Republican Party Endorses Inadequate and Inefficient Public Education

It was bound to happen. For years, Mississippi Republicans have worked tirelessly to undermine public education in the state. Now, they have finally put their party's stamp of approval on it.

Early today, the Mississippi Republican Party Central Committee - not to be confused with the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China - voted unanimously to endorse the Mississippi Republican Party's opposition to public education. Some familiar faces are on this committee: Governor Phil Bryant, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, House Speaker Philip Gunn (R-Clinton), and House Speaker Pro Tempore Greg Snowden (R-Meridian).

If you recall during this year's legislative session, Gunn and Reeves rushed alternative ballot language through the legislature without any hearings or public input while threatening their rank-and-file Republicans to vote for it. Their goal: confuse the voters. During this session, Gov. Bryant pushed his private school voucher bill which will pull resources away from public schools. At the same time, Speaker Gunn has been at the beck and call of the Bomgar Caucus, an association of deep-pocketed interests that spent tens of thousands of dollars to defeat pro-public education Republican legislators in the August primaries. Just last week, Bryant and Hosemann voted to put their political talking points on the November ballot by putting misleading language before the voters. This intentionally-confusing language, mind you, was pushed by Reeves and Snowden through the Legislative Budget Office. The public has been refused access to the communication between these offices because they chose to not be transparent. Let's not forget that time Rep. Herb Frierson (R-Poplarville) threw out his scare tactics of frightening state agencies that if the state fully support public education, their agencies would see massive budget cuts - possibly leading to huge layoffs.

All these political players and all these moves have been a part of the Republicans' masterful strategy of deliberately weakening Mississippi's public education system.

Republicans can talk about how proud they are about continuing to not fully support public education and that Mississippi still pays its public school teachers less than their counterparts across the South. The truth remains that you can either be a Republican or support public education, but you cannot do both. The Republican Party's vote today proves it.

Gunn, Reeves Hiding Emails

Reports out in recent days are shining light on the backroom deals Republican leaders are making in order to continue their attacks on public education while adding more evidence to the argument that Mississippi is cited as one of the most corrupt states in America. The problem involves Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and House Speaker Philip Gunn (R-Clinton) refusing to release emails over their involvement in crafting budget language that puts a blemish on public education funding.

While the Republican Party claims there are scandals over irregularities in Hillary Clinton's emails, the silence from Mississippi's Republican officials over this issue is deafening. It takes a certain amount of arrogance, hypocrisy, or both to suggest that Clinton's emails are fair game while theirs deserve to be concealed. Just another example of Mississippi's Republican leadership saying, "What's good for the goose is bad for the gander."

Even Marshall Ramsey gets in on the controversy.

Reeves had Sen. Giles Ward (R-Louisville) run interference for him by throwing up an ALL CAPS wall saying that Reeves's emails are not public records. It is likely that Speaker Philip Gunn (R-Clinton) will have House Management Committee Chairman Greg Snowden (R-Meridian) pull a similar move at their next committee meeting in two weeks. Snowden, mind you, has been the primary legislative advocate for ballot language that was intentionally meant to confuse voters when they head to the polls in November.

Opponents of public education have admitted that they are asserting their influence over non-partisan budget staff to frame funding public education in a negative light. In fact, the state's budget director said so herself that she is being contacted by anti-public education legislators.

“The Legislative Budget Office works for the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. As I do with all major decisions, I consulted with the leaders of the committee in crafting the language.”

Only weeks ago, it was Tate Reeves who championed transparency with respect to state agencies submitting budget requests online to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. Yet, when it comes to Reeves's office, he's off limits.

Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves said the update to the website also reinforces legislative leaders' commitment to transparency for how tax dollars are spent. He said the proposal was met with some opposition throughout state government but that "told me it was more important that we get it done."

"If you post it for all to see, it will make agencies and agency directors think twice about spending taxpayers' money in an irresponsible manner," Reeves said in an interview. "No agency director or politician wants to be called out for irresponsible spending habits."

