some small towns to pay a fine would put an unfair financial burden on them.
Hewes said he was disappointed about the situation.
"It's ironic that we have a statute on the books creating a felony for the mistreatment of livestock but we don't have anything for dogs and cats," Hewes said.
Once the bill passed in the Senate, it was sent to the House where House Speaker Billy McCoy double-referred it to the Agriculture Committee and to the Judiciary B Committee.
The bill never left the Agriculture Committee.
MS-FACT members claimed on their site, ms-fact.org, that the Mississippi House Agriculture Committee Chairman Greg Ward, D-Ripley, killed the bill because he wanted to work on an animal cruelty bill personally.
Ward told The Hattiesburg American he believed SB 2623 was somewhat confusing, and he hoped to write a more clear and simple bill and introduce it in the 2011 legislative session.
Ward said he almost has the legislation written, and it will be concerned with only cats and dogs and no other animals.
When the Republican Jewish Coalition hosted its annual winter conference at Las Vegas's splashy Palazzo hotel earlier this month, party luminaries such as Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham showed up to hobnob with some of the GOP's most generous donors. But the guest who seemed to excite the audience the most was a diminutive, former mid-level State Department official who has never held elected office. Introduced by Miriam Adelson, wife of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, Elizabeth Cheney delivered a rousing attack on Barack Obama's foreign policy that won her a standing ovation. It was an impressive performance by Cheney, a policy wonk, law-school grad, and mother of five who may now be bidding to establish America's next political dynasty.
WASHINGTON — Mississippi’s GOP senators, prolific users of earmarks, will not be going along with the House Republicans’ one-year moratorium on directed federal spending.
“I do not agree with the efforts in the House to impose an earmark moratorium,” said U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“Earmarks are not about how much the government spends, but about who decides how appropriated funds are used. The Constitution gives Congress the responsibility to decide how to allocate federal funds.”
Similarly, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, who was a member of the House Appropriations Committee before moving to the Senate, defended the use of earmarks.
“I support shrinking the size of the federal budget,” Wicker said. “But once spending levels are determined, elected officials who are accountable to the public should be able to direct spending to projects with the most need and potential for economic impact. The alternative is to leave those decisions to bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., who are unaccountable to no one and know very little about local needs in communities across the country.”
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., has escaped blame in the same ethics inquiry that has at least temporarily cost U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., his Ways and Means Committee chairmanship.
Both men accepted a Caribbean junket paid for by some of the big corporations they usually profess to loathe. It was a clear violation of the latest set of House rules, but both also employed the familiar “plausible deniability” claim, saying they didn’t know who picked up their tab. As the organizer, Rangel, who said his staff might have known but didn’t tell him, took the hit. Thompson and other members on the trip were given a pass.
Commendably, it appears House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-N.Y., might actually be trying to keep her pledge to “drain the swamp” of congressional corruption, which has no party lines. She faced down a defiant Rangel, which was no small feat.
For his part, Rangel faces six other ethics inquiries, most related to his admitted failure to pay taxes owed on vacation properties, also in the Caribbean.
Thompson has one additional complaint pending — specifically that he, as Homeland Security Committee chairman, threatened hearings against credit card companies in order to receive campaign contributions that were, in fact, paid before the hearings were canceled. Thompson says the allegation is pure rubbish and that, as usual, he is completely above reproach.
Mississippi Democrats did not offer an alternative candidate for this fall’s election in the 2nd Congressional District. Thompson advances to the November ballot to face one of three Republicans and a smattering of independents. Most see him as a shoo-in once again.
So the biggest career threat he faces could be from his fellow House Democrats. If he becomes more of a liability than an asset, they’ll toss him overboard. If he doesn’t believe it, he can ask Charlie Rangel.
There’s a state statute that allows counties to group together to form a district and have a medical examiner from that pool of counties as a district. Several county coroners asked Jim Hood for an opinion whether they could form a district and hire Dr. Hayne (well, hire a hypothetical doctor) even though he was not on the state list. Hood obligingly opined that, because the statute provides that such a district medical examiner will have the same powers as the state medical examiner, those district examiners are not subject to the authority of the state medical examiner and therefore didn’t have to qualify by being on the list of qualified pathologists. This effort was the subject of an excellent article by Radley Balko at Reason, and was virtually ignored in Mississippi media (except for some parts of the blogosphere).
I’ll interject here that the hypothetical doctor apparently didn’t have to meet the qualification for state medical examiner– that the examiner “be certified in forensic pathology by the American Board of Pathology” (Miss. Code Ann. § 41-61-55), a qualification Dr. Hayne does not hold.
The opinion also threw in that this “district” examiner could use the state morgue facility, which would be reimbursed the costs of using the facilities, equipment, and supplies.
I’ve made this all sound almost rational. But look at what is being done here: We have a list of qualified forensic pathologists, established by the Department of Public Safety. The county coroners (elected officials who are required to hold no more medical qualifications than I hold, or, for that matter, than my English setter holds) would be allowed to end-run around that by hiring a district medical examiner who did not have to be on the list and did not have to meet the qualifications for state medical examiner (that is, of being board-certified in forensic pathology).
And it was all to the end of putting back into business the doctor responsible for debacles like this.
So, as noted at the head of this post, a bill almost passed the legislature to close this loophole (and block disgraced former pathologist Stephen Hayne from reentering the business) and Attorney General Jim Hood is attempting to kill it at the last moment. I hope he fails.
“Education is one thing I’m going to tackle like fighting a bear,” Luckett added.
Asked for his opinion of charter schools, which the Mississippi Legislature is currently considering, Luckett replied that he liked many of the reforms that charter schools implement, like longer school days and increased support services, but wouldn’t endorse charter schools statewide. “Why don’t we adopt the charter school concepts and put them into the whole public school system?” Luckett said.
Luckett has not held public office before but has served on the Democratic Executive Committees for Coahoma County and for the entire state.
In addition to defending a variety of corporate clients, including Kroger and Archer Daniels Midland, Luckett co-owns two Clarksdale businesses, Madidi Restaurant and the Ground Zero Blues Club, with Morgan Freeman. Freeman donated $250,000 to Luckett’s political action committee, Progress for Mississippi, last year, according to 2009 campaign-finance reports. Progress for Mississippi raised $407,289 total last year, including $17,332 from ActBlue Mississippi, the Mississippi branch on a national online Democratic fundraising organization. Luckett himself contributed $25,000 to his war chest.
Asked if he thought he could win a statewide election as a Democrat, Luckett acknowledged that he faced a disadvantage because of his party affiliation. But Democratic principles and policies better serve most Mississippians, he argued.
“The Democrats in Mississippi haven’t fared well,” Luckett said. “I believe that Democrats have done far more for Mississippi than the Republicans have. Up in the Delta they say, ‘If you hope to live like a Republican, vote Democrat(ic).’”
Last October, House Republicans in Washington DC sought to strip Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-NY) of his chairmanship pending the outcome of ethics investigations into his activities. Only two Democrats joined that attempt: Travis Childers and Gene Taylor, both from Mississippi.
Last week, following a public rebuke by the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (commonly referred to as the "Ethics Committee"), Rangel stepped down from his chairmanship, heading off another Republican attempt to dethrone him - one Democratic leadership feared would succeed.
In 2007 and 2008 Rangel took a corporate sponsored trip to the Caribbean Multi-National Business Conference on the island of St. Maarten. Those corporations employ federal lobbyists and the Ethics Committee determined the tropic vacation violated House gift rules. Rangel maintains he didn't know it was a corporate sponsored trip and received preapproval, but the Ethics Committee, citing memos from Rangel's staff discussing the nature of the trip, determined he was still responsible.
11. Mississippi's 1st district: At the start of the 2010 election cycle, we ranked this seat and Alabama's 2nd district side by side. Both southern seats tilt heavily toward Republicans but were won by conservative Democrats able to distance themselves from the national party. Alabama's 2nd is no longer on the Line as Rep. Bobby Bright (D) continues to prove his staying power. But, Rep. Travis Childers (D) is among the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents in the country for two reasons: 1) State Sen. Alan Nunnelee appears to be the real deal and 2) Childers raised an eye-poppingly bad $110,000 in the final three months of last year. (Previous ranking: 11)
This week a federal jury determined William Guy and attorney Thomas Brock should pay Illinois Central Railroad Co. $420,000 in actual and punitive damages for their role in a fraudulent asbestos lawsuit. The "Honorable" William Guy was one of the hosts of this fundraiser for Jim Hood last year.
