Did Rep. Bobby Moak have an advance copy of Phil Bryant's 2015 State of the State? Of course not, but it sure seemed that way.

Gov. Phil Bryant gave his 2015 State of the State address Wednesday night, but on Tuesday, House Democratic Leader Rep. Bobby Moak (D - Bogue Chitto) issued a press release calling the shots on what Bryant would say:

"It will be more empty promises to fund education, some tripe about silver shovel awards in hard-to-find magazines, a little hot air about inflated job numbers and made-up business rankings," Moak said.

So Moak predicted 5 things Bryant would say on Tuesday, a full 24 hours before the State of the State.  For those keeping score at home, those five things were:

1. Empty promises to fund education,
2. Tripe about silver shovel awards
3. Hard-to-find magazines
4. Inflated job numbers
5. Made-up business rankings

MSGOP Chairman Joe Nosef responded Tuesday afternoon by playing the outrage card, and issued the following response:

"While, unfortunately, it is typical to see empty rhetoric from the minority Democrat party whining and attacking our governor, it is quite humorous to see them criticize a speech that is 24 hours away from being made."

And then Phil Bryant gave his speech Wednesday.

This line came not 90 seconds in:

"According to Area Development magazine, Mississippi ranks in the top ten states in the nation for economic development."

Right out of the gate, Moak hit two with one line! Made-up business rankings AND a hard-to-find magazine in one sentence!

That line was then followed up closely by:

"For the third year in a row, we have been awarded a Silver Shovel...."

Boom! Moak's got three!

So here's where we are now, barely two minutes into the speech:

1. Empty promises to fund education
2. Tripe about silver shovel awards
3. Hard-to-find magazines
4. Inflated job numbers
5. Made-up business rankings

Then Bryant moved on to jobs, and strained the limits of credulity with the following:

"According to our State Economist, Mississippi added 8,800 more jobs in 2014 than in 2013. Projected real personal income growth in Mississippi during 2015 is expected to be 3.9 percent. We also know that personal income buys even more in Mississippi than it would in other states because of our low cost of living. The Tax Foundation has found income in Mississippi goes 16 percent further than the national average. So for every $100 in income, a Mississippian would make $116 compared to other states. So many new employees who move to Mississippi get a raise. If they move here from Washington, D.C., they could get around a 40 percent raise. Obviously, we would need to retrain most of them."

First off, ain't nobody moving here right now, Governor. Our very meager population growth is attributable to births outpacing deaths, not folks chomping at the bit to move to Mississippi.  In fact, take a look at the maps over at New Geography.  The only folks moving into Mississippi in any number are running south from Memphis.

Second, it's cute how you claim 8,800 new jobs in Mississippi last year while ignoring that we've lost 41,000 since you came on the scene as Lt. Governor in 2007.  But I'm getting away from the point.  Moak now has his fourth prediction, inflated jobs numbers, come true.

Let's move on to empty promises to fund education, the first prediction Moak made and the last one still alive. Gov. Bryant, take it away:

Now let's spend a moment on the reality of education funding. The Education Week Research Center ranks Mississippi as 19th in the nation for state expenditures on K-12 education as a percentage of state taxable resources. No less authority than the U.S. Department of Education lists our state as number twelve in the nation for school expenditures as a percentage of the state's gross domestic product.

Sorry, I'm going to interrupt right here to point something out. If Person A takes home $2,400.00 a month, and spends $1,000 a month on housing, Person A spends 41.6% of his income on housing.  If Person B makes $7,000 a month, and spends $2,000 a month on housing, Person B spends 28.5% of her income on housing.  Does that mean Person B cares more about housing than Person A?  Of course not. So Gov. Bryant, quit trying to tell us that those stats mean anything. Even with my Mississippi public school education, I can see through that.

But back to Bryant's speech:

My Executive Budget Recommendation increases MAEP funding by $53 million over the current year. Under my recommendation MAEP funding will reach nearly $2.2 billion or a 2.5 percent annual increase. Funding for K-12 overall will reach $2.5 billion. It includes $41 million for the second year of a $100 million teacher pay raise and $15 million for more reading coaches to assist in the literacy program within the Third Grade Gate. I believe most of us want to fund reforms in education that work and make certain the money goes to the classroom.

You notice what Bryant didn't say? He didn't say that his recommendation is to adequately fund education. He just said he's going to recommend an increase, but not even to the level we've already decided is merely adequate (MAEP). So he made it sound like he's going to fund education fully, even when he admittedly isn't.  And if you look at the speech, he's wasn't even that enthused about it.  He was more excited about signing a tax cut (any tax cut!) and how he put "In God We Trust" on the state seal.

And there it is, Moak hit every single prediction:

1. Empty promises to fund education
2. Tripe about silver shovel awards
3. Hard-to-find magazines
4. Inflated job numbers
5. Made-up business rankings

Wonder how Nosef feels about his quote now?  A bit silly, perhaps?