This obstruction of transparency should be alarming for the public because it highlights the legislative branch is holding itself to a different standard. This refusal by the Republicans to disclose their government emails cloaks any communication that could have occurred between the Republican legislature and anti-public education forces like Empower Mississippi while they passed policies to cripple public education.

What Gunn and Reeves expect is for voters to believe that they followed protocol by having their respective oversight bodies make the judgement on whether to release government emails from Gunn, Reeves, and their staff. Don't be fooled by this facade.

Rather than admit whether they had or had not sent emails on government servers and through government email accounts, Gunn and Reeves are choosing to hide their attacks on public education from public view, and the Republican drumbeat against public education gets louder.

Beware, Republican Legislative Candidates

After Tuesday's defeat of four DeSoto County Republicans at the hand of anti-public education forces, one has to wonder why House Speaker Philip Gunn (R-Clinton) allowed his caucus members (two of whom are committee chairmen) to be attacked like they were and ultimately defeated.

As a reminder, DeSoto County Republican Reps. Forrest Hamilton, Wanda Jennings, Pat Nelson, and Gene Alday were all victims of a PAC that has been promoting the anti-public education agenda of Philip Gunn and the Bomgar Caucus.

In speech after speech, Gunn puts county, city, and community leaders on notice that if they do not send a Republican to the Capitol in January, they will get no seat at the table when it comes to leadership and decision-making. The question becomes what good it does to send a Republican to the Capitol when the Republican Speaker of the House kicks the chair out from under his own membership and does nothing to pick them up. Gunn publicly defends his position of changing the state flag, but he does very little to defend his fellow Republican legislators who disagree with him on education issues.

If this is how the Republican leadership treats its members, Republican candidates running for the House of Representatives touting their close relationship to Speaker Gunn should understand that Gunn will use you and lose you just like he has done his soon-to-be former colleagues from DeSoto County. Remember that you can either support public education or be a Republican, but you cannot do both. If you try to do both, Speaker Gunn will not have your back when the attack ads from other Republicans start flying.

Announcing the Bomgar Caucus

With the dust clearing from Tuesday's primary elections, we know one of the biggest losers of the night was public education.

Empower PAC, a group promoting charter schools and for-profit education spent tens of thousands of dollars against incumbent legislators - and they won. Big time. Empower was able to defeat DeSoto County Republicans Forrest Hamilton, Wanda Jennings, Pat Nelson, and Gene Alday. They also went after Republican Rep. Ray Rogers of Rankin County but were unsuccessful.

While Empower was sending checks to its anti-public education candidates, House Speaker Philip Gunn (R-Clinton) sat idly by while members of his own Republican caucus took hit after hit only to fall last night. Since Gunn is doing Empower's bidding, it seems that good riddance is the best Gunn will offer his soon-to-depart colleagues from DeSoto County.

Dan Eubanks, the candidate who defeated Gene Alday, produced the video below with his brother, Dave. Dave Eubanks challenged incumbent Republican Sen. Chris Massey of DeSoto County but was unsuccessful.

Empower, which claims to seek better schooling options for marginalized children, funded the Eubanks campaign to the tune of about $21,000. Those funds must have assisted in Eubanks's widely-circulated song about "Mississippi values" featuring a disgusting racist caricature around the 1:27 mark. Then again, maybe the racist video was part of a calculated political strategy cooked up by Empower's out-of-state benefactors in order to peel GOP primary voters away from incumbent Gene Alday, who infamously said, "... all the blacks are getting food stamps and what I call 'welfare crazy checks.'"

Joel Bomgar, the financial muscle behind this plot to defeat public education supporters, won a solid victory in his race for House District 58 in Madison County. Using his personal fortune, Bomgar spent what it took in order to capture this seat.

With Bomgar and his Empower-bought supporters heading to the Capitol in January, Mississippi's public education supporters should be terrified. There are now five more Republicans who will join a caucus already doing their best to undermine public education across Mississippi. With the Bomgar Caucus ready to fight public education, the statement still stands: You can either support public education or be a Republican, but you cannot do both.