Third, Hood is fighting his state’s Department of Public Safety and State Senate to bring back a doctor whose testimony has already led to the murder convictions of two innocent men, whose laughable testimony was thrown out of court (PDF) in a third murder case, and who has been roundly condemned by nearly every other medical examiner outside the state of Mississippi who is familiar with his work. (I’ve talked to at least 13.)
Finally, Hood’s email is factually inaccurate. The bill would not address prior cases involving Hayne, as Hood implies by using the past tense of the word “involve.” It merely prevents Hayne from doing any autopsies in the future. Either Hood hasn’t actually read the bill, or he’s trying to drum up opposition by deliberately exaggerating its scope, implying that it would reopen thousands of old cases. Mississippi really should look at all of those cases, but that isn’t what this bill does.
Hood not only has a complete and utter lack of shame about the damage Hayne has already done to Mississippi’s criminal justice system, he now seems determined to make sure Hayne can continue to do more.
Congressman Gregg Harper names Stanley Shows as Campaign Director
CONGRESSMAN GREGG HARPER NAMES STANLEY SHOWS AS CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR
Shows to lead Harper’s 2010 re-election campaign
(Jackson, Miss.)—Today, Third District Congressman Gregg Harper announced that Stanley Shows will lead his 2010 re-election campaign as Campaign Director.
“Stanley’s vast experience working in the Third District has earned him the respect of people in every county, and he certainly has my confidence and trust,” said Congressman Gregg Harper. “Stanley has strong ties to the agricultural and educational institutions in our state, and he’s consistently demonstrated his ability to make a positive difference. I’m really pleased he has agreed to serve as my Campaign Director.”
Stanley Shows served on Congressman Harper’s official staff in Mississippi as Director of Constituent Services and Education Liaison from January, 2009 to February, 2010. Prior to that, Shows worked as District Director for ten years for former Third District Congressman Chip Pickering from 1998 to 2008. Prior to working for Congressman Pickering and Congressman Harper, Shows worked for the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (formerly Farmer’s Home Administration) for 32 years. While employed by USDA, he held many positions including Chief of the Rural Housing Division and Assistant to the State Director.
Shows is a graduate of Mississippi State University. He has been married to his wife, Tommie, for 45 years, and they have one child, a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren. Having lived in the Brandon, Mississippi area for more than 40 years, Shows is a member of Brandon First United Methodist Church.
Congressman Gregg Harper was elected in November, 2008 as Mississippi’s Third District Congressman. Prior to being sworn in to Congress in January, 2009, Gregg Harper’s Republican peers elected him as the freshman representative on the Republican Steering Committee for the House of Representatives. Congressman Harper was also honored to be appointed by Republican Leader John Boehner as the only freshman to serve on the Committee on House Administration. Congressman Harper was also appointed to serve the Third Congressional District on the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on the Budget, the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, and the Joint Committee for the Library of Congress. For more information about Congressman Gregg Harper’s campaign, visit http://www.GreggHarper.ms
JACKSON -- Gov. Haley Barbour signed legislation Thursday that would restore $82 million of the $458.5 million in spending cuts he has made to the 2010 state budget.
The money, which comes from an assortment of state reserve funds, would restore $37.1 million to K-12 education, including about $2.5 million for DeSoto County schools.
The bill returns $41.1 million to K-12 schools and higher education.
"The difficult economic period for our state is not over," Barbour said in a statement.
The legislation also includes two areas of concern to parents and teachers -- $33 million for the Mississippi Adequate Education Program and $2 million for National Board Certification for teachers.
Attorney General Jim Hood opposes a House bill that supporters say would require people performing autopsies in Mississippi to be national board certified.
Hood has sent an e-mail to coroners and others saying the bill, which would require American Board of Pathology certification, also could affect cases involving medical examiner Dr. Stephen Hayne.
Hayne has testified in cases later ruled wrongful convictions and has been criticized by the Innocence Project, a national group that assists in possible wrongful convictions and pushes for policy to prevent them.
The Department of Public Safety backs HB 1456. It would grant exceptions when a certified forensic pathologist is not available within a reasonable time; for example, after a natural disaster.
The Innocence Project also backs the bill. Tucker Carrington, director of the Innocence Project at the University of Mississippi School of Law, said the state’s current law, which doesn’t require the certification for autopsies, is similar to not making lawyers pass a bar exam.
“If I mess up some guy’s case, there has to be some organization that can take my license,” Carrington said. “How can a bill be any less controversial? It is just asking that people be licensed.”
Hood said the bill would restrict options for district attorneys.
In his e-mail, he urged recipients to lobby against the measure, which would be sent to Gov. Haley Barbour to be signed into law if the House concurs with Senate changes.
“This is an Innocence Project bill which threatens cases which involved Dr. Hayne,” Hood wrote. “This bill has passed the Senate and is headed to the House of Representatives. Please contact your House member and encourage him or her to defeat this bill. Our office is working diligently to stop this potentially harmful legislation.”
A House chairman has killed a bill that was designed to strengthen Mississippi’s Open Meetings laws, saying a change to the bill amounted to an end-run around his authority.
The bill passed the House last week but died Thursday when Judiciary A Committee Chairman Ed Blackmon chose not to remove a hold on it before a deadline.
Blackmon, D-Canton, said he was unhappy that the bill was amended on the House floor March 4. He said the change should have been made in his committee rather than on the floor.
“I don’t expect you to be out here throwing amendments in when you haven’t brought the amendments up in committee,” Blackmon told The Associated Press.
About two and a half years ago, we blogged a law-review article by University of Tennessee law professor Benjamin Barton which asked whether judges “systematically” favored the interests of the legal profession.
It was Barton’s contention that the answer was, well, yes, that judges did, as a group, issue rulings that favored the legal profession. It was a bold and interesting finding, and ever since then we’ve looked at rulings on lawyers and judges through a slightly different lens.
And that might explain why a federal-court ruling down in Mississippi, in which one judge stuck it to another judge, prompted us to sit up and take note.
Federal judge Tom Lee, who serves on the Southern District of Mississippi in Jackson, last week declined to dismiss a libel lawsuit filed against a state judge in Mississippi. That judge, Hinds County Judge Houston Patton, was sued for allegedly stating that another man, James Jennings Jr., and Jennings’s lawyer had tried to bribe Patton. Click here for the story, from the Jackson Clarion-Ledger; click here for the opinion; here for further commentary from something called Jackson Jambalaya,
“Pure politics” is what Clarion-Ledger columnist Sid Salter last week called a motion in a federal appeals court by a Gulf Coast housing advocacy group and the NAACP. They were seeking to reverse an action by HUD during the Bush Administration to divert over a half million dollars in Katrina low income housing funds to a grandiose expansion of the state Port of Gulfport.
The question is, whose politics: Gov. Haley Barbour’s or the hundreds of Coast residents whose homes are still in shambles from Katrina’s wrath?
Barbour, for whom Salter frequently serves as media apologist, two years ago had gotten the Department of Housing and Urban Development to divert $570 million in post-Katrina housing funds to an ambitious port development expansion. The plan first was conceived before Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi coast in August 2005. The state was handed $5.4 billion for recovery and relief by Congress after Hurricane Katrina.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi today filed suit in federal court against the Itawamba County School System, which canceled the prom for one of its high schools when a student challenged a ban on bringing same-sex dates.
The federal suit asks the court to force the school board to reinstate the prom and alleges district officials have violated the First Amendment rights of Constance McMillen, a senior at Itawamba Agricultural High School.
"It's shameful and cowardly of the school district to have canceled the prom and to try to blame Constance, who's only standing up for herself," said Christine Sun, an attorney with the ACLU national LGBT Project. "We will fight tooth and nail for the prom to be reinstated for all students."
The school board met Wednesday and announced it was canceling the prom after McMillen challenged the same-sex date ban. The Mississippi ACLU, which is assisting McMillen, gave the district until Wednesday to change its policy.
