News

Barbour Urges Tort Reform Rally

[Verbatim; from Barbour office) Governor Barbour is asking tort reform supporters to attend a rally at the New Capitol Building this Wednesday (2/25) at 1:30 p.m. on the second floor rotunda. He is encouraging those who attend to arrive early that morning to talk to their legislators. This week will be a very big week for tort reform legislation as both the Senate bill (led by Chairman Charlie Ross) and the House bill (led by Chairman Jeff Smith) are officially introduced in the Legislature. If we can generate enough support for either bill or both bills, we can get comprehensive tort reform legislation to Governor Barbour's office where legal reform has extremely strong support. We believe this tort reform rally will be a great event to build tort reform,s grassroots—resulting in new civil justice laws that will make our courtrooms fairer for Mississippians. We strongly encourage you to help Governor Barbour get as many people to this event as possible. Please notify your friends and encourage them to attend the tort reform rally. Again, we would greatly appreciate folks on-site by 1:00 p.m. We hope to see you at the New Capitol Building on Wednesday.

Barbour, McCoy on course for collision

Geoff Pender of THE SUN HERALDwrites "Barbour is slick; McCoy is sly. Both are powerful - Barbour through his alliance with Tuck and the Senate, his considerable public relations skills and Washington contacts; McCoy through his position as leader of the House he has served for 24 years and the process he knows intimately. The state has limited funds and growing needs for fiscal 2005. Barbour wants to lay off state workers, revamp their insurance to make some pay more, cut Medicaid and focus spending on job creation, colleges and universities."

Nader Wants to Be 'POTUS'; Barbour Sez Dems 'Nervous'

AP reports: "Nader's decision was greeted with a chorus of condemnation from Democrats, longtime friends and former supporters who blame him for Al Gore's loss four years ago. They suggested that Nader would not pull close to the 2.7 percent of the vote he won before without the backing of an established party and some of his past supporters."

Senate passes bill to raise pay

The Clarion Ledger reports today: "Senate Bill 2647 would allow a 22 percent hike for tax assessors and tax collectors, along with a $5,000 bonus for anyone serving in both capacities. Supervisors, sheriffs, justice court judges and coroners would see a 20 percent hike. County attorneys, court reporters, bailiffs, constables, circuit clerks and chancery clerks would see raises based on other criteria, such as years of experience. The provisions revise the salary scale, which is tied to the county's assessed valuation or, in some cases, its population."

Barbour supports bill saying teacher jobs can't be cut

Emily Pettus of the AP reports "'Getting rid of teachers should not be the first, knee-jerk reaction to saving money in education,' Barbour said. But, with K-12 public education facing a $161 million shortfall next fiscal year under recommendations by Barbour and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, some school officials say the bill to block teacher job losses would create problems for districts. 'I truly find it insulting that the Senate would pass an unfunded education mandate and then tell us how we can and can't make our budgets or make our cuts,' said Greg Kelly, director of teacher recruitment for Jackson Public Schools."

Kerry and his ‘Band of Brothers'

Mary Lynn F. Jones writes on Alternet: that Kerry has strong appeal with veterans, who could swing the election. Kerry is finally giving Vietnam veterans a platform. "They're eating it up because no one has ever done it before," says Douglas Brinkley, the author of "Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Vietnam War." Kerry has promised to be a "veteran's veteran" if elected. But he also has more going for him besides the appeal of electing a decorated serviceman. Many veterans are also unhappy about the Iraq war. Bobby Muller, who heads the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation and has endorsed Kerry, says, "We're hearing from so many of our guys that might traditionally be conservative guys [that] the war in Iraq has really pissed them off."

The Progressive Populist Moment?

Tom Hayden writes for Alternet: It's been a remarkable shift after the past decade of Democratic catering to corporate interests and conservative voters, Only one year ago, candidates John Kerry, John Edwards and Richard Gephardt had voted for the Iraq war resolution, and Gephardt alone, among the leading contenders, opposed pro-corporate trade agreements like NAFTA. ...