(Some of) The Republican Caucus Fights Back

The battle for the heart and soul of the House Republican Caucus continues this week with a fundraiser for House District 58 candidate Bruce Bartley of Madison County. Bartley is in a heated primary with fellow Republican Joel Bomgaars (the actual spelling of his family name.)

The fundraiser for Bartley is being promoted by Ridgeland's Republican mayor, Gene McGee, and is co-sponsored by a number of current House Republicans including DeSoto County Reps. Forrest Hamilton and Wanda Jennings. In his letter to supporters, Mayor McGee sounds the alarm on the importance of this particular House seat. McGee notes that there are extremist factions within the Republican Party that seek to foster disunity among Republican voters.

You may recall Bomgaars's name from a recent post written about his involvement in funding campaigns against Republican House members who have historically supported public education like Reps. Hamilton and Jennings. Bomgaar has already spent a hefty sum supporting House Speaker Philip Gunn's agenda to dismantle Mississippi's public education system. Bomgaar and his allies have already spent tens of thousands of dollars supporting Republicans who have voted against public education such as Reps. Joey Hood of Ackerman and Randy Boyd of Mantachie.

Joel Bomgaars and House Speaker Philip Gunn (R-Clinton)

In fact, Speaker Philip Gunn is such a big fan of anti-public education candidate Joel Bomgaar that the Speaker tried to reward Bomgaar's efforts by appointing him to the state Board of Education. The state senate rejected Bomgaar's nomination, likely on the basis that since Bomgaar does not support public education that it would be a disservice to have him serve on this board which provides leadership and oversight of our public education system.

This brings us to the contrast that Mayor McGee noted in his letter. He is correct that there are divisions in the Republican Party, and the fact of the matter is that one candidate for House District 58 appears ready to stand up to the crazy. The other candidate is adding fuel to the extremist fire, and his name is Joel Bomgaar.

A deserved thank you to Speaker Philip Gunn (R- Clinton)

By now, you are all very much aware of the online petition to change Mississippi's state flag and the various comments from politicians on the issue.  One in particular stood out, seeing as the Mississippi Republican Party is the official "safe place" of racist white Mississippians.

(Just like this, but in the MSGOP version, both people are white.)

House Speaker Philip Gunn (R - Clinton), whom I have criticized on this blog more times than I can count, issued a statement last night stating his belief that we should remove the Confederate battle flag from the Mississippi state flag. I agree with him, and am glad to see he has opened his mind to the idea that a symbol of our state should be one that unifies, not divides.  So, kudos to him for that.  I stand with you, Speaker Gunn.

Now let's see you get that through a government currently dominated by Republicans. Best of luck.

Republican Infighting Continues

Possible "pole dancer" and state Rep. Forrest Hamilton (R-Olive Branch) took to social media to blow up at his fellow Republicans for pushing the idea that he has poor attendance in the legislature in an attempt to discredit him prior to the August primary. Hamilton and other DeSoto County Republicans face primary challengers from conservative challengers in August. Taking a quick trip back in time, Hamilton and most of the DeSoto County delegation voted against charter school legislation during the 2012 and 2013 sessions - making them enemies of Tea Party groups and the Phil Bryant agenda.

Rep. Forrest Hamilton

It was speculated during the 2015 Legislative Session that Tea Party groups and Joel Bomgar (who is running to succeed retiring Republican Rep. Rita Martinson of Madison) were planning to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to defeat Republicans like Hamilton in the Republican Primary. If you recall, Speaker Philip Gunn (R-Clinton) may have broken House rules by stopping the remarks of Rep. Steve Holland (D-Plantersville) when Holland spoke from the House Well that this mystery money was planning to be spent against candidates who support public education. From the Speaker's stand, Gunn demanded Holland reveal the source of the rumor. Always quick on his feet, Holland demanded that Gunn step down from the Speaker's stand to ask a question of a fellow member. Gunn refused.

Hamilton's frustrations are emblematic of how Republicans operate: get with the program or get out of the way.

What Did Gunn Say?

During yesterday's debate over the Initiative 42 alternative, House Speaker Philip Gunn interrupted the remarks of House Democratic Leader Bobby Moak and Rep. Steve Holland when these two mentioned that they heard speculation that the Speaker may have applied stronger-than-normal pressure upon Republicans to pass their bill. There were nearly a dozen Republicans who were prepared to defeat the alternative language. Only two Republicans ended up voting against the bill. Upset that no one can keep a secret, Gunn wanted to know from Moak and Holland who has been talking to the press and other members.

Here are the questions that we should be asking instead: what did Philip Gunn say to his fellow Republicans? Which members did Gunn, Greg Snowden, and House staff have contact with about this bill, and what was said during the conversation? Did the Speaker, in any way, shape, or form have contact with an individual or others to discuss funding opposition to fellow Republicans who voted no?

The Speaker claims to be a man of high integrity so for him to maintain that standard, he should come forward and explain what was said - or not said - to his caucus members prior to the vote. Gunn said his job as Speaker is to maintain decorum; here is his chance. The best way to get the story right is to get it from the source.

Speaker Gunn Devoid of Good Ideas

Yesterday, we discussed Governor Phil Bryant's goals for the upcoming year. This time, we take a look at House Speaker Philip Gunn (R-Clinton).

Gunn spoke with the Clarion-Ledger to lay out his priorities for the upcoming legislative session. After watching parts of the interview and reading the text of it, Gunn's priorities look to be the Tea Party's wish list. This should come as no surprise since coming into office Gunn has been the Igor to the Tea Party's Dr. Frankenstein.

From the Clarion-Ledger interview, these are some of Gunn's/the Tea Party's goals:

•Convention of states: Gunn wants Mississippi's Legislature to join 34 other states in passing a resolution calling for a federal constitutional convention to amend the U.S. Constitution and require Congress to pass a balanced budget. Article V of the Constitution says two-thirds of states can force a convention, and delegates of 38 states can ratify amendments.

•Common Core: Gunn said he supports "removing any federal control" over Mississippi's education standards and wants the state to "opt out" of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers testing tied to Common Core standards.

•MAEP lawsuit: Gunn said he opposes litigation led by former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove on behalf of 21 school districts suing the state for $230 million they say is owed them under the Mississippi Adequate Education Program formula. Gunn said Musgrove is "taking advantage" of confusing legislation and trying to line his own pockets through legal fees and he wants the Legislature to pass a measure to thwart the litigation.

I don't know about you, but Gunn's wish list looks pretty pitiful.

A convention of states? This is his priority? We have the highest unemployment and poverty rates in the country, and this is how Gunn wants to spend the legislature's time? I would ask why Gunn isn't calling for a convention of policy leaders to discuss how to fix our state's poverty issues, but the answer is already known. Gunn doesn't care.

And there's Common Core, a policy supported by the state's business community and education professionals. Gunn has held the Speaker's gavel for three years. If he has such reservations about the policies, he is three years into his tenure and has put no reform proposals on the table.

With respect to the MAEP lawsuit, Gunn is missing the point. Rather than fund public education as the law mandates, Gunn throws out a knee-jerk idea like enacting a law to keep plaintiffs out of court. Imagine the precedent this sets. Furthermore, if he thinks the MAEP is "confusing legislation," why has he not pushed a single reform bill in the three years he has been Speaker of the House? Perhaps he is more interested in maintaining and complaining about the problem than solving it.

Rep. Richard Bennett's off to the races!

Rep. Richard Bennett (R - Long Beach) spent this weekend at the Kentucky Derby, traveling there via private jet. Like everyone else nowadays, he felt compelled to share this event via social media:

Rep. Bennett, who was named by Speaker Philip Gunn (R - Clinton) to chair the House Gaming Committee, was perhaps concerned about the backlash, as he removed the above picture from his Facebook feed.

No worries, though, as a friend of the blog happened to grab this screenshot before it was removed.  Digging around a bit, it turns out that the private jet is registered to "RA Aviation", which is the shell company for Roy Anderson Construction's travel needs. (Note the Reichold Road address on the FAA website and the SOS filings.)

