Jackson Jambalaya

This ought to be good

I guess it's safe to say that Mr. Reeves and Mr. Hood are not "like family".

Ho hum, the same two rednecks in a fight again.

“Governor-Elect Hood, please raise your right hand and repeay after me....”

Go Jim go! Plenty of smoke there!!! Now, please go after Gunn and the peddling of his influence!!!

The question is, what other entities may be probing into this matter? Possibly a quieter and more covert approach by the FBI? I suspect there has been a flurry of checking old email traffic by some of Tate’s inner circle (all three of them). And how will Tate’s confidants behave when questioned by suits toting Glocks. Or sitting at a grand jury table. Interesting times indeed.......

Losers: Tate Reeves, Dick Hall Winners: Jim Hood, multiple Republicans and Democrats lining up to run against Dick Hall since a giant opening has formed.

Hillary vs. _____(add your favorite Democrat posing as a Republican), Mississippi style?

The lone actor who could give a shit: Mayor Rhoads. He isn’t running for anything ever again.

This is the most fun I’ve had all day.

Nothing but political show on the part of Hood. If there was any legal question about this project and its development, Hood would need to be asking for a hell of a lot more appropriations to hire another couple dozen lawyers to look into every other action of the legislators. Hell, just the Medicaid contract that some members tried to get overturned so that their buddies/cronies at the Hospital Assn wanted is much more damning than this road - and its not even in question as to who said what when.

Legislators have put individual projects into bills every year since time immemorial - wonder why Hood thinks this particular claim by Pender (unsubstantiated and unproven - but that's evidently beside the fact) should be investigated. Other than, of course, it was set up by Hood's supporters - or rather, Tate's detractors - as we approach next year's elections.

Anybody that thinks that (1) anything of any substance will come of Hood's "inquiry", you're enjoying a wet dream; (2) thinks that there will be any evidence of Reeves having done anything not just illegal, but improper, relative to the frontage road, you're buying into Pender's and the CL's mixed storyline without any substantiation, and therefore -- see #1 above.

Good. The public needs to know how two subdivisions managed to get their own $2M+ private road along with landscaping they wanted along it approved and paid for by our state highway funds.

Imagine, instead of another road, they took a quarter of that money and invested it in the zoo... Instead, they're cutting the staff's pay in half and basically shutting the thing down.

I am so ashamed of the city, state, and everyone with any decision making authority at the zoo. How many good, young, educated people are going to be collecting unemployment because of our sh*t state and city?

I ain't got shit for either Hood or Reeves, but if I were Reeves and I received this letter from Hood I would respond with two words: Fuck Off!

Some junior pissant on Hood's staff thought it would be cool around the office to pen this letter and apparently Hood thought so too.

6:11 - what are these timeline discrepancies you speak of? Tate supporters have gone to that well several times already yet I haven’t seen proof of these “issues.”

Let me guess: next step is to simply declare all of this fake news?

7:12 - you seem to have it backwards. You want Reeves to prove that he didn't make the 'request/demands' that Pender implied?

That's not how it works - Reeves has stated that he didn't and asked MDOT (or CL for that matter) to provide any evidence that they have to make the claim. It was Pender that tried to tie together the expansion of Lakeland Drive and the Frontage Road into one project - and claim further that Reeves was the reason that MDOT was building the frontage road.

Your theory is that you want Reeves to prove a negative. Hope you don't plan to continue your career into the legal profession - as it is, about all you seem to qualify for is a member of the media. For the real world, those that make the claim (Pender) are the ones that need to be able to back their s**t up.

Miss. Code Ann. § 65-1-86

The attorney general shall, WITH OR WITHOUT a request by the state highway commission, bring any lawsuit, in the name of the state highway commission, to recover any monies lost through illegal contracts, fraud, false pretense or any other criminal act, AND the highway commission SHALL, at the direction of the attorney general, supply internal audits or perform any other necessary act to furnish the attorney general with any evidence pertaining to such loss for use by the attorney general in the preparation of said lawsuits.

i.e. boom

Jim Hood, if you are going to be our first Democratic governor since Musgrove, please for the love of god cut that Conway Twitty mullet!! You look RIDICULOUS!!! Cut your f*cking hair Hillbilly Jim!!!

