Jackson Jambalaya

** PEOPLE OF BYRAM **

Please ASK yourself WHY Harvey Johnson is lobbying the House to deprive THE CITY OF BYRAM from a vote on the Rankin-Hinds Pearl Flood and Drainage Control District Levee Board.

Jackson RESIDENT Senator David Blount. Where the F'CK are YOU?

This is typical Harvey Johnson. This is about "me" (him), and not "us" (what is best for the citizens). He is all freaked out about control, and actually chewed Mary Coleman out for supporting the "white business" community in Jackson, for her support of the Two Lakes project. Shit.

We get what we deserve. And Donna Ladd fuck off. You are one dumbass, stupid, not in this world, immature bitch. When this all comes out, and it will take years, save all of the shit your $30k robot Lynch writes.

I wish there as a thing like the Ledger has where you could click "recommend" to the post above. Or "like".

You just had to give me a project, didn't you?

This whole "cloaked in secrecy" hack job is really quite unbelievable. We can't get together and figure out how to stop flooding, because of provincial politics.

Just an observation: there are alot of angry folk bloggin about all kinds of things on this Jackson Cochese site! Chill!!

Just an observation: there are alot of angry folk bloggin about all kinds of things on this Jackson Cochese site! Chill!!

Are you somebody?

Kingfish the contradictory actions of Jackson's Mayor are not lost on legislators from outside the metro area. Which means most of the House and Senate.

What they see is Harvey Johnson on one hand begging and pleading to anyone who will listen for free money to fix any of Jackson's legion of problems.

Then, on the other hand, they see Harvey Johnson staunchly opposing a project that could greatly benefit his city and address, in some part, the crisis of Jackson's rapidly shrinking tax base.

No, we don't have a statewide majority gung-ho to do Two Lakes. That isn't the point. It isn't about Two Lakes.

It is the 'have one's cake and eat it too' mentality of Jackson.

Now the Legislature sees Harvey Johnson pushing to stop other communities, Byram specifically, from having a seat at the table.

Jackson can't have it both ways. But that is what most legislators see that the city is demanding.

7:45Am.......... Probably not on here!

8:10

I think that's an accurate and fair assessment. Johnson represents and has always represented this notion that Jackson is an island jewel separate from, but the crown of, Mississippi. He represents a group that seemingly would just assume fail rather than see someone else succeed.

Jackson needs representatives willing to view Jackson as part of the metro area. We need more metropolitan cooperation, planning and inter-activity. Instead of pushing back against the surrounding area, Jackson needs to bring them to the table as a whole and work together to improve the overall area instead of bickering about crumbs that does not help any individual area.

To those that say the other areas need to do the same, I say that Jackson is the largest part, the central figure, and should provide the lead in trying to grow the whole area.

Agree with your sentiment JDBerry.

Unfortunately Jackson has historically interpreted their leadership role to mean a 'my way or the highway' type of approach to metro cooperation.

Something as simple as the widening of County Line road or the blatant attempt to forcibly occupy (to tax grab) Byram doesn't give anyone the impression that Jackson wants to be a friendly partner.

Jackson has shown little will and even less ability to solve its own problems. Thinking that the rest of the metro is going to follow their lead and model is folly.

Even today to coerce the area to embrace Jackson-defined 'common goals' too many Jacksonians, especially the cult downtown, resort to mindlessly repeating their latest mantra that the suburbs won't be able to thrive and survive without Jackson.

That simply isn't true. It has never been true. Repeating it ad nauseum won't make it true.

Then you have the loud wails from Jackson that the suburbs are poaching city businesses. How absurd and myopic. Businesses are leaving Jackson for their own reasons and it 99% of the time it is either profit and/or safety related. Whining that businesses are being poached is the same old issue avoidance that doesn't treat the illness nor address the symptoms.

When Jackson comes around figuring out that it is only 1/3 (and shrinking) of the metro and loses their top-down approach to local collaboration then maybe we'll find the suburbs receptive.

I wouldn't place any bets that it will happen soon.

I disagree with one aspect here.

Jackson HAS to adopt a top-down approach to local collaboration. Jackson should be the leader. Jackson is the heart and center of the metro area but has to rid itself of this notion that it's entitled to anything just because it's the Capitol.

