DR. SUMESH ARORA
SEPTEMBER 1, 2010 11:10:00 AM
Two centuries ago, wood served as our energy fuel for the American frontier, providing home heat and powering commercial furnaces and eventually steam engines. Last week, the Legislature approved an incentive package for facilities to advance wood - an abundant renewable energy source in Mississippi - from the old blacksmith's furnace to modern automobiles. Once refined, the final product is not an additive or blend like ethanol or biodiesel; it is indistinguishable from traditional gasoline except that it will be cleaner.
There is nothing magical about making petroleum-like oil from wood, because the basic building blocks are the same carbon and hydrogen molecules found in fossil fuels. The trick is to convert these molecules into useable fuels economically and efficiently in a few seconds, just as nature did under heat and pressure over millions of years.
I continue to believe that national winds will be the deciding factor in the Congressional elections in the First and Fourth. Meaning, if Republicans disappoint and maybe gain a dozen seats I could see Travis Childers and Gene Taylor both winning another term (Taylor more easily than Childers). If Republicans have gains from the two to three dozen range, there is little hope for Childers while Taylor most likely wins. If we have the gains of 50 plus and the GOP really does win by 10 points, both Taylor and Childers are gone. That is just the nature of House races. That said, we will also most likely see members or candidates buck the trend.
Let’s say both Childers and Taylor do that- and win re-election- while there party drops around three dozen seats. Republicans need 39 seats to capture the majority and guarantee a Republican Speaker (assuming all Republicans stay in line and we have no reason to think otherwise).
Last week marked 90 years since the 19th Amendment — women’s suffrage — was adopted. In an op-ed piece in the New York Times, feminist historian Christine Stansell, related how the South, not surprisingly, had for decades resisted ratification of the amendment.
Mississippi, she reminds, was one of the most relentless foes. As a matter of fact, Mississippi brought up the rear, only ratifying the amendment in 1984, some 65 years after three-fourths of the states had made it a part of the constitution.
wPerhaps that negative attitude toward political equality for women expressed back then accounts for Mississippi’s record of never having elected a woman governor or sent a woman to Congress, even as several Deep South neighbors have long ago elected women to those high offices.
Both Louisiana and Arkansas presently have women U.S. Senators. Three years ago, Louisianans were represented by both a woman governor and a woman U.S. Senator. Alabama elected a woman governor back in the 1970’s. South Carolina, which was very much like Mississippi in not electing women to high office, is now on the verge of electing a 40-ish woman as governor in November. She, incidentally, is the daughter of Indian immigrants. Texas long ago has elected women both to the U.S. House and Senate. Notably, in the 1970s, a black woman--Barbara Jordan--was elected for several terms to the U.S. House. She distinguished herself for intellect in the impeachment of Richard Nixon. Since then Texas has elected several black women to the House.
Among those seats now regarded as up for grabs are more than a dozen—including Mr. Marshall's—that analysts from both parties saw as safe as recently as June.
The Cook Political Report, a newsletter that tracks congressional races, now lists 68 Democratic House seats as being at "substantial risk," up from 62 in July and 58 in June, and the group plans to raise the figure to more than 70 this week. Other pollsters and analysts have also increased their list of Democrats they now consider imperiled. By comparison, less than 10 Republican-held seats are thought to be in jeopardy.
Barbour, in his most open discussion yet of presidential run, sought to make the best of two of his most glaring liabilities with the Hoover Institution's Peter Robinson.
"If I run for president, what you see is what you get, and I am from Mississippi, I do have a Southern accent," Barbour said. "I was a lobbyist and a pretty damned good one. And I'm very proud — we were talking before the show came on — I am happy about my life. I've got a great marriage. I've got great family, and I've had a great career. Wouldn't do anything differently."
As for his years on K Street, the governor said the skills that made him one of Washington's most powerful lobbyists would actually be an asset for him were he elected president.
"The next president of the United States on January 21, 2013 - - is going to start lobbying," Barbour said. "He's going to be lobbying Congress, he's going to be lobbying other countries. He's going to be lobbying the business community. He's going to be lobbying the labor unions, the governors, because that's what presidents do, and I feel like it's an advantage for me to have the chance to do that."
Kenneth Feinberg controls British Petroleum's $20 billion escrow fund for the benefit of oil spill victims and his appointment to that post was for the express purpose of expediting payments and avoiding needless protracted litigation.
But in administering claims, Feinberg both assets the power to pick and choose among claims while at the same time talking about executing "blanket waivers" for those who settle with the fund not only from BP but for Transocean and other companies connected to the Deepwater Horizon oil rig as well.
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood along with Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum and Alabama Attorney General Troy King have expressed concern about Feinberg's protocols for interim or emergency claims as well as for the blanket waivers.
Hood is right to be skeptical and to interpose his office as a watchdog over the settlement process.
JACKSON — Mississippi election commissioners on Wednesday removed all four Reform Party candidates from the November congressional ballot because of questions about the state party's leadership.
The candidates have until next Tuesday to appeal their removal. They are Barbara Dale Washer in the 1st District, Ashley Norwood in the 2nd, Tracella Lou O'Hara Hill in the 3rd and Anna Jewel Revies in the 4th.
Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann says their qualifying papers were submitted by Thomas Randolph Huffmaster, who called himself chairman of the Reform Party of Mississippi.
Wicker Statement on the End of the U.S. Combat Mission in Iraq
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) today issued the following statement regarding the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq:
“The United States has the strongest and best-led military in the world. I am proud of the courage and excellence of the men and women in uniform that helped pave the way for Iraq’s ongoing transition to a more stable democracy.
“We have made great economic and security advancements in Iraq. The country is now the 12th fastest growing economy in the world and it is anticipated that the country will have a budget surplus in the coming years. As a result of American security training, violence is down 90 percent since the troop surge, and there are now more than 600,000 Iraqi police officers and soldiers.
“There have been many factors that have contributed to the progress made in Iraq, but it would not have been possible without the determination of President George W. Bush and his administration. It was the success of President Bush’s troop surge in 2007 that allowed his administration to sign the security agreement with Iraq that would end our overall presence in the country.
“Although the U.S. combat mission in Iraq comes to an end today, our work is not done. We should honor the sacrifices of those who served by not turning our backs on the efforts and progress made. President Obama should work to ensure that our hard-won gains from the surge policy, and the bravery and sacrifices of our troops since then, are not lost.”
“I pray for the safe return of our troops and for the men and women moving on to fight for our country in Afghanistan.”
SWEETWATER, Fla. -- Two Republican leaders sought to assure voters Tuesday that the party is united behind Florida gubernatorial nominee Rick Scott after the wealthy political newcomer bested a veteran state official in a divisive primary race.
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, head of the Republican Governors Association, joined Scott and about 200 mostly elderly supporters at a Miami-area community center. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was scheduled to appear with Scott later Tuesday in Jacksonville.
Scott's campaign called the appearances a "unity tour," a week after a terse exchange between Scott and the governors' group over a primary ad attacking rival Bill McCollum.
Bush supported McCollum, Florida's attorney general, in the primary.
JACKSON, Miss. -- Republican Gov. Haley Barbour and a bipartisan group of Mississippi lawmakers are considering saving, rather than spending, one of the two pots of federal stimulus money Congress recently approved.
Doing so could make it easier for officials to craft a state budget during the 2011 election-year session when most lawmakers are either seeking another term or running for higher office, and when Barbour - a potential 2012 presidential candidate - is wrapping up his final year as governor.
Lawmakers said Tuesday that the state still plans to spend $97.8 million of education stimulus money this fiscal year, which ends June 30.
JACKSON, Miss. -- Mississippi tax collections beat expectations in August for the second month in a row, but state leaders said it's too soon to declare the state economy has rebounded from the recession.
Department of Revenue spokeswoman Kathy Waterbury said Tuesday that preliminary numbers showed all three major tax categories - sales, individual income and corporate income - were up for the month.
Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant said this was the third time in the past 25 months for Mississippi's tax collections to exceed projections, and that it's a good sign.
"I think it is trending in the right direction," Bryant said in an interview. "But there are some things that could affect it. We'd love to see how the next several months go."
Former Jackson County Clerk Indicted for Embezzling Over $890,000
Former Jackson County employee Ginger Lashley has been indicted for embezzling $890,000. Lashley worked as the Accounts Payable Clerk for Jackson County.
“While holding the position of Utilities Payable Clerk for Jackson County, this individual repeatedly deposited checks payable to Jackson County into a personal savings account entitled Jackson County Food Drive,” said State Auditor Stacey Pickering. “This case was brought to our attention by the Sheriff’s Office in Jackson County, and we are appreciative of the work done by Sheriff Mike Byrd and District Attorney Tony Lawrence. This is one of the largest embezzlement cases we have investigated in the State Auditor’s Office and represents a significant loss to the taxpayers of Jackson County.”
“I appreciate the diligence and cooperation of the State Auditor’s Office in investigating the case and bringing it before the Jackson County Grand Jury,” said District Attorney Tony Lawrence. “Under the law, the citizens of Jackson County have a right to expect that their money is being handled properly and all is accounted for. Now that the indictment has been served, the case will be set on the trial docket and we will move forward towards a trial.”
“This arrest and indictment goes to show that we will not tolerate anyone who is holding a position of trust in our county government or elsewhere taking money or other assets from the county itself,” said Sheriff Mike Byrd. “ We did not tolerate it from the previous administration which had an employee who stole thousands of dollars from the Sheriff’s Office, and we certainly will not tolerate it from an employee of the Finance Department.”
Today, the State Auditor’s Office has filed a $1,232,579,73 demand against Ginger Lashley and her bonding company.
Lashley, 50, was employed by Jackson County since 1998, and most recently worked as Accounts Payable Clerk. She was terminated from her position with Jackson County on November 9, 2009. Lashley was arrested by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department following her termination by the County. After being arrested on an embezzlement charge, Lashley was released from custody on a $30,000 cash bond.
National Republicans went after Democratic U.S. Rep. Travis Childers of Booneville on Monday, saying he had taken "dirty money" from a Texas congresswoman.
Childers' campaign immediately denied it, saying the National Republican Congressman Committee is "desperately trying" to tie Rep. Eddie Berniece Johnson's $2,000 contribution in 2008 to this year's race against GOP nominee Alan Nunnelee of Tupelo.
"Nunnelee and his supporters in Washington are once against spewing political rhetoric," the Childers campaign responded in an e-mail.
Harper said the health care bill is an example of a "federal government overreach. It needs to be repealed or replaced.
"I don't think we can repeal the bill without a Republican president," he said, adding that a Republican-controlled House, which could occur after November elections, could have oversight through funding.
On the budget issue, Harper said the House, under Speaker Nancy Pelosi's guidance, failed to produce a budget before this upcoming session. "Pelosi has had pathetic leadership. Spending is completely out of control and the best they can say is 'It's Bush's fault.'
"We have a responsibility to balance the budget," Harper said. "I understand putting the blame on the previous administration, but two years later, you own it."
The general consensus, at least around the news reports of the upcoming redistricting in Mississippi, is that there will not be many fireworks related to the new district lines for the four House seats. This is obviously in sharp contrast from ten years ago when the state lost a Congressional seat. This time around, they think is that everything will go a little smoother and most of the action will come as a result of the districts for the state House and Senate which are going to see some significant changes.
As one of the almost million volunteers who went to help after Hurricane Katrina (about one out of every 230 adults in the United States) I have seen the devastation and recovery first hand. At first it seemed totally unbelievable, as if the country had moved from first world status to third world status in twenty-four hours. Basics such as clean water and soap, luxuries in places like poverty ridden Sudan were not available. People were stuck in the Superdome without a way out. This, I thought could not be America.
What we learned from Hurricane Katrina is that good leaders become great leaders and others are shown to be empty suits. It also became clear that government has a job to do but only local communities can implement those tasks. Locals know who needs what and how to cut through the bureaucracy. They also can hinder response (such as zoning out housing solutions) but in general it is the best line of action and defense.
I have written about Gov. Haley Barbour several times but I really can't write enough about what he did after the storm. I knew Barbour from his days as RNC Chair and to say that our politics are different would be an understatement. However, he ran the storm response like FDR ran the recovery from the Great Depression. Mrs. Barbour went out all over the state without saying a word that she was the governor's wife and reported who needed what every night. Gov. Barbour responded by making sure local needs were being being met.
There were no political calculations on his part, it was just helping as needed. He has moved around the Gulf Coast as if he was just the good neighbor from across the street. I've been around politicians for 19 years as a reporter and Barbour is a master of being totally present to his citizens. It is a rare gift.
