[Letter To The Editor] Payday Loans Needed
Every American adult has experience in financial management. But despite the fact that we all manage our personal finances and make decisions every day about how to spend, save and invest, many of us remain baffled by the complicated systems behind our dollars.
Break-Neck Speed
In 1972 I went on a Girl Scout camping trip to Washington, D.C. One of the chaperoning mothers brought along her son, Terry. We kidded with each other that I was girl "Terri" and he was boy "Terry."
It's About Jobs, Not ‘Obamacare'
Republicans managed to snag a U.S. House of Representatives majority last week, and many consider this a "mandate" to repeal health-care reform meant to hold insurance companies accountable and provide more people with health-care options.
[Stiggers] Winter in America
Big Roscoe: "Welcome to the post-daylight-saving time edition of ‘Clubb Chicken Wing's Def Poetry Jam with Hot Sauce.' We have a virgin about to recite something to you. And he told me that he also brought a big ol' hot pot of food for the soul in the back of the Clubb Chicken Wing kitchen."
[Kamikaze] Take the ‘I' Out of Team
I'm not a Democrat or Republican. Nor am I liberal or conservative. I shun the two-party mindset, believing that there's no either/or scenario when it comes to politics. I'm more moderate if I'm anything, a subscriber to a more common-sense approach when it comes to governing people.
[Purvis] Making a Home, Building a Life
My house on Chickasaw Avenue has been a work in progress since I bought it in 2008. In my mom's opinion, it had three strikes against it: It was an older home; it needed work; and it was in Jackson.
Redefining Home
This is the first time I've talked about this. There have been many reasons I've kept my "secret" in the vault. There's a stigma that comes with it. It's one of those things that carries a lot of shame and guilt.
Loving The Sinner
When I was about 9 years old, my cousin Kim and I got into a fight. I don't remember what we were fighting about, but I got so angry I picked up a vase and hit her in the mouth with it. A chip of her tooth flew across the room, and buckets of tears gushed through her closed eyes as she gripped her mouth shut.
Free the Scott Sisters
Gov. Haley Barbour should pardon Jamie and Gladys Scott—and not because we believe beyond a shadow of doubt that they are innocent. He should pardon them because they have done the time for the crime they are accused of committing.
[Stiggers] The Chitterling Holiday Season
Earnest "Monday Night Football Head" Walker: "Attention, Pork-N-Piggly shoppers: Now that the elections are over, it's time to enjoy the holiday seasons. As chief executive officer of Pork-N-Piggly supermarkets, I am happy to announce the start of the Chitterling (Chit-lin) Holiday Season."
Remember Sanity
When I was given the opportunity to go to Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity this past weekend, I jumped at the chance. I went to school in the Washington, D.C., area, and cut my activist teeth on Vietnam War demonstrations in the nation's capital and Equal Rights Amendment marches down Constitution Avenue to the west side of the U.S. Capitol building.
[Head] Don't Tread on Her
Whatever political ideology the Rand Paul supporters who attacked Lauren Valle last week might have claimed to have, they became fascists the moment they held her down and stomped her in the head.
[Balko] More Democracy, More Incarceration
Last year the U.S. prison population declined for the first time in a generation. That's good news, but it doesn't begin to offset the damage done by a 30-year incarceration binge that has made America far and away the democratic world's leader in putting people behind bars.
The Jackass Factor
God has a special corner of heaven for the people who cut hair—those people who manage to make us look stunning despite all the silly blather they must hear every day.
Bring Early Voting to Mississippi
Elections are already underway for more than 3 million Americans who have access to early voting. What we're wondering at this point is why not us?
[Stiggers] Head Up; Wig On
BoneQweesha Jones: "Greetings, Hair Did University students and faculty. I scheduled this special assembly to remind you to go to the polls and vote. I know some of you are very discouraged and frustrated and confused about the government and society.
[Kamikaze] Re-Shaking Things Up
Even I get discouraged. As much as I champion Jackson, there are times that its outdated vestiges rear their ugly heads. There are times when the corporate status quo takes a few slow promising steps forward, then a disappointing few steps backward.
[McLaughlin] More Female Candidates, Please
Whenever I meet a smart, progressive Mississippi woman who gets her opinion across, remains firm but compassionate and has the ability to inspire others, I find myself ecstatically blurting out: "You should run for governor someday!"
[Balko] America's Most Successful Stop Snitchin' Campaign
Last month when U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson awarded Baron Bowling $830,000 for the beating he suffered at the hands of a Drug Enforcement Administration agent in 2003, she went out of her way to acknowledge another victim in the sordid affair: Kansas City Police Det. Max Seifert.
With Gentleness and Reverence
When Todd and I used to live in Belhaven, we'd often walk in the mornings. Nearly every morning, we would watch a harried mother--often in a big SUV talking on a cell phone with at least one kid in the car--screech through the streets, presumably taking the child to school. Almost every day, we watched moms run stop signs, and more than once, had to jump out of the way to keep from getting hit.
GOP: Avoid Tea Party Kool-Aid
That Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and many Mississippi Republicans are aligning themselves with the tea party comes as little surprise. Bryant told The Clarion-Ledger last week that tea-party beliefs "are much like mine."
[Stiggers] Cutback and Privatize
Mr. Announcement: "On this episode of ‘All God's Churn Got Shoes', the Cootie Creek County School Board spends long hours contemplating cutbacks on various education programs within the school system. Let's eavesdrop in on this board meeting to see what will happen."
Facts Matter
I have come to expect this from politicians. It disappoints me, but I no longer expect most politicians to be straightforward. They simplify. They pontificate. They talk in code and refuse to stray from carefully crafted, poll-tested talking points.
[Dickerson] Finding Solutions
Growing up in the Delta, I learned that bullies were a dime a dozen.
[Balko] Abolish Drunk Driving Laws
Last week Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo advocated for creating a new criminal offense: "driving while ability impaired." The problem with the current Texas law prohibiting "driving while intoxicated," Acevedo explained, is that it doesn't allow him to arrest a driver whose blood-alcohol content is below 0.08 percent without additional evidence of impairment.
Regarding Herman
Herman Snell was driven. I don't know why--or by what, exactly, but it was fascinating to watch. Herman wanted people to know what was going on in the arts, particularly film, and he wanted them to hear good music. And to him, that meant keeping up with the details.
Stop the Lakes-v.-Levees Drama
In recent months, the Jackson Free Press was pleased to see the Rankin-Hinds Levee Board seemingly get unlocked from the years-long Lakes-v.-Levees standoff that had prevented any forward movement toward flood control along the Pearl River and, with any luck, some smart and green economic development thrown in, to boot.
[Stiggers] Property-Owning People
"Welcome to ‘The Finance Pimp Wants His Homes Back Foreclosure Sales' cable-television showcase. Are you gainfully employed? Do you work three jobs? If you answered yes to these questions, come see me and sign on the dotted line. Remember: The home is still mine until it's paid in full."
[Kamikaze] Getting Control of Our Kids
I watched a piece on "The Today Show" a few days back that really bothered me. As the days have passed, it has still stuck with me.
[Hill] Holy Ground
"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that, some have entertained angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13:2).