Now, the contribution limits for corporations are $1,000.00 per year.  How many of you think RA Aviation made Rep. Bennett pay his own way?  And how many of you think it cost less than $1,000.00 to fly Rep. Bennett up to Louisville for the Derby?

I wonder if Rep. Bennett was given free lodging?  Perhaps free meals and drinks?  What about money with which to gamble?  I'm sure the PEER committee will ask those questions.  Oh, wait a minute.  Rep. Bennett's ON THE PEER COMMITTEE.

Speaker Philip Gunn, Child Abuse, and Irony

Yesterday, House Speaker Philip Gunn (R-Clinton) participated in a charity run to help victims of child abuse and human trafficking. Let the irony sink in for a moment.

This is the same Philip Gunn who back in 2011 led the task of hushing any discussion of alleged child abuse that took place at Gunn's Morrison Heights Baptist Church. This went so far as to discourage people from talking with the police about reports of criminal activity against a child.

To recap:

1. In 2011, Gunn claimed a secrecy provision to keep members of his church from talking to the police and county prosecutors about alleged child abuse.
2. Yesterday, Gunn has the nerve to participate in a race to help victims of crimes he once tried to ignore and silence.
3. For the next 22 months, he will be a top Republican leader in Mississippi as he serves as Speaker of the House while professing to uphold family values.

Mississippi Baptists working legislators to pass "Turn the Gays Away" bill

Dr. Jimmy Porter, director of the Mississippi Baptist Convention-affiliated Christian Action Commission, wrote legislators this weekend asking them to pass SB2681, the Mississippi copycat of Arizona's "turn gays away" legislation.

The email, reproduced below, was accompanied by a letter endorsing the bill from a few law school professors to Speaker Philip Gunn (R - Clinton).  The letter stands for the highly conservative position that since the state constitution already provides the protections established by SB2681, passing another new law couldn't hurt.  (If there was a sarcasm font, I'd have used it in the preceding sentence.)  By the way, the letter was written on the letterhead of University of Virginia law professor Douglas Laycock, who has done everything from defend the right of religious leaders to sacrifice small animals during ceremonies to advocate for same-sex marriage.  I wonder if Dr. Porter knew all of that before he shared the letter?

Anyway, here's the email.  WWJD, y'all?

Christian Action supports SB2681 with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act As you may well know, the MS Senate passed bill SB2681 that included the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act (MS RFRA). This bill had unanimous support coming from the senate. This bill as it passed the senate protects the religious freedom of Mississippians and business owners from discrimination and intolerance. The bill is now in jeopardy in the MS House of Representatives where pressure from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) lobby, the Human Rights Campaign, the ACLU, AT&T and the MS Economic Council are working to kill the bill or to remove parts of the bill that will provide equal religious protection. Removing these provisions would provide a loophole so that if the ACLU and other likeminded organizations sue a business owner, that person could not use RFRA as a religious liberty defense. For example, "The New York Division of Human Rights has accused a skating rink of discrimination for playing Christian music during a skate party for churches. Rink owners insist they've done nothing wrong and that authorities are investigating to see if we discriminate against people who don't like Christian music" (Agape Press 6/29/06).  Such businesses as this would not have adequate protection of religious expression without a strong RFRA in Mississippi. The intent of this bill is to provide guidance to Mississippi courts to balance religious rights with the interests of others. In doing so, the bill provides protection for the rights of conscience for all people, whatever their religion. The bill is not about discrimination or hate, it is about religious freedom. Furthermore, there is no biblical basis that one person is any better than any other. In fact, the Bible states "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" and that "God is not one to show partiality" (Gal 3:28, Acts 10:34). Furthermore, the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title II, clearly prevents any discrimination based on race, color, religion or national origin in hotels, motels, restaurants, theaters, and all other public accommodations. Anyone who says this bill is about discrimination is not being honest, even deceptive, or they do not fully understand the intent of this bill. The days of denying the legality of a person's civil rights is over and should have never have happened in the first place. I ask that you pass SB2681 with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and to also to fight for a stronger RFRA that supports the religious conscience of all people, including business owners. Attached is a letter from 14 First Amendment scholars across the country supporting SB 2681. The letter explains RFRA in more detail. Sincerely, Jimmy Porter

