Jackson Jambalaya

These are of 2 of the few Federal programs that work and are cost effective.They are a pardner with State local and private agencies and organizations. They develop long range plans that direct common spending. 90% of the spending is on roads, water, sewer, buildings that create real long term jobs. Every industrial park in this state was build with funding from these 2 or another called EDA which also small. Taxes can be cut without hurting development agencies that help the country make money.

Businesses come to Mississippi for one reason and one only: Cheap labor. This
has not changed since the days of slavery. Tax cuts for the rich will simply
put icing on the cake and maintain the status quo as far as an uneducated labor
force is concerned. Some states believe in investing in the upward mobility of it's labor base, Mississippi does not. It believes in keeping things where they are.

Tax cuts can help, but it depends on how they're implemented. Our government is too big, doesn't work as intended, and not just at the state level.

When you have a reputation for ignorance, corruption, and being a judicial hellhole, it's difficult to get people to stay here. It's even harder to get businesses to invest here.

12:22 you have a point, you really you--but until you address that government corruption issue, LOL. That's why
so many "arms of the state" don't like the idea of public records or freedom of information. Want to change the status quo in MS? Start there. Simple adherence to the "transparency laws" by government entities and their pets will take a large bite out of the way things are handled in MS.

The MS Bar---- it needs to start ramping up its game or just dissolve. They have big role to play in cleaning this place up AND THEY KNOW IT.

12:22 gets it. State taxes are so small compared to federal that little tweaks here and there don't make a hill of beans difference in where people want to live or invest. The only people that remain here have family ties, because lets face it, this place sucks even if there were no taxes.

12:22; assuming your analysis is correct, so what? Would you rather they NOT come? If you have enough sense to measure the millions in payroll dollars against the thousands in tax breaks, who do you think profits most?

You obviously know nothing about Mississippi's decades long programs to educate and train our workforce. You would rather hang onto weak slogans such as 'Mississippi believes in keeping things where they are'. Step out of your BMW and visit any Community College Industrial Training and upgrade programs or visit any of hundreds of high school workforce development centers. They may not be as successful at a rate we'd all like to see, but you're a fool to suggest they do not exist. And you're an even bigger fool to suggest nobody cares. Google Greyhound and buy a ticket.

11:48, quit typing supporting comments from your government paid for computer and get back to drawing your salary (would say, get back to work but that would probably be a misnomer.)

To say that these are two programs that 'work' is ridiculous. In fact, these very statistics prove the fallacy of that statement. ARC has been around since the 60's, just as EDA has - both part of LBJ's Great Society government spending. And during that time these counties are still no better comparatively than they were then.

ARC doesn't create anything - they put a little money into everything so that they can claim credit for it; $100k into a $5 million project, and say that it wouldn't have happened without them. But all the while they gain support from local officials - who sit on their boards and benefit from their largess.

DRA hasn't been around long enough to make the same evaluation; but there is no reason to believe that this program is going to do anything more for the delta than all the other programs that the feds have started, funded and added to the alphabet soup of spending.

Ingalls Shipbuilding was the very first to partner with the State of Mississippi in a tax abatement program. How many times have those millions of payroll dollars turned over in the past sixty years?

11:48 , what do you feel are the 3 most successful Federal agencies? So do you suggest that the entire State of Mississippi be just written off since all counties are are weak and weaker by national standards?

Check into how long after the tax abatements were supposed to stop that Ingalls didn't pay taxes.

"Check into how long after the tax abatements were supposed to stop that Ingalls didn't pay taxes. August 13, 2017 at 9:34 AM"

You're making the claim. You check into it. But, by choice, you miss the point. And that's ok. Those who bitch and moan always choose to miss the point.

I don't have to check it out. I already know how long Ingalls didn't pay taxes.
Also know what happened when they were caught.

Another great example of the left setting the terms of the argument. The argument he sets is: Do tax cuts actually help...government entities (sure they don't put all of it in the headline.) And people are going to argue yes or no. I argue that I don't care. They help people keep more of the money that they earn, that is theirs.

3:25 - You're attempt at argument is hollow. That's because you don't have one. The discussion here is about whether tax cuts (abatements in the example I gave) work or don't work. Either participate in the debate or get back in the Belhaven line-dance.

3:25 still seems to not understand the argument. While we're asked to debate tax cuts and abatements, he wants to argue what Ingalls might have gotten away with fifty years ago when the tax commission failed to invoice them. But, that's OK. We will always have some people lost in the weeds.

1:51, you have not been keeping up with what is happening in your own state. It wasn't 50 years ago. Actually it was only a few years ago when someone finally had the guts to tell the people that Ingalls had not ever paid taxes.
We have people complaining about taxes when the biggest tax crooks are still working the system.

@ August 13, 2017 at 10:00 PM

"I argue that I don't care. They help people keep more of the money that they earn, that is theirs."

That's not true. Because you have to look at property taxes, sales taxes, and other consumer based taxes.

Right now the working poor and lower middle class are footing the bill to maintains Mississippi's infrastructure. So you can save that bit about people keeping more of their money.

If Mississippi wanted people to keep more of their money - then legislators would have eliminated more consumer based taxes and opted for a one-time payroll taxes.