Eaves calls on Barbour to stop the tax on our future
By Kate Royals
May 31, 2007
Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Arthur Eaves held a press conference Thursday to address his aversion to the recent college tuition increase and the current governors response to what Eaves referred to as a tax on our future.” Eaves, along with a team of college students affected by this tuition increase, called on Gov. Haley Barbour to hear the requests of Reps. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, and George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg, to hold a special session and to finance the eight public universities in Mississippi who have increased their tuitions by six percent.
Posted by ladd at 02:37 PM on 05/31/07. Discuss (12)
Hood, AGs Across the Nation Announce Settlement with ChoicePoint
[Verbatim statement from AG Jim Hood] Attorney General Jim Hood along with the attorneys general of 43 other states, today announced a settlement with ChoicePoint to resolve allegations that the company failed to adequately maintain the privacy and security of consumers personal information in its control. As part of this settlement, ChoicePoint will pay $500,000 to the states. Mississippi will receive $5,500 of this payment to fund consumer education and enforcement of the consumer protection laws.
Posted by kate at 11:44 AM on 05/31/07. Discuss (8)
[Release] Charlie Ross Supporters Say Bryant Must Debate for Benefit of the Public
A group of Ross supporters called Friends of Charlie Ross issued a release today accusing Bryant of refusing to debate issues because he believes that debating might hurt his lead in the race. Ross and his enthusiasts maintain that candidates must not debate for their own benefit but for the benefit of the public and that Bryant’s choice not to debate is to the detriment of voters:
Bryant was quoted in the Meridian Star over the weekend as saying:
“I’m not going to debate perhaps where he wants us to because of a lot of different features. One of the things I’ve always believed is that when you are ahead in a race, you try to stay ahead. We think that what we are doing is going to keep us ahead in the race.”
Senator Ross has consistently called for the two candidates to meet face-to-face in a wide-open Republican primary debate to discuss the issues affecting Mississippians.
“Phil Bryant has it wrong—debates are not about what’s good for candidates, they are about what’s good for voters.”
Posted by kate at 11:07 AM on 05/31/07. Discuss (1)
Truthwatch Re-Launches with Charlie Ross Factcheck
The Jackson Free Press is re-launching its popular Truthwatch Blog with a factcheck of assertions about tort reform and other issues that lieutenant governor candidate Charlie Ross made in his JFP Interview with Adam Lynch.
The JFP originally launched Truthwatch during the 2005 mayoral race in Jackson in order to factcheck statements made during the campaign. We will factcheck as many statements as possible during the 2007 campaigns.
Posted by kate at 01:41 PM on 05/30/07. Discuss (1)
I Saw the Sign: Thoughts on the Often Overlooked Rules and Regulations of Political Campaign Signs
Believe it or not, it is about that time again. It’s summer - the season of extreme heat and rising gas prices (as I’m sure you’ve noticed). But this time around summer also brings with it a slew of political campaign signs scattering the city.
It seems, however, that some of these impassioned campaigners promoting their chosen candidate have no knowledge about Jackson’s Sign Ordinance which states the rules and regulations regarding political signage. According to this ordinance, political signs are not permitted in any public right-of-way and additionally
“the tacking, painting, posting or affixing of signs, posters or advertising devices of any kind on trees, rocks, utility poles and other such structures is hereby prohibited.”
Basically this says that campaigners cant put signs on interstate medians or state-owned property and you can’t climb up a telephone pole (for safety reasons as well, I would imagine) and tack signs all up and down it. These rules, which seem pretty sensible and fair, are mostly overlooked as you can see for yourself by taking a stroll down any Jackson sidewalk.
And then there are the misleading, misrepresenting and misinformed signs. A certain anonymous candidate who is running for an office that she has not previously held boasts signs that urge voters to “reselect her to this office. If you will allow me to point out the obvious, this command to “reselect is one meager letter off from “re-elect,Ԕ thus leaving these signs open for an ample amount of misinterpretation. Maybe this candidates signs aren’t in a public right-of-way and maybe they’re not haphazardly lying around on the sidewalk awaiting some innocent biker or jogger, but these signs do have the potential to mislead.
So, consider this: perhaps these kinds of signs are even more detrimental and unlawful than signs in an interstate median or tacked on to a utility pole. Thoughts?
