Jackson Jambalaya

This bond bill is not conservatism. The takeover of the airport is not conservatism. But, hey, we got us a gun bill and religious bill passed, so we good. Right, Mississippians?

Mississippi values.

I've always respected Lynn for kinda being that quiet, in-the-background politician that doesn't stir much up and just gets the job done. Even though I have no children, the college saving account thing she put into place, I thought, was a great idea for the citizens.
It seems like she's had enough. For an ethical person, there often comes a time when you gotta stand up and say something cause if you don't you become part of the problem.
I have no clue what LF's political aspirations are, but after reading this she would have my vote for gov.
Maybe we need a mamma bear to watch the house while the men-folk go to work. Hell she's got more balls than a lot them down at 400 High st.

Reeves might have gotten his deferred tax cut package but the list of crap he agreed to fund in the bond bill horse trade does a great deal of damage to what had been his decent record (so far) of stopping wasteful spending.

What in the world were you thinking Tate beyond campaign contributions?

What is in the bond bill specifically?

Why give tax cuts when we are borrowing so heavily to make ends meet? This has to be the most pandering legislature and Governor in a long long time.

In my humble opinion, Lynn Fitch (by writing that letter) just announced her intent to run for Governor of "THE GREAT STATE OF MISSISSIPPI". I believe that has been her plan for many years and now the time is right.

@ 10:01 is right.

I'm sorry, this letter is from whom?

She struggled mightily to hang on to the least controversial and least interesting statewide elected office. Something tells me tater ain't quaking in his Tom McCann's.

I hope she is running as we could hardly do worse!

But, the math is the math whether she runs or not.

If you continue to put party loyalty above qualifications , competence and the ethical ability to vote one's conscience, if you continue to allow politicians to play on your fears and prejudices to win your vote , if you think your intuitive feelings have more weight than the available facts, if you delude yourself that your self-interest and personal gain is always the same as that of all your fellow citizens, if you think there are never any compelling facts you don't already know so you need not bother to find out, if you don't know that not all of citizens of the State or Nation has your same limited experiences and if they disagree then it is because they are lesser citizens who must submit to the tyranny of the majority, then this is what you get and you can kiss our democratic republic goodbye. When you do look in the mirror for whom to blame!

You may be right, 11:16, about Tater not quaking in his Tom McCann's. But I don't see this about trying to make Tater, Phillup or anyone "quake." It appears to this taxpayer that it is about doing what's right for the Mississippi taxpayer.

Struggled mightily versus McRae? LOL

@11:30 describes the state of the Black Democratic voting bloc nearly to the letter.

The overweening arrogance of Tate Reeves demands an equal and opposite force. It's nature's way. If Ms. Fitch wants to take him on, I'm all for it. She will hardly be alone. What I'm wondering is whether the Governor has had enough of Tater Boy and will use the Treasurer's SOS to leverage a veto.

@ 11:41 AM
Great, enjoy your extra $20 that you will see in 2020 which comes at the expense of every public service the state offers. Which is not a lot compared to programs in other states. We don't fund enough. We are broke. The governor says we are not generating enough tax revenue. So the solution is cut more taxes. Meantime, you will see a lot of unemployed former state workers.

Perhaps he meant intellectually, and not with respect to McRae.

8:56, I believe it was Tater who initiated MPACT? Fitch just shut it down to new enrollees for awhile then reopened it with different rates that will hopefully be sustainable (as opposed to the Tater version that was going "belly up").

Now hold on 12:22, I'm (11:41) saying she did what was right for Mississippi. She is looking out for the taxpayers by opposing more debt to be saddled on all of us for a bunch of pork barrel projects. I'm not addressing tax cuts and she doesn't appear to be either. My point is she is looking out for me, you and every other taxpayer ( and future taxpayers) in Mississippi. Bond debt is like running up your credit card. And in this case it's running it up on luxury items we (taxpayers) can't afford. Tax cuts are a separate item altogether.

You must be struggling intellectually @12:23 to suggest she struggled at all.

Reeves, Hosemann and Fitch. It is going to be one helluva primary!

Our State Treasurer, Lynn Fitch, wrote a more concise and clear explanation of what occurred in the 2016 Session of the Legislature that I have heretofore read. Thanks Lynn. Now, if we could have an uncluttered and clear list of the "earmarks" contained in this proposed bloated bond bill, maybe we could understand even more.

Musgrove was faulted mightily for bonding recurring expenses. Are we back practicing to his spending?

Keep up the good work Kingfish. You give me more practical info that anyone.

She's a consistent voice of reason as treasurer. That's why she will lose--she makes too much sense and doesn't throw 'religiosity' around like a cheap toy.

Let's see, who makes the gigantic fees from this bond issue? Cut taes equals good politics. Borrowing money equals big legal fees.

I'll vote for Lynn Fitch but if anyone of you thinks she is doing all this for the tax payers you are dead wrong, she is doing this for herself---don't be so naïve! 12:47 must be employed by Lynn.

