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Dr. Aaron Shirley

Dr. Aaron Shirley is challenging those opposed to a government-run public health plan to put their convictions where their mouths are. Shirley says that if they believe what they're saying, they should burn their Medicare cards. "I want to have a demonstration—Boston Tea Party-like—and burn those cards," Shirley told The Washington Times.

It's the Presentation, Stupid!

Ward 1 Councilman Jeff Weill did an odd thing Monday, and it ended up backfiring on him because of the way he did it.

Mayor Johnson: ‘Look Behind' Millsaps Report

Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson continued to push back this afternoon against a report commissioned by Ward 1 Councilman Jeff Weill on the Jackson Police Department's staffing. The report, authored by Millsaps College professor Bill Brister, pointed out that Jackson has a higher ratio of civilian employees to sworn officers in its police department than other comparable southeastern cities. Weill has argued that the police department could hire 100 new police officers by cutting its civilian staff to the southeastern average.

Johnson Questions Millsaps Police Study

Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. is implying that Ward 1 Councilman Jeff Weill has sidestepped the traditional administrative process by commissioning a survey related to the numbers of police officers in the city.

'Local' Means More than 'Locale'

In her Aug. 21 column, "How Locavores Brought On Local-Washing," Forbes magazine Deputy Editor Elisabeth Eaves takes umbrage with the story "A Local Lie" (link) published here and in a handful of other newsweeklies around the country.

Voter ID: Partisan Posturing?

Mississippi Democratic Party Executive Director Sam Hall is accusing Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant of pushing for voter identification for political reasons. "We have to ask if this is nothing more than an attempt to drum up support over another divisive wedge issue," said Hall, who spoke on Bryant's appearance at a Starkville Rotary Club meeting last week.

Lose the Rhetoric on Health Care

When Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi's second congressional district hosted a town hall meeting on health-care reform Monday in Jackson, there were no angry mobs, protesters with guns or yelling matches such as those we've all watched on TV of late.

Political Parties Neck-and-Neck in Mississippi

Mississippi is the second-most conservative state in the union, according to a poll released last week. The Republican Party, however, holds only a one-percentage point lead over Democrats in the state, which is statistically insignificant.

Rep. Bennie Thompson

Opening up a forum for civil discussion and debate, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi's Second Congressional District addressed questions to more than 300 people last night on proposals for health-care reform. Standing shoulder- to-shoulder in Jackson's M.W. Stringer Grand Lodge, some attendees held signs supporting universal health care while others used handouts to fan themselves from the heat.

[Kamikaze] ‘Their America'

When faced with overwhelming adversity, you often discover what some people are made of. When under great duress from fear of the unknown, you can also find out what people really think or feel.

[Hutchinson] Obama's Death Threats

President Obama has gotten more death threats in a shorter period of time than any other president in U.S. history.

Magnolia Bar Wants Black Judge

The Magnolia Bar Association says it is examining the process by which Gov. Haley Barbour will select a replacement for convicted Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Bobby DeLaughter this month. Bar President Gale Walker said the governor is seemingly insensitive to appointing blacks to judgeships on both the state and local levels.

Johnson to Present Budget to Council

Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. reminded Jackson City Council members at yesterday's payroll meeting that he will present his budget proposal to the council at a noon tomorrow, Aug. 19. The new fiscal year for the city begins Oct. 1, 2009, and the city has to finalize the budget in September.

Thompson Schedules Health-Care Town Hall Meetings

In an effort to give Mississippians an opportunity to discuss the proposed health care reforms currently under debate in the U.S. Congress, Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of the state's 2nd Congressional District has scheduled a town-hall meeting in Jackson. The Aug. 24 meeting will be held at the Stringer Grand Lodge, 1072 J.R. Lynch St. in Jackson, starting at 6:30 p.m.

Council Votes ‘No' on Library Name, ‘Yes' on Payroll

On Monday, the Jackson City Council voted down an ordinance renaming the Northside public library in honor of the late Jackson Advocate publisher Charles Tisdale, and voted for the city payroll despite Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. not providing some payroll information.

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