Posted by kate at 11:57 AM on 05/30/07. Discuss (7)
[C-L]Bush Responds to Critics of the New Immigration Bill
After opponents of the immigration deal criticized the law for being too soft on illegal immigrants, Bush spoke at the nation’s largest training center for law enforcement, emphasizing the fact that these new options would not be instituted until a more stringent security is in place. He also asked the public to “do what’s right for America” by being patient and letting the government attempt to fix immigration problems.
The bill would give temporary legal status to millions of unlawful immigrants, provided they came forward, paid a fine and underwent criminal background checks. To apply for a green card, they would have to pay another fine, learn English, return to their home country and wait in line.
The plan also would create a guest worker program. It would allow foreign laborers to come to the U.S. for temporary stints, yet with no guarantee they can eventually gain citizenship.
Both the new visa plan and the temporary worker program are contingent on other steps coming first. Those include fencing and barriers along the Mexico border, the hiring of more Border Patrol agents and the completion of an identification system to verify employees’ legal status.
The legislation would also reshape future immigration decisions. A new point system would prioritize skills and education over family in deciding who can immigrate.
Posted by kate at 01:34 PM on 05/29/07. Discuss (0)
[C-L]David Rubenstein Says President Bush’s Sanctions on Sudan are “Too Little, Too Late”
President Bush ordered sanctions on Sudan in order to pressure the government to cease the crisis in Darfur. The sanctions target 30 government-run oil companies and three leaders, one of whom is suspected of being involved in the bloodshed in Darfur. Along with the sanctions, Bush has ordered Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to compose a proposed United Nations decision to strengthen worldwide pressure on the Sudanese government.
Save Darfur Coalition director David Rubenstein welcomed the sanctions, but said they might be too little, too late.
“President Bush must not give further months to determine whether these outlines measures work - the Darfuri people don’t have that much time,” he said. “The president must set a short and firm deadline for fundamental changes in Sudanese behavior, and prepare now to implement immediately further measures should Khartoum continue to stonewall.”
Bush said he delayed imposing sanctions last month to allow more time for diplomacy, but that al-Bashir has continued to make empty promises of cooperation while obstructing international efforts to end the crisis.
“One day after I spoke, they bombed a meeting of rebel commanders designed to discuss a possible peace deal with the government.,” the president said. “In the following weeks he used his army and government-sponsored militias to attack rebels and civilians in south Darfur. He’s taken no steps to disarm these militias in the year since the Darfur peace agreement was signed. Senior officials continue to oppose the deployment of the U.N. peacekeeping force.
“The result is that the dire security situation on the ground in Darfur has not changed,” Bush said.
Posted by kate at 11:56 AM on 05/29/07. Discuss (1)
[C-L]Obama Introduces a New Universal Health Care Plan
2008 presidential candidate Barack Obama introduced a health care plan that “would provide every citizen a means for coverage and calls on government, businesses and consumers to share the costs of the program.” According to Obama, the implementation of his plan would provide health care to all people and save each consumer an average of $2,500 a year. The estimated cost of the program is anywhere from $50 billion to $65 billion and would be made possible by eliminating the tax cuts for the wealthy that were executed by President Bush.
“We have reached a point in this country where the rising costs of health care has put too many families and businesses on a collision course with financial ruin and left too many with no coverage at all,” Obama said. “This cost crisis is trapping us in a vicious cycle.”
Obama’s plan retains the private insurance system but injects additional money to pay for expanding coverage. It would also create a National Health Insurance Exchange to monitor insurance companies in offering the coverage.
Those who can’t afford coverage would get a subsidy on a sliding scale depending on their income, and virtually all businesses would have to share in the cost of coverage for their workers. The plan is similar to the one covering members of Congress.
Obama’s package would prohibit insurance companies from refusing coverage because of pre-existing conditions.
“My plan begins by covering every American. If you already have health insurance, the only thing that will change for you under this plan is that the amount of money you will spend on premiums will be less,” Obama said. “If you are one of 45 million Americans who don’t have health insurance, you will after this plan becomes law.”