Do we have to pay for the lawyers Tater needs?

McGrath has pissed on an ant hill the size of the coliseum. Mark my word, there will be NO evidence of Tate, Harkins or Kirby (the two senators that cover this area) doing anything I nnapropriate or pulling at MDOT. I am not sure who that leaves for Melinda to pin this on.

I am making the prediction- Melinda will ceremoniously resign to "pursue other opportunities" wink wink (or as we say on the street- got that ass fired), Hood will not run for gov, and there will be a move to make the exec dir of MDOT a governor appointee. The latter is loooong overdue. Regardless of who is Gov D or R.

Goodnight now!

Picture this: Tate. In. Handcuffs

Jim Hood knows state highways. He drives down to Jackson about once a month. Why? Nobody knows. His state paycheck is auto deposited.

9:57-BEST POST OF THE CENTURY. All you need is an IQ higher than room temp to know Tate was 100% behind this waste of dollars that don’t belong to him. He’s full of shit if he thinks anyone believes his bullshit. Dick Hall-you are a dumbass trying to take the fall for Tater.

I don't think Tater is smart enough to cover his tracks. He's hoping they're covered, but he knows it's too late to cover them if they ain't.

People who aren't particularly fond of him are holding the emails.

I know many high ranking Republicans officials and supporters in this state. Unless they’re all lying (for no apparent reason) they’d vote for Hood over the Red Faced Minion Reeves if it came down to it in the governor’s race. He’s a momma’s milk whiny ass brat.

Tate is no fiscal conservative. He just directs government waste to his own pet projects. What a hypocrite.

J. Gregory special. The most strategic player on the field strikes again.

Great cut and paste, 831. But what does,tgat have to do with the price of eggs in China?

Even if, and there has been not a scintillating evidence of this, but if Tater did pressure MDOT for this road, there has been no illegal action. Any question is political, which is all that the article fed to Pender and written by him was intended to be. And that's all this posturing by Conway is about.

Illegal? Politics from the legislature? Or, for that matter, from an elected executive branch official. Nooooo. Please tell me it ain't so.

Even if it is true that the LG exerted influence to build that road (which I don’t think it is), how in the hell is that illegal or worthy of an investigation? That’s what the LG and legislators do. They influence legislation. This appropriation was passed by the legislature and signed by the governor. Hood is spending money on an investigation designed to provide the Democratically controlled Mississippi Today and Clarion Ledger with bullets to shoot at a Republican candidate. That’’s all this is about. Hood’s last stand.

Can't wait for those great campaign commercials of Conway in camo sitting on his tailgate oiling up his shotgun before a good family bird hunt. He works in his garage too.

...my 72 year old mother just had to take a drug test...and I am a motherfucker, so I'd like to get in someone's ass...

No idea who THE Glenn Brown is, but he just creeped the hell out of me.

I imagine he plays a mean banjo.

I don't understand why the powers that be haven't found funds to pay for a road off Lakeland that that provides access to Riverside Park, our Children's museum and Natural Science Museum. The road also is a link for traffic over the interstate .

From Lakeland to the Junior league building ,Riverside Drive has been in dire need of attention for at least 30 years. Indeed, I suspect it was " the roller coaster road" from the day it was poorly constructed in the days when the political corruption in the industry and highway commission created the legendary stories still told .

Jim Hood just lost the election on this one

You can bet your sweet ass this is nothing but political from Hood. You can also bet your sweet ass that if Conway Twitty is elected Guv'nah, what his body shop buddy over in Clinton who takes pride in perfection couldn't get away with after his failed attempt at Insurance Commish'nah, Hood will be trying to pass his $100/hr body shop legislation, biting the insurance hand that feeds him. If you want to know why auto insurance rates are rising, you can thank the redneck with the airplanes that fly Hood around.

Ha Hood's office can't even convict RSS when he broke the law. What a waste of time.

Hood is probably two steps behind the Fibbies.Tater better hope it was all verbal.

Dick Hall has been in over his head since he was first elected.

Good job Jim. Break this shit up at the door as Kim Wade would say!

I love how JPS wasting tax dollars is worthy of scathing coverage, while wasting millions on an unneeded road is a “food fight” and just politics.

9:45 -- I don't think he really cared if all the grocery getters had to cross Lakeland to get their Chic-Fil-A in the first place. But, what exactly would the "Fibbies" be after him for? Influencing where the legislature appropriates road funds? That simply isn't illegal. Hell, it's not even unethical. It is what the legislature does. It decides where the taxpayers' money is spent. What in the hell are you suggesting was illegal?

I love how Tater and Dickie are scrambling to cover their tracks and Ole Gary Rhoads is kicked back in Flowood laughing about their stupidity.

Parks vs Josh. Gonna be fun. My money is on Josh.

10:14am

Your love life sucks

Mississippi politics as usual.
Chris McDaniel's with sort it all out.
Yes Sir we BOB!

Assuming reports are accurate, a couple of hundred grand of mods to the intersection of the current Taterhood Drive and Lakeland were recommended by an engineer 4 or 5 years ago and nothing done. Then Taterhood Parkway gets proposed by someone and then, 3 or 4 hundred grand is spent on the land rights.

Public road construction is a long-used method to improperly transfer public funds into private pockets because it is often impossible to prove (or disprove) anything. Moreover, it is one of the few areas in which there is absolutely no privately-funded activity which to compare publicly-funded activity, i.e., there are no private highway systems, so there is no way to determine that private highway projects of similar size and scope would help establish that such-and-such a cost ought to be X dollars. Think of a public building - if there is excessive monkey business, it is a simple matter to show that, for example, it doesn't cost $100.00 a sq. ft. to install drywall (which lots of folks, from honest contractors to people who had homes built to even a lot of the drywall laborers, would know as ridiculous). But what about establishing what is "reasonable and customary" per mile of 4 lanes of state highway over exactly the same topography, ground and drainage conditions, etc? $100,000 a mile? $1,000,000.00 a mile? $10,000,000.00 a mile? Very, very few people would even have a rough idea of what is reasonable, or really, be able to objectively question whatever the amount.

Anyway, back to Taterhood Parkway. I have a hunch that if such amounts were paid, the $3-400,000 in access cost is a clue. I don't know if it will be an "AHA!" clue or there is more to it, but that money needs to be traced and the contract that went along with the payment examined carefully. And second, somebody needs to explain why, if it was actually recommended by a disinterested engineer, the $200,000 intersection mod was not done and alleged problem solved back when.

I think Hood has dirt somewhere he would not risk his reputation with his plans for the gov race over this unless he has proof. He is not dumb he is doing something right to be the only statewide democratic office holder for over 14 years and counting. He has something whether it will bring Tate down or not don't know yet. Will have to wait and see, but it sure will make the Neshoba county fair a lot more fun.

I have it on good authority that the governor will appoint a commission headed by Marshal Fisher to investigate. The are a few drug stores that are at the end of this road that dispense cosine.

Problem is, this project was going to be awarded with Federal Money for "Safety Reason"
The probe into this is far from over when you try to use the Fed's money for your own private drive.

@10:40 you are right. Josh over Parks for sure. That’s like Hulk Hogan vs Gomer Pyle. Lol

"Problem is, this project was going to be awarded with Federal Money for 'Safety Reason'. The probe into this is far from over when you try to use the Fed's money for your own private drive."

Hmm...I wonder if federal money was used to buy the right-of-way for Tater Drive.

The plot thickens!

12:39
The State has to use State Funds for Preliminary Engineering, Right of Way and Utility Relocation for a project like this before the Feds step in allow the awarding of the contract using Federal Funds. Either way it would have been a whole lot better if Tater would have instructed to only use State Funds for the entire project.

Should get interesting to see what happens when FHWA looks into this.

This thing needs a name. I humbly submit...

Tater-gate

I've called it the "Taterhood" as a humorous ready ID, but it is a neighborhood, not just Tater's home/property. I kinda know the neighborhood - it is (almost?) exclusively nouveau redneck riche types who think a $400-600,000.00 home in such a neighborhood is just about the end of the rainbow. I have little doubt that the Totster isn't the only person in it who sees themselves as a real high-stepper and well-connected cracker. So, here's the questions:

1. Who else lives/owns property in the Taterhood and might have had something to do with Taterhood Parkway?
2. Who owns the property that was going to be honored with Taterhood Parkway?

