Waiting for my suitcase in the arrivals hall at Jackson airport the other evening, it occurred to me that the luggage carrousel was a pretty good metaphor for Mississippi politics. Like suitcases on a carrousel, many leaders simply sit on the conveyor belt of state politics, waiting their turn to get moved along to the next role.
Too often leaders are carried along by time and process, rarely offering any vision as to what our state should do differently. This explains why Mississippi conservatives have achieved less in 12 years than Arkansas, Louisiana and Alabama have accomplished in the past 12 months. Louisiana did not even have a Republican governor this time last year, yet they’ve already passed universal school choice. Things could be about to change if House Speaker, Jason White, has his way. This week, White announced that he will be hosting a Tax Policy Summit on September 24th to take a deep dive into the prospects for Tax Reform. My friend, Grover Norquist, will be speaking, as will Gov Reeves, as well leading conservative figures from the state legislature. Having a conversation in public matters because in the past the leadership in our state Senate has done what it can to head off tax cuts. Bringing the facts of what can and cannot be done into the open makes it far harder for anyone to keep finding new excuses to oppose actual conservative policy. Sunshine is the best disinfectant against the putrid politics of backroom deals. We have seen far too many backroom maneuvers used to kill off good conservative policy in this state. Back in 2022, Mississippi passed a law to cut the state income tax to a flat 4 percent. This $525 million tax cut, driven forward by Speaker Philip Gunn and Gov Reeves, benefited 1.2 million taxpayers and their families. But we must not forget how some in the Senate fought against it – not in the open, of course. Weak Senate leadership has a history of opposing conservative proposals in our state. Seldom do they have the courage to come out and explicitly kill off conservative measures. Instead, they do it on the sly. The Senate leadership maneuvered to stop anti-DEI legislation in 2024. I don’t recall anyone coming out and explaining why they opposed anti-DEI law. They just killed it in committee with a nudge and wink. For three years in a row, the Senate leadership has killed off attempts to restore the ballot initiative. Again, those against resorting the ballot lack the courage to say they are against it. They killed that, too, on the sly. Rep Rob Roberson’s excellent school funding reform bill, perhaps the only big strategic achievement of this year’s session, passed despite attempts to scupper it by some in the Senate. (Part of the backroom deal to get the bill passed was to change its name. It really was that petty.) When the Senate leadership wants to oppose an authentically conservative policy, they follow a now familiar pattern.
A reason is cited as to why what is being proposed can’t be done. School choice, we were once told, would be unconstitutional. An anti-DEI law, it was implied, was unnecessary because there was no DEI on campus. When the Senate leadership wants to oppose an authentically conservative policy, they follow a now familiar pattern.
A reason is cited as to why what is being proposed can’t be done. School choice, we were once told, would be unconstitutional. An anti-DEI law, it was implied, was unnecessary because there was no DEI on campus. Once that excuse is shown to be nonsense (there is no constitutional bar to school choice, DEI is rampant on campus), another excuse is promptly conjured up. And on it goes. Each time the Senate leadership opposes conservative policy this way, I wonder what their alternatives are. The answer is that most of the time there are none. It is pretty low grade to oppose ideas simply because they are not your own. Eventually, of course, a suitcase that sits on the carousel for too long ends up in lost luggage. As a direct consequence of the 2022 Reeves-Gunn tax cuts, Mississippi is now starting to see a flood of inward investment into the state. Every time you hear about a new factory opening up in our state, remember who and what helped make it happen. I am very optimistic that this Tax Summit could see further progress to make our state more competitive. Douglas Carswell is the President and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy. MCPP sponsored this post.
17 comments:
Well, there's a difference between being a conservative and rewarding conservatives with Mississippi tax dollars instead of making sure Mississippians can move up the ladder both in education and income.
What he really meant to say is that the Senate has no alternatives that have a prayer of being passed by the House. The house has far too many who are there for the recognition and self interest. Good ole boys think what's worked in a small town is just peachy for the whole world.
I certainly don't believe Mississippi Republicans are as conservative as they portray themselves. A lot of it is performative like a lot of Baptists.
No one cares about what we do or how we operate in Mississippi. We are less than 1% of the U.S. population and literally third world shithole flyover territory with a population/economy/education/system/earnings/etc. that are last in all nationwide metrics. It does not matter who we elect here, it will be more of the same corruption and apathy until the end of time.
Face the facts. MS GOP leadership is entrenched in the UniParty.
They talk conservative on the campaign trail, do little when in power. Wash, rinse, repeat. MS GOPs are the useful idiots of the Democrat party.
One, to answer the question posed by the headline, no.
Two, there aren't any conservatives anyway. Google, YT, mainstream media, and web sites like this one deplatforned and canceled true conservative voices.
And, third, these faux conservatives, they're not conserving anything. At best, your 21st century conservative is a gussied-up, botoxed , left-of-center moderate.
P.S.: Aftee my inauguration as your president, I will sign legislation to fine and imprison pundits like this one from using the passive voice. We need in this country to get back to what made it great; that is, naming names. Make America Name Names Again.
Well phrased, Douglas
Before you site a law passed in Louisiana you better make sure it’s funded. It’s not and at 578 million annually it will not be. Things are changing but not that fast. The governor can’t even get college teams to come out for the National Anthem.
Democrat Delbert Hosemann clearly isn't a conservative.
"As a direct consequence of the 2022 Reeves-Gunn tax cuts, Mississippi is now starting to see a flood of inward investment into the state."
So that's why all our U.S. capitol corps is crowing about federal dollars vs. state tax cuts.
Guess they didn't get the memo.
2:43 Go away. Lt. Gov. Hosemann is the best and most effective leader we have in this state. He is the type of statesman that we used to have in this country. Extremists, right or left, get us nowhere!
Hosemann is the type of statesman that has this country shouldering $35 TRILLION in national debt. If he was in Congress he'd be voting for deficit budgets until the cows come home. Best and most effective? Hardly.
@5:04pm - Your emperor Trump was responsible for almost 8 trillion of it, or damn near a quarter of it, in just 4 years. King of debt. Can’t wait for another 4 years of that.
There is nothing conservative about being one of the most corrupt places on the planet.
Yes, Carswell, by all means - Let's have a 'summit', a retreat of sorts, with breakout sessions to discuss what's best for Mississippi, a forum where leaders (and contenders) can discuss things, weigh pros and cons and come up with decisions that benefit citizens and move forward with enactment.
What the hell do you think is the purpose of our bloated, annual, 3-month legislative session where we solve the problems of squatted trucks, a state color and piss away two days trying to outlaw satan?
Thanks for the laugh, 4:23
"As a direct consequence of the 2022 Reeves-Gunn tax cuts, Mississippi is now starting to see a flood of inward investment into the state."
Name one such "inward investment" that is - at the inception of alleged investment - a positive inflow of capital. Here's a hint: not only is the Amazon facility not such an "investment," it was not as a direct result of those cuts. Bullshit projections from bullshit artists are not "investments," inward, outward, or otherward.
"otherward". Ha. I see what you did there!
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