Posted by kate at 11:43 AM on 05/29/07. Discuss (3)
[C-L]Supreme Court to Hear Arguments from Death Row Inmate Today
The Clarion Ledger reports:
Seven years ago, 16-year-old Leesa Gray of Itawamba County disappeared while returning home from her job as a waitress. The next day her body was found dead in former Marine recruiter Thomas E. Loden Jr.’s van. Loden was sentenced to 30 years in prison on kidnapping and rape accounts, and is now appealing his conviction for murder. The Mississippi Supreme Court will hear arguments today from the death row inmate who served as a Marine during Operation Desert Storm and as a recruiter later in life.
Among the evidence presented was video footage, allegedly made by Loden, of the acts being committed on Gray. The videotape was not viewed during the hearing, but previously had been viewed by the trial judge and attorneys for the prosecution and defense.
According to the court record, Lodens face was not visible on the tapes. His feet, arms and legs were visible and his voice could be heard, prosecutors said.
Defense attorneys had argued that LodenҒs confession was given without the benefit of legal counsel. The trial judge ruled the confession could be used by prosecutors.
Posted by kate at 11:29 AM on 05/29/07. Discuss (1)
[C-L]Major Economic Development Plan is a New Jet Engines Parts Plan in Batesville
According to the Clarion Ledger, General Electric is implementing a jet-engine parts plant in Batesville. Governor Barbour and Scott Donnelly will be announcing the plan in northwest Mississippi this afternoon.
Original plans called for the plant to be built by late 2007 or early 2008, but it was not known this morning whether that timetable has changed.
When complete, the plant will construct composite fan blade platforms for a new generation of jet engines.
Posted by kate at 10:37 AM on 05/29/07. Discuss (2)
[Release]Barbour Announces Major Economic Development Project in Northeast Mississippi
Governor Haley Barbour; Scott C. Donnelly, President and CEO of General Electric Aviation; and other officials will hold a press conference on Tuesday, May 29, 2007, to announce a major economic development project in Northwest Mississippi. The press conference will be held at the Batesville Civic Center (290 Civic Center Drive, Batesville 38606) at 2:30 p.m.
Posted by kate at 10:30 AM on 05/29/07. Discuss (4)
[Release]AG Jim Hood Plans to Hold Conference to Address the Legal Aspects of Domestic Violence
Attorney General Jim Hood is holding a conference in Choctaw, Mississippi, that is designed to enhance the legal system’s response to victims of domestic violence and its perpetrators by “heightening victim safety and offender countability.”
Jackson, MS-Attorney General Jim Hood and The Domestic Violence Division of the Attorney Generals Office are hosting a statewide domestic violence conference on June 13-14, 2007, in Choctaw, Mississippi.
The conference, entitled “Domestic Violence in our Communities: Enhancing the Legal Response” is co-hosted by the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and is targeted to law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, court clerks, probation and parole officials and others providing services to victims of domestic violence. “This conference is designed to bring together these different yet equally important parts of the justice system to encourage them to work together in a coordinated fashion to enhance the systemٹs response to the crime of domestic violence, as well as heightening victim safety and offender accountability,” said Attorney General Hood.
Cutting edge information will be provided by a number of local and national speakers to include Denise Brown of the Nicole Brown Simpson Foundation, David Adams, Co-Found and Co-Director of Emerge, Inc., and Sergeant Scott Jenkins of the Duluth, Minnesota, Police Department.
There is no registration fee for participants. The conference is being funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (Award #2006-WE-AX-0054) and the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, Division of Public Safety Planning (Project #05SP4021).
Go to http://www.agjimhood.com for more information on conference registration and the Domestic Violence Division of the Attorney Generals Office.
Posted by kate at 12:00 PM on 05/24/07. Discuss (11)
[Release]Tougaloo Honors Hinds County Circuit Judge Tomie T. Green
Tougaloo College has honored Hinds County Circuit Judge Tomie T.
Green with the Meritorious Leadership Award.
LeRoy G. Walker, Jr., chairman of the Board of Trustees of
Tougaloo College, presented the citation during commencement ceremonies on
the campus May 13.
Posted by kate at 11:53 AM on 05/24/07. Discuss (3)
[Release] Ross: All DebateGate All The Time
Another verbatim release from the Ross camp...note that two of the “debates” Ross is challenging Bryant to attend are talk radio shows…
STATE SENATOR CHARLIE ROSS ACCEPTS FOUR ONE-ON-ONE REPUBLICAN DEBATES ACROSS MISSISSIPPI
State Senator Charlie Ross, the conservative candidate for lieