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[Balko] Surprise! Lobbying Industry Grows Along With Government

More government spending equals more lobbyists. It's a fairly obvious point, yet it flies in the face of two consistent leftist policy goals (or at least stated leftist policy goals).

Childers on GOP Hit List

The National Republican Congressional Committee is campaigning early this season. The NRCC identified 70 Democrats to target for the 2010 election, according to an email obtained by Washington political periodical Roll Call.

Chasing Mimsy

Chris Mims, 34, has returned to city government, this time as director of the city's communications department. He worked as a staff member in the department in Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr.'s last administration under former department director Dorothy Triplett, who now manages CONTACT The Crisis Line, a suicide hotline.

Brad White

As chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party, Brad White is on a mission: He's going to put a voter ID initiative on the ballot in November 2010. To accomplish that goal, he needs 100,000 signatures from registered voters by Oct. 1.

Barbour Calls for Prudence Amid Lagging Revenue

State tax collections fell below already lowered expectations in July, Gov. Haley Barbour announced yesterday in a statement urging state agencies to be cautious with their budgets.

Haley Barbour Recalls Reagan in Neshoba County Fair Speech

Neshoba County Fair/July 30, 2009/Verbatim

Thank you. It's great to be back at the Fair; there's no place like it. A little mud on your boots never should bother anybody over here. This is my sixth speech at the Fair as Governor, and I'm glad to have back with me on stage Marsha, my bride of nearly 38 years. And, speaking to the two dozen of you who have reminded me this morning how far I married over my head, Guys, I don't need any reminding! Y'all just pray our grandchildren look like her.

Nunnelee Files Campaign Paperwork

Last year, conservative Democrat Travis Childers blew the socks off Republicans by winning one of the most conservative districts in the nation. Republicans saw Childers' victory over Republican Greg Davis—twice—as the end of the era where Republicans dominated national discourse, and as a foreshadowing of the upcoming presidential race, where Democratic nominee Barack Obama trounced his Republican opponent.

No Rate Increases for Coal Plants

Mississippi Power Company is denying the Mississippi Sierra Club's Miller's interpretation of the PSC decision against hiking electricity bills to pay for pre-construction costs of a planned $1.8 billion experimental lignite coal plant in Kemper County. The power company called Miller's characterization of the decision "misleading."

Change Meets Fear at JSU

Members of committees affiliated with Jackson State University are worried that the university will cut programs in a curriculum reorganization.

Jackson City Government Broken, says Mayor

Information from Mayor Harvey Johnson's transition team meetings is slowly trickling in, and Johnson said preliminary reviews are showing the city suffers from a broken chain of command.

Kenneth Stokes

The Jackson City Council voted earlier this month to appoint individuals that historically sided with former Mayor Frank Melton to lead them under the new administration. Ward 4 Councilman Frank Bluntson and Ward 5 Councilman Charles Tillman received unanimous votes for council president and vice president, respectively. Bluntson immediately set about making Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes, the third councilman in the Melton "faction," head of the council's planning committee, so that Stokes could immediately go about bringing up all the agenda items that the more level-headed council leaders of the past kept bottled up in committee.

Hood: Governor's Vetoes Improper

Two of Gov. Haley Barbour's recent budget vetoes violate the Mississippi constitution, according to Attorney General Jim Hood. The non-binding opinion points out that the constitution does not allow vetoes on the conditions of how funds can be spent, reports the Sun Herald.

Chris Mims

Director of communications is one of the first administrative positions that Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. filled when he took office earlier this month. His choice for the job was Jacksonian Chris Mims.

Hood v. Salter: Battle Going Extra Rounds?

Enmity between Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood and Clarion-Ledger Perspective Editor Sid Salter is obvious this week, as the two hammer each other over disagreements regarding the facts around a June decision by the Mississippi Public Service Commission, and the implications of that decision.

Governors Association To Meet In Biloxi

Governors from all 50 states will convene in Biloxi this weekend for the National Governors Association's Annual Meeting. The meeting, which brings together governors to share policy ideas, begins on July 17 with sessions devoted to infrastructure issues. Outgoing NGA Chair and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell will discuss a yearlong initiative aimed at repairing and improving state's infrastructure. The meeting will close on Monday, July 20, with a discussion of energy and the economy, and the induction of the incoming NGA Chair, Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas.

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