If you didn't believe me before about the failure to expand Medicaid, maybe you will now

Southwest Regional Medical Center in McComb let five of its doctors go this past week.  In an AP interview, its CEO, Norman Price, said what I've been saying all along:

"The Affordable Care Act will force the acute care delivery system to evolve to accommodate a new reimbursement reality. As a result of the Affordable Care Act, the non-expansion of Medicaid will have the effect of over-running the emergency departments with non-paying patients. The inevitable cuts and changes will not be popular nor easy to accomplish. However, all will be necessary in order to move this medical center forward into the new Affordable Care Act world." (Emphasis added.)

And remember those DSH payments I've mentioned before (here, here, here, here, here, here and here)?

"We know we're going to be cut $8 million by the federal government, and we also know we're going to be cut 2% by Medicaid. That's going to equate to about $8.5 million to $9 million," Price said. 

The $8 million refers to the amount of money the hospital receives per year for taking on a disproportionate share of patients who are on Medicare or Medicaid.

DSH stands for "disproportionate share hospital".  The DSH program was established to give financial help to hospitals that provide care for an inordinate number of indigent patients.  As you can imagine, Mississippi hospitals are pretty dependent upon payments from the DSH program.  Under the Affordable Care Act, which is the law of the land regardless of how you feel about it, DSH payments are being severely restricted.  Why? Because patients that were causing hospitals to get DSH payments in the past were supposed to be covered by Medicaid expansion.  A Medicaid expansion, mind you, funded almost entirely by the federal government, not the state.

So as our Governor and his cohorts in the Legislature keep whistlin' Dixie, our health care system is burning to the ground.  

Gunn Not Pro-Gun Enough

You may recall around this time last year, Speaker Philip Gunn (R-Clinton) began a campaign to lure gun manufacturers to Mississippi. His argument was that since there are so many anti-Second Amendment states out there, whatever that means, Mississippi would be more hospitable to such industry. It appears those pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

Remington Arms Company announced Monday that it would open a plant in Huntsville, Alabama, and bring with it nearly 2,000 jobs. It is also worth noting that Remington will continue its operations in New York, which I can only presume is what Gunn refers to as an anti-Second Amendment state.

Not only is Alabama dominant in college football (for now), but it is showing more leadership than Gunn when it comes to economic development. Alabama officials presented Remington with a list of sites that would be helpful for planning and development of the plant's site. Gunn merely sent a love letter, but he got stood up for his date.

Sun-Herald editorial tees off on House Republicans for dishonest "pay raise" bill

You sure can't say they held something back with this one.  Last Tuesday the Sun-Herald published this editorial, which goes hard at Speaker Philip Gunn (R - Clinton) and his fellow House Republicans for their teacher "pay raise" bill.  The Republican teacher "pay raise" bill passed the House and is headed to the Senate, where it faces an uphill climb.

Ignorant obstinance strikes again: North Mississippi Health Services cuts 109 jobs

WTVA is reporting that North Mississippi Health Services is eliminating 109 jobs.  According to WTVA:

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mark Williams says, "The reductions were prompted by the ongoing shift from inpatient to outpatient care, declining government reimbursements and other factors." (Emphasis added.)

If you'll remember, one of the big issues in the 2013 Regular and Special Legislative Sessions was the increasing government reimbursements.  The Republicans, led by Gov. Phil Bryant (R) and House Speaker Philip Gunn (R - Clinton) were staunchly opposed, and killed Democratic attempts to protect our hospitals.

This is not the first time a Mississippi hospital has faced difficulties because of a drop in government reimbursements.  Hancock County's only hospital faced a $6.1M budget hole as a result of declining government reimbursements this year, ultimately driving it into the hands of an out-of-state company for management.