It has to accept that... while accepting the responsibility of it's own actions. Which means opening up and becoming more collaborative with the surrounding area and working with, instead of against them. This childish BS of attempting to assign blame for this or that does nothing to generate goodwill towards combining resources to develop an overall business-friendly metro area.

Jackson has to lead, but lead by example, not by coercion.

No one is going to follow Jackson until they are confident that Jackson has its own problems well in hand.

Kinda like the Madison County Board of Supervisors do.

The question everyone should be asking is "what deal did Harvey cut with Gary Rhoads, Joe Waggoner, Carl Ray Furr and Andrew Jenkins?"
Follow the MONEY.......

The problem with the Jackson Metro is that everyone seems to try to look for problems with each other rather than come up with ideas to improve the whole. We should be analyzing and competing with other metros like Birmingham and Memphis and NOT competing with ourselves. Jackson is and should be the leader of our metro, but it will take everyone putting their swords down to accomplish this - regardless if you're from Jackson, Madison, Ridgeland, Flowood, Brandon, Pearl, Clinton, Richland or Byram.

Go preach that to the Levee Board, Pollyanna.

That should be preached to every Metro citizen.

What's worse is that it shouldn't have to be preached in the first place.

Go preach that to McGee, Hawkins, Rhoads, Pollyanna. Aultman gets it.

If you think the Birmingham area is some model of cooperative virtue then you obviously don't know what you don't know.

Jackson is and should be the leader of our metro

Jackson has only 32% of the metro's population. Jackson is shrinking, not growing. Being the largest city doesn't automatically bestow leadership. Nobody owes Jackson anything.

I don't understand the comments about Byram. None of the bills proposed change whether or not Byram should have a seat on the Levee Board. Current law allows for "new municipalities incorporated within the district".

http://www.mscode.com/free/statutes/51/035/0317.htm

*** Journalists should be very careful about trespassing on private property. ***

Who said anything about Birmingham being a cooperative virtue? 9:25 simply said that the Jackson metro should be competing with other metros instead of competing with ourselves.

@ 11:00, what does Jackson being 32% of the five county metro area have to do with anything. In the same regard, Madison makes up only 3% and Flowood doesn't even make up 1%. And who said that anybody owed Jackson? Get your head out of your arse.

We're not competing with ourselves.

2:20, what Jackson metro do you live in?

The notion that the metro is competing with itself is only the whiny bitches in Jackson making excuses for their shortcomings.

The notion that only whiny bitches are located in Jackson shows that you suffer from denial more than anyone I've ever seen - EVEN THOSE WHO SUFFER FROM IT IN JACKSON. I suppose you believe in global warming too.

Give us an example where two cities in the metro other than Jackson are at each other's throats and said conflict makes the metro overall less competitive. Whiny bitch.

3:34 It's people like you that keep us all from moving forward. Congratulations.

@2:20, who are you referring to when you say "we"?

Looks like the whiny bitch @ 3:52 is ducking the question. Typical of the strain of whiny bitches found in Jackson.

Ridgeland and Madison HATE each other. HATE.

So what? How does that make the metro non-competitive versus other metro areas?

Let me guess ... the same peeps saying metro in-fighting makes the area less competitive ... are the same peeps saying that O'Neill is worth a $380,000 annual salary in part because he supposedly kicks ass promoting the area. LMAO.

Actually, it's people like you who talk shit about other people in order to look "cool" that keeps Mississippi... well, Mississippi. Keep it up "cool cat."

@4:39, if you don't have the common sense to figure out that people bickering with each other is less productive that working together, then this conversation should have ended a long time ago. Save your breath fellas, on to the next topic.

You are over here too Mr. Quack Quack? Way to duck the question.

No, this non-competitive spin is just that, spin. The metro isn't non-competitive because Madison and Ridgeland bicker.

We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves.

Me thinks the folks over at JFP are abusing the anonymous posting over here....Kingfishaboooi, Kingfishabooi, Kingfishaboooi...

We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves.

Jackson has been lying to itself for decades.

Don't you love how everyone becomes a comedian when they're anonymous? Most of these fools would piss themselves if they were on stage under the spotlight.