BILOXI — After months of looking for ways to tighten the city budget for 2011, Mayor A.J. Holloway “found” an extra $90,000 by slashing his own salary to about $27,000 a year.
Holloway will present his administration budget to the City Council during a meeting and budget workshop today at 9 a.m. at City Hall.
Starting in October, his $115,000 salary will be nearly 80 percent less. “To be honest, it’s a win-win situation,” Holloway said. “I’ve been paying into the state retirement system for nearly 34 years at this point, and tax-wise, it works out better to begin drawing some of my retirement funds — better for me and better for the taxpayers of Biloxi. This move saves the city nearly $90,000 a year, which is significant in these budget times.”
PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Tupelo, said that federal spending has reached a "crisis point" and there needs to be a freeze on discretionary spending for at least three years.
In south Mississippi to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Wicker met with The Mississippi Press editorial board on Monday.
He also touched on the effect the oil spill has had on the Coast and the outlook for Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding in light of the company's decision to sell or spin off its shipbuilding business and lay off hundreds of workers.
D'IBERVILLE, MS (WLOX) - Sen. Roger Wicker's tour of D'Iberville Monday began with quick stops at the police and fire departments to visit the rank and file officers. It continued with a look around the still empty areas of the city's waterfront, homes and businesses washed away by Katrina and not rebuilt.
But the focus quickly changed once the tour came upon the retail heart of the city, the shopping Mecca known as the Promenade and all the retailers along Sangani Blvd. Growth is good, but it also presents challenges.
Traffic sometimes comes to a crawl, especially on busy weekends. The city wants to spend $180,000 on traffic flow improvements, like another exit off I-10, a flyover bridge over the interstate, and widening several roads.
GULFPORT — U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker believes the GOP will retake Congress in the November elections and hopes this will allow a “do-over” on federal stimulus spending and health care.
Touring the state during a five-week break from Washington, the junior Republican senator from Mississippi met with the Sun Herald on Monday and covered a wide range of topics, including:
Taxes. Wicker said failure to make permanent tax cuts from 2001 and 2003 would amount to “the largest tax increase in the history of the republic” and stall job creation and economic recovery. He said this would hit people and small businesses so hard that federal coffers probably wouldn’t see any extra revenue despite the tax increase.
D’IBERVILLE — U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker shopped in D’Iberville over the weekend and returned Monday morning for an official economic development tour of the city.
Police Chief Wayne Payne drove and circled the city with Wicker, Mayor Rusty Quave, City Manager Michael Janus and the media.
“We’re trying to lure big names,” said Quave, who mentioned that shopping center developers are talking to Costco and JC Penney about locating in the city.
Imation Corp., a maker of digital storage media, is giving nearly 100,000 CDs and DVDs to North Mississippi school districts.
The program, which will be highlighted at a presentation this afternoon at the company's Southaven distribution center, is a helping hand to teachers who would be spending money out of their own pockets, school officials said.
Rep. Travis Childers, D-Miss., will be at today's ceremony. The event will be at 3:30 p.m. at the Minnesota-based company's facility at 8680 Swinnea Road.
From Facebook Page
Political Views:Very Conservative
Activities:Hi, my name is Dannie Reed and I thank you for taking the time to view our facebook page. I am running for the office of the Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce because I believe I can make a difference. Since the day I made the decision to run for the House of Representatives, I've always promised myself I would not only be a champion in defending the conservative values that I hold so dear, but also would be a defender for the dignity of my fellow man. If elected your next Commissioner of Ag, I will work sun-up to sun-down to ensure our families enjoy safe agricultural products and ensure every hardworking citizen has access to a quality job. I believe in most cases that more government is never the solution, it is most often the problem. By taking a stand to treat every public dollar as my own, I will fight to cut taxes, lower fees, and deregulate industry to promote greater competition within free markets.
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF THE STATE IF MISSISSIPPI
ARTICLE I: NAME
1. The name of this organization shall be the Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi.
2. The official emblem of the Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi shall be the picture or facsimile of a donkey with his head an tail raised, a small white blanket across his back with a black block-letter D inscribed upon it, standing inside a black circular band with the following wordage inscribed on said band in white lettering running counterclockwise, the “Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi.”
3. The domicile and official business address shall be at a street or mailing address, as may be authorized by the Administrative Committee, in Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi.
ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP
1. Membership in this Party is open to all qualified Mississippi electors who profess to support the principles of the Democratic Party.
2. The Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi on all levels shall support the broadest possible participation without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, creed, sex, age, national origin, economic status, religion or ethnic identity. The Party shall take whatever affirmative action may be necessary to ensure and encourage the fullest participation of all eligible members, and the Executive Committee of the Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi is empowered as hereinafter set forth to promulgate such rules, regulations or requirements in furtherance of the affirmative action goals of this Party.
3. No test for membership in, nor any oath of loyalty to, the Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi shall be required or used which have the effect of requiring prospective or current members of the Party to acquiesce in, condone or support discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, ethnic identify or economic status. No membership card or dues shall be required of any person as a condition for being a member of this Party.
4. All public meetings at all levels of the Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi shall be open to all members of the Party regardless of race, sex, color, creed, national origin, religion, ethnic identity, economic status, or philosophical persuasion.
5. The Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi and all units thereof shall publicize fully and in such manner as to assure all interested parties a full description of the legal and practical procedures for selection of Party officers and representatives on all levels. Publication of these procedures shall be done in such a fashion that all prospective and current members of each Party unit will be fully and adequately informed of the pertinent procedures in time to participate in each selection procedure at all levels of the Party organization.
ARTICLE III: PARTY STRUCTURE
1. The structure of the Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi shall consist of an Executive Committee from each County and Congressional District and a State Executive Committee chosen by delegates duly elected at each such level.
2. In January, 1980, and every four years thereafter, precinct caucuses shall be held for the purpose of electing delegates and alternates duly apportioned to represent such precincts at a County Convention.
3. County Conventions shall be held in February, 1980, and every four years thereafter for the purpose of electing delegates and alternates duly apportioned to the Congressional District Convention and State Convention, and to elect a County Executive Committee to serve for four years, to adopt or amend County Party rules, adopt resolutions and conduct such other business as may come before it.
4. Congressional District Conventions shall be held in February, 1980, and every four years thereafter to elect a Congressional District Executive Committee to serve for four years, to select delegates and alternates to the Democratic National Convention as hereinafter provided and to adopt resolutions and conduct other business as they come before it.
5. A State Convention shall be held in March, 1980, and every four years thereafter at a time and place to be designated by the State Executive Committee to select delegates and alternates to the Democratic National Convention as hereinafter provided to select National Committee men and women as designated by the Democratic National Committee, to select a State Executive Committee to select one or more slates of Presidential Electors, to adopt a platform, to promulgate principles and Party rules, and take such further action deemed proper by the Convention. The Convention may adjourn from day to day or to such time and place or times and places, as it may appear proper and desirable. Delegates to the State Convention shall be duly apportioned by County and selected by duly apportioned County delegate conventions to be held in each County. County delegates and their alternates shall be certified to the Secretary of the State Executive Committee and a roll call at the State Convention of the County delegates and alternates, and no other shall participate or vote in the State Convention except County delegates or alternates so certified.
6. At least thirty days before the convening of the precinct caucuses, the State Executive Committee shall issue a convention call for the selection of delegates to the aforesaid precinct, county, Congressional District and state conventions in accordance with the Party’s delegate selection plan and shall announce the specific times and places for said Conventions, along with the rules of procedures for the conduct of said Conventions.
7. Each participant in any precinct, county District or other Party Convention before being allowed to vote or otherwise participate, shall sign the following statement of principles: “I, __________________________, hereby declare that I am a member of the Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi and am not affiliated with any other such political Party.”
8. The time and place for all public meetings of the Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi and units thereof, shall be publicized fully and in such manner as to assure timely notice to all interested persons. Such meetings shall be held in places accessible to all Party members and large enough to accommodate all interested persons.
9. The Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi and all units thereof shall publicize fully and in such manner as to assure notice to all interested parties a complete description of the legal and practical qualifications of all officers and representatives of the Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi. Such publications shall be done in timely fashion so that all prospective candidates or applicants for any elected or appointed position within the Party will have full and adequate opportunity to compete for office.
ARTICLE IV: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE – GENERAL
1. The provisions of this Article shall apply to Executive Committees of each Party unit, including county, congressional District and state.
2. The Executive Committee shall be vested with all powers and authority to conduct the affairs of its respective Party until the close of the regular unit convention next following the election of the members of the Executive Committee.
3. The Executive Committee shall elect its own officers.
4. The members of the Executive Committee shall hold office for four years or until their successors are chosen.
5. Vacancies on the Executive Committee may be filled by majority vote of the members present and voting at a duly called or regularly scheduled meeting not less than thirty (30) days after notice of the filling of vacancies is given.
6. The seat of any member of any Party unit Executive Committee shall be declared vacant by a two-thirds vote of those members present and voting at any regularly scheduled or called meeting of the Executive Committee upon the happening of one of the following:
(a) It is brought to the attention of the Executive Committee in writing that a Committee member has missed three or more consecutive regular meetings of the Committee for reasons other than illness or business;
(b) It is brought to the attention of the Committee that a Committee member has publicly, actively, or financially supported the candidacy of any person not running as a Democrat, except in non-partisan elections;
(c) Malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance in office;
(d) Resignation;
(e) Death of a member;
(f) If a member moves his/her legal residence from his/her duly elected District, he/she may be
replaced.
7. Provided that before the seat of any Committee member is declared vacant, members of the Executive Committee and the accused member whose seat is proposed to be vacated shall be given thirty (30) days written notice specifying the cause or causes in reasonable detail as to time, date, place, accusers and witnesses thereof. The accused member whose seat is proposed to be vacated may make a written request for a hearing before the Executive Committee any time within the first twenty (20) days of such notice, but the written request for hearing shall be received by the Secretary of the Committee and a copy thereof by the Chairperson of the Committee not later than ten days prior to the date set for such meeting of said Executive Committee. If such written request for a hearing before the Committee is so received, then in that event, the Committee shall grant a reasonable period of time during such meeting before the Executive Committee shall take final action thereof. If no hearing is requested within such period of ten (10) days prior to the scheduled meeting, it shall be deemed acquiescence by the accused member to the Executive Committee’s proposed declaration of vacancy and the accused member’s vacancy shall take effect upon approval of two-thirds of the membership present and voting of the Executive Committee.
8. Any hearing held pursuant to this Article shall be private or public at the discretion of the accused member. The Committee and the accused member may be represented by legal counsel at their own expense, and such counsel may examine and cross-examine witnesses and present arguments. All guidance thereof shall be under the authority of the Chairperson with the consent and advice of the Parliamentarian. The Committee shall first present evidence to sustain the grounds for vacating the Committee member’s seat and there the accused member shall present his or her defense. The accuser and the accused may then present rebuttal evidence. The vacating of a member’s seat shall be based upon substantial, competent and reasonably prudent evidence. All witnesses shall be sworn upon oath to be administered by the Presiding Officer of the Executive Committee. If requested, either by the accused member or the Committee, a Court reporter to record the proceedings at the hearing shall be obtained upon due and proper filing of cost bond therefore, and a transcript thereof may be purchased at their own expense. The Committee shall issue its decision and order in writing. If the Committee orders the seat vacated its decision shall include the findings of fact based upon the evidence presented and shall be served upon the accused member together with its order vacating the seat within then days after the conclusion of the hearing by U. S. Postage Prepaid Mail, at accused member’s usual mailing address. If the decision of the Committee is favorable to the accused member, the proceedings shall be dismissed and the decision of dismissal entered into the Committee’s minutes.
9. All meetings of the Executive Committee shall be open to the public except by majority vote of the members present and voting of the Committee to go into Executive Session.
10. Meetings of the Executive Committee may be called by the Committee Chairperson or by twenty-five (25) percent of the membership of the Committee. Written notice of the calling of Executive Committee meetings shall be mailed to all Committee members at their last known mailing addresses not less than ten (10) nor more than twenty-one (21) days prior to such meetings except is emergencies whereupon the written notice and time requirements may be waived. The notice shall specify the time and place of the Executive Committee meeting and contain an agenda.
11. A quorum for any Executive Committee meeting shall consist of thirty-five percent (35%) of the members of said Committee.
12. Upon leaving office, each Party office or employee shall turn over all Party records, books, finances, and other properties of the Executive Committee to his/her successor or to the Executive Committee itself.