Nor is it the second.  In September, word surfaced that Forrest General Hospital was facing millions of dollars worth of red ink as a result of declining government reimbursements.

Assuming your hospital isn't listed above, how long do you think it's going to take before the Republican refusal to protect our hospitals affects you and your loved ones?

Mississippi's Bond Rating Downgraded to "Negative"

Last night, Geoff Pender at the Clarion Ledger reported that Mississippi's bond rating has been downgraded from "stable" to "negative." 

You don't have to know much about economics to understand that a "negative" rating for Mississippi is not good for the state, yet just two years into complete Republican control of Mississippi's government, here we are.

And this is just a warning. According to Pender, Fitch Ratings (no relation to State Treasurer Lynn Fitch), things could be worse, and quickly if we don't turn ourselves around:

While the agency did not drop the state’s credit rating from AA+, it warned, “The rating may be lowered if the state is unable to consistently fund ongoing operations without relying on one-time revenue sources, if there is weakness in the economy that diverges from the national trend, or if funding for pension liabilities weakens.” A drop in credit rating would cost the state millions in interest rates for general obligation bonds, and can be a turnoff for major economic development projects.

Fitch cites "volatile" industries,  "above average liabilities," and the usual suspects of high poverty/low employment as the chief concern causing the downgrade.

Perhaps the most telling statements come from the Republican leadership's own mouths. When asked about the rating, Lieutenant Governor Reeves said, "...there has not been the political will to do anything about it. I don’t know if that is changing or not..."

On the State Legislative side, Speaker Gunn had a similar pitch to Pender:

“We cannot declare (the recession) is over. We may have seen the bottom and stopped going down, but it’s gradual growth. One economist I heard said it could be 2018 before we see substantial improvement.”

This might be a good time to remind you of MSGOP chairman Joe Nosef's August 28th interview with the Clarion Ledger:

Unlike the nation here in Mississippi the economy is strong. Mississippi's economy totaled more than $100 billion for the first time. Since taking office, Phil has announced the creation of 7,298 new jobs and more than $1.1 billion in private sector investment to date. Have announced 4,659 of those jobs in 2013. 2012: 2,674 new jobs (plus 400 retained jobs), $455,560,000 in company investment. White taxes and regulations are going up in Washington, the Governor has taken both of those in opposite direction. Obviously though there is much more to do and progress to make. I think he thinks about that all the time and I talked to him this morning about some projects he is excited about.

So who owns this problem?

Gunn's Comments on Health Insurance Miss the Mark

Speaker Philip Gunn, Tea Party leader

Earlier today, Speaker Philip Gunn (R-Clinton) offered his thoughts about the activation of the health care marketplace established under the Affordable Care Act which goes into effect October 1.

There are so many inaccuracies in his statement it is difficult to know where to begin. If someone were to rewrite it to reflect reality, it would look something like this:

Thanks to my refusal to pass a state-based health insurance plan that Commissioner Mike Chaney and his staff worked on for months, health care premiums are among the highest in the nation. We could have had a solution tailored to Mississippi to fix our health care system, but I was beholden to my tea party base to allow that to happen.

What Gunn refuses to admit is that his own actions during the June special session have resulted in the federal government managing Mississippi's health insurance marketplace. Democrats in the Legislature offered an amendment to establish a state-based exchange, but Gunn and his loyal Tea Party followers in the House defeated it. You can check out the vote for yourself here.

Gunn goes on to say that the law hasn't fulfilled its promises. The thing is: the bill hasn't fully been implemented yet! He's admitting defeat before anything has happened. He makes a point that health insurance premiums will be among the highest in the nation. Commissioner Chaney noted that this is the case because there is no competition among Mississippi's health insurance companies to bring down costs.

Once again, Gunn reminds us that he, Governor Bryant, and their Tea Party colleagues do not care to learn the facts about the law and how their abdication of power to the federal government has us in the position we find ourselves today. If Gunn is truly looking for Mississippi solutions, perhaps he should not be part of the problem.

