Attorney General Jim Hood submitted the following column to JJ.
The
lieutenant governor of Mississippi has decided that huge tax cuts in
the face of equally large reductions in a dwindling state budget make
sense for our citizens. And yet,
nothing could be more irresponsible. To essentially ignore the health,
education and public safety of nearly three million people for political
gain is a lesson in failure. One need only look across our border at
Louisiana to see the outcome.
Six
men – few of whom represent you or me – have locked themselves in a
room at the state Capitol and decided our fate without any public input
or scrutiny. Had they taken
a moment to step outside and look around, they would have seen mental
illness, poverty, joblessness, homelessness and struggling school
students, all enveloped by crumbling streets, roads and bridges.
Instead, they closed their eyes to the real issues facing
Mississippi.
Let’s
focus on just one: mental health. As attorney general, one of my jobs
is to return money to taxpayers from unscrupulous corporations who have
done us harm, such as BP.
And in that regard we have been successful to the tune of nearly $3
billion. Most every time I’ve sent a check to our state Legislature,
I’ve included a letter asking that a portion of those proceeds be put
toward serving the needs of the mentally ill. Again,
our leadership has closed its eyes and inexplicably decided to actually
cut funds for mental health rather than increase them. The result of
this ignorance is staggering.
Case
in point: In Calhoun County, a 20-year-old mentally ill man accused of
stabbing his stepmother in 2012 remains locked up and untried for the
crime
four years later. Why? Because of our state’s lack of mental
health resources. “We are not set up to give mental care, that’s not
what county jails are,” said Calhoun County Sheriff Greg Pollan. “This
person needs treatment.”
This
man’s mental illness didn’t begin the day of the stabbing. Indications
are that it began during childhood. Could the outcome have been
different if we had the mental health
capabilities that our legislative leadership has ignored for the past
decade? We’ll never know.
The
Mississippi State Hospital at Whitfield does wonders with the resources
available to it. Unfortunately, the Legislature has not heeded my
multiple warnings and has continued
to underfund the agency as a whole. The hospital is forced to turn one
patient out to make a bed for another awaiting an evaluation of whether
they are mentally competent to stand trial or are criminally insane.
Let
me be clear: Just as bridges will begin to collapse in our state,
mental health is a public safety crisis that is primed to explode.
Even
a child understands that you can’t give away money that you don’t have.
Rather than pass large, unneeded tax cuts designed only as means of
pandering to those most able
to make large campaign contributions, our state leadership needs to
start acting like leaders. One reason Mississippi is in this current
budget mess is because of the $350 million in tax breaks our lawmakers
have handed out over the past few years. A mistake
made more than once is a choice. In this case it’s a bad one.
69 comments:
And NOTHING will be done! Oh wait, yes it will, Mr. Hood will blog about it. Thank you sir!
I see a real slap-down race for Governor coming. Hood vs Tate will prove to be a real battle and when the smoke clears Mississippi will have our first Democratic governor since Musgrove. And us Republicans will have no one else to blame than ourselves. We reelected Tate and allowed him to make rash and reckless decisions. He will pay the political price but the Republicans that have worked hard to displace the long-term Democratic regime in Mississippi will be left picking up the pieces as Tate goes to work for pops in the heating and cooling business.
AMEN 10:59. This lifelong Republican cannot wait to pull the "Hood Lever" next election. Our legislature is a total joke.
How about putting some pressure on the prescription drug abuse that often leads to perceived mental issues.
@10:59
To me it looks like Hood and Hosemann (Remember Hosemann's press release about returning his unused portion of the budget to the state? Never mind the fact that his office is fee-driven and should easily be able to cover its own expenses each year) are both gearing up for a run at the Governor's office. Honestly I would gladly take either one over Bryant or Tate.
Hood won't win the General for Governor.
How about both parties, democrats and republicans, stop some of the waste and theft that have cost more than anything else? The problems talked about above would not be a problem if the politicians were not so crooked.