The DLC vs. Howard Dean

Naeem Mohaiemen writes for Alternet: "[A] core part of Dean's appeal was his overwhelming support among young people. In 2000, one of the lowest voter turnouts was among young people. If you were under 24, you tuned out and stayed home in November. By contrast, the bulk of Howard Dean's support was among the youth of America. Energized by a strategy focused on Internet campaigning, 'Generation Dean' or 'Dean 2.0' spread across college campuses and gave a youthful aura to the man from Vermont.

[Just In] Barbour Says He Won't ‘Streamline' Education

We just received this from Barbour's office: Contrary to what some have said, the "Operation: Streamline" legislation does not affect funding for education at all. There are no bills dealing with schools, teachers or K-12 funding. My executive budget submitted last month simply accepts the Legislative Budget Committee's unanimous recommendation for K-12 funding * nothing less. Read full statement ...

Mississippi Mulls Marriage Amendment

The Advocate reports: Mississippi gay and lesbian leaders are trying to raise awareness about a bill that would constitutionally ban gay marriages. "We've got the word out through memberships, through our e-lists, our Web sites. This is part of educating the public on the situation," said Jody Renaldo, executive director of Equality Mississippi. "We're trying to educate general Mississippians who really are not aware of gay and lesbian issues."

Barbour Details ‘Streamline' Budget

[verbatim statement] (Jackson, Miss.)-- Governor Haley Barbour was joined today by Lieutenant Governor Amy Tuck and scores of legislators as he filed the bill that represents his budget-fixing plan, "Operation: Streamline." "Operation: Streamline recognizes that we cannot move forward as a state until we confront our budget problem," Governor Barbour stated. "Workforce development, job creation, education and economic development all depend on keeping Mississippi's budget deficit under control. "Operation: Streamline" has a simple goal and that is to cut Mississippi's budget deficit * all $709 million of it * in half in one year, and eliminate it altogether in two years. It took many years to get in this budget hole and we will not get out overnight."

Barbour Faces Budget Opposition

... especially on education cuts. The Clarion-Ledger reports today: On Tuesday, dozens of lawmakers — mostly GOP allies — gathered with Barbour to pledge support for the changes. "I'm willing to make the tough decisions ... if you'll join me and you'll let me," said Barbour, who distributed small calculators to legislators as symbols of his cost-saving intentions. The Senate has 28 co-sponsors of Barbour's legislation — more than the majority needed for passage.

High Tech, Free Trade and ‘New Labor'

The blogosphere seems a bit a-flutter over the dawning awareness that an increasing number of "knowledge worker" jobs -- mostly high-tech -- are being outsourced by American corporations to other countries such as India. Democratic presidential primary candidates are bring it up in their stump speeches and materials. Meanwhile, White House econ adviser Gregory Mankiw is getting slapped around by some bloggers and columnists for making the argument that outsourcing these jobs has long-term merit. (It may, in an economists' world-view sense, but not in a "they're closing the plant and we can't money out of our house and how are the kids going to eat" sense.)

PEER slams state veterans' homes

Andy Kanengiser of the Clarion Ledger reports "Mississippi's watchdog agency today slammed the state's four veterans homes in a hard-hitting report that says residents' health and safety is at risk."

Amendment opposed

The AP reports "Same-sex marriages are already banned by Mississippi law. The legislation proposed by Sen. Alan Nunnelee of Tupelo would protect that law from court challenges by making it a part of Mississippi's Constitution."

Bush "Dead Even" with Kerry; on Defensive

AP is reporting: "Republicans have a lot to worry about; hence the reason Bush has been on the defense, says national pollster Mark Schulman."

Smooth Talk: Barbour on the Budget

The former lobbyist was smooth. Gov. Haley Barbour touched on a lot of issues that many Mississippians think are important in his first State of the State address last month. He also glided on by a few on which some say he should have dwelt. Barbour talked about education, creating jobs and developing the workforce. He spoke about quality health care, tort reform and cost-cutting measures, like making Medicaid more efficient and using private prisons.

[Lott] Doing Our Job

The U.S. Senate is considering highway legislation that will improve public safety, make transportation easier and help create new jobs. Since the beginning of our republic, Congress has been charged with establishing and maintaining roads. This duty stands shoulder to shoulder with other charter federal responsibilities like national defense, currency, law enforcement and the courts. Roads are a basic part of what makes our country a country, and it's Congress' job to make sure America's roads and bridges are good.

