Phil Bryant Beats His Chest, Misplaces Priorities

Phil Bryant recently wrote a letter to the President about issues along the southern border of the United States. Bryant addresses the letter to the "Honorable" Barack Obama and didn't make note that his Tea Party base does not believe the President to be the legitimate President of the United States. Please do not share this post with the Tea Party or the calls for Bryant's own impeachment may commence. You're welcome, Governor.

Bryant complains in his letter that the President's immigration plan would levy an unfunded mandate onto the states to enforce immigration law. Hold the phone! Remember back in 2012 when Bryant and Speaker Philip Gunn (R-Clinton) pushed a state-level immigration bill through the House of Representatives? It would have pushed an unfunded mandate on local governments to house and feed suspected undocumented persons. Bryant has no standing to complain on this point.

Bryant argues that the President has "lax immigration policies and flagrant disregard for federal immigration law." Again, Bryant gets it wrong. Let's keep in mind that the Democrats have passed their own version of immigration reform through the United States Senate while the Republicans continue to do nothing. Furthermore, the President has been in command during one of the largest levels of deportations and removals than his recent predecessors - even Republican idol Ronald Reagan who approved amnesty, by the way.

Bryant threatens to do whatever he can as the governor of this state to prevent the federal government from housing asylum-seeking children in Mississippi. Bryant, mind you, lives in government housing at the twice-renovated Governor's Mansion. That's another topic for another time. Still, Bryant makes the state's rights issue out of this. Let's keep in mind that when it comes to health care, Bryant ignores his own advice when it comes to the "real and substantial costs on the states." He refuses to take any action to help nearly 500,000 hard-working Mississippians obtain health insurance coverage.

All the while, Bryant is basing this letter on rumors - yes, rumors - that there may be a need to house children in the state of Mississippi or elsewhere. Rather than try to help solve the problems, whether it's health care or the state's chronically high unemployment, Phil Bryant would rather fire off tough-sounding letters. Bryant's priorities continue to be out of touch.