People have elected democrats and people have elected republicans and there hasn't been any difference in them. How about trying to elect an honest person? If people have not learned by now that both parties are the same they should not be allowed to vote.
How about trying to elect an honest person?
Yeah, like Thad Cochran!
@11:59 Many of them are honest when they are elected and have great intentions. Unfortunately they just don't stay honest - and the transition doesn't take long. Former State Senator Tim Johnson has BRAGGED many times to many people over the years that the one thing he learned in the Senate is that "you help your friends and you F* your enemies" And just look at how he F*ed Madison County when it was no longer his friend. But he was probably an honest guy when he first took office.
I understand Tate was supposed to spare us all of shoot-yourself-in-the-foot extremist legislation like HB 1523 which is already costing Mississippi jobs and investment--how many jobs and how much investment we will never know as companies quietly delete Mississippi from their lists of potential sites so as to protect employees from the widely publicized prospect of discrimination.
So why didn't Tate step up to the plate to stop it? Leaving it to the Governor to do the right thing was obviously a mistake.
11:45. He gets 38% of the vote to actually vote (AA), and 20% of the white vote (you know, the ones that aren't rednecks), and he wins.
The problem in our state is way too many elected officials in both the state and the counties. We should reduce the number of counties as so many are no longer needed with modern transportation. Reduce the number of school districts. We also have city governments with populations of only a few hundred. So ridiculous.
AG, SoS, Treasurer and Sec of Agriculture should all be appointed. We should reduce the number of legislators.
We create our own mess here in Mississippi.
KF, what do you know about this consultant Hinds county is bringing in on the tire plant construction? Can't find much of KSA Professional Services LLC, but I did find a Jacqueline Andrews listed as a POC for Fisher Construction and MGT INC on Briarwood Drive in Jackson (along with Renna Fisher of Toyota lawsuit fame) on the Jackson MS.gov MBE listing for 2016. Hopefully different people.
I was very active in Republican politics in the 90's and got excited every time we flipped a legislator or won a statewide office.
But it's becoming clear that one-party rule is bad regardless of the party in power. You can't rein in the most extreme elements with the dumbest ideas. The path of least resistance is the path to religious grandstanding and starving the state budget.
Long story short, I'd seriously consider voting for Hood, not because I think much of him personally, but just to put a check on the excesses of my own party.
I really cannot understand Republican backlash because our legislature cut taxes (well, they will be cut come 2018) and reduced spending (well, not reduced spending, but instead reduced the amount of the increase.) Aren't Republicans supposed to want to reduce spending, cut the size of government, and lower taxes? Now, some Republicans are in tears because government won't have as much to spend as it thought it was going to have -- even though it IS an increase. Unbelievable.
All in for Hood. Tater better watch out. He's got a champion to defeat.
What's the matter, Fish? Didn't like the comment that Mental Health could stand some cuts, despite being Hood's favorite charity?
@ 11:45: Yeah, they said the same thing nextdoor about John Bel Edwards.
Sock puppetry run amok already on this one KF.
Tate let his ego grow exponentially and unchecked. He's overplayed his hand and stepped on too many R toes. He rose to power quickly and he will fall hard. Hood will win with at least 55% of the vote and he will have the support of many influential R's.
12:10, sure Thad is an honest politician but how do you explain why he paid people to vote for him. Doesn't really sound very honest to me but different people have different morals. Politicians do not have any morals.
Gonna be fun to watch Jimmy the Hair troop up and down Mississippi telling voters that he would ask the legislature to increase taxes.
2:00pm Tate's warchest has grown to over $10M. He has mastered the pay to play game. No wonder he didn't want campaign finance reform; his family is sitting pretty.
2:05 Crumbling infrastructure must be addressed no matter what party you are loyal to. We have arrived at that place down the road where the can was kicked.
@ 2:04 I though everyone knew that Thad didn't pay anyone. The "Thad paid for Votes" lie was created by the KKK crowd who PAID a black preacher in Meridian to lie about it.
