Jackson Jambalaya

Senator Wiggins is from Pascagoula

Yeah, but where does Hosemann stand on this bill? That's what everyone is waiting on. Will we have to wait for the radio commercial to find out?

The current state of the law with regard to Community Hospitals is non-sensical. They are required to make their minutes open to the public, but there are no requirements as to what they actually put in the minutes. Technically, they could put in the minutes "We had a meeting" and that would be sufficient as long as those minutes were available to the public. This makes no sense and should be corrected.

I want to commend the efforts of Sen. Brice Wiggins-R Pascagoula, for pushing this bill just like he said he would. The day he stood up in the public meeting and stated that the SRHS scandal was just like the MsDMR scandal I knew he was taking all of this very serious. Once this becomes law we can all rest a little easier. I hope next Sen.Wiggins will write another bill that requires all public servants, both elected and appointed, to be held financially responsible for the misuse of public assets/monies of any kind by themselves or others at their direction,for any purpose that is not considered the peoples business. This type of wrongful action should be considered a felony. All individuals caught violating this new law would be required to reimburse the state or local government at a minimum, twice the actual expense of the illegal action and would also be required to give a public apology for doing so. One of the best examples of misuses that would be covered are actions like going on chartered deep sea fishing trips paid for by the taxpayers for politicians, their friends, relatives and campaign donors. This is but one example but one that Sen. Wiggins can relate to. Once this bill becomes law we can all be assured that Sen Wiggins is serious about his elected position. Once he offers a public apology for his attendance on the DMR fishing trips we can then give him our respect again.

2:22 - get over your bitterness about being left off the DMR gravy train.

Wiggins did a great job on this bill - although I disagree if he actually said (as you claim, but obviously you have a hangup about DMR) that it was 'just like' the DMR scandal. Yes, there was evidently a major scandal at DMR, perpuated by a few folks. Yes there appears to be a scandal at SRH, and it is yet to see who/what will be involved. But I disagree that the two are the same, other than they both were bad.

And - I agree with 12:49. We really won't know what the real impact of this bill will be until King Delbert tells us how he got it done.

"They are required to make their minutes open to the public, but there are no requirements as to what they actually put in the minutes."

Contracts have to be put in the minutes.

4:49 - get over your obsessive need to be considered some sort of all-knowing anonymous authority.

Wiggins has much to obscure from public view.

Reactionary politics at its best.

Maybe the establishment of a free blog "Comments Kingfish Doesn't Allow"? News of that would spread like WILDFUCKINGFIRE.

well...if the State (us taxpayers) are going to be helping hospitals by serving as debt collectors, then we ought to be able to " come" to the meetings!

5:46 - I have no obsessive need to be anything. And I am not any more 'anonymous' than you are. Put your name up there, and I'll be glad to do the same. Have no problem with putting my name on anything except it is too much trouble here on JJ. But get out of your sanctimonious attitude toward 'anonymonity' if you are going to do the same, you hypocrite.

And, by the way, its not 'obsessive'. I am all-knowing!! Sorry you have an inferiority complex about it.

Bankrupt public hospitals were discussed yesterday at the joint Ways & Means meeting at the Capitol. The reason for the Kosciusko hospital's financial collapse was not given as failure to open their meetings or expand Medicaid, but because they borrowed too heavily to renovate and upgrade. ACA requirements and out-patient competition were not faulted as committee members approved the modest state support and the Baptist takeover. More hospital problems are looming. The lobbyists at the meeting looked somewhat downcast.

Have no problem with putting my name on anything except it is too much trouble here on JJ.

The one sentence that lets us know you are full of it.

>>>The lobbyists at the meeting looked somewhat downcast.<<<

When the lobbyists realize that the public and the lawmakers now know that SRHS robbed the pension plan at the same time it was supporting and helping pay for MHA's lobbying against public access to records, that ought to leave some skid marks.

Since the legislature has a hard on for open meetings all of a sudden, how about they change their own rules to open all legislative committee meetings? And put some teeth in the current rules by establishing a penalty for holding "unofficial" meetings and negotiations without proper public notice?

Brice Wiggins should apologize to the taxpayers of Ms. for participating in the misuse of taxpayer money. He has ignored this for too long.The public will not forget it. He should also repay the money that was spent on these private chartered fishing trips. Why has he not already? Time to admit you were wrong for ignoring this Senator Brice Wiggins-R.

Apparently we have one or two coastal bloggers on JJ. Yes, the Ocean Springs gang stepping out....