I think the AG should ask our new auditor who came from the government watchdog committee to look at this as well, but I have to wonder if they only watch the officials they don't like. It will be interesting to see if they are interested in corruption of their own.

2:18
An answer to question 1, a former Rankin County Chancery Clerk, with questionable ethics.

12:07 it is more like Hulk Hogan vs Pee Wee Herman

Senator Dean Kirby's daughter lives next door to Tate.

Like asking snakes to hand you their their old scales as you gaze at the pit from whence they slither.

While you're at it, check out that underground tunnel leading from Half Shell Oyster Bar to Tate's neighborhood. Important people should not have to experience the same inconveniences as the proletariat.

I'm reminded of this on college game day when a trooper passes me going 88 mph with no blues on.

How does Reeves afford to live in this exclusive gated community when he makes $60,000 per year?

Did anyone happen to catch Marshall Ramsey Cartoon this morning? I bet little Tater Tot was pissed about that. So the question is does this TateHood drama bring another Republican out of the race to run for Governor? Can Josh Gregory talk Delbert in to finally pulling the trigger for Governor or is Delbert scared of Tatertot and his money?

Tatergate is just beginning. His arrogance and higher/mightier than thou attitude has smacked him Square in the nose. Tatergate will be fun to watch unfold.

"How does Reeves afford to live in this exclusive gated community when he makes $60,000 per year?"

In fairness to both Tater and Elee, neither are dummies. Both are educated, both are CFAs (Certified Financial Analysts), and he was and she is a professional investments/assets manager. They likely have a $250,000-plus annual income as a couple and hopefully reasonably astute and unquestionably legit "market" investments. Go the other way and assume they are like many such couples and live "paycheck to paycheck" to "keep up with the Joneses." Even then, they almost certainly have the income between them to make the note, even if it isn't long-term prudent. Either way, a $500K house doesn't indicate anything. Now, if it came out they were chartering yachts in St. Tropez and G5s for date nights in Paris, that would be one thing, but such a home for such a couple at today's rates? Nothing to see here, but moving along is up to you.

As to Elee, it would neither surprise nor concern me to learn that some of her clients who have nothing to gain directly or indirectly from her being Mrs. Tater, such as widows with absolutely no political interests at all, became clients solely because of who she is. There is and would be nothing untoward about that, it's human nature. I've never heard even a whisper of anything improper about her, but I haven't listened for it or sought it out either.

This is anecdotal, but I've had (only) a few purely social interactions with them, and politics aside, both seem like bright, earnest young people. Granted, to varying extents, both seem a bit "new money" in attitude, dress and deportment, and Tater is unquestionably a politician, but I have no problem believing that whatever else Tater (or Elee) might be into, they are easily capable of legitimately affording Villa Tater. As to the Totster as Guv, I'll say this: he is at least as honest, qualified and appropriate for the role as Jimmy Hood. Faint praise, I admit.

Since when is it illegal for a governor or governor light to influence legislation or agency actions? Hell, it's part of the job description.

The recently departed Lt. Gov Dye (RIP) perfected the art!

"Since when is it illegal for a governor or governor light to influence legislation or agency actions?"

See: Article 3 - Conflicts of Interest, Improper use of Office, Section 25-4-101, Miss. Code of 1972. Declaration of public policy. Aside from common sense, anyone, including Bryant and Reeves, who has been in the upper levels of state government for more than a few minutes has been briefed on that kind of thing. If they didn't pay attention and/or have no common sense, it could be a problem for them.

In any event, Tater has denied any role in or even knowledge of any influencing, be it legal, illegal, proper, improper, or otherwise. If he should have his "recollection refreshed" and he suddenly recalls that he did "influence" anything or anyone, I'm going to suggest that using "I thought it was legal" as a defense will make a touchy situation a lot worse.

Although @July 18, 2018 at 8:31 PM - originally stated this, let's try again

Since no one believes that Hood has the power from his office to investigate the allegations, although it does come across as a political play against a potential gubernatorial opponent

Here's the link - Miss. Code Ann. § 65-1-86

The worst part of it all is that the conservative cult of Mississippi will call Twitty Hood Fake News for going after the Supreme Leader Taterous Maximus!?