ARTICLE V: STATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1. All powers and authority to conduct any and all affairs of the Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi shall be vested in a state Executive Committee of the Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi consisting of twenty Party members from each Congressional District, seventy-five percent of whom shall be chosen from delegates duly apportioned, of the different Congressional Districts, each District acting separate from its respective District Convention and the remaining twenty-five percent shall be elected at the state convention in a manner and method set by the State Executive Committee to help ensure balance between men, women, youth and minorities, and announced at the time of the call of the Convention. The membership of the State Executive Committee shall be equally divided between men and women.
2. The Committee is empowered and authorized to conduct and certify primary elections and canvass returns as provided by law, certify Party primary candidates, establish Federal Election Committees and do all other duties conferred upon it by State or Federal law.
3. The State Executive Committee shall have the power to elect its officers and shall be the final authority on any questions involving the Party, its officers, nominees and/or other Executive Committees. The State Executive Committee, except as otherwise provided, shall have sovereign, original, appellate and supervisory power and jurisdiction of all Party matters throughout the State and each county thereof between Conventions. It is empowered and authorized to prescribe and enforce rules, regulations, and penalties against the violation of Party loyalty, including removing or debarring from the Party office or Party privilege any within it jurisdiction, including a member of this Committee, who violates its rules or its lawful mandates.
4. The State Executive Committee may review, on appeal, the decision of the District, county, and precinct conventions or committees, in all cases concerning the nomination of officers and all matters relating to rules and policies as hereinafter provided.
5. Members of the Democratic National Committee from Mississippi, the chairperson of the Democratic County Chairman’s Executive Committee Association and the President of the official Mississippi Young Democrats organization are ex-officio, non-voting members of the State Executive Committee.
6. The State Executive Committee shall meet on a regular basis at least quarterly and upon such other occasions as may be necessary.
7. The State Executive Committee, in the event sufficient cause should arise, and a majority of the membership of the Committee deem such to be necessary for the best interest of the Party and the State, is authorized and empowered to reconvene the State Convention at any time after adjournment of said Convention but not later than the last day o the year in which the Convention was held. The delegates chosen from the respective counties to a State Convention shall continue to be delegates from such county to said convention for a period of not later than the last day of the year in which the said convention was held. Said convention may be reconvened upon the call of the chairperson of the State Executive Committee at any time it is deemed in the best interest of the Party to do so, and the Chairperson shall issue said call for reconvening of the State Convention only by and with the approval of a majority of the State Executive Committee. At least fourteen (14) days notice shall be given by the Chairperson of the State Executive Committee of the reconvening of the State Convention, such notice to be given by publication of the call of the Chairperson in any newspaper or newspapers, having general circulation throughout the State, and by mailing said notice to each Chairperson of the respective county and District executive committees. In the event a State Convention is reconvened as herein provided, it may exercise all of the power and authority of a regular State Convention.
8. Salaried officers and employees of the State Executive Committee or of the State Party shall refrain from endorsing or promoting the endorsement of primary candidates for elective or appointed office prior to their official endorsement of nomination by the Party. Further, salaried officers and employees of the Party or of the Executive Committee shall support only candidates endorsed or nominated by the Party.
9. There shall be established an Administrative Committee composed of the duly elected officers of the State Executive Committee and the chairpersons of all Standing Committees. The Executive Director of the State Party shall be as ex-officio non-voting member of the Administrative Committee.
10. The Administrative Committee shall be empowered to act in behalf of the Executive Committee, in all party affairs between meetings of the Executive Committee, subject to subsequent approval of the Executive Committee.
11. The Administrative Committee shall have the authority to hire and discharge staff, set salaries, authorize the expenditures of funds for the benefit of the Party where the State Executive Committee has previously approved a budget to support such expenditures, and it is authorized also to file the necessary registrations, certifications, and reports with the state and Federal governmental agencies as are necessary and authorize party campaign committees pursuant to Federal Election laws.
12. The Administrative Committee shall meet on a quarterly basis and such other occasions as may be necessary. Members of the State Executive Committee shall be notified of the time, date, and place of regular or called, shall be open to all members of the State Executive Committee. The secretary of the Administrative Committee within ten (10) days of and Administrative Committee meeting shall distribute to all members of the State Executive Committee a summary of the minutes of such meeting.
ARTICLE VI: STANDING COMMITTEES
1. The Standing Committees of the State Executive Committee shall consist of not less than ten (10) members nor more than twenty (20) members on each Committee, and shall be chosen from among members of the State Executive Committee as follows:
(a) Elections Committee - the function of which is to keep abreast of all election laws, and to supervise the conduct of primary elections, the certification of candidates and election returns according to state and Federal law;
(b) Budget & Finance Committee – the functions of which are to recommend an annual budget for the operation of the State Party and to plan, develop and implement fundraising activities for the State Party and to plan, develop and implement fundraising activities for the State Party. The treasurer of the Executive Committee shall be an ex-officio member of this Committee;
(c) Party Development & Organization Committee – the function of which is to develop and implement plans for the strengthening of Party organization at all levels.
(d) Education & Membership Committee – the function of which is to develop and implement plans for carrying out educational activities for citizens of Mississippi and Party members on the purpose, philosophy and activities of the Democratic Party.
(e) Young Democratic Committee – the functions of which are to serve as liaison between official Mississippi Young Democrats organization and the State Party organization and to assist in the development of Young Democrats organizations;
(f) Affirmative Action Committee – the function of which is to develop and implement an affirmative action plan for the Party as hereinafter provided;
(g) Campaign Committee – the functions of which are to serve as a liaison between duly certified Democratic candidates and the candidates’ campaign organization, during general election campaigns and to assist in the election of Democratic candidates.
(h) Voter Registration Committee – the function of which is to effect an on-going process, as well as special, concerted efforts and drives, for registering as many potential Democratic voters as possible;
(i) Platform Committee – the functions of which hare to provide a forum for discussing issues of importance to Mississippi Democrats, to bring the results of those discussions to the State Executive Committee, to develop the process by which a State Party platform shall be produced and published during each Presidential election year, and to help provide platform deliberations of the National Party with input from the State party;
(j) Federation of Democratic Women Committee – the functions of which are to serve as a liaison between the official Mississippi Federation of Democratic Women and the State Party organization and to assist in the development of Democratic women Federations;
(k) Senior Democrats Committee – the function of which is to serve as a liaison between senior citizens and the Democratic Party and to develop an on-going process by which the State Party encourages the active participation of senior citizens in State Party activities.
2. The Chairperson of the State Executive Committee shall appoint members and chairpersons to the various standing committees subject to the ratification of the Executive Committee, provided, however, that each member of the State Executive Committee shall serve on no more than two standing committees.
3. The Chairperson of the Executive Committee may name such other committees, their chairpersons and members as shall be deemed necessary, subject to ratification by the State Executive Committee.
4. The members of all committees shall serve until elections of new Executive Committee officers or until their successors are chosen.
ARTICLE VII: APPEALS COUNCIL
1. To ensure fairness and prevent injustice in the internal operations of any Mississippi Democratic Party organization there shall be established an Appeals Council of the State Democratic Executive Committee consisting of five members of the State Executive Committee other than Administrative Committee members to be appointed by the Chairperson with the approval of the Executive Committee, whose members shall serve for four years unless they resign beforehand.
2. The Appeals Council shall have jurisdiction over all matters of Party rules and the internal operations of the Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi at all levels, including the election of delegates or the operation of the various Executive Committees.
3. Any member of the Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi feeling aggrieved by the action, inaction, or decision of any official Democratic Party of Mississippi unit or organization may appeal such action or decision to the Appeals Council.
4. No appeal shall lie before the Appeals Council which has not been first presented in writing to the organizational unit against which the complaint is made and there has been reasonable opportunity for said organizational unit to act.
5. All appeals to the Appeals Council shall be in writing, setting out the name and address of the complaining parties and the name or identification of the unit against which the complaint is made, a clear and concise statement or explanation of the complaint made before being made and the relief being sought. A copy of the initial complaint made before the unit complained about shall be attached to the appeal. The Appeals Council shall promptly notify in writing the unit complained of that the appeal has been taken and shall attach to such notification a copy of all papers mentioned in this section. The unit complained of shall have the right to answer in writing the charges made against it, and the Appeals Council shall take no action on said complaint until more than ten days after the serving of notice of said appeal on the unit complained of. The Appeals Council shall take no action against the unit complained of without first having a hearing unless said unit shall fail to answer in writing within the the time aforementioned.
6. The Appeals Council shall be empowered to dismiss the appeal with or without a hearing. All decision of the Appeals Council for the purpose of investigating or taking evidence on the charges presented shall be rendered only after the giving of reasonable notice to the parties. At least ten days prior to any such hearing the Committee shall furnish all parties with a written set of procedural rules for the conduct of the hearing, the failure of which to do so shall render void any and all actions of the Appeals Council until written procedural rules are furnished to all interested parties. The Appeals council shall not take any action against the unit complained of without a hearing if such unit within ten days of being notified of the appeal shall request a hearing.
7. The Appeals Council may fashion whatever relief it deems appropriate including the removal of any member from office or ordering new elections at any level.
8. The decision of the Appeals Council shall be final unless appealed in writing to the full State Executive Committee within ten days of receipt of the Appeals Council decision. An appeal to the full State Executive Committee shall be perfected by mailing to the co-chairpersons and co-secretaries a copy of the appeal request, decisions of the Appeals Council and appeal request filed with the Appeals Council, and the decision of the Appeals Council shall be held in abeyance until the State Executive Committee renders final judgment on said appeal.
9. The Administrative Committee shall designate the time and place for hearing the appeal and shall prescribe the procedure for the conduct of the review within sixty days after this document goes into effect.
ARTICLE VIII: OFFICERS
1. Executive Committee officers shall be elected by and serve at the pleasure of the respective Executive Committee at the first meeting of the new unit Executive Committee following the unit convention and shall serve a term of four years or until their successors are chosen, unless removed by a majority vote of the members of each unit.
2. The officers of the Executive Committee of each Party unit shall consist of a chairperson, vice-chairperson, Secretary, treasurer, and parliamentarian. In addition, the State Executive Committee shall elect an executive vice-chairperson as hereinafter provided.
3. Chairperson – The duties of the Chairperson hall be those Chief Executive Officer. The Chairperson shall convene and preside at all official Party meetings and shall have such other powers and duties as may be granted to him or her from time to time by resolution of the governing body.
4. Executive Vice Chairperson – the Executive Vice-Chairperson shall share with the Chairperson in the appointment of committee chairpersons and committee members and in the chairing of the Executive Committee, shall chair the meetings of the Administrative Committee, and shall have such other powers and duties as may be granted his or her from time to time by the State Executive Committee. The Executive Vice-Chairperson shall be of the opposite race from the Chairperson.
5. Vice Chairperson – the Vice-Chairperson shall in the absence of the Chairperson, convene and preside at all official Party meetings and shall assist the Chairperson in management of the business and financial affairs of the Party. In addition, the Vice-Chairperson shall provide leadership in Party organization and shall be responsible for political education of the Party officers at all levels. The Vice-Chairperson shall have such other powers and duties as may be provided from time to time by the resolution of the governing body. The Vice-Chairperson shall be of a different race and sex from the Chairperson.
6. Secretary – the Secretary shall be in charge of all the files and records of the Party and shall keep records of the minutes of the proceedings of meetings of all official units of the Party including Party conventions. All records shall be maintained at the office of the Party unit. The Secretary shall preserve such files except such as shall be in charge of the treasurer and shall open them for inspection at a convenient and appropriate time at the request of any official of the Democratic Party. A summary of the minutes of each regular or special meeting of the State Executive Committee shall be certified by the Secretary and mailed to each member of the State Executive Committee within ten days of such meeting.
7. Treasurer – The Treasurer shall have custody of the funds of the Party and shall render written accounts of the receipts and disbursements of the Party to each meeting of the official Party unit Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall deposit all monies and valuables received in the name of and to the credit of the Party in such insured banks and depositories as the Committee shall designate by appropriate resolution. Upon resolution by the Executive Committee of the appropriate unit, the Treasurer shall be under sufficient bond in an amount to be determined by the Party unit. Copies of the Treasurers’ report shall be sent to all members of the Executive Committee of the appropriate Party unit as directed. The Treasurer shall write checks and expend money of the Party unit only as authorized by the budget or appropriate resolution and then only upon presentation of receipted bills, vouchers, or other appropriate written instruments and upon the countersignature of the Chairperson or other designated officer. The Treasurer shall be of a different race and sex from the Secretary.