Lawmakers continue to debate whether to add charter schools to the state.
The House passed an amendment to Senate Bill 2293 called "Innovative School Act of 2010," which would consolidate twelve school districts throughout the state.
House Education chairman, Cecil Brown, a Democrat, says this is a good alternative to creating a new charter school.
"If you start a new school district, and it's a publicly funded school, like charter schools are, then you're draining resources away from the existing school district, " Brown said.
According to the Mississippi Department of Education, the state currently has fifty-three schools classified as 'failing', and an additional 158 that are considered 'at risk' of failing.
Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, a Republican, says changing Mississippi's current education system is long overdue.
A federal jury says two Mississippi lawyers committed fraud during asbestos litigation and they should pay Illinois Central Railroad Company $430,000 in damages.
Illinois Central claimed William Guy and Thomas Brock knew their clients lied about being involved in earlier litigation when questioned during the railroad lawsuit filed in 2001.
Court records said Illinois Central settled with plaintiffs Warren Turner Jr. for $120,000 in 2002 and Willie Harried for $90,000 in 2003.
Illinois Central sued Harried and Turner in U.S. District Court in Natchez for alleged fraud and eventually accused the lawyers of it, too.
JACKSON, Miss. – A northern Mississippi school district will not be hosting a high school prom this spring after a lesbian student sought to attend with her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo.
The Itawamba County school district's board decided Wednesday to drop the prom because of what it called recent distractions but without specifically mentioning the girl's request, which was backed by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The student, 18-year-old high school senior Constance McMillen, said the cancellation was retaliation for her efforts to bring her girlfriend, also a student, to the April 2 dance.
"A bunch of kids at school are really going to hate me for this, so in a way it's really retaliation," McMillen told The Clarion-Ledger of Jackson. Calls to McMillen by The Associated Press late Wednesday went unanswered.
School policy requires that senior prom dates be of the opposite sex. The ACLU of Mississippi had given the district until Wednesday to change that policy, arguing that banning same-sex prom dates violated McMillen's constitutional rights.
Washington's biggest lobbying firm is on the verge of getting even bigger. Patton Boggs LLP, which rang up nearly $40 million in lobbying last year, is in negotiations to purchase the Breaux-Lott Leadership Group, according to sources familiar with the talks.
Breaux-Lott -- named for its founders, former U.S. senators John Breaux (D-La.) and Trent Lott (R-Miss.) -- already has a close relationship with the Patton Boggs behemoth, with the two firms operating in a "strategic relationship" for the past two years. Thomas Hale Boggs Jr., the larger firm's chairman, has particularly close ties with Breaux, who left Patton Boggs to partner with Lott.
While Patton Boggs has long held the title as K Street's largest and most influential lobbying firm, Breaux-Lott is a smaller, family-dominated operation that reported just less than $11 million in lobbying in 2009. The firm was formed in January 2008, shortly after Lott left the Senate, and includes both of the founders' sons and a former Lott aide on its payroll.
Angela, We Have Heard on High. Former Fox News analyst Angela McGlowan, one of several Republicans vying to run against Rep. Travis Childers (D-Miss.), has installed her campaign team for her first bid for Congress.
McGlowan has hired Anne Marie Turner to run her campaign and Ginger Whitwell to run her finance team.
Sonny Scott of Rising Tide Media will be her media consultant.
You are going to hear a lot about the Mississippi Department of Employment Security and a Senate unemployment bill that the House killed today.
Know this: Everything would have been fine had Gov. Barbour accepted federal stimulus money to help the unemployed people of Mississippi during this national recession.
Gov. Barbour thought Democratic leaders in the House would fold, walk away and leave the unemployed to fend for themselves. But that’s not what’s happening. Democrats in the House are fighting for our unemployed.
Now that we’ve reached a boiling point, Gov. Barbour is in full spin mode. He’s released a statement saying the House leadership is to blame for what is going on. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Below, I’ve included a press release from Rep. Rufus Straughter, chairman of the House Labor Committee. Rep. Straughter lays out the facts quite well. Please read it and pass it along.
Then, do me a favor. Call Gov. Barbour and Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant. Tell them you’re tired of their putting politics before people. Tell them to work with the Democratic leadership to forge a true compromise that provides much needed unemployment benefits to our people.
But those legal reforms are necessary. Otherwise, the natural conclusion is the world portrayed in “Kings of Tort,” the recent book by Alan Lange and former federal prosecutor Tom Dawson. The book describes how former tort baron and current federal prisoner Dickie Scruggs sued his way into a fortune and then began purchasing an entire state’s judiciary. Years before he was caught bribing two Mississippi judges, Scruggs had described as “magic jurisdictions” those places where verdict money was used to stack benches and juries.
“[M]agic jurisdiction,” Scruggs said in a brazen public speech, “[is] where the judiciary is elected with verdict money. It’s almost impossible to get a fair trial if you’re a defendant in some of these places. The plaintiff lawyer walks in there and writes the number on the blackboard, and the first juror meets the last one coming out the door with that amount of money.”
With the billions he won in various courts and settlements, Scruggs gained such influence in the judiciary that he proved popular self-governance cannot survive more people like him.
As Obama seeks out the last few votes he needs for the current health care bill, bear in mind that it will prevent a solution to this problem.
Earlier this week, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann gave the thumbs up to the signatures from the Voter ID ballot initiative. Using the Majority In Mississippi PVI, our friend JackCUDA, came up with some interesting statistical data on where the bulk of the signatures came from.
Probably not too surprising, but 58.1 percent of the total certified signatures came from MIM Republican PVI counties (those that have given the GOP at least 57 percent of the vote in the last four statewide elections). Further, 77.5 percent of all signatures were collected from MIM PVI counties where the GOP average was 50 percent or better.
Chief Deputy Jimmy Edwards has worked in law enforcement for ten years. He started as a patrol officer and went on to work as a criminal investigator and a narcotics investigator. He has brought justice to many victims and safety to many neighborhoods as he has worked hundreds of felony cases including burglaries, armed robberies, murders and drug cases. Five years ago he was promoted to Chief Deputy and continues to be actively involved in investigations. He has received recognition from the State of Tennessee for locating a criminal in 2006 and from Tippah County Sheriff's Office for apprehending an escapee in 2007. He has training in crime scene and narcotic investigations and has been a speaker with the DARE program in local schools. The most impactful moment of Jimmy Edwards's law enforcement career was when he met a terrified three-year old boy, one of seven abused and malnourished children who had been held captive in an abusive home. The boy, who longed to be loved and cared for, was drawn to Jimmy the first day they met and proceeded to climb his way into Jimmy's lap and into his heart. During the year that followed, Jimmy and his wife began to visit the boy on weekends and became foster parents. In April, 2009, they adopted little Edwin. The two people responsible for the abuse, the Bareto's, are currently fugitives; Chief Deputy Edwards, along with other officers in his department, continues to search for the fugitives in partnership with US Marshals and America's Most Wanted to have justice served. Due to his efforts in this case, Jimmy was chosen to receive the TOP COPS Award in 2010; he is one of ten officers across the country who will receive this prestigious award issued by the National Association of Police Organizations for their work in law enforcement.
"This case is significant because it is the first time I am aware of that a jury has found that asbestos plaintiffs' lawyers committed fraud," said Mark Behrens, a Washington, D.C., attorney with Shook, Hardy & Bacon.
A spokesperson for Illinois Central said the company will continue aggressively pursue suspected fraud or litigation abuses.
The complaints allege the company would not have been obligated to pay the settlements had it known that Harried joined the mass action, titled Cosey, in 1995 and Turner in 1996.
Harried and Turner both filed suit against Illinois Central in 2001. The complaints say the attorneys knew of the previous lawsuits.
"Guy and Brock did not disclose Turner's prior asbestos claim in Cosey to Illinois Central at any time before Turner's settlement was consummated and the settlement check was accepted and deposited by Guy and Brock," the Turner complaint says.