Conservative = Protect the circuit clerks from having to hand pieces of paper to gays, let the mental patients loose, start a race war so Josh Harkins can get richer, give everybody $50 back and instead issue 20 year bonds for flower bed maintenance.

This word, I do not think it means what you think it means.

Isn't Finch the one who has the commercial on tv advertising some college savings plan where all you can see is her name?

Bonds are all about the huge fees paid to lawyers

12:07 And who reelected current state leadership? Seems like that would be a more apt analogy.

@3:37 Yes that's her. She is advertising the new college savings program that replaces the one that Tate put underwater when he was Treasurer. So, yes, you are correct.

Great job, 8:56, posting for your boss. How about getting back to work over there in the Woolfolk Bldg since we are all helping pay your salary.

Lynn 'whatever her last name is this week' did not 'put into place the college savings account thing'. The college savings account thing was given to us by Marshall Bennett before he left the job, turned into a plantiffs lawyer and moved off to NYC.

Nice try to hoist her up on your petard and give her credit, but all she did was shut it down for a year to 'study' it and in the meantime screw some of the folks that were only recent investors into the program. (and no, there was no intent of irony in those chosen words.)

Fitch isn't running for Governor against Reeves.

She is running for Attorney General with the full support of her former boss Mike Moore and current AG Jim Hood.

I'm a GOP. I would be fine with Fitch as Atty General. I will be fine with Tate as Governor. I will be fine with the winner of the GOP Primary as Lt Gove... could be Hosemann or Pickering.

Tate didnt want the bond bill. So. Fitch and Tate, I think, are both on the Bond Commission and can decline to issue whatever bonds they deem wasteful.

2:18 wins the Internets. That was well crafted and dead on.

6:51 - you beat me to it. I guess I spent too much time reading through all of Lynn's employees' posting about how great she is.

But for anybody that actually keeps up with the politics of the area, Lynn has stated publically, several times, that she is running for what she anticipates to be a vacant AG office.

As to the CSP, Tate did not put it under water. If it was actually under water, it was due to the rates and terms that were set for the plan by the legislature during the previous years.

The legislature realizes one thing about bond bills that everyone here is ignoring - that is, the Bond Commission (Governor, Treasurer, and AG) can decide what projects to include or exclude from any future bond deal. The legislature has included many projects over the years that do not ever see the light of day. If Ms. Fitch thinks that these projects are inappropriate, when they get over to the commission, she can and should express her opinions there. And as is usually the case, I would bet many of them never even make it to the commission's table for a decision.

As to the CSP, Tate did not put it under water. If it was actually under water, it was due to the rates and terms that were set for the plan by the legislature during the previous years.

In 8 years Reeves did nothing to fix it despite all the signs of major problems.

But he sure as hell juiced the hell out of the CSP ad budget to increase his own statewide name recognition.

6:14, how did the recent investors get screwed over? If you were enrolled at the time the program was shut down to new applicants, you were locked in at the rates in place when you signed up, correct?

The way I understood it makes 10:02 correct. It was not the enrollee tha got screwed but rather the taxpayers. The old program was insolvent by about $140,000,000 when Fitch shut it down. The state of Mississippi guarantees the program so the enrollees have no worries. The taxpayers will bail them out to the tune of $140,000,000. Thanks Tate for making me and my kids pay for your oversight.

April 21, 2016 at 6:14 PM = Disgruntled / Defeated McRae.

I remember Haley stuck her over in the Employment Security building for about six months. Other than that, what state agency did she head up? And, if there WAS one, what did she actually know about its operation?

What state agency did Double-Chili Cheeseburger Reeves head up? Oh, that's right. None.

Tater never headed up a state agency. But then he never claimed to have headed one up. He ran for office on his own initiative rather than having to be propped up for a decade by Haley and moved around from building to building to keep her PERS account active.

But, you already knew that.

Bond bill is nothing but big spending liberalism run amuck. Period.

You think the Pillsbury Doughboy Reeves wasn't propped up by Gov Tubby Barbour? LOL LOL LOL

7:36 - While you're chuckling at your own ignorance name one or two state jobs UnKle HaiLey put Tater in. Give up already?

Lynn Fitch has ruined the State Treasury. The employees their are scared to come out of their offices. over the last four years the good state employees have left. There are only 11% of the entire workforce left from when she took office. She has increased the square footage of office space of the Treasury by app. 25% - with the same number of employees. She spent $50,000.00 on new furniture. Talk about a fiscal conservative - she is not. If you look at all the state-wide elected officials, all but one has less the $100,000.00 on hand! That's Lynn Fitch at around $6,000.00. Daddy didn't come around this time for Lynn and don't look for him to do it in the future!

@7:42 Well little Richard McRae finally surfaces. You outspent Lynn 10:1 and still got spanked soundly. Please Little Richard, accept your overwhelming defeat and move on.

Or it could be McRae's Pony Boy Lange.

Fitch will soon be a "has been", unless Cowboy Phil appoints her as director of DFA. She's a loser and always has been. Maybe one of her "friends" will come to her rescue!