Do you know the difference between a Northern Fairytale & a Southern Fairytale?
The Northern one begins: Once upon a time . . .
A Southern one begins: Y’all ain’t gonna believe this!!!
Having served in the Mississippi legislature four years, I can definitely say, “That ain’t no fairy tale!”
Transparency has left the Capitol, and it took Common Sense with it! I want to bring them back. I won’t just have an “Open Door Policy,” I’ll take the door off the hinges!
I’m Jay Hughes, and I want to be your next Lieutenant Governor so that
we can create a legislature where small towns matter again, where all
eighty-two counties matter and democracy for all people means
something. I’m an active-duty military veteran, just like my dad. I
believe in transparent and representative democracy, and I have a
lifetime of experiences, as well as a public education, that will allow
me to make Mississippi even better for everyone, not just the lucky few
or well-connected.
Experience does matter! My experience is that instead of being born
with a silver spoon in my mouth, I was born with a plastic spoon in mine
– in a small town. My dad worked in the oilfield, and
my mom had every job from working in a newspaper room to driving a
truck, and she did it all with a CB radio, Marlboros, and a .44 magnum.
Every single day of my entire education was in a public classroom,
including vo-tech during my junior and senior years of high school. To
help my family and myself, I’ve worked as an oyster-shucker, carpenter,
busboy, truck driver, waiter, security guard, and anything else that
paid the bills, and then the student loans. I’ve also been a volunteer and a local alderman, which is kind of the same thing.
What is my agenda? PEOPLE!
It doesn’t matter what they look like, act like, or think like. It’s just people.
That means PUBLIC education, healthcare, mental illness, and
addiction recovery, and roads and bridges (instead of a sham special
session). These should be a priority in all 82 counties, and in all
250+ municipalities.
I don’t owe three million dollars’ worth of favors or a career of
political promises. What I do owe is an honor to my Father’s good name
and my faith.
My foundation is Matthew 25:40, and the least of these brothers and sisters. Too many statewide elected leaders have forgotten this in Mississippi.
After 71,000 Mississippi miles on the campaign trail, I’ve received a big dose of reality: The biggest divide is not between Republicans and Democrats - it’s between career politicians and working Mississippians.
These career politicians claim they believe in “local control,” but
then get to the Capitol and have a case of dyslexia, thinking they need
to “control locals.” This means they do everything they can to avoid
Home Rule and pass unfunded mandates every single year.
I 100% support current annexation laws!
I 100% believe the sales taxes being collected from internet sales should go back to where they were collected!
If Amazon
can figure out how to get a bag of dog treats to my front door
overnight, then the Department of Revenue should sure be able to figure
out which city my door is in!
Career politicians
The Small Municipalities & Limited Counties Population grant
is critical and should be funded better – every year, not just election
years.
Mississippi is “Small Town” America – 85% of all towns in Mississippi less than 10,000 residents, and over half of those have less than 1,500 residents.
Our small towns are hurting!
We need to invest in Main Street instead of Wall Street! We
need to stop electing career politicians who are only interested in
lining the pockets of their big campaign donor pockets.
Imagine if we actually had Committee Hearings,
in the open, and all bills being considered by them would be posted 24
hours before any meeting, just like our local boards and counsels have
to do. And, all Committees, even Conferences, should have to meet in
public. Sunshine cures a whole lot of shenanigans.
The bottom line is that I don’t believe leadership has respected in a
long time what local officials deal with every single day – until it is
an election year when the greatest acting in the world happens.
It’s time to deal with reality instead of spin!
It’s time to respect and serve all people, in all towns and all counties. I pledge to do that.
Jay Hughes
It ALL starts with education!
This post is a paid advertisement by the Jay Hughes for Lieutenant Governor Campaign.