Dan Joyner

I met with Dan Joyner recently at Cups, in the heart of the Fondren district where, as Joyner puts it, people interested in the arts can hang out together. Joyner, 28, himself is an example of creativity nurtured. Now he is the area manager for Cups, but when I first met him in the spring of 1993, his senior year at Forest Hill High School in South Jackson, I also met his parents Evelyn and Robert. Like many supportive parents, they were again involved with one of Dan's creative undertakings—Colonel's Classics, a Forest Hill tradition that gave high school students, aided by dedicated teachers, a place to hang out: to write scripts, build sets, rehearse and present skits to an audience of their peers and loved ones in packed auditoriums.

Senator says he won't approve local and private taxes

Bryd of the Associated Press writes:"The chairman of the Senate Local and Private Committee says he won't approve any tax increase bills, including those from cities that are trying to fund special projects. Sen. Ralph Doxey, D-Holly Springs, is head of the committee that handles legislation dealing with requests from cities. Doxey on Wednesday said he wouldn't support the city of Jackson's request for a 1 percent tax increase to fund an $85 million convention center. 'It's not just Jackson. There are many local and private bills being introduced that call for 1, 2 and 3 percent tax increases for various specific purposes,' Doxey said. 'Right now, under the current spirit of this Legislature, I will not pass any tax increase out of Local and Private.'"

Young People to Pols: Don't Forget Us

Scott Beale writes for Alternet: "Dean's campaign was the first ever to reach out to young Americans, not just as campaign runts, but as participants in a discussion of political issues, as small financial contributors, as canvassers knocking on doors, as volunteers at service events, and as major leaders on the campaign. He appealed to young progressives with his willingness to stand up against the Iraq war, as an executive who had balanced budgets and as a courageous leader willing to fight for what is right, even if it is not popular."

Bill will open schools

Sun Herald reports : "The bill would still let children take most of their classes at home. But they could go to public schools for classes that might be difficult to teach at home, such as chemistry lab or foreign languages. Nunnelee's bill also would let home-schooled students participate in any extracurricular activities available to public school students in their grades."

White wins Senate election

Posted from the Associated Press: "It's been a struggle, but I'm telling you it's been a learning experience, Republican White said Tuesday night. I did the job before, but I'm going to be a little bit more active now."

Andy Sullivan Turns On Bush

Andrew Sullivan, the (mostly) conservative warblogger and pundit, has written a piece for the New Republic called Attention Deficit, vigorously taking issue with Bush's recent appearance on Meet the Press.

5 Questions to Ask President Bush

Joe Conasan at Salon outlines 5 questions he'd like to ask the president. I'd love to hear the answer to these, too.

Support for Bush Dropping

The presidential elections this year may actually be interesting, if the Democrats have a shot at winning. It seems like Bush has hit a rough patch:AP poll notes sharp decline in support for Bush.

State Lottery propsed for new revenue

Eric Stringfellow of the Clarion Ledger writes: "This measure also would be a great boost to morale, at least for the remaining employees. Barbour has also proposed reducing state government by 700 jobs."

Barbour Signs First Bill: Private Prisons

(Jackson, Miss.) -- Governor Haley Barbour signed House Bill 544, the Tallahatchie County Correctional Authority Bill, into law today making it his first piece of legislation to sign into law as governor. "By signing this bill, we are demonstrating our willingness to do all we can to save Mississippi jobs. Protecting these 280 existing jobs is just as important as creating new ones," said Governor Barbour. "I am honored that this is the first bill I have signed as Governor."

UPDATE: CNN to Air Anti-Bush MoveOn.org Ad

From Moveon.org's Eli Pariser: "During this year's Super Bowl, you'll see ads sponsored by beer companies, tobacco companies, and the Bush White House. But you won't see the winning ad in MoveOn.org Voter Fund's Bush in 30 Seconds ad contest. CBS refuses to air it. Meanwhile, the White House is on the verge of signing into law a deal which Senator John McCain (R-AZ) says is custom-tailored for CBS and Fox, allowing the two networks to grow much bigger. CBS lobbied hard for this rule change; MoveOn.org members across the country lobbied against it; and now our ad has been rejected while the White House ad will be played. It looks an awful lot like CBS is playing politics with the right to free speech."

Ellington