Jackson Jambalaya

Currently, we have a prime example of what happens when you let short people run the state newspaper. Napoleon effect. They never last long. Short people also have difficulty with catchy headlines (sometimes it's just above their heads).

Oh, so Sam Hall (Clarion Ledger) must be really short.

Sam Hall, Heath Hall-a long line of proud little men

I don't care about the editor's height. What I care about is that I live in the state of Mississippi, which is governed (word used loosely)by the second in a line of total incompetents, Haley Barbour being just as incompetent (and that's the nicest word I can use to describe either the present governor or the previous one). I live in the most poverty-stricken state in the U.S. which, by the way, uses lots of federal money produced by taxpayers in better-run states, but which the governor and state legislature only try to make worse in every way they can--including paying an attorney $60,000 for a couple of hours work to try and defeat the efforts of citizens who CARE about the state and want to upgrade public education. The governor (and legislative members) appear to think that keeping people who can't afford private school tuition ignorant will allow the state to continue its history of dirty politics. (It's worked so far.)

Sam Hall is not short, and the anonymous commentators would never say such things to his face because in addition to being an excellent newspaper editor he is also a total bad ass capable of delivering a roundhouse to the face at the drop of a hat. Most people don't know that about him, but it's a fact. He can deliver some very bad news directly to your nose for you if needed.

Great stuff 1:05, especially the last sentence. Go watch George Carlin's skit on why public education in this country will never get better.

1:05

You are either short-sighted or short-memoried. Additionally, it is not the job of the Governor or Legislature to change the poverty level in MS.

The problem in MS is the same problem everywhere else, and is indicated by your comments. When you remove personal responsibility, people are no longer responsible. They become entitled and the whole role of government changes from being in the background, to controlling everything. It is idiotic to complain about corruptive individuals in government, while at the same time advocating more government.

There is more than enough money paid into education. The bureaucracy of public education is what should be attacked. Take public education back down to the local level without mandated influence and remove the unnecessary "management" of education. We have reached a point were there are more people employed by the government than are employed by manufacturing.

What happens when everyone is employed by the government? Who pays the income taxes? Not the employees of the government, because their income is paid BY taxes.

If you don't think Sam Hall is short, you must be sitting down.