Monday, March 31, 2014

Phil Bryant's Hands Are Tied

News broke last week that a casino in one of the poorest regions of Mississippi is closing its doors this summer. As a result, over 1,000 Mississippians will have to find new means of employment.

The response from Republican Governor Phil Bryant: “I don’t see anything more we can do."

So that's it? So long and good luck is all Bryant is coming back with? His whole schtick since coming into office was to better the life of business owners and their shareholders who do business in the state. Working folks are on their own with the Bryant Administration.

What is even more shocking about Governor Bryant's response is that over the weekend, the Republican-led legislature approved PAY RAISES for the Governor's staff!

The first image below is of the bill that passed a few weeks ago appropriating money for the Governor's staff. The second imagine is what was passed yesterday. See for yourself:

 

The Governor was not able to keep a casino in Mississippi, but he sure can help his staff get a pay raise. It also seems unlikely there are performance benchmarks for the Governor's staff mandated in this bill, such as those in Speaker Gunn's teacher pay raise bill.

The workers in Tunica did not deserve to lose their jobs. The test for Bryant is whether he can say that his staff deserves to get a pay raise while over a thousand Mississippians prepare to lose their livelihood.

This would be unbelievable if it weren't how Republicans operate on a daily basis. Once again, the Republicans continue to demonstrate how out of touch they are with working-class Mississippians.

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