@ 1:06 You're the smartest guy on the board. Reduced the number of counties to 20 and cut the salaries of legislators to $1,000 a year and no per diem past 45 days. With the Internet, legislators don't really need to come to Jackson.
Just like the Kenyan this looks like Hood trying to lead from behind.
The time to raise bloody hell is immediately before and during the session. Not afterwards.
2:23, what does it take to convince you that neither party is going to address the crumbling infrastructure? Both parties have been in power several times and still have done nothing. I know people here in Ms. are not known for their intelligence but looks like they would learn after so many years of the people getting screwed by both parties.
Jim Hood won't run for governor.
Elected officials are elected to represent the interests of their constituents. I don't see any who are out for anyone but themselves.
As for Hosemann, if you all only knew............................
It does my heart good to see government have to tighten its belt. Does anyone seriously believe any of these agencies can't do with a lot less? Quit whining Jimmy Sue. Most of us will never notice the budget cuts. Kudos to the legislature for cutting taxes.
If Hood is elected Gov will he move to Jackson or run the state from his house? Can't wait to see his appointments all plaintiff attorneys. Tate might just have overplayed his hand this year and it could cost him.
Not of fan of Tate or Hood, but Hood would be a disaster. I do agree that we need to shrink the overall spending. I suggest shrinking the size of the Legislature, but that is just another one of my Pigs Flyin' statements.
TATE IS IN TROUBLE #rememberMississippi
I have been reading the comments and thinking about what you said about being a Republican and wanting Hood to beat Tate for Governor...
And, I think I am a Republican that is proudly going to vote for the guy who says he is going to cut government and cut taxes...
AND THEN HE ACTUALLY DOES IT!
As with many things, the solution is easy. Public financing of elections. No outside contributions. Only money allowed to be spent on a campaign must come from public financing. No more briber...lobbyi...governmental relations. If you can't contribute to a candidate, thus the candidate can't get rich from getting elected, one might actually get some of those mythical honest types, and with no chance for graft, they might stay that way. I think all would be amazed how quickly the session could be if you take out the special interests. That's this states and this countries only hope. And there is zero chance of it happening.
Jim Hood will kick that rosy cheek's ass.
Are there two more inconsequential Senators than David Blount and John Horhn? Yes, yes, yes llooonnnnngggggg on the talk but without any political weight to actually accomplish anything.
5:41, sounds like a good idea but we have one problem. The politicians would have to want to do it and there isn't any that would. We, the people, gave the politicians the right to make their own rules. They now have a different set of rules than we do. Something that would put us in jail is perfectly legal for them. It is already too late. The politicians are the ruling class and we are the peons. It is too late to change anything. We will have to hit rock bottom before anything ever changes, and we will hit rock bottom.
Does anyone remember when the U.S. was the leading democracy in the world. Not now, we have dropped to 20th place.
Considering his own well publicized marital difficulties General Mullet won't be able to escape supporting Clinton in November and facing stories like this:
When I met Bill Clinton and the first time we were together
Bill and I enjoyed each other’s company and yes, we had fun. My young friend made me feel special, like he’d rather spend time with me than anyone else.
Bill’s not the most handsome man I’ve known but he made me feel like my breasts were the right size, my legs were the perfect length, I had an incredible body and, on top of all that, I was beautiful. There aren’t many men who know how to make a woman feel that way.
Bill could sometimes be a clown in the bedroom and… I soon guessed why. As long as our relationship stayed playful, I might not take a “second look” at the size of his penis. Yes, it performed well but, it was a little-boy penis that just never quite–grew-up.
Bill was multi-faceted in bed which made up for his small package. He had an array of talents, like being a marvelous kisser, toucher, and possessing a mouth that operated with perfect precision. I have no doubt Bill perfected his oral-sex skills by practicing on women other than Hillary.
Though I doubt Hood will find himself having to pay for votes from black Democrats.
The AG states, "Had they taken a moment to step outside and look around, they would have seen mental illness, poverty, joblessness, homelessness and struggling school students, all enveloped by crumbling streets, roads and bridges."