Mississippi's Poverty Increases; Republicans Take Credit

Data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau tells a story we often hear: Mississippi ranks as the poorest state in the United States.

A breakdown provided by the Mississippi Economic Policy Center highlights some very troubling numbers.

• Mississippi has had the largest increase in poverty among states from 2011 to 2012. 
• Total poverty increased from 20.6% in 2007 to 24.2% in 2012
• Child poverty increased from 28.9% in 2007 to 34.6% in 2012. 
• Median income dropped over $3,000 in the last five years from $40,240 to $37,095.

Mississippi has the lowest median income of any state in the country, roughly $37,000. Keep in mind that for a family of four, the federal poverty level is $23,550.

In his testimony before the Legislative Budget Committee earlier today, State Economist Darrin Webb noted that Mississippi is gaining jobs at a very slow rate, and many of those jobs are low-wage.

Governor Bryant released a statement noting "Today’s report from State Economist Darren Webb that Mississippi’s economy continues to improve brings to the forefront our aggressive growth strategy to retain our existing industry base and recruit new global business investment." 

Speaker Philip Gunn also took the opportunity to tout this as good news. Gunn credited the state's Republican leadership for creating the conditions in which we now find ourselves.

Bryant and Gunn appear to be missing the point. They seem to ignore the fact that these low-paying jobs are not doing much to enlarge the economic pie in our state. We can only infer that Bryant's and Gunn's attitudes are likely to sound a lot like "If you have a job, regardless of how much it pays, what's there to complain about? A job is a job, right?"

After nearly ten years of Republican leadership in the state, this is what we have to show for it? Mississippi's perpetual position at the bottom of the list is not something to celebrate.

Hattiesburg Hospital Takes Financial Hit; Others Likely

It has been argued for months that without Mississippi expanding access to Medicaid services, some hospitals across the state would continue bleeding red ink. We noted a case in Hancock County last month, and now we're reading that the Forrest Health System, based in Hattiesburg, is feeling the financial pinch of having more patients to treat without the financial resources to do so.

Forrest Health is expecting a $2.5 million loss in its FY 2014 budget. Those aren't numbers to take lightly. They are already losing nearly $4 million in support payments made by the federal government to treat low-income persons. The Chief Financial Officer of the Forrest General Hospital hoped for Medicaid expansion to occur, but we know that did not happen.

Rep. Toby Barker (R-Hattiesburg)

During this summer's Medicaid special session, the tea party-led Legislature rejected a proposal to expand Medicaid eligibility in the state. Among those voting no were Hattiesburg's Representative, Toby Barker. This expansion would assist his financially-strapped hospital by plugging financial holes so they can continue offering services without interruption. Let's not forget that the Forrest Health System is one of the largest employers in the area. All that aside, Barker took his marching orders from Speaker Gunn and voted against a plan that would have helped his hospitals and his district.

Sen. Billy Hudson (R-Hattiesburg)

On the other side of the Capitol, Hattiesburg Senator Billy Hudson was a lonely Republican when it came to Medicaid expansion. Hudson was quoted by the Hattiesburg American as saying, "If the money's not there and they (Forrest General Hospital) starts laying off people, it's going to hurt." He went on to say that "I’m told there’s about 6,000 jobs (in the Pine Belt medical industry), and that’s tremendous to the economy, even if you don’t care about poor people or sick people who need help — which I do," ... "We go crazy about getting a new industry in here that’s going to work (200 or 300) people at $11 an hour." Even the Republican President of the Forrest County Board of Supervisors acknowledges this isn't a partisan issue: it's an economic one.

Hudson understands the economic and human impact the Forrest Health System has on the Pine Belt region. Barker, on the other hand, seems more interested in following the tea party leadership of Speaker Gunn. While Barker is falling in line, one of his district's largest employers is pleading for assistance in staying afloat.

Sadly, the cases in Hancock and Forrest Counties are just the beginning. As more hospitals look at their balance sheets in the coming years, there will likely be more of them sounding the alarm that the Legislature needs to revisit its misguided approach to expanded access to Medicaid.