Jackson Jambalaya

I would like to think that your focus on this developing travesty had something to do with their doing the right thing. I believe it did.

Kingfish- I would love to see a post for our Deputy US Mashal Josie Wells who gave his life today in the line of duty.

This is great news. The Biloxi paper did some good work on this. Their Sunday story on MHA PAC contributions was awesome stuff.

Of course, this begs the question, what the flock are public hospitals, who are in BAD financial shape, doing hiring lobbyists to help lobby elected officials to shield them from public scrutiny? IOW, why is the taxpayers' money being used to pay the MHA to help convince legislators to prevent the taxpayers from learning how their tax money is being wast..., er spent?

12;07, by far - probably over 75% of the Hospital Assn's money comes from the big five 'private' hospitals (Baptist, St. D, etc.) - not the public ones, so therefore the lobbying dollars aren't coming from the taxpayers. That doesn't excuse them for their atrocious positions they have taken over the years, including this attempt to hide what is the public's business from the public.

And while the MHA did contribute some of their largess on a few Republican members of the legislature, most of their dollars went to Dem candidates running against Repubs, in an attempt to keep the Repubs from taking over the House. Don't know how the media missed this little detail.

OK, at 3:29, let's use your number. That means that 25% or so IS coming from the taxpayers, whose own money is being used by the hospital management to lobby against the taxpayer's interests. The taxpayers' money should not be used to hire lobbyists to lobby their own representatives.

6:55. Taxpayer's money should not be used to hire lobbyists to lobby their own representatives. Obviously you don't hang around the state capitol much during the silly season. Most every state agency has one or more 'lobbyist' hanging around, particularly during budget times. Granted, some of these are staff rather than independent contractors, and there is a need for their input to the relevant committees for technical support sometimes for pending legislation.

But also, you will find many lobbyists (not just association groups like MHA, but individually contracted individuals) for, among other things:
1- cities and counties
2 - quasi government operations (MS Home Corp, Prison Industries, levee boards, etc.)
3 - colleges and universities, and
4 - the fourth rail of state government, the community colleges.

If you have a problem with associations spending money lobbying, you will have to start buying antiacid by the barrel if you check out all the others getting paid with 'taxpayer dollars'.