8. Parliamentarian – the Parliamentarian shall advise the Chairperson on parliamentary procedure at all Party unit meetings and conventions and shall, when called upon, make parliamentary and procedural rulings as to the conduct of such meetings.
9. The Executive Committee in State Convention, before the election of officers of any full term, may, by majority vote, elect to establish the positions of chairpersons and vice chairpersons as co-officers without changing the functions of each office to serve a term of four years or until their successors are chosen.
10. This Article IX [VIII] hereof shall not become effective [until] the Democratic Executive Committee elected in 1980 succeeds the now existing Democratic Executive Committee.
ARTICLE IX: FINANCES
1. An annual operating budget shall be approved by the Executive Committee at the beginning of each fiscal year, and no Party funds shall be expended for any purpose not provided for in said budget except with approval in advance of the Executive Committee.
2. No debts or financial obligations shall be incurred in the name of the Party by anyone except as authorized by the budget or appropriate resolution.
3. An audit of all financial records and transactions of the Party unit shall be made at least annually and at such other times as may be required by the Executive Committee of the appropriate Party unit.
4. No fundraising activities shall be carried out in the name of the Party at any level without the prior approval of the Executive Committee of the appropriate Party unit. Before any Party fundraising activity is authorized, the Executive Committee shall appoint a person or persons to be in charge of the receipt and disbursement of monies in connection with such event, and to ensure a proper, full and accurate accounting of monies received and expended for such event. The person or persons in charge of the financial affairs of the said event shall keep complete and accurate records for inspection by any Executive Committee member and shall, within a reasonable time make a financial report to the Executive Committee on the said activity or event.
5. The Executive Committee of any Party unit may, by appropriate resolution, authorize the establishment of one or more campaign accounts for the purpose of receiving and disbursing funds for conducting general election campaigns, which accounts shall be separate and distinct from the regular Party accounts and budgets and other provisions of this article and shall be handled by a person or persons designated by the Executive Committee. Each such account shall include the special designation of “campaign funds” in its account name. The Party is authorized to receive and expend funds designated for such campaign purposes.
ARTICLE X: COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1. The County Executive Committee shall consist of thirty Party members, six to be elected from each supervisor’s district by the county convention delegates from each said supervisor’s district acting separately. Within one year of its election, the County Executive Committee, in its discretion, may vote to expand the Committee by the election of six members to be elected from the county at large. The County Executive Committee shall be the governing body of the county Party unit between conventions and on such occasions as [may] be necessary.
2. County Executive Committee should meet at least twice each year and on such other occasions as may be necessary.
3. County Executive Committees shall certify Party candidates on the county level, shall conduct Party primaries, and shall canvass and certify election returns in accord with the election laws of the State of Mississippi.
4. Within ninety days after the adoption of this Constitution, County Executive Committees shall meet and adopt rules not in conflict with this Constitution. In the absence of the adoption of such rules, the rules adopted in this Constitution shall prevail. A copy of the rules and any revisions adopted by any County Executive Committee shall be filed with the Secretary of the State Executive Committee and certified by the State Administrative Committee and approved by the State Executive Committee itself before becoming valid. The Secretary of the State Executive Committee shall maintain and make available for public inspection copies of the rules of each County Executive Committee on file in the State Party office.
5. Vacancies on a County Executive Committee may be declared for any of the reasons and in accordance with the provisions set forth in Article IV of this Constitution.
ARTICLE XI: MUNICIPAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1. Any Chairperson of a County Executive Committee desiring to select a Municipal Executive Committee for a municipality within a county which does not already have a municipal committee shall upon petition of five or more members of the Democratic Party residing in the municipality call a meeting of the Democratic electors residing in said municipality call a meeting of the Democratic electors residing in said municipality, and at such meeting the members present shall select an executive committee which shall serve until the next municipal primary election. Each Municipal Executive Committee shall have as many members as there are elective officers of the municipality.
2. The Municipal Executive Committee shall perform the same executive committee duties as are specified by law and this Constitution for other Party units. Each Municipal Executive Committee shall be elected in the primary elections held for the nomination of candidates for municipal office and shall be elected by the same election districts by which the elective officers of the municipality are elected. The names of all persons desiring to be a candidate for the nomination in the primary elections shall be furnished to the Municipal Executive Committee at least thirty days prior to the first primary election. The officers shall revise and prepare the poll books and ballots, and the managers and other officials of the primary election committee shall be appointed by the Municipal Executive Committee and the returns of said election shall be made to such Municipal Executive Committee. Vacancies on the executive committee shall be filled by the Municipal Committee.
ARTICLE XII: DELEGATES
1. Delegates to the Democratic National Convention from Mississippi shall be elected in accordance with the applicable delegate selection process and rules of the National Democratic Party.
2. Seventy-five percent of the National Convention Delegates and alternates shall be elected by delegates at the Congressional District conventions, each District acting separately. The remaining twenty-five percent shall be elected at large by the delegates at the State Party Convention in a manner and method to be designated by the State Executive Committee to help ensure balance between men, women, youth, and minorities.
3. Delegate selection at any unit level will be in accordance with the rules of the National
Democratic Party with regards to race and color.
4. The unit rule shall not be used at any stage of the delegate selection process within any Party unit or delegation.
5. No person participating in any unit of Party affairs shall be required to cast a vote or be recorded as voting contrary to that person’s expressed preference or best judgment.
6. At least ninety days before the convening of precinct caucuses, the State Executive Committee shall adopt and make readily accessible rules and procedures covering all aspects of the delegate selection rules and process including, but not limited to, the apportionment of delegates and votes within the State, the allocation of fractional votes and nomination of delegates and alternates, the succession of alternates to delegate status and the filling of vacancies in delegate positions, the selection and responsibilities of convention committees, credentials challenges, and minority reports. The Affirmative Action Committee shall be empowered to draft and propose to the Executive Committee for ratification by the Executive Committee a delegate selection plan in conformity with the rules and policies of the National Democratic Party and the affirmative action goals of this Party.
7. The slate of delegates to the National Party Convention shall choose a chairperson and vice-chairperson of said delegation, who shall perform all the duties customarily required of said officials under the usual rules of parliamentary procedure.
8. Nothing in this Constitution shall be construed as calling for or prohibiting the State Executive Committee at the option under State law from electing to conduct a Presidential Primary and formulating rules and regulations for conducting such primary.
ARTICLE XIII: CERTIFICATION OF CANDIDATES
1. The Executive Committee, or any specially designated subcommittee thereof shall be empowered to certify candidates for primary elections, to certify elections, to certify primary election returns, and to hear and decide election disputes.
2. No candidate shall be certified to run in a Democratic Primary for any office:
(a) who has not met the statutory qualifications to run for such office;
(b) who is not in accord with the principles and rules of the Democratic Party of Mississippi as set
forth in the Constitution and bylaws and the standard or principles of the Party; and
(c) who will not pledge to support the candidacy of all Party nominees at all levels running in the same general election for which nomination is being sought.
3. No candidate, while holding elective office as a Democrat or as a Democratic Party official, shall be certified to run in a Democratic Primary for any office:
(a) who has participated in a primary of any other political party within the past twelve months by either voting or running for office in such primary; or
(b) who has within the preceding four years publicly or financially supported the election to office of any person not running as a Democrat.
4. This amendment shall become effective November 9, 1983.
ARTICLE XIV: AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
1. In order to implement the affirmative action goals of this Party, the Chairperson of the State Executive Committee shall appoint an Affirmative Action Committee whose terms shall run until the election of a new State Executive Committee or their successors are chosen, whichever is later.
2. The duties of the Affirmative Action Committee shall include, but not be limited to, the
development of an Affirmative Action Committee subject to ratification and approval of the State Executive committee and National Party; the implementation of the specific requirements of the plan; publicizing and disseminating time information about the plan and the delegate selection process; conducting investigations and hearings into alleged violations of the plan at any level of Party affairs or activities; and monitoring the affirmative action efforts of the Party at all levels.
3. The Affirmation Action Committee provided for by Article XIV hereof shall not be appointed
until after the organization in 1980 of the State Executive Committee; which shall succeed the existing state Democratic Executive Committee; and until that time the existing thirty member Affirmative Action Committee shall serve as such Committee.
ARTICLE XV: PARLIMENTARY PROCEDURE
1. The most recent edition of Roberts Rules of Order shall govern all conventions and meetings of any unit of the Democratic Party of Mississippi.
ARTICLE XVI: BYLAWS
1. Bylaws concerning matters not expressly governed by nor in conflict with this Constitution may be adopted by majority vote of the State Executive Committee members present and voting.
ARTICLE XVII: AMENDMENTS
1. This Constitution may be amended by majority vote of the delegates assembled at any State Convention or by two-thirds vote of the State Executive Committee at any Executive Committee meeting specially called for such purpose, with the proposed amendments submitted in writing to each Executive Committee member at least thirty days prior to said meeting.
ARTICLE XVIII: SEVERABILITY
1. If any provision or clause of this Constitution or application thereof is held invalid,
such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of this Constitution which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application; and to this end the provisions of this Constitution are declared to be severable.
ARTICLE XIX: EFFECTIVE DATE
1. This Constitution shall become effective from and after adoption thereof by a majority vote of the State Executive Committee members present and voting at a special called meeting.
Special appointed judge David Hittner of Houston, Texas, signed the dismissal order in U.S. District Court, against the last two defendants – former Hinds District Attorney Ed Peters and former New Albany attorney Timothy Balducci.
The last Gallup weekly generic ballot average before Labor Day underscores the fast-evolving conventional wisdom that the GOP is poised to make significant gains in this fall's midterm congressional elections. Gallup's generic ballot has historically proven an excellent predictor of the national vote for Congress, and the national vote in turn is an excellent predictor of House seats won and lost. Republicans' presumed turnout advantage, combined with their current 10-point registered-voter lead, suggests the potential for a major "wave" election in which the Republicans gain a large number of seats from the Democrats and in the process take back control of the House. One cautionary note: Democrats moved ahead in Gallup's generic ballot for several weeks earlier this summer, showing that change is possible between now and Election Day.
Dirty Money Surfaces in Travis Childers’ Bankroll Mississippi Dem Refuses to Cough Up Tainted Cash
Washington- The dirty money in Travis Childers’ campaign account is piling up as Washington Democrats find themselves in the midst of another scandal. While the transgressions of Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters have been well-documented, Childers is holding onto $2,000 in contributions from Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (Source: FEC). Johnson recently admitted to steering scholarship funds to family members and relatives of a key advisor, a direct violation of caucus rules.
“It’s no surprise that Washington Democrats have an ongoing ethics problem, but it is outrageous that Travis Childers endorses his party’s corruption by holding onto his colleagues’ dirty contributions,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. “With the economy in dire straits, it’s inexcusable that Childers is allowing his fellow Democrats to abuse their power for financial gain. By refusing to give back his pile of tainted money, Childers is telling Mississippi voters that he’s part of the problem in Washington.”
Over the weekend, Johnson admitted that she violated caucus rules by improperly steering scholarship funds to her own family members and relatives of Rod Givens, a key aide:
“Longtime Dallas congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson has awarded thousands of dollars in college scholarships to four relatives and a top aide's two children since 2005, using foundation funds set aside for black lawmakers' causes.
“The recipients were ineligible under anti-nepotism rules of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which provided the money. And all of the awards violated a foundation requirement that scholarship winners live or study in a caucus member's district.”
“Further, [General Counsel Amy] Goldson said, the failure of a lawmaker or aides to follow eligibility rules ‘is a violation of the letter and spirit of [the Foundation's] requirements.’” (Todd J. Gillman and Christy Hoppe, “Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson Violated rules by Steering Black Caucus Foundation Scholarships to Relatives,” Dallas Morning News, 8/29/10)
Will Childers finally turn over his dirty contributions or will he continue to endorse corruption in Washington by holding onto the money? Either way, it’s clear that Mississippi families deserve better from their elected representative.
Fire Marshal's Office Urges Schools Statewide to Observe Campus Fire Safety Month
September declared Campus Fire Safety Month
JACKSON - From kindergartens to college campuses, State Fire Marshal Mike Chaney and the State Fire Marshal's Office urge state educators to focus on fire safety education for their students this month. September has been declared Campus Fire Safety Month by Governor Haley Barbour.
"Each student learning fire safety becomes another person helping reduce fire deaths in the state," Commissioner of Insurance and State Fire Marshal Mike Chaney said.
"What they learn and practice now will teach them how to protect themselves from fire while at school, and later they will carry these messages with them when they grow older and move away from home."