“Today, House Democrats killed legislation to reauthorize the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, the agency which not only provides critical workforce services to thousands of Mississippians but also pays unemployment benefits to some of our neediest citizens. By refusing to bring up Senate Bill 2404 for a vote, House leaders have jeopardized the continued payments of unemployment benefits and put Mississippi at risk of being noncompliant with a multitude of federal guidelines, which will necessarily result in higher taxes. Some people may be in favor of raising taxes on businesses some $400 million if MDES is not reauthorized, but I’m not one of them. Clearly, in these economic times, the last thing Mississippi should do is increase taxes on the very people who create jobs: our employers.”
Senate Republicans on Wednesday were preparing to send a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) vowing to raise potentially crippling objections to any portion of a proposed health care reconciliation package that they believe violates the procedure’s narrow guidelines.
The letter, signed by all 41 Senate Republicans and spearheaded by Minority Whip Jon Kyl (Ariz.), is actually directed at House Democrats. To sow discord among House Democrats and derail passage of health care reform in that chamber, Senate Republicans are making it very clear that anything House Democrats agree to could die in the Senate.
“Forty-one of us have signed a letter. It’s in writing. None of us will vote to waive points of order,” Sen. Roger Wicker (Miss.) said Wednesday afternoon during a joint news conference with Senate Republican Policy Committee Chairman John Thune (S.D.) and GOP Sens. Jim DeMint (S.C.) and Tom Coburn (Okla.).
In response, Sen. Thad Cochran said this: “Congress cannot ignore its constitutional responsibilities to approve the allocation of federal funds. I will continue to work with Chairman Inouye to ensure that the bills reported by the Senate Appropriations Committee are prepared in a transparent manner, conform to federal laws and only approve spending that is in the national interest.”
President Obama took his increasingly populist health care overhaul pitch to the political battleground state of Missouri Wednesday, turning up the heat on private health insurers in a speech.
"What we're proposing is a common-sense approach to protecting you from insurance company abuses, and saving you money," said Obama, his shirtsleeves rolled up in the 75-degree heat. "That's the proposal and it's paid for. I believe Congress owes the American people a final up-or-down vote on health care reform."
He added, "The time for talk is over. It's time to vote."
Obama said many of the changes would be paid for by cutting waste in health care, which he said is estimated to have cost taxpayers almost $100 billion last year.
He likened the national debate about proposed changes to the current system to previous debates that swirled around the topic, including the passage of Medicare in 1965, and before.
"We've been debating it for 70 years," he said.
...
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi, predicted such a turn of events would be politically catastrophic for the Democrats.
If Senate bill passes, it will be "the paramount issue that will see a lot of [Democrats] going home for good after the November elections," he said.
Childers Praises Senate Passage of Disaster Relief for Southern Farmers
Washington, DC – Today, the Senate passed important provisions introduced by Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, as well as Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker of Mississippi, to provide timely disaster assistance to producers facing severe crop loss from last fall’s heavy rains and floods. Rep. Travis Childers (MS-01) has led the effort to pass disaster assistance in the House, joining with Rep. Marion Berry of Arkansas to introduce companion legislation, leading a crop disaster tour throughout Mississippi’s First District, and sending letters to USDA and Mississippi officials which resulted in disaster area designations for all 24 First District counties.
“This past December, I hosted a crop disaster tour throughout Mississippi’s First Congressional District, and invited USDA Deputy Undersecretary Michael Scuse to join me,” said Childers. “Together, we got a first-hand look at how devastating last fall’s floods were for our farmers and our communities. The Senate’s passage of these important provisions marks a critical victory for farmers in North Mississippi and throughout the South who have suffered tremendously from last season’s crop losses.
“Agriculture is the backbone of the South. The ability of our farmers to recover from staggering profit losses – as well as the ability of our local economies to stay afloat during today’s tough times – depends on this legislation. I have been a champion of disaster relief since the first call for help I received from our local farmers, and I will continue to fight for this legislation until it is on the President’s desk and signed into law.”
The disaster assistance provisions will now move to the House for consideration as part of legislation to extend unemployment benefits through the end of the year.
GOVERNOR BARBOUR ASKS CONGRESS TO STOP EPA REGULATION OF GREENHOUSE GASES
Jackson, Mississippi – Governor Haley Barbour today joined a bipartisan group of governors in asking Congress to stop a plan giving the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to regulate greenhouse gases, a move that would potentially harm the competitiveness of the nation’s economy.
In a letter to Congressional leaders, 20 governors expressed concern over an administrative agency implementing regulations that would have a broad, negative impact on industry and jobs without input from elected officials.
“EPA’s proposal will only result in energy costing more and Americans having fewer energy options,” Governor Barbour said. “We should be trying to create more affordable American energy and avoid actions that will increase the cost of electricity, gasoline, and other goods for families and businesses. The EPA’s proposal is bad for the U.S. economy and should be stopped.”
Bipartisan support exists to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, however heavy-handed regulation will increase the cost of electricity and gasoline prices and manufactured products at a time when state economies are struggling.
“We believe that EPA should offer input regarding complex energy and environmental policy initiatives, like reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but feel that these policies are best developed by elected representatives at the state and national level, not by a single federal agency,” the letter stated.
Mississippi Needs Stronger Law on Data Breaches
March 10, 2010
Contact: Jan Schaefer
Public Information Officer
Jackson, MS--Some recent high profile data breaches beg for stronger
laws in Mississippi, notes Attorney General Jim Hood today.
"Mississippi is one of the few states that does not have a security
breach notification law," said Attorney General Jim Hood. "We currently
have a bill pending, House Bill 583, that would require such."
House Bill 583 would require a business or state agency to notify
individuals if the individual's personal information (i.e social
security number, bank account number) has been improperly acquired.
Recently, Hancock Fabrics announced that some data in eight states may
have been compromised. Other high profile companies such as ChoicePoint,
T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods Stores have also self-reported data
breaches over recent years.
When the issue was first brought to the forefront by the ChoicePoint
breaches in February 2005, California was the only state that had a
security breach notification law. Since then, 45 states, the District of
Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have enacted legislation
requiring notification of security breaches involving personal
information.
"Right now, Mississippi is completely dependant upon companies to
self-report," said Attorney General Hood. "Fortunately most do, but we
need this law in place to make reporting mandatory."
The Senate amended the original version of the bill, which is now back
in the House where the House will either concur or invite conference.
Mississippi residents are urged to contact their lawmakers immediately
and encourage them to vote for the original measure of House Bill 583
proposed by the Attorney General.
There was a $210,000 punitive verdict on top of the $210,000 actual damages verdict in the Natchez asbestos fraud trial discussed in the prior post.
That's a good verdict for Natchez. I got my clock cleaned there this time last year by Carl Hagwood and Michael Phillips. But they have a nice courtroom and Judge Bramlette is a great judge.
There was a plaintiff’s verdict yesterday in federal court in Natchez in favor of Ill. Central RR against McComb lawyers William Guy and Thomas Brock. The trial involved the claims in two cases. Here are the Amended Complaints in the Turner case and the Harried case. Ill. Central sued the lawyers and their clients, but the clients obtained a defense verdict at trial.
The Complaints alleged that the individual defendants were plaintiffs in the big Cosey Jefferson County asbestos case that was filed in 1995 in which there was a massive plaintiff verdict around ten years ago. It was one of the verdicts that led to tort reform in Mississippi.
The defendants sued Ill. Central in 2001 in Jefferson County asserting an FELA claim related to exposure to asbestos. The defendants failed to disclose to Ill. Central that they were plaintiffs in the Cosey case and settled their claims with Ill. Central for $90,000 and $120,000 respectively. The individual defendants testified that the lawyers (Guy and Brock) were aware of their prior asbestos claims in Cosey.
COCHRAN SALUTES 45th ANNIVERSARY OF VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
VISTA Engages Volunteers Across Mississippi & Nation to Combat Poverty
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) is the original cosponsor of Senate resolution that highlights the 45th anniversary of VISTA, the Volunteers In Service to America program created in 1965 to foster grassroots activities aimed at fighting poverty.
Cochran and U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) introduced S.Res.425 to commemorate the VISTA anniversary. VISTA, which was incorporated in 1993 into AmeriCorps, remains active in Mississippi with nearly 1,000 volunteers at 21 program sites today.
“VISTA has been hard at work in the fight against poverty for 45 years. Today, the VISTA program is stronger than ever, placing 6,500 full-time volunteers at 1,200 nonprofit organizations and public agencies every year,” Cochran said.
“I commend the program’s work in Mississippi, the sacrifices that are being made by so many young volunteers and the important impact they are making in our communities,” he said. “The grassroots community service aspect of the VISTA program is what has made it an effective component in our state’s ongoing struggle to overcome poverty.”
The Rockefeller-Cochran resolution has been referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. The measure reviews the history and accomplishments of the program, including its ability to harness funding and in-kind services to address poverty by “fighting illiteracy, improving health services, reducing unemployment, increasing housing opportunities, reducing crime and recidivism, and expanding access to technology.”
The resolution resolves that the Senate “recognizes VISTA members for leveraging human, financial, and material resources to increase the ability of thousands of low-income areas across the country to address challenges and improve their communities; and encourages the continued commitment of VISTA members to creating and expanding programs designed to bring individuals and communities out of poverty.”
The U.S. House of Representatives created a new House ethics system in early 2008 - adding the quasi-independent Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) - to the existing House Ethics Committee as part of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's pledge to "drain the swamp" of Capitol Hill corruption.
But the results of that effort have been somewhat shy of that mark. Suffice it to say that the swamp remains intact.
One matter that finally drew the attention of the House Ethics Committee was travel by House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Bolton, and four other Democratic congressmen to attend conferences in the tropical island of St. Maarten in the Caribbean in 2007 and 2008.
The House Ethics Committee released a report Friday clearing Thompson and four other members of the Congressional Black Caucus who were accused of taking corporate-sponsored trips to the Caribbean in 2007 and 2008 of intentional wrongdoing. The ethics panel did, however, say the representatives would have to pay the costs.
Last week, millions of Americans began losing unemployment insurance benefits, access to COBRA health insurance, and even federal flood insurance due to a partisan block in the Senate on legislation to extend provisions initially implemented under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In addition, doctors servicing both Medicare and TRICARE beneficiaries began facing reimbursement rate cuts that threaten seniors’ and veterans’ access to critical health care services.
I called on Congress to end partisan tactics and restore important benefits that North Mississippians depend on in today’s difficult economic climate. Thankfully, the Senate was ultimately able to pass this legislation, and it was signed into law later last week.
If we weren’t able to extend these benefits, more than 38,000 Mississippians would have lost state and federal unemployment relief over the next two months. I am pleased that the Senate was able to remedy the situation and will do everything I can to ensure that hard-working North Mississippi families quickly receive the benefits they so badly need.
Mississippians are also being threatened by some in Congress who plan to resurrect Social Security privatization, a policy that was soundly rejected by the American people during the previous administration. I have responded strongly in defense of Social Security and have called on all Members to reject a plan that would gamble the financial security of millions of hard-working Americans in our volatile stock market.
Americans want both parties to work together, but they don’t want to return to the failed policies of the past. Our seniors have worked hard throughout their lives and have made important contributions to our society. They deserve to know that their retirement is stable and secure without worrying whether their savings are being risked in the hands of Wall Street’s big bankers.
Everyday, I fight to hold Wall Street accountable for the irresponsible decision making that led our recent economic meltdown, and I will continue standing up to Wall Street to ensure that North Mississippi families and seniors receive the benefits they’ve earned and deserve.
As always, please continue to keep me informed about your opinions and concerns by phone at (202) 225-4306 or by visiting my website at http://www.childers.house.gov.
Sincerely,
Congressman Travis W. Childers
First District, Mississippi
The Hill's survey of House Democrats' positions on healthcare reform legislation.
UPDATED: 3/9/10 at 6:51 p.m.
Business & Lobbying
Blogs
Congress Blog
Pundits Blog
Blog Briefing Room
Twitter Room
Hillicon Valley
E2 Energy & Environment Wire
Ballot Box
Business & Lobbying
K Street Insiders
News by Subject
Defense & Homeland Security
Energy & Environment
Finance & Economy
Technology
All News by Subject
Opinion
A.B. Stoddard
Brent Budowsky
Lanny Davis
John Del Cecato
Ben Goddard
David Hill
Cheri Jacobus
David Keene
Mark Mellman
Dick Morris
Markos Moulitsas (Kos)
Editorials
Letters
Op-Eds
Capital Living
Gossip: In the Know
Cover Stories
Food & Drink
Announcements
All Capital Living
Social
Washington Scene
Video
HillTube
Resources
Mobile Site
White Papers
Classifieds
Order Reprints
Last 6 Issues
Outside Links
RSS Feeds
Contact Us
Advertise
Reach Us
Submitting Letters
Subscriptions
WHIP COUNT: House Dems' positions on the healthcare reform bill
By The Hill staff - 03/09/10 12:56 PM ET
The Hill's survey of House Democrats' positions on healthcare reform legislation.
UPDATED: 3/9/10 at 6:51 p.m.
Firm No
Gene Taylor (Miss.) * Has been a firm no all Congress
No comment
Travis Childers (Miss.) * In tossup reelection race
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is not accustomed to the word she’s been hearing far more frequently in recent days: “no.”
Over the past two weeks, Pelosi has faced a series of subtle but significant challenges to her authority — revolts from Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Blue Dog Coalition and politically vulnerable first- and second-term members.
The dynamic stems from an “every man for himself” attitude developing in the Democratic Caucus rather than a loss of respect for Pelosi, according to a senior Democratic aide. But it’s making Pelosi’s life — and efforts to maintain Democratic unity — harder.
And it’s noteworthy, in part, because Pelosi’s signature strength has been a firmer hand than past Democratic leaders — an aptitude for wielding raw power in a consensus-minded caucus.
But her inability — or unwillingness — to dictate when Rep. Charles Rangel would resign his Ways and Means Committee chairmanship and who would replace him is one sign that she is commanding the caucus with less authority.
When health care reform passed the House in November, the vote was 220-215. Since that time, three Democrats who voted “yes” are no longer in the House (two resigned, one died). Also, the sole Republican voting “yes” has announced he will vote “no” when the Senate bill is brought to the House. One Democrat who voted "no" -- Rep. Eric Massa, N.Y. -- has announced he will resign.
Moreover, as many as a dozen Democrats who voted “yes” on the House version say they will vote “no” on the Senate version because it lacks language to prevent taxpayer subsidies for abortion coverage. Included in this group are Reps. Bart Stupak (Mich.), Jim Oberstar (Minn.), Marion Berry (Ark.) and Dan Lipinksi (Ill.).
If this math is correct, then Democrats have only about 205 votes to pass health care reform. With four empty House seats, they will need 216.
Democratic leaders will be working furiously to twist the arms of the 39 Democrats who voted “no” last time. Their names are listed below.
LAKE CORMORANT - Gail Giaramita, a Mid-South health care professional and a former Republican Party candidate for Mississippi state Representative, has filed qualifying papers to run as a Constitution Party candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives.
"I believe America is at a crossroads," Giaramita said. "The situation in our country has really deteriorated. I believe we were founded on Judeo-Christian principles. I believe we need to return to our Judeo-Christian foundation."
Giaramita formerly ran against incumbent State Rep. John Mayo as a Republican Party candidate.
However, she said she no longer embraces many views now held by the Republican Party establishment.
Giaramita, of Lake Cormorant, said the Constitution Party, which calls for limited government and an adherence to the founding document of the nation's laws and system of government, is a perfect fit for her candidacy.
She filed qualifying papers earlier this week as a Constitution Party candidate.
Giaramita said the nation is ill and the two mainstream parties don't have the cure for what ails it.
"As a nurse, I view America as a body with cancer," Giaramita said. "You can treat the symptoms but you have to address the cancer. We have turned away from our holy God."
"I am happy, quite frankly, to be a blessing to that party," Giaramita said.
Mississippi officials expressed both disappointment and disgust with a Pentagon process that prompted Northrop Grumman Corp. to drop out of the competition for an Air Force refueling tanker contract.
The Northrop proposal had set off a celebration along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the Mobile, Ala., area, where some 2,000 jobs would be created to help build the aircraft.
But the large design of the Northrop tanker fell out of favor over the past two years as rival Boeing Co. kept up the pressure for its own smaller model. The Defense Department redid the contract's specifications and Northrop Grumman announced Monday that it won't compete, leaving Boeing the lone bidder.
Northrop CEO Wes Bush said the new guideline "clearly favors Boeing's smaller refueling tanker."
According to sources from the Coast, Rep. Gene Taylor accused Republican challenger Joe Tegerdine’s campaign of tampering with the Congressman’s website at the dedication of the new University of Southern Mississippi Trent Lott National Center for Excellence in Economic Development and Entrepreneurship on Friday.
They states that when Tegerdine approached Taylor to shake his hand, the Blue Dog Democrat and 20-year incumbent immediately dismissed any pleasantries to accuse Tegerdine’scampaign of tampering with his website. Taylor threatened it was a federal offense and that there is an investigation underway to determine the source of the cyber-attack.
Tegerdine openly denied the allegations to Taylor and seemed taken aback by the Congressman’s choice of venue and words. Sources said that Tegerdine informed Taylor that if it was discovered that anyone related to his campaign had participated in such actions they would be immediately asked to disassociate themselves from future campaign efforts.
In a statement made after the incident, Tegerdine is reported to have said, “I am really disappointed by Congressman Taylor’s behavior. I think we expect a higher level of professionalism and decorum from our elected officials. It confirms again to me why I am in this race, we deserve better.”
We've been trying to get members of Congress on the record on whether they support Rep. Ryan's plan to privatize Social Security and phase out Medicare. And while it's pretty clear a lot of them like Ryan's budget plan, it's awfully difficult getting many Republicans to say one way or another whether they support it. But you can't say that about Angela McGlowan, Republican candidate in Mississippi's 1st congressional district.
She's running to "fulfill President Bush's vision for Social Security."
State Sen. Alan Nunnelee of Tupelo knows his way around the political chicken yard.
Monday morning, he hosted a news conference about how he feels about the Obama health care plan.
He doesn’t like it. I would have been more surprised if the GOPer had said otherwise.
Least shocking was his statement that he “could never support Nancy Pelosi as speaker,” apparently because she “does not nor will she ever represent the views of North Mississippi.”
Let’s look at that paragraph a little closer and ask ourselves if the usually smart Nunnelee is trying to play a little joke:
1. Nunnelee is a Republican. Pelosi is a Democrat. I can’t say for sure, but it certainly would be a weird moment for a Republican to vote for a Democrat for this highly political office in the House.
Travis Childers has taken a good bit of political heat for his Pelosi vote. Childers has a rational answer: What do you think GOPer John Boehner would have done for me if I’d voted for him, as a Democrat.
“The discussion on healthcare is a perfect example of what is wrong with Washington DC.”
“Our Congressman has been unwilling to tell us where he stands on the Senate version of Obamacare. The citizens of this district deserve to know where their elected officials stand on issues and what they are doing to impact the outcome of legislation.”
“Obamacare increases government spending at a time when we have record deficits,
it raises taxes on families and small businesses,
it destroys jobs at a time of record unemployment,
it cuts Medicare funding for seniors,
it allows tax payer funding of abortions
and “it forces Mississippian’s to abandon health coverage they like in favor of government-approved coverage.”
During the past several days, speculation among pundits and others has intensified over who will be the likely Republican nominee to face President Obama in the 2012 presidential election. Newt Gingrich has been on the speaker’s circuit for months, and he has been appearing regularly on Fox News for over two years. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has of late become much more active in his media appearances and in his public pronouncements; and Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is clearly running for president. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has his own TV show, while former Governor Sarah Palin has been a contributor on Fox News and recently appeared on Jay Leno’s late-night show, where she gave a stand-up monologue, prompting speculation that she would launch a TV show of her own.
A recent article in the WALL STREET JOURNAL speculated that conservative Texas Governor Rick Perry, fresh from an impressive primary victory in his race for re-election over Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, will surely be called upon to consider a presidential run in 2012 if he wins re-election in November. And this weekend, Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah opined that Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana and Haley Barbour, the term-limited Governor of Mississippi and Chairman of the Republican Governor’s Association, would make “great vice-presidential candidates”.
In truth, it is probable that Perry, Daniels, and Barbour have all contracted some form of “Potomac Fever”, and none of the three would care to evoke the memory of President Calvin (“silent Cal”) Coolidge in the 1920s who, when asked if he would be a candidate for a second term, said:
On February 25, Angela McGlowan spoke to Paul Gallo on his morning radio program. Among other issues, McGlowan answered questions about her controversial gun control comments made on her last program appearance. She also spoke briefly of her opponents, declaring that she would support Henry Ross should he win the June 1st primary. McGlowan denounced fellow Republican Alan Nunnelee; however, stating that she would not support him should he win the primary.
To date, Angela McGlowan continues to impress District 1 voters while alarming others with her comments and ideology. She will appear on the District 1 congressional Republican primary ballot along with Ross and Nunnelee; the winner will face incumbant, Travis Childers, in the November general election.
While Washington Republicans are running from plans to privatize Social Security, one GOP House candidate in the south loves the idea and goes a step further - calling on her primary rival to unite behind George W. Bush.
We've been tracking where House Republicans stand on Rep. Paul Ryan's budget "roadmap" and noticed at Republican candidate Angela McGlowan has been talking about it in Mississippi's 1st Congressional district. Last week TPMDC wrote about that snaring the GOP's preferred candidate, state Sen. Alan Nunnelee on camera as he dodged a question about where he stands on the Ryan plan.
McGlowan, a former Fox News commentator, is taking it a step farther. She's challenging Nunnelee to join her in support of privatization. In a release Nunnelee said she was fully embracing Bush's 2005-era plan to "save Social Security."
"As Mississippi's next member of Congress, I pledge to pick up the mantle of President George W. Bush's battle to save Social Security - a program upon which so many of our elderly neighbors in Mississippi depend," she said in a statement.
Petitioners gathered more than enough signatures to put a voter ID initiative on Mississippi's November 2011 ballot that will include candidates for governor and other offices, the state's top elections official said Monday.
Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said his office had determined that 131,678 signatures of registered voters were collected. That's significantly more than the minimum 89,285 needed.
Republican organizers, led by Sen. Joey Fillingane of Petal, spent about a year collecting signatures and submitted them last month. The secretary of state's office spent weeks double-checking the numbers.
Job creation and education in Mississippi are “inextricably linked,” Clarksdale attorney and businessman Bill Luckett recently told the Voters League of Itta Bena.
Luckett is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2011. Term limits prevent Republican Gov. Haley Barbour from seeking a third term.
Mississippi Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and businessman Dave Dennis, a former member of the Federal Reserve Board in New Orleans, have said they’ll seek the Republican nomination for governor. No other prominent Democrats have publicly said they’ll run.
“In Mississippi, we can do anything we set our minds to, and we should aim higher,” Luckett said Thursday.
“Production of renewable fuels, improvement of roads and bridges, enhanced promotion of tourism, better-funded law enforcement, increased and innovative manufacturing efforts, and standing firmly behind our farmers means that we can — and we will — move forward.”
Luckett praised the Voters League for its upcoming voter registration rally, scheduled for March 13.
In an earlier election notebook, I referenced an article where Alan Nunnelee said he would not directly respond to Angela McGlowan, saying he needs to exert his energy on the “giant roaming in the valley” rather than “family fights.”
Nunnelee expanded upon that statement in his campaign blog, when he added this:
The lesson I learned from this (1 Samuel 17:28) is that we must remain focused on the “Giant in the Valley”. If we choose not to do so, we can expend all of our energy fighting within our own family. While we are engaging in family fights, the Giant continues to roam. In 2010, the giant we face is the liberal agenda unleashed on our country by Nancy Pelosi. Our own Congressman has empowered her to advance this agenda, and she must be stopped. I’m confident in my conservative credentials and therefore I feel it is best to ignore the taunts of others within our own family and focus on our mission.
The long debate over voter ID could be placed in the hands of those casting the ballots.
Mississippians are expected to learn Monday whether a Republican-led petition gathered enough signatures to place a voter identification measure on the 2011 general election ballot. That would require at least 100,000 certified John Hancocks.
Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann is expected to announce whether the petition met its goal in his office in the state capitol Monday afternoon.
Governor Haley Barbour was among those who signed the petition. Republicans pushed hard over the past six months to gather signatures, kicking off a nine-city statewide tour in August.
According to supporters, the Magnolia state needs voter ID to stop election fraud.
Mississippi made Page 1 in The New York Times the other day, and it wasn't about some racial episode or the state's obesity. No, it complimented the state on its plan to use $43 million federal stimulus money intended for welfare to subsidize new jobs for six months with expectancy those jobs will be permanent.
Called STEPS, the plan seeks to create 3,500 jobs under the stimulus money that expires next March. A bill in Congress to extend it another year reportedly has backing by the state's congressional delegation. Because of the drumbeat by Republicans and the Tea Party movement against President Obama's stimulus program, STEPS was unknown to most Mississippians until attention was recently focused on it.
The idea was hatched in September by Stan McMorris of the state Department of Employment Security. While Gov. Haley Barbour publicly criticizes Obama's stimulus plan, STEPS won his approval. The feds were slow to clear reallocation of the welfare funds, but it came at a good time: Mississippi had a 10.6 percent unemployment rate in December.
Barbara Hicks, director of the WIN jobs centers at the state Employment service, said STEPS will provide a variety of full-time jobs. The plan subsidizes jobs 100 percent the first two months, 75 percent the third month, dropping to 25 percent the sixth month. Businesses must commit to keep the jobs permanent. The hire must not replace anyone previously employed (preference is given to businesses with no more than 25 workers, but some larger companies are eligible.)
BRATTLEBORO -- Responding to an allegation raised by Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, Entergy fired back, accusing him of conducting "a fishing expedition" into activities he has no business investigating.
On Feb. 26, Hood sent a letter to Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell, in which he claimed Entergy had "wrongfully transferred" $1.3 billion from its regulated utilities to its "troubled nuclear program."
"He has a history of making allegations against Entergy," said Michael Burns, senior communications specialist. "The attorney general frequently issues press releases with facts that are taken out of context, on which he bases scurrilous allegations against us."
In December 2008, Hood filed a lawsuit against Entergy accusing the company of fraud, unjust enrichment, anti-trust violations and other illegal conduct.
In the suit, Hood alleged that Entergy Mississippi is buying gas at an inflated cost from the other Entergy companies and driving prices up for Mississippi consumers.
That lawsuit is pending.
School officials say furloughing teachers could help districts save money without cutting jobs.
But for teachers in a state that ranks near the bottom in pay, the proposal is disconcerting.
Richland teacher Bonnie Crapps called it a "slippery slope."
"Once you start furloughing, there's no telling where it will go," Crapps said. "This is people's livelihood. Some of these teachers have been teaching a long time.
"This is our career. Whether people believe it or not, a lot of money is tied up in our education."
The state Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would allow schools to furlough teachers up to five days over three years, including this fiscal year.
The state has tripled spending on prisons in the last 15 years while doubling the amount spent on school children, according to a document circulated at the Capitol.
The figures were highlighted in the budget battle that concluded last week with the passing of an $82 million patch-up plan for fiscal 2010.
The weeks-long showdown that preceded the vote was cast as a fight between quality education and public safety.
And it could very well foreshadow what's ahead for lawmakers as they develop a 2011 fiscal budget on dwindling resources.
"When education's not the priority in Mississippi, we lose," said Rep. George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg.
Currently, lawmakers are considering legislation to furlough teachers and shorten the school year.
CLINTON, MS (WLBT) - A Clinton man announces his candidacy to run against Bennie Thompson in the Second Congressional District.
George Bailey is a Republican who says he is strong about his faith. Bailey is a former veteran who also worked in law enforcement. If elected, he says he wants to reform the corrections system, work with academic institutions and civil organizations.
Bennie Thompson, a Democrat, has served eight years in Congress.
The simplest idea might be the right one
by Alan Lange
As someone who admittedly likes to stir the pot, I have watched with some amusement at the "Admiral Ackbar" movement by students at Ole Miss to replace Colonel Reb. It's drawn a lot of ink partially because of its so far fetched. I have an idea how to fix this mess, but let's look at how we got here.
The administration decided that Colonel Reb was evocative of imagery that didn't serve the highest and best interests of the University of Mississippi. They made the call to do away with Colonel Reb, which is certainly within their province. The problem was that a lot of diehard Ole Miss fans weren't really on board with the decision and felt it was "crammed down" upon them. The administration then embarked on a course to let the students choose the replacement for a mascot many weren't that disenchanted with in the first place. Then, under the category of the worst thing you can give someone is exactly what they ask for, a group of students chose an obscure Star Wars character that looks like a cross between a lizard and a catfish to replace Colonel Reb. It seems to be a stare down of sorts, but it has netted Ole Miss even worse press than probably leaving the original decision alone. In fact, this week, the University has hired a Jackson-based marketing firm to navigate the strong currents of sentiment to help the students make this replacement.
Though I am sure LucasFilm might be thrilled at the thoughts of the royalties generated off of the cartoon character as the mascot of a D1 program, it's really just an artful way for students to tell the administration to go stick it in their eye. Ackbar's famous line "It's a trap!" has been championed by students in thoughtful protest and it is even the basis for the site of the non-Rebel rebellion at http://www.notatrap.org. Now that that's been done, where do we go from here?
So, here's my idea.
What about having no mascot at all? Why not just be Ole Miss?
Bear with me here.
I know we have heard of post-partisan in the political context (though admittedly, that ain't working out how most people "hoped"). Why not be post-mascot? Look at the schools in the SEC. Most mascots were chosen decades if not over a century ago. We have all sorts in the SEC. From barnyard animals (Hogs and Gamecocks) to an old warrior (Commodore) to dogs of various sorts (Bulldogs and hounds for the Volunteers) to various cats of prey (Tigers and Wildcats) and a swamp critter (Gators). I mean, I think it's been a long time since an SEC team had to choose a new one. I could make an argument that just about every SEC mascot carries some brand-related baggage. Why does Ole Miss need a mascot in the first place? Losing Colonel Reb hasn't been bad luck or anything. Since Colonel Reb has left the sidelines, Ole Miss has won two cotton bowls and scored a presidential debate. I actually think that it'd be a pretty cool thing for Ole Miss to be able to be the only major college program in the country that doesn't have a mascot.
Between chants of "We are . . . Ole Miss" and "Hotty Toddy" at various sporting events, I think Ole Miss could come to the realization that "Ole Miss" is the brand to promote and build brand equity around and not some cartoon caricature. And the good thing about "Ole Miss" is that it can connote the really good things about the University. People can take what they want from it. For it seems that all Ole Miss fans, regardless of race or background, can generally agree on one thing . . . they like "Ole Miss".
Mississippi state Sen. Jack Gordon, a longtime lawmaker who once chaired the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, was hospitalized in critical condition Sunday with an undisclosed ailment, officials said.
Patrice Guilfoyle, a spokeswoman for the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, said the only information she could release was Gordon's condition, which she said was critical on Sunday.
State Sen. Doug Davis, Gordon's friend and colleague at the Mississippi Capitol, told The Associated Press that Gordon was taken early Sunday to the UMC.
Davis, who was at the hospital with Gordon's family, said doctors were running tests to determine what's wrong with the 66-year-old Democrat from Okolona.
The Gin has been empty for close to 10 years but was purchased recently. Workers began tearing down the patio late last week. That kept the flames from reaching Frank and Marlee’s, which was evacuated by firefighters.
Witnesses say the fire flared up quickly, engulfing the abandoned building within minutes. Firefighters fought to keep the fire from spreading to other nearby businesses.
The fire is under investigation. No one was hurt.
See Monday’s EAGLE for more information. (March 6, 2010)
See more pictures here
Update: Farm Bureau sent a second cease and desist letter, if it is Farm Bureau, of course. Apparently Mr. Waide himself is behind this one: "The previous letter you received and this letter are authentic, authorized by Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation President." In other words, Mr. Waide himself is probably behind this one. It ended: "If you refuse to remove the FARM BUREAU® mark from the blog, you will be subject to legal action under state and federal law." My response was the same as written below and included state law. Copy of letter
Well, what do you know, I got someone's attention. Someone purporting to be Mississippi Farm Bureau sent me a Cease and Desist Letter last night. I say purporting because it was not signed nor was any name such as an attorney listed. The letter states:
"It has come to our attention that you are using the FARM BUREAU® logo on your
website (http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/) without our express written permission.
Please note that we allow use of our logo only if we have granted express written
permission; see http://msfbins.com/disclaimer.asp. Such unauthorized use constitutes
trademark infringement and unfair competition under both federal and state laws. It
misleads consumers into believing that some association exists between you and Farm
Bureau; and it weakens the ability of the FARM BUREAU® mark and name to identify a
single source, namely, Farm Bureau." Letter
Oh really? It does? Lets look at some law first. Federal law states:
"the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright." 17 U.S.C. 107 link
David Waide, President
Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation
Mississippi Farm Bureau has taken quite a bit of criticism for opposing legislation which would make cruelty to dogs and cats a first offense felony. Farm Bureau is adamantly opposed to the cruelty, abuse, or mistreatment of any animals.
We are working diligently toward a solution to this problem. We did offer a compromise bill in both the House and Senate and supported that bill, but the bill did not make it through the legislative process. We did have the support of several other influential animal welfare groups. We will continue to work toward a solution to this problem as we move through the next session of the Legislature.
Animal activist spokespeople declare that the legislation that Farm Bureau was concerned about this year dealt only with cruelty to dogs and cats. Farm Bureau’s concern is that this type legislation will be used as a vehicle to open avenues for activists to extend their reach and push other, more extreme agendas.
The risk of their causing the discontinuation of practices that have proven to be humane and efficient methods for raising livestock on our farms is quite real. It has happened in at least four states across the country where this type legislation has already been enacted. In those states, livestock farmers are being driven out of business because of misconceptions by the public due to allegations levied by animal activist groups.
It is critical to our membership that our nation’s consumers continue to have an affordable, abundant supply of safe, domestically-produced food. Not all of us are agricultural producers, but everyone consumes agricultural products.
Outrage over a 20-foot, anatomically correct stallion outside a strip club in rural northern Mississippi could lead to a new law allowing counties to regulate such establishments.
The Senate on Friday sent Gov. Haley Barbour a bill that would give Mississippi's 82 counties the option to write rules and regulations for strip clubs that try to open in rural, unincorporated areas.
The bill was filed in response to a strip club called The Pony that opened about three years ago in Lowndes County, bringing with it the shiny silver stallion that locals say is wearing a pink bikini.
The Pony sits just off U.S. 45 outside West Point -- a highway frequently used by sports fans traveling from Tupelo down to Mississippi State University games in Starkville.
Rep. Gary Chism, R-Columbus, said he'd receive numerous complaints from residents about The Pony's horse.
"Since I've filed the bill, I've gotten a lot of telephone calls and encouragement from pastors and others. But really what started it all was that bikini on that stallion," Chism said.
You could call it the revenge of the ugly white guys. After electing a handsome sleek, biracial - and untested - man as President last time, Americans may well be ready for something entirely different in 2012.
Remember that you heard it here first: make way for the short, pudgy, balding white fellow who's been there and got the scars - and the results - to prove it.
...
Haley Barbour has more hair than Daniels but isn't much taller and if elected would be the most portly president since William Howard Taft, who occupied the White House from 1909 to 1913.
The Mississippi governor has a certain rumpled panache and Southern charm. I first bumped into him in a casino in his home state - where he later came to personify executive competence as he dealt masterfully with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina while neighbouring Louisiana lurched towards catastrophe.
Barbour - who has a political brain second to none - has always been dismissed as a possible presidential contender. That's partly because he has the perfect face for radio but also because he was a big-time lobbyist in Washington whose firm represented the tobacco industry.
But while Obama sanctimoniously instituted grand new rules to ban lobbyists from his administration and then immediately granted himself exceptions, at least with Barbour is up front about things. So could he really have a tilt at the White House? The door is ajar. "If you see me losing 40 pounds that means I'm either running or have cancer," he quipped a fortnight ago..
Senator Alan Nunnelee to deliver Policy Statement on Healthcare
Senator Alan Nunnelee will deliver a policy statement on healthcare at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, March 8, 2010 at Nunnelee for Congress Campaign Headquarters located at 438 East Main Street above Papa V’s Convenience Store. Please use the steps at the back of the building to enter the office.
It is time to vault the divide between the administration and the Ole Miss community. That’s why we have decided to connect with you via this blog. We are calling it “Ole Miss Point of View,” and it represents the point of view held by the administration of The University of Mississippi. That said, however, it is not an effort to persuade or convince; neither will it argue or criticize. In fact, it is the opposite: We hope it will break down communication barriers, foster a sense of community among the stakeholders of our university and create a more open dialogue about a range of topics.
We begin with the subject of the mascot and will follow up with our plan to phase out the use of Colonel Reb on licensed merchandise.
The Mascot
Last fall, a group of student leaders expressed an interest in leading an effort to propose a new on-field mascot that represents the spirit and energy of today’s Ole Miss Rebels. A vote was undertaken by the student body on a referendum by the Associated Student Body (ASB) to determine interest in students leading an effort to propose a new mascot. Students voted with a resounding YES! The vote was 2,510 in favor with 856 opposed. We are fully supporting this student-led process with the guidance of creative professionals and administrators. We will use private funds to pay the Ramey Agency, a marketing and advertising agency in Jackson, Miss. to advise student leaders and university administrators on how best to move forward. A team of people—led by our students—-will listen to a wide range of opinions from our university community. We all hope to have a new on-field mascot for the start of our 2010-11 football season.
Let us hear your comments…
Coming soon: The Colonel Reb Merchandise Phaseout Plan.
For previous 2009 Legislative Reports and to find out more about Senator Kelvin Butler go to http://www.kelvinbutler.com/
Senator Kelvin Butler is Chairman of the Local & Private committee. He also serves on the Business & Financial Institutions; Finance; Judiciary, Division A; Municipalities; State Library; Highways & Transportation and Tourism committee.
This week we approved changes to Senate Bill 2495 that restored $82 million to state agencies for the current fiscal year, including $37 million to K-12 education and $2 million that ensures National Board Certified teachers receive their $6,000 annual stipend.
The bill also provides $16 million to the Department of Corrections to prevent mass layoffs, $1.49 million to district attorneys so they can continue to prosecute cases and $4 million to the Department of Mental Health. Another $4 million will be given to community and junior colleges.
We also approved House Bill 1170 that will allow school districts at their own discretion, to furlough personnel across the board for up to five non-instructional days. It gives districts the choice of reducing from 180 to 175, the number of school days, as a budgetary option in light of continually declining state revenues, which have caused the Governor to trim $458.5 million from the budget.
Passage of House Bill 607 will extend to six years the time in which timber theft can be prosecuted because distant property owners sometimes don’t discover they have been victimized until years later.
House Bill 1157 seeks an additional $100 fee charged to convicted sex offenders to help offset the cost of maintaining a DNA database. It will establish an additional $300 fee to be charged to persons convicted of felonies or enrolled in pretrial intervention programs in which the state Crime Lab provided laboratory analysis or forensic services.
Other bills passed included:
* House Bill 1456 will require any pathologist performing autopsies to be certified by the American Board of Pathology and deemed qualified by the Department of Public Safety.
* House Bill 1070 will allow the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks to issue a special hunting permit to children under the age of 18, who are suffering life threatening illnesses.
* House Bill 1047 will create a task force to seek solutions to teacher shortages.
* House Bill 113 seeks to have governmental agencies charge only actual costs for reproduction of public records requested by citizens. It also seeks to reduce from 14 working days to seven, the waiting period for such information.
* House Bill 1057 would create a Transit Task Force to study the statewide transportation system and infrastructure. The committee will look at current and future needs.
* House Bill 170 will give county Boards of Supervisors the authority to regulate strip clubs.
Posted March 5, 2010 - 9:52 am
You must be registered and logged in to post a comment. And yes, you can still keep your identity anonymous. See the instructions on the registration page.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