So how much do we have to pay for your social engineering fix Mr. Hood? You want me to pay to fix a social and cultural meltdown (mental illness, poverty, joblessness, homelessness and struggling school students - your words) that your party not only orchestrated, but use to get elected! We don't have enough money in the entire state budget to fix all the issues you raise. Especially when so few actually pay taxes.
Riddle me this...how does TX, TN, FL, SD, etc prosper WITHOUT a state income tax?
Trump 2016.
6:45 that's why I said there is zero chance of it happening. It ain't bad enough yet. People can, for the most part, still eat. Soon, all the gay/transgender Mexicans sneaking across the border to break into your house to steal your guns to use to abort your babies and/or gay marry your son/daughter won't matter. Eventually, enough people will wake up and realize the long con that has not only been perpetrated on them, but that they have actively encouraged and supported.
We are not only in another Gilded Age, it's damn near Neo Fuedalism. I'd imagine the people in the early 1900's would have thought that there was nothing that could be done to fix their political system, like us today. But they did. The Wisconsin Idea. The 17th amendment. Social Security, labor laws, etc. Granted, I'm kinda combing eras but the point is, eventually the Father Coughlins, and take your pick of your modern carny barker, gets drowned out by the people. It just has to get bad enough for that peaceful "overthrow" of the bought and paid for whores to happen. Let milk keep going up, and it won't be long.
Barbour KKKlan better pucker up and get ready to kiss some ass. Trump is going to win in November.
Texas is a lot bigger and wealthier with half the politicians and meet every two years. How did this state get so screwed up.
I'm a life-long conservative but this session was horrible. I've said before....u can't cut budgets and expect results without being able to eliminate services or personnel. Departments don't have that - they have to still provide the same services (by law) and they can't cut staff. How do u expect that to work out?
Say I own a McDonald's franchise. I have 3 meals out of 10 that are losing money. I don't cut all 10 to offset the loss of 3....I either restructure those 3 to make them profitable or I cut them altogether. I don't kill the ones hat are making a profit - I go after the ones that are not.
I know government does not make money like this but the point is: Take the time, get down into the weeds, and find out what is working and what is not.
Just my opinion.
I've said before ...
No kidding. You are a freaking broken record.
@10:28.....then fix the record
What was the point of the 'Bill Clinton's Little Penis' post?
11:18am It's not difficult to tell the difference between substance abuse and mental illness or whether both problems are present if you can get the person evaluated. I think the lack of funds to get the person evaluated and "dried out" or treated is concerns Mr. Hood.
Frankly, I'm in the highest tax bracket and I'd rather my taxes be raised significantly by more than the tax cuts to have a safer community and better education. But, then, some things are more important to me that money and I don't need more " stuff".
The problem to be is not revenues as much as it is that our legislature is notoriously for using revenues to feather their own nests!
Frankly, I'm in the highest tax bracket and I'd rather my taxes be raised significantly ...
So you make at least $10,000 annually in MS taxable income. WOW, I'm impressed. We'll be sure to value your anonymous opinion more highly!
Hood is a pawn to trial lawyers and his troop of auto body shop pimps. He's allowed Mr. Clinton Body shop to spew his rhetoric and file suit as he damn well pleases all the while letting him chauffer him around the state in his airplanes during campaign season. You think the good ole boy system is bad now, it'll be tenfold worse if Hood is in office as gov.
Yes that is the Same Jackie Andrews from Fish and Fisher.
Well, the Clarion Ledger just put out a story that Jackie Andrews just received a contract to assist with finding Continental Tire vendors. My friend ran into Jackie a couple of weeks ago. It was recommended (?) that he pay $1,000 to be on the “preferred” list of Continental vendors She explained that the money would be to prepare specific Continental Tire forms and to fast track his company.
I wasn’t sure, but now that I see her in the paper I guess it’s legit. The paper said that she is being paid $75,000.
Just wondering…Why must companies pay for the opportunity to do work with Continental? Can companies pay Hinds County directly to be on the “preferred” list?
Hinds County should clarify.
open blog on KSA Professional Services/Fisher Fisher/Jackie Andrews
"lists" were mentioned at the last Hinds Co Board of Supervisors meeting. -there something there
I hear there were questions regarding the award of the contract
Politicians know the people very well.
They know they can depend on many people just by belonging to a certain party. They do not have to do a damn thing, just be a member.
Both parties know they will have to trade places in power every so often. They can and do anything they want to make themselves and their friends more wealthy. They know people will forget in a short while especially if they blame the other party for something.
Politicians know people will excuse anything their party does at the same time damning the other party for the same acts.
In short, the politicians know the people are the same as they are. As long as they can get something for nothing they are for it no matter how much it cost other people.
She is bad news
"As for Hosemann, if you all only knew............................"
Now, May 3, 2016 at 4:04 PM, if there was something to know, you'd be typing more on the page than a bunch of dots.
5:41, your solution, albeit the typical liberal solution, doesn't work as well as you claim. It would be totally unconstitutional to say that an individual could not spend his own money on his own campaign. You know, that pesky little 1st Amendment thing. So with your solution, rich people could buy themselves the office - something they have been doing for a long while. (Senator Kohn, WI; Senator Rockefeller, WV; and don't forget the new nominee Donald Trump, NY). And how would you establish the amount of public financing available to individuals? The supervisor running for office in Wilkinson County doesn't need nearly as much money as the one running in Hinds or Rankin. Same for Mayor - compare Rolling Fork to Jackson.
What are you going to do about all those organizations that 'lobby' for their member's interests - AARP, NRA, Baptist Church........ Can they not spend any money?
More importantly, what about the media. You know, that pesky little 1st Amendment sticks its head up there as well. They report the "news" and also editorialize. You can't stop them so your proposal strengthens their role.
Nice try, but it isn't a solution.
@12:46 - the Senators overrode Tate's opinion once the Pentacostals stormed the Capitol and the phone lines. As much as people like to claim his vote is the only non-vote that controls everything in the Senate, it ain't always so.
12:29, I think the "As for Hosemann" can type plenty. And over time, it will be typed. There are many stories there to be told and once he sticks his head out further from his shell at SOS where people/press don't pay much attention, the dots will turn into words. Lots of words..
......................................................
Hood's hairdo indicates HE may be a Pentecostal. But that's nunna my bidness.
What the hell does Bill Clintons willy have to do with this post!?
5:46 he needs to be on any thread that involves crooked politicians.
I'd rather Hood move the governor's residence to his patio in Houlka than have Tate build another $50 million dollar state building in Rankin County.
As a registered Republican, I'd vote for Jim in a heartbeat. I can't image Tate Reeves or Delbert as Gov. Poor poor choices. Both are men that have no character.
As a registered Republican, I'd vote for Jim in a heartbeat.
Self-disqualified as a FRAUD and TROLL.
6:54 - or he might not live in Mississippi, where we do not have party registration.
Fraud, troll, and/or ignorant. Probably all.
Hood will not run for gov. The Dem nom will be Presley. Maybe the Starkville major. GOP either Hosemann or Tater. Maybe Gunn but flag position kills him.
"Of course, real progress demands real leadership. And real leadership is selfless, not self-serving. Real leadership places the interests of the state over those of a select few. Real leadership means serving the least among us without expecting anything in return."
The mere fact that jim hood could make this statement after all his paying lawyers that do no work, contracts with his good ole lawyer buddies and all the other corrupt activities he has absolutely no shame in using his position and he can with a straight face make this comment.
Real leadership is selfless-- interest of the state over SELECT FEW --expect nothing in return I mean all I can say is REALLY REALLY jim boy said that. This must be a joke?? One of the top corrupt people in Jackson-- what a big big BIG pair he has. More disturbing is he thinks all of us are that stupid. Although maybe some of us are--he does keep getting elected in spite of not even trying to hide all the under handed things he does.
WHY SHOULD HE CHANGE ???
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