Since January 2005, there have been 14 reported campus based building fires in Mississippi, nine in dormitory or barracks, four in fraternity/sorority houses and one in a non-residential building; there have been three on-campus fire related deaths and an additional death in an office campus fire involving a full-time student. Over 80 percent of campus related fires occur in off-campus housing such as rented houses and apartments.
The five most common factors in campus related fatal fires since 2000 are:
Missing or disabled smoke alarms
Careless disposal of smoking materials
Impaired judgment from alcohol consumption
Lack of automatic fire sprinklers in off-campus housing
Students will receive fire safety messages on school days via Twitter at twitter.com/msfiresafe. The Mississippi State Fire Marshal can also be found on Facebook. For more information on Campus Fire Safety Month, contact the Mississippi State Fire Marshal's Office at 1-888-648-0877.
Attorneys for Jackson-area private hospitals are looking to Hinds County Chancery Court to settle a dispute over whether the University of Mississippi Medical Center may expand its facilities and technology without proving a regional need for them.
In a civil suit filed Aug. 10, Baptist Medical Center, St. Dominic Hospital and Central Mississippi Medical Center are asking the court to mandate that UMC follow the same requirements under state law that they do.
The suit argues that UMC's recent purchase of an Elekta Synergy S linear accelerator - equipment used in radiation treatment for cancer patients - gives it an unfair competitive advantage.
JACKSON, MS (WLBT)- Lawmakers tackled two major issues today during the special session at the state capitol today.
One item on Governor Haley Barbour's agenda was a major economic development project to make biofuel in Mississippi. The other was a statewide ban on the synthetic marijuana known as spice.
Lawmakers voted yes on both of these at the capitol on Friday after several meetings in the chambers and others outside in committee meetings.
On Aug. 29, 2005, the little towns of Bay St. Louis and Waveland were virtually wiped off the map by Hurricane Katrina. There were few, if any, public buildings remaining from which the everyday business of government and commerce could be transacted.
This scenario was repeated across the Mississippi Gulf Coast in all 11 municipalities and all three counties. In short, life as we knew it ended.
Shortly after the winds of Katrina died down, Gov. Haley Barbour made his famous remarks about Mississippians pulling themselves up by their bootstraps. In Hancock County and across the Coast we took the governor seriously. Not only did we pull ourselves up by the bootstraps, but we rolled up our sleeves (and our pants legs) and cleaned up our communities. Then, we strapped on our tool belts to begin the task of rebuilding a decimated region.
During Mississippi legislative redistricting in 2002, one state senator and three House members watched their districts get shuffled out of existence.
In addition, a new House district pitted two incumbent Republicans against each other in the Golden Triangle area in north Mississippi.
To say the incumbents hurt by the plans were angry is an understatement.
"That's the biggest bunch of horse manure ever invented in this Capitol," said Rep. Tom Cameron, an independent from Greenville, whose district was dissolved into three others.
Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) issued the following statement in recognition of the fifth anniversary since Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, devastating regions of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama:
“The Mississippi Gulf Coast has made significant progress over the past five years to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, especially considering the devastation left in the wake of that historic storm. Our recovery has been made possible by the resilience and hard work of the people who live on or near the coast, as well as the remarkable outpouring of church and volunteer workers from across the nation. The proactive efforts of our state leaders with the federal government have also served Mississippians well in the five years since the 2005 hurricane season. But the job is not complete.
There are events in our lives that we hold in our hearts and minds as defining moments. Like many, I remember the landfall and resulting devastation from Hurricane Katrina that occurred five years ago. It was one of those events Mississippians never will forget as they pass down stories of their own experiences to their children and grandchildren. The storm’s devastation took the lives of more than 230 Mississippians, affected more than two-thirds of our counties, and resulted in billions of dollars in damages to infrastructure and our economy. Still today, we suffer from lingering Katrina-related issues, including a lack of affordable property insurance, a slowly recovering population, and an unstable economy.
For many Mississippians, Hurricane Katrina was not just a storm. It was a test of our strength as a community. Committed to our neighbors and dedicated to restoring our way of life, Mississippians worked hard day and night to rebuild. On this five-year anniversary of Katrina, we should remember the strong spirit of community and volunteerism displayed during those tough days. Although much more work remains, I am confident that together we will see a complete recovery from the storm and the new challenges we face today.
LAUREL — For more than two centuries, the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment imposed a basic limitation on the scope of government’s eminent domain authority, since the “takings” clause of the Amendment was consistently and properly interpreted to prohibit the taking of private property for private use even if just compensation was paid. Government was not permitted to confiscate property from one private individual and transfer it to another; all government takings of private property presupposed an actual public purpose such as highways, schools or courthouses.
However, after the United States Supreme Court’s 2005 decision in Kelo v. City of New London, certain longstanding protections provided by the Fifth Amendment were stripped away. In Kelo, the Court dramatically altered the Constitution’s original understanding by expanding the scope of “public use” to encompass non-traditional and even private uses.
Economic growth was revised down to a sluggish 1.6 percent annual rate in the second quarter, pointing to an even softer performance in the third quarter.
. . .
Gross domestic product growth previously was estimated at 2.4 percent and analysts had feared it would be pushed down even more sharply. But robust business investment and a slight firming in consumer spending partially cushioned the blow.
According to a memo sent home with students last week, African-American students could not run for class president in Nettleton Middle School this school year. However, the board voted at an emergency session Friday to drop that policy
The decision came after a parent complained about the policy.
Brandy Springer posted on her Facebook account that students of a certain race could only run for specific offices at Nettleton Middle School.
In a statement released by the district Friday, it was revealed the practice had been in use for more than 30 years with whites and blacks rotating among offices annually.
30 years? Seriously? Good grief. What a bunch of buffoons. I doubt this will get much, if any coverage, in the print press in Mississippi, but that a policy like this existed in the first place is embarassing to say the least.
State Democratic Vice Chair Barbara Blackmon says Franks' appointment Thursday of Eduardo Martinez as Interim Executive Vice Chair was unlawful and unconstitutional. Blackmon says Martinez was not a member of the administrative committee, therefore cannot serve on it.
She also says, since Franks is white, according to the State Democratic Constitution, the Executive Vice Chair should be African American. "A Hispanic is not defined as a race," Blackmon says. "It's defined as an ethnicity. You cannot inject a Hispanic in that position."
In Franks' response, he states, "In following the Constitutional requirements for that office, I appointed someone of opposite race than me by selecting the first Hispanic member of the Mississippi Democratic Party to ever serve in a leadership position. I consulted with the officers of the Executive Committee, including Vice Chairwoman Blackmon, before making my selection.
Unfortunately, the bylaws/constitution of the MS Democratic Party are not anywhere in the public domain that the YallPolitics research division could track down.
Today, working with Governor Barbour and Lt. Governor Phil Bryant, we're putting into place incentives to grow jobs. In Mississippi, we're providing an atmosphere where small businesses can thrive without placing a burden of debt on our children. By the end of this weekend, we will have helped a real business create 1,000 real jobs, changing lives and making 1,000 Mississippi families stronger.
Washington can learn something from Mississippi. As your congressman, I will take this common sense approach of creating jobs to Washington. Over the past two years, Nancy Pelosi and her liberal leadership team have wasted over $800 billion in frivolous spending, frightening businesses with future taxes, inflation and onerous regulations. This is not how you create jobs, and we must put a stop to these job-killing policies. Since this Congress took over in 2008 these policies have led to over 13% unemploym ent in North Mississippi and over 22,000 jobs lost in the First Congressional District alone.
Today, we're creating jobs the Mississippi way. I'm proud to be a part of that, and I look forward to taking this approach to Washington. I will fight for responsible government that allows small businesses to thrive, creates jobs, and transforms families' fortunes in the process.
In Mississippi, we're not spending outside our means. We're not passing on an impossible debt to our children. We're not governing irresponsibly. We're working on behalf of 1,000 families who will wake up tomorrow with a better future. I'm committed to taking this same common sense approach to Washington, and I will not rest until we make our government once again the servant of WE THE PEOPLE.
Wicker Says Gulf Coast More Resilient Five Years After Katrina
Work Still Remains to Rebuild Economy and Livelihoods
There are events in our lives that we hold in our hearts and minds as defining moments. Like many, I remember the landfall and resulting devastation from Hurricane Katrina that occurred five years ago. It was one of those events Mississippians never will forget as they pass down stories of their own experiences to their children and grandchildren. The storm’s devastation took the lives of more than 230 Mississippians, affected more than two-thirds of our counties, and resulted in billions of dollars in damages to infrastructure and our economy. Still today, we suffer from lingering Katrina-related issues, including a lack of affordable property insurance, a slowly recovering population, and an unstable economy.
For many Mississippians, Hurricane Katrina was not just a storm. It was a test of our strength as a community. Committed to our neighbors and dedicated to restoring our way of life, Mississippians worked hard day and night to rebuild. On this five-year anniversary of Katrina, we should remember the strong spirit of community and volunteerism displayed during those tough days. Although much more work remains, I am confident that together we will see a complete recovery from the storm and the new challenges we face today.
Dedicated Effort to Rebuild Gulf Coast
The Mississippi coast has transitioned through many stages of recovery. FEMA trailers, blue tarps, and piles of debris are now memories replaced with groundbreaking ceremonies and ribbon cuttings for new developments and infrastructure. This is a direct result of the many hard working people who put on their gloves and went straight to work to clean up after Katrina. More than 650,000 volunteers from across the country have helped rebuild the Mississippi coast since Hurricane Katrina. New bridges and roads, schools and community centers, and homes and storefronts are now a reality because of the selfless efforts and hard work of the volunteers who rolled up their sleeves to help us reconstruct our coastline. While these improvements are valuable to the long-term health of the state and the economy, they do not compare to the benefits we gain from a stronger, more dedicated, and battle-tested community. We saw this level of community vigilance and willingness to help fellow Mississippians earlier this year when oil washed up on our shores.
Fighting Through a Challenging Time
Mississippi and the Gulf Coast have come a long way since Hurricane Katrina made landfall in 2005. Unfortunately, the destructive storm was not the only blow that would hit us. We have also suffered through a national recession, and we continue to battle one of the worst man-made disasters our country has seen – the Gulf oil spill. These events have complicated the recovery efforts of the Coast. Unemployment in Mississippi is over 11 percent, and that number may rise as a result of the oil spill and the jobs being threatened by the administration’s offshore drilling moratorium, but I am confident in our ability to weather this new storm.
A Brighter Future
While Mississippians continue to do their part to rebuild and recover from not only Katrina, but also the oil spill, Congress should continue to do its part to help ensure we are prepared in the future. The storm exposed many weak areas in our government’s response efforts that require significant improvements. I have worked hard with my colleagues representing the Gulf Coast states to secure federal disaster assistance funds for recovery and rebuilding efforts and help streamline the bureaucratic red tape that burdened so many residents. Finding a way forward to reform the National Flood Insurance Program so Mississippians can afford the coverage needed to protect their homes remains one of my top priorities. I am also continuing work on legislation that would help attract more private-sector investments to create jobs and boost the Gulf Coast economy.
We have made great strides in rebuilding the Gulf Coast since Katrina, and I will continue to work with Congress to help foster economic development and ensure we are better prepared the next time we face such a natural disaster.
TUPELO – Eric Hampton denies he had anything to do with nearly every allegation against him contained in a lawsuit by Lee County Superintendent of Education Mike Scott.
Hampton, a Tupelo businessman and chairman of the Lee County Democratic Party, officially answered Scott’s accusations in documents filed at the Lee County Circuit Court.
The case also is looking for a presiding judge after withdrawals by all four of District 1’s circuit judges and a special judge appointed by the Mississippi Supreme Court.
JACKSON — House Speaker Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, said a full agenda will pose a challenge to completing today’s special legislative session in one day.
Gov. Haley Barbour called the session to deal with an economic-development project, but other items have been added to the lawmakers’ workload, including a proposal to ban synthetic marijuana.
McCoy said he hopes the session can be held to one day, as proposed by Barbour, but the agenda “is a good bit more complicated than I had imagined. It will take some time.
“But the committee dealing with the project will meet (today). So it should have a good understanding of the project.”
JACKSON, MS (WLBT) - At 1 p.m. Thursday, Governor Haley Barbour entered his office at the state capitol to meet with a group of legislators fired up about his lack of action on Jackson's six-million-dollar water and sewer bond. It would allow the city to borrow interest-free cash to improve the infrastructure around the state capitol, a good starting point in fixing Jackson's massive water and sewer system.
The lawmakers hoped to convince the Governor to push it through. But Representative Credell Calhoun, (D) Jackson, says nothing was accomplished. "Nothing. Nothing. Nothing," he told WLBT.
The Governor says he first wants to see Jackson tap into low-interest revolving funds. The city would get more money to fix a larger portion of the water and sewer problem.
There's not expected to be a lot of political drama in today's special session called by Gov. Haley Barbour to provide $50 million in economic development incentives, research and workforce training for a biofuel development project.
Barbour and the Mississippi Development Authority say the Texas-based company behind the project promises up to 1,000 jobs - 50 direct, the rest indirect - in a process that hopes to utilize the state's biomass resources as a renewable, "green" sources of future energy.
Lawmakers are expected to approve the incentives. It's difficult to find legislators in a state with 11.5 percent unemployment who won't vote for a vetted project that promises 1,000 jobs, university research dollars and workforce training conducted by the state's community college system.
JACKSON, MS (WLBT) - Five years ago the Gulf Coast region was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Today,Governor Haley Barbour issued his progress report on the years since Katrina.
The 97 page online report chronicles the recovery, rebuilding and renewal efforts in our state.
It breaks down how the 5-point-4 billion dollars allocated to Mississippi by congress was spent; on housing, infrastructure and economic development.
Special to YallPolitics
by Congressman Gregg Harper
During the August District Work Period, I have toured several local businesses such as Georgia Pacific in Taylorsville and Traffic Control Devices in Flowood. As unemployment hovers around 10 percent, business owners remain skeptical about taking the entrepreneurial risks – expanding their businesses, increasing inventories and such – that can put more Mississippians back to work. In part, this is due to the uncertainty associated with the new health care mandates.
Each year, nearly two-thirds of net new jobs are created by small businesses. Nationwide, 96.7 percent of employers are small businesses. The National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) has stated that the effects of the new health care employer mandates could eliminate 1.6 million jobs nationally with more than 1 million of those lost in the small business sector.
The “Affordable Care Act” increases taxes on individuals and businesses, including an unearned income tax that decreases incentives on investments. These new taxes include an individual and employer mandate tax, Medicare surtax and Medicare tax on unearned income, and a tax on indoor tanning providers, medical device makers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and health insurers.
In all, the Democratic Majority in Congress has increased taxes over $670 billion, including at least 14 violations of the President’s pledge not to raise taxes on Americans earning less than $200,000.
My faith is in the American entrepreneur – not the federal government – to grow our economy. This is why I support a jobs plan that will eliminate job-killing federal tax increases and offer assistance to small businesses and community banks struggling with the downturn in the real estate market.
The “Affordable Care Act” is nothing short of politics above economics. During a time when nearly one in ten Americans is unemployed, Congress should be offering incentives for entrepreneurs to invest in Mississippi’s economy. Republicans are working to repeal this flawed health care law and replace it with reforms that focus on lowering costs and protecting your job.
Gregg Harper represents Mississippi’s Third Congressional District. The author is the only Republican freshman appointed by Republican John Boehner to serve on the Committee on House Administration and the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. Congressman Harper also serves on the Committee on the Budget, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress.
JACKSON – Why not bring back the “Magnolia” state flag that flew over Mississippi for 33 years? Interestingly, that question was raised last week by a Republican state legislator, Rep. Greg Snowden of Meridian.
In his blog, Snowden was critical of the Southeastern Conference entertaining a request from Mississippi’s NAACP not to hold any championship event in any state whose official flag “would brandish the Confederate emblem.”
That, of course, would put Mississippi out of bounds as host of any SEC event because it has the rebel battle flag in the canton of its official state flag.
Mr. Reeves’ questions are simple and similar to those I’ve asked as city councilman over these last few years: What do you plan to do with the money? Will the projects benefit the most taxpayers? What are the procurement costs and costs of issuance? Will the projects be competitively bid or handed out to political friends? How will the money be paid back and is that an undue burden on local taxpayers?
Mayor Johnson calls these fundamental requests a “slap in the face” and as usual thunders about outside interference in local matters, saying that any agency or person challenging his administration has inappropriately violated the city’s sovereignty.
I can relate, Tate.
Now you know what my life on the council is like on a weekly basis. Most of my requests for detailed information concerning city financial matters are met with stonewalling and umbrage and the mayor’s complaints of micro-managing by the council.
Read more: northsidesun - Holding Jackson accountable is vital
RGA spokesman Mike Schrimpf says fees will be donated to the RGA, not to Barbour, and that the arrangement is a "fundraising mechanism" for the committee:
Governor Barbour is not being paid to give speeches. Governor Barbour has entered into an agreement with Leading Authorities for speaking engagements. He will in no way be remunerated for any of his speeches, and they will not interfere with his official duties. Instead, Leadership Authorities will direct any speaking fee to the RGA, which asked Governor Barbour to join this program in his capacity as RGA Chairman as a fundraising mechanism for RGA. Governor Barbour has the right to accept or decline any speech request and all requests will be fully vetted by the RGA and his state office.
I intend to vigorously move criminal cases along by discouraging repeated delays, making efficient use of courtroom time and setting multiple cases for trial each week. I will scrutinize plea bargains to ensure those who plead guilty to crimes are appropriately punished. This will deter others from similar behavior.
As mediator on more than 300 cases, I have helped parties and litigants settle their differences outside of the courtroom. This experience will save valuable time by encouraging the settlement of civil cases in order to make room for trying more criminal matters on the docket.
I have fought hard as your City Councilman in a challenging environment and searched for creative ways to help our city. As chair of the council's budget committee I found a way to fund the largest repaving project in 40 years without raising taxes by cutting unnecessary government spending elsewhere. After the tornado in 2008, I chaired a committee of local agencies and worked with Governor Barbour to get our city cleaned up in record time.
Gov. Haley Barbour announced details Thursday of the project proposed by KiOR, based in Pasadena, Texas.
KiOR President and CEO Fred Cannon says his company will become first to commercially produce biofuel through the catalytic conversion technology. The plants will be in the city of Columbus and Franklin and Newton counties, areas with large timber supplies.
Barbour has called a special session Friday for lawmakers to approve incentives for the project. Those incentives include a $75 million loan.
Other cases hang in the balance. Lawyers for Mr. Skilling have asked a federal appeals court to release him from prison. Lawyers for Joseph L. Bruno, a Republican and former majority leader of the New York State Senate found guilty of fraud last year, are preparing an appeal of his verdict while the Justice Department decides how to proceed.
Last week, lawyers for David Zachary Scruggs asked a federal judge in Mississippi to vacate his conviction relating to a judicial bribery scheme involving him and his former law partner and father, the well-known trial lawyer Richard F. Scruggs. (The younger Mr. Scruggs served a 14-month prison term; his father is serving a seven-year sentence.)
A spokeswoman at the Justice Department declined to discuss the agency’s position on honest services prosecutions. But legal experts say the narrowed scope of the law will not prevent the government from prosecuting financial crimes. Federal prosecutors still have an array of tools to pursue corporate and political corruption, including wire fraud and mail fraud statutes as well as sections of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
The Steven Palazzo campaign sent out a press release today announcing that the fundraiser headlined by Haley Barbour brought the campaign $177,000. There were an estimated 250 attendees at the event, and political heavy-hitters in addition to Barbour included Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, Treasurer Tate Reeves, and Senate Pro Tempore Billy Hewes.
Join us as we knock on doors for President Obama in our Moving America Forward Canvass. You can join volunteers across the country and talk with your neighbors about committing to vote in the upcoming November elections.
Time Saturday, August 28, 2010 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Host Roosevelt Daniels
Location TBD (Southaven, MS)
Southaven, MS 38671
JACKSON – A couple of weeks ago Gov. Haley Barbour was engaged in a good bit of old-fashioned gnashing of teeth over federal legislation that would provide the Mississippi $98 million to help pay the salaries of school teachers and other education personnel during the current state budget woes.
The Republican governor was upset because he said the state would have to divert an additional $50 million to $75 million to education from other cash-starved state agencies to garner that money.
At the time, he governor said it was a “hijacking.”
This summer, the House of Representatives passed legislation to fund our military for the upcoming year. The Defense Authorization Bill is a critical part of keeping our armed forces ready to confront the challenges they will face around the world. Whether you agree with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan or not, ensuring that our service members have the tools they need to get their jobs done and come home safely should be a priority for all Americans.
The Defense Authorization Bill includes two very controversial components. First, it repeals Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) against the wishes of the Pentagon and the Secretary of Defense. Second, it funds a second jet engine for the military's new warplane -- the Joint Strike Fighter -- against the wishes of the Pentagon, the Secretary of Defense and President Obama.
President Obama has threatened to veto the entire bill because of the second jet engine. He and the Secretary of Defense say we don't need to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a second engine when the one already being developed is probably good enough. This argument seems to make sense, especially in light of our growing budget deficit. But it's really more complicated than that. The non-partisan accounting and investigative arm of Congress, the General Accountability Office, has determined that having two competing engines is more costly in the short-term but will save money in the long-term, because competition will spur innovation. In fact, a bipartisan panel formed by Congress to find ways to reduce our defense budget recently testified on Capitol Hill that dual competition is key to keeping costs down for the Pentagon.
And before Tuesday night’s races, 15.4 million Republicans had already voted in primaries, compared with 12 million Democrats who have turned out for primaries so far in 2010.
“Hopefully, we can rally the base and turn people out,” said Jamie Franks, chair of the Mississippi Democratic Party, who predicted his party will retain control of the House.
What Democrats are watching most closely right now is to see if the field of at-risk seats does indeed keep expanding. There are fresh concerns about Reps. Allen Boyd of Florida, Jim Marshall of Georgia and Leonard Boswell of Iowa — all of whom were recently moved into the toss-up category by respected handicapper Charlie Cook.
In addition, Reps. Ben Chandler of Kentucky and Stephanie Herseth Sandlin of South Dakota were both outraised by their opponents this past quarter, increasing concern about their races.
Given that the DCCC has already purchased ads to defend 54 seats that the party controls, the last thing Democrats need is more seats to have to protect.
TUPELO – Republican congressional candidate Alan Nunnelee on Tuesday defended his opposition to stimulus funds for education.
Responding to a newspaper ad criticizing his stance as a political stunt that jeopardizes school children, Sen. Nunnelee said it’s worse to saddle kids with future debt than it is to save a few jobs.
The ad was paid for by Childers for Congress.
“We’re asking school children to pay for their own education,” Nunnelee said after a speech to the North Mississippi Planned Giving Council.
The council had invited both Nunnelee and his opponent, incumbent candidate and U.S. Rep. Travis Childers, D-Miss., to speak at the quarterly meeting. Childers, however, was unable to attend.
“I think the most important thing we can do for school children is to not saddle them with massive debt, which is what we’re doing,” Nunnelee told the Daily Journal. “I think the whole Stimulus II bill was a publicity stunt.”
Nunnelee Can’t Get His Facts Straight, Is More Out of Touch Than Ever
State Senator Raises Taxes to Pay for His Education Cuts
Booneville, MS – Today, State Senate Appropriations Chair Alan Nunnelee got his facts wrong again when he claimed that a bill to create and save 2,000 education jobs in Mississippi was “a publicity stunt” that would increase the deficit. [North Mississippi Daily Journal, 8/25/10] The truth is that the Education Jobs Bill, recently passed by Congress and signed into law, is fully paid-for and doesn’t add a penny to our national debt or deficit. [U.S. House Committee on Appropriations, 8/10/10; Congressional Budget Office] In fact, the bill helps prevent further property tax increases resulting from Nunnelee’s education budget cuts. [North Mississippi Daily Journal, 8/7/10]
What isn’t fully paid-for is Alan Nunnelee’s massive slashing of our education budget while hundreds of millions of dollars in Recovery Act and reserve funds remain unused in Jackson. These cuts have led to thousands of school layoffs, created over-crowding in our children’s classrooms, and reduced the quality of learning in our schools. And how has Nunnelee tried to “pay for” these cuts? By forcing our school districts to raise property taxes, causing hard-working North Mississippians to dig deeper into their pockets during today’s tough times.
“My opponent needs to spend less time playing politics with our children’s education and more time reading up on the facts,” said Travis Childers. “The legislation I supported to save and create 2,000 education jobs in Mississippi was fully paid-for. And I’m sure the North Mississippi teachers whose jobs are at risk don’t see this piece of critical legislature as some sort of stunt. Meanwhile, Alan Nunnelee’s cuts to education have cost Mississippi taxpayers even more than jobs and a quality education – they’ve raised taxes and jeopardized our children’s ability to secure good-paying jobs in the future.”
GOV. BARBOUR ASKS EPA TO BLOCK CASINO CONSTRUCTION IN JONES COUNTY Planned wastewater system threatens water supply
JACKSON - Gov. Haley Barbour announced today he has asked the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency to halt construction of the slot parlor in Jones County after the agency found several environmental deficiencies. The tribe’s proposed wastewater system will negatively impact groundwater in the area.
The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is building a facility that will house slot machines and a snack bar near Sandersville.
“Because the current design of the wastewater system jeopardizes the safety of the water supply in the area where both tribal members and Mississippi citizens live and work, I ask this agency to stand behind its August 11, 2010 comments and enforce all applicable environmental laws and regulations,” Gov. Barbour wrote in a letter Wednesday.
“Those comments make clear that the slot parlor as planned will not live up to federal environmental standards.”
In 2008, many pundits in the Mississippi political and editorial elite made the case that one of the reasons that Travis Childers (D) should be elected was that he would be a member of the already established majority and would curry more favor with Nancy Pelosi and hence have more influence. This wasn't a major campaign platform waged by the Childers campaign, but it was put forth in the press as part of their logic for endorsements.
The political and economic environments post-Obamacare, Stimulus I and II and in the midst of the worst recession in decades are now substantially different. Politico is now reporting that Democrats privately are increasingly confident that the House of Representatives will wind up in Republican control.
Top Democrats are growing markedly more pessimistic about holding the House, privately conceding that the summertime economic and political recovery they were banking on will not likely materialize by Election Day.
In conversations with more than two dozen party insiders, most of whom requested anonymity to speak candidly about the state of play, Democrats in and out of Washington say they are increasingly alarmed about the economic and polling data they have seen in recent weeks.
They no longer believe the jobs and housing markets will recover – or that anything resembling the White House’s promise of a “recovery summer” is under way
In other words, the massive spending has not stimulated the economy and the public doesn't really seem to buy now that it would be a lot worse had they not spent a trillion dollars. Given that beltway Democrats in the know are almost conceding the House, there's are a couple of salient questions to ask.
Would Mississippians be now better served to elect Republicans who look increasingly like they will now operate in the majority in the House? Would freshman Republican house members have more influence as members of the majority than more tenured Democrats?
It's food for thought. It will be interesting to see if the same folks who made that argument in 2008 stick with that logic in 2010 or simply justify their wishes with other arguments.
Chris Cillizza's "The Fix" blog covers politics for the Washington Post. He asked readers to send in names of political dynasties from each of the fifty states and created an interesting list. Many states have obvious choices: Alabama - The Wallaces; Illinois - The Daleys; Louisiana - The Longs and the Landrieus; Massachusetts - The Kennedys.
For Mississippi, Cillizza listed the Barbours and the Wallers. I thought I'd dig a little deeper into the political families of Mississippi. To make the cut, I looked for families with at least one statewide or district wide elected official with other family members elected to office as well. I also looked mostly at families within the past fifty years.
The Barbours - Current Governor Haley R. Barbour is descended from Mississippi's third governor, Walter Leake; but we don't have to go that far to prove a Barbour dynasty. His older brother Jeppie served as mayor of Yazoo City. Jep Barbour, son of Jeppie, served a term in the state legislature and Jep's brother Charles served two terms as a Hinds County supervisor from 1999-2007. Haley and Jeppie's first cousin William Barbour, Jr. took senior status as a federal judge in 2006 and has served on the federal bench since his appointment by President Ronald Reagan in 1983. Haley also served as Republican National Committee Chairman.
The Pickerings - Current State Auditor Stacey Pickering previously served as a state senator from Jones County holding the same seat his uncle Charles Pickering, Sr. held from 1972 until 1980. Charles Sr. had previously been elected county prosecutor and also served as Mississippi Republican Party Chairman. In 1990 he was appointed by President George H.W. Bush to the federal district court bench and served on the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2004. His son Chip (Charles, Jr.) represented Mississippi's Third Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1997 until 2009.
When is $20 billion in ready cash not enough? Answer: When state Attorneys General and the plaintiffs bar are vying for a bigger chunk of the BP compensation fund that is supposed to go to victims of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
That's the real story behind the headlines about unhappiness over Kenneth Feinberg's terms for payments under the Gulf Coast Claims Facility. As administrator, er, King Solomon of this exercise, Mr. Feinberg has to make difficult judgments as he attempts to compensate genuine victims while not rewarding freeloaders. Plaintiffs attorneys and their AG pals seem to be afraid that they'll be cut out of the action.
You know the usual suspects. There's Mississippi AG Jim Hood, aka Dickie Scruggs's former comrade in class actions, who told a Biloxi TV station that "We took Mr. Feinberg behind the woodshed for a couple of hours to express our concerns about the draft claims protocol he had circulated." When it comes to personal bluster, Mr. Hood is the Rod Blagojevich of the Gulf Coast.
GOV. BARBOUR, FIRST LADY TO HONOR HURRICANE KATRINA VICTIMS SUNDAY ON GULF COAST
JACKSON – Gov. Haley Barbour and First Lady Marsha Barbour will announce new long-term housing projects on the Gulf Coast at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Marsha Barbour Community Center in Delisle.
Both projects, geared toward bringing disadvantaged people into the workforce, will be funded as part of a $350 million Long-Term Workforce Housing Program. The program is part of a multi-faceted $5 billion federal recovery package secured by Gov. Barbour and administered by the Mississippi Development Authority’s Disaster Recovery Division.
The Marsha Barbour Community Center is located at 6815 Kiln-Delisle Road, Pass Christian, Miss.
The First Couple also will participate in a memorial event commemorating the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina from 3-5 p.m. Sunday on 15th Street in downtown Gulfport, between City Hall and the First United Methodist Church.
The program will feature U.S. Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker, U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, and musicians Paul Overstreet, the Williams Brothers, St. Rose de Lima Choir and the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Civic Chorale.
Cantor said it’s early, but he is confident that Republicans will take over the House. He believes voters are ready once again to trust the GOP — he said that Republicans have “demonstrated that we’ve learned from our mistakes in the past." They’ve reworked their policy on ethics — “zero tolerance,” Cantor called it. Cantor also said Republicans would focus on spending, ending the automatic federal pay raise and the building of bike paths, which he considers “nice, but certainly shouldn’t be the priority.”
“One thing is we have, in the last 20 months, shown that we’ve gotten serious about spending,” he said in an interview with POLITICO. “We put votes up on the board — we’re serious about these cuts. We’re serious about working toward a balanced budget, reducing the size of the bureaucracy and the spending.”
Gov. Haley Barbour today expanded the call for the special legislative session to include a law prohibiting the sale of synthetic marijuana, known as spice.
“Several Mississippi communities have attempted to stop the sale of this drug. However, our law enforcement needs a comprehensive law to address this issue,” Gov. Barbour said. “Spice is no different than marijuana and should be treated as every other controlled substance under our laws.”
Gov. Barbour said he was including the measure at the request of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, the Mississippi Highway Patrol, local law enforcement officials and local governments.
The session, which begins at 10 a.m. Friday, also will include an incentive package for a $500 million economic development project with locations around Mississippi.
GOV. BARBOUR TO DISCUSS SPECIAL SESSION ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECT ON THURSDAY
Gov. Haley Barbour will announce details of the economic development project proposed to the Legislature at 2 p.m. Thursday, in Conference Center East of the Woolfolk Building, 501 N. West St. Details about the $500 million project and the company involved will be discussed.
GOV. BARBOUR’S STATEMENT ON NORTHROP GRUMMON SHIPBUILDING JOB REDUCTIONS
JACKSON - Gov. Haley Barbour today issued the following statement in regard to Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding’s announcement on employment
reduction:
"This and other layoffs by our defense contractors is the real-life result of the Obama administration's cuts and delays in national security spending. I worry there will be many more to come in this administration."
This victory could not have happened without the key leadership of Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, Sens. Alan Nunnelee and Billy Hewes, and Reps. Philip Gunn and Andy Gipson. About these legislators, AUL Mississippi State Director Terri Herring stated, “In Mississippi, most elected officials say they are ‘pro-life’ but what we really need is leadership. Those who were given this award provided more than just lip service, they actually led the charge to protect the public trust by preventing our tax dollars from providing for the destruction of human life in the name of health.”
AUL is privileged to work with these important leaders and to be able to honor them in this way.
The book gives a fascinating look at the strategy and tactics employed by Dawson, his colleagues at the U.S. Attorney's Office, and the FBI. Dawson had to keep the entire investigation secret in a very small legal community where everybody's business is typically well known. Good luck, good planning, and tough professionalism kept the undercover operation running smoothly, while co-conspirators were confronted and turned one by one. Make no mistake about it, this is an account written from the federal government's perspective. Yet it offers a unique contemporary glimpse into how a federal public corruption case is built. The subtitle is somewhat misleading, as there is far more about the Scruggs case than the Minor case in the book. I recommend it highly.
Nunnelee Plays Politics With Our Children’s Education, Teachers’ Jobs
Booneville, MS – It has been two weeks since Congress passed a bill to create and save 2,000 education jobs in Mississippi, and Alan Nunnelee is still playing politics with our children’s education and teachers’ jobs. Today, Childers for Congress began running a district-wide newspaper ad highlighting Nunnelee’s criticism of critical emergency funding for Mississippi schools that even the Governor supports.
Gov. Haley Barbour, who expressed initial concerns over the legislation, has since refuted Alan Nunnelee’s claim that the bill “requires the state of Mississippi to spend between $50-$100 million in state taxpayer dollars to access extra, federal education dollars.” [Nunnelee for Congress release, 8/10/10; Governor’s Office release, 8/19/10]. In fact, no money will have to be moved around in the state budget, and Mississippi schools will receive $98 million in federal funding for K-12 education without putting up any additional funds.
“My number one priority is – and will continue to be – creating jobs in North Mississippi and rebuilding our economy,” said Travis Childers. “Education is the best jobs program we can offer our younger generations, especially during today’s tough times. That’s why I was proud to vote for legislation to create and save an estimated 2,000 education jobs in Mississippi and provide our children with the resources they need to succeed.
“But my opponent has a history of playing politics with our children’s education and breaking his promise to protect North Mississippi students and teachers. During his 16-years in the State Senate, he has unnecessarily lowered the quality of education for our children by needlessly slashing teaching jobs and education funding in Mississippi. And now he’s at it again, bashing critical funding that will help hire and rehire education workers throughout Mississippi – and that even the Governor knows we need. That’s just downright shameful.”
If Nunnelee had his way today, our students would have fewer teachers, crowded classes, and a lower quality of learning. The cost of Nunnelee’s political stunt would be thousands of lost jobs, and even higher taxes for Mississippi families. [NEMS Daily Journal, 8/15/10]; Clarion Ledger, 8/10/10; Clarion Ledger, 8/11/10]
UNION – One of the biggest names in Republican politics will headline a fundraiser in Northern Kentucky next month for GOP U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul.
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour – head of the Republican Governors Association and a potential 2012 presidential contender – is set to attend the invitation-only event Sunday, Sept. 19 at the Union home of retired businessman and GOP donor Dick Knock.
“Winning the Kentucky Senate race is critical to stopping Harry Reid’s and Barack Obama’s agenda which spends too much, taxes too much and borrows too much. Rand Paul will lead the fight for limited government in the Senate and I am proud to offer my support,” Barbour said through a spokesman.
“We are pleased to have Gov. Barbour’s support and look forward to a great event with him in Northern Kentucky,” said Paul campaign manager Jesse Benton.
Nothing's more likely to provoke harsh words from Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour than government waste.
"We don't have this financial crisis in Mississippi because we tax too little. It's because we spend too much," Barbour told a hometown crowd in Yazoo City while launching his first bid for governor in 2003.
It's a line the Republican has repeated often during nearly seven years as Mississippi's chief executive.
Given his consistent stance against profligate public spending, it's jolting that Barbour's office decided to use some of Mississippi's oil-spill recovery money on a promotional TV show featuring former "Baywatch" star David Hasselhoff and other entertainers who aren't exactly on Hollywood's A-list and airing on CW, a network that doesn't attract massive audiences.
The federal government recently decided, despite strong pleas from the Gulf Coast states, that it is time to "stick it" to our jobs.
The impacts of the offshore drilling moratorium continue to sting, even as the Deepwater Horizon oil has ceased flowing.
Despite the capping of the BP oil disaster, we are still recovering from a recession and need jobs in Mississippi. Unfortunately, the federal government has decided to further hinder our job growth, singling out the oil and gas sector, a large state employer, for massive tax hikes that will reduce the work force and stifle any predicted future growth.
This recent move is a real slap in the face for Mississippi, especially in light of a recent Washington trip I participated in with more than 50 gulf residents, whose jobs have been greatly affected by the oil spill.
The group was diverse, from small business owners to bankers to state representatives to oil rig workers. They all came with one message: Our jobs matter.
In an article in the MS Digital Daily profiling the First District race, Travis Childers somewhat responded to the multiple attempts from the Alan Nunnelee camp tying the incumbent to Nancy Pelosi (whom he supported as Speaker) and Barney Frank (who has hosted fundraisers for Childers).
He said: “My opponent wants to talk about national Washington personalities. He wants to play that old political, partisan game and spew that old rhetoric.”
Tomorrow is the opening of our Desoto County Campaign Headquarters. I hope you will join us at 4PM at 133 East Commerce Street in Hernando. See you there.
Nearly 600 people filled out job applications Monday for work assembling Toyota Corollas when the company opens its plant more than a year from now.
It was the company's first effort to find workers to help open the plant.
Last month, 5,000 people applied for 37 salaried positions at the Blue Springs plant, Toyota officials said.
The automaker expects to have 1,500 employees within the next two years, Toyota spokeswoman Barbara McDaniel said.
"When we start production next fall, we will begin with one shift, and then after the first shift is up and running, we would bring on other team members," McDaniel said.
As of 5 p.m. Monday, 592 completed applications were filed with the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, said LaRaye Brown, a spokeswoman for the department.
The Heritage Foundation’s newly launched 501(c)(4) will launch a series of ads beginning Tuesday against seven House Democrats who voted against the health care law but who have not signed onto a House Republican measure to repeal it.
The Heritage Action for America ads include television, radio and web spots and will appear in seven Democratic districts. Heritage is hoping to pressure those Members to sign a discharge petition that would force an up-or-down vote on a repeal of the health care reform law.
That discharge petition is sponsored by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) and currently has 170 Republican co-sponsors. The measure needs 218 signatures in order to force a vote on the House floor.
Thirty-two Democrats voted against the final health care bill last March, but none has yet to sign onto the King measure. Republicans voted unanimously against the final version of the legislation.
Heritage Action for America will run television ads in the districts of three Democrats —Reps. Travis Childers, (Miss.), Ike Skelton (Mo.) and Mike McIntyre (N.C.) —according to Daniel Holler, communications director for Heritage Action for America. Holler declined to list the four other targeted incumbents.
Bob Dole, once the standard-bearer of the Republican Party, parlayed his political clout into personal wealth, and now he’s putting that wealth to work against a conservative Republican Senate candidate in a general election. Dole, now a lobbyist at Alston Bird, contributed $1,000 on Aug. 11 to the independent Senate campaign of Charlie Crist, who left the GOP in April.
Dole’s may be an extreme case — because he’s actually backing a non-Republican — but it epitomizes the fundamental split within the Republican Party.
The current GOP fault line is not exactly conservatives vs. moderates or new guard vs. old guard. For 2010, the rivalry is the Tea Party wing against the K Street wing. To tell which kind of Republican a candidate is, see how the Democrats attack him:
If he’s branded a shill for Wall Street, he’s from the K Street wing. If he’s labeled an extremist outside the mainstream, he’s a Tea Partier.
Early on in responding to the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, President Obama recognized that this must be more than simply killing the well and doing a short-term clean-up. He understood the importance of looking beyond the immediate crisis to consider the long-term implications for the citizens of the Gulf Coast.
I grew up in Mississippi, which is one reason I was so honored when the president asked me to lead the effort to create a long-term recovery plan for the Gulf. It is also why I was so appreciative of his insistence that a recovery plan come from Gulf citizens themselves, rather than imposed from Washington.
In his Oval Office address of June 19, the president said this recovery plan would be designed by the "states, local communities, tribes, fishermen, businesses, conservationists and other Gulf residents." Following that guidance, in late June I began the first of a series of trips to the Gulf Coast, culminating in nine town meetings across the Gulf in early August.
During this time, I've met or talked with every governor, U.S. Senator, and member of Congress whose district touches the Gulf from Key West, Fla., to Brownsville, Texas. I've spoken with hundreds of mayors, county and parish officials, state legislators, and representatives of community and issue advocacy organizations.
After months of high unemployment and a stagnant jobs market in Mississippi, it appears that the state's economic development efforts are finally gaining momentum.
Gov. Haley Barbour and officials from Toyota officials formally announced Monday that the company was resuming hiring at its Blue Springs plant.
"We have looked forward with great anticipation to the day when Toyota was ready to fully staff its Blue Springs facility, and that day has come," Barbour said.
When Toyota announced in February 2007 that it was locating an automotive assembly plant in north Mississippi, the company committed to creating 2,000 direct jobs. In 2008, the company announced a delay in the start of production at Blue Springs based on market conditions and the recession.
Toyota is expected to begin producing the best-selling Corolla model at the Blue Springs plant in the fall of 2011.
Mississippi is a diverse state, but one thing most of us have in common is being “ratepayers.”
And now, thanks to a more politically active Public Service Commission, we have a bill of rights when it comes to our dealings with those to whom we pay “rates” — for telecommunications, electric, gas, water and sewer utilities.
For those who aren’t familiar with a PSC, here’s a primer:
n Back when free enterprise was paramount and government was merely an onlooker, there was a distrust of “monopolies.”
n By definition, a monopoly is a business that has the market for a commodity locked up and, as a result, has no competition.
n The danger is that when only one seller provides an item — air travel, blue jeans, green beans — the price to the consumer will edge higher than natural market forces would normally require.
n Yet when it comes to utilities, a monopoly is far more efficient and, in some cases, much cheaper. (Imagine a neighborhood with four water companies running new lines every time a customer wanted to buy from a different seller.)
n To resolve this, states created PSCs. The premise was that private companies would be allowed to operate utility monopolies, but their rates would be under state control so as to allow only a reasonable return on investment. So, PSCs (1) guarantee ratepayers they won’t be gouged and (2) guarantee utilities exclusive service areas.
TREASURER TATE REEVES RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD FROM ASSOCIATION OF STATE TREASURERS
(Jackson, MS) – Today at the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST) annual conference in Williamsburg, Virginia, State Treasurer Tate Reeves was the recipient of the Jesse M. Unruh Award which recognized his outstanding service to the association, the profession, and to his state.
“I am honored to receive this award from NAST,” said Treasurer Reeves. “To be recognized by a bipartisan group of one's peers is one of the greatest compliments any public servant can receive.”
Jesse M. Unruh was a founding member of NAST and a former California Treasurer who was a model of the cooperative spirit found within the organization today.
“This year the award will honor a treasurer who has devoted hundreds, if not thousands, of hours to NAST since taking office six years ago,” said NAST president, Treasurer James Lewis of New Mexico. “Almost immediately, he became an active participant in NAST and quickly took on leadership roles in the organization, including serving as president in 2006-2007. He has been one of the most active proponents of NAST’s federal agenda, supporting college savings and unclaimed property advocacy efforts. As a past chair of the Long Range Planning Committee, he has also steered the organization through the strategic planning process and helped us chart a course for many years to come.”
Reeves served as president of the National Association of State Treasurers for 2006-2007. He has continued to remain very active in the association by serving as Chairman of the Federal Legislative Committee, Chairman of the Long Range Planning Committee and as a member of the NAST Executive Committee. He is also a member of the 2009 Executive Board of the College Savings Plans Network.
Georgia Treasurer Dan Ebersole who nominated Reeves said, “Tate has been a strong, steady leader to NAST and its affiliates; He has given guidance and brought stability to NAST during challenging times.”
Richard Mourdock, Indiana Treasurer added: “As I've come to know him, I'm continually impressed with his technical understanding and especially his dedication to issues such as protecting the Tower Amendment, municipal rating structure reform and public service as a whole. He would win my award for ‘The Ultimate Professional.’”
Receipts from income and sales taxes typically tend to lag behind the national economy, and any recent gains could be reversed should a slump occur. Last week, the federal government reported a surge in first-time claims for jobless benefits, to the highest level since November, while manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia area fell for the first time in a year, a sign of economic slowdown.
Mississippi Treasurer Tate Reeves said he anticipates that the national economy will continue to take a toll on his state’s finances.
“Things aren’t getting a lot better, but they’re no longer getting a lot worse,” he said. “We do think the recovery is going to be a slow one.”
Some background: There are ten members on the Legislative Reapportionment committee in the Senate- 5 Republicans and 5 Democrats. The committee is chaired by Sen. Terry Burton, a Republican, and the vice-chair is Sen. Tommy Dickerson, a Democrat. In the House, there are nine members on the committee- with just one Republican represented. The chair and the vice-chair, as you would imagine, are Democrats. Billy McCoy’s scorched earth policy following his narrow victory is as evident on this committee as it is anywhere.
If "Mad Men" still runs as a series around the late 1990s and the Master Tobacco Settlement [MSA], it will be interesting to get Draper's take on all that and what anchor accounts the agency has.
Note: The best chronicle of how the war on tobacco came to be and was won by Scruggs et al. is in KINGS OF TORT, co-authored by Alan Lange. Lange, editor of YALLPOLITICS, was in Mississippi the whole amazing time. He still is.
Zach Scruggs, son of the infamous “King of Torts” Richard “Dickie” Scruggs, is asking a Mississippi trial court to relieve him of his guilty plea for misprison of felony by earwhigging.
Misprison of felony is the crime of failing to report a crime and earwhigging the colorful term for judicial influence peddling for which Mississippi is famous. White color criminal defense attorney Jeffrey Grant in Seattle goes so far as to describe Mississippi as an earwhiggocracy.
Problem for prosecutors in the Zach Scruggs case is that earwhigging isn’t a crime. Nor, argues Scruggs, can earwhigging be brought within the “honest services fraud” statute under which prosecutors have sought to criminalize fraud on the market. The country’s most famous “honest services” felons are former Enron executives Jeffrey Skilling, Kenneth Lay and Andrew Fastow. Those energy moguls were convicted of bribery and corruption for their manipulation of stock prices – Lay’s conviction having been vacated only by virtue of his untimely pre-sentencing death.
Pertinent to Zach Scruggs’ conviction is the recent U.S. Supreme Court Skilling trilogy, which held that the “honest services fraud” count under which Skilling (and others) were convicted, could not be applied to fraud on the market unless money or property were exchanged for favors, i.e., in the absence of a traditional bribe.
Forbes
8/23/10
*The headline was changed to add the word "up." I Did not want it to seem like we were saying he was being "picked on" by Forbes. -- Yallpintern
ELDEN - Governor Haley Barbour and officials from Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi, Inc. (TMMMS) announced today that the company is resuming hiring at its Blue Springs, Miss., plant.
“We have looked forward with great anticipation to the day when Toyota was ready to fully staff its Blue Springs facility, and that day has come,” Governor Haley Barbour said. “I am so pleased that Toyota is moving forward with its hiring process and is creating so many high-quality jobs for the residents of Mississippi. Today is a great day for not only north Mississippi but the state as a whole.”
When Toyota Motor Corporation announced in February 2007 that it was locating an automotive assembly plant in north Mississippi, it committed to creating 2,000 direct jobs.
Justice court judges handle thousands of local cases every year, and sometimes problems arise.
Three of Lee County’s judges have been admonished by the Mississippi Supreme Court after investigations by the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance.
MCJP is the state’s watchdog agency for complaints about all judges. Its appointed commissioners weigh evidence and recommend sanctions to the court.
The Mississippi Association of Realtors has issued a news release this morning confirming that attorney Kenneth Feinberg, who today took over administration of individual and private business loss claims from the BP oil catastrophe, will set up a special fund to reimburse Gulf Coast real estate agents and brokers for their losses.
The news release did not include a fund amount, but Feinberg confirmed on Sunday that it would be up to $60 million for the five Gulf states.
“The impact of the oil spill here in Mississippi has been widespread, affecting local businesses, wildlife and the environment,” said Mississippi Association of Realtors President Tony Jones of Olive Branch. “This also includes local licensed real estate professionals who have experienced financial losses due to transactions that were terminated or never even initiated in Harrison, Hancock and Jackson Counties because of the oil spill.
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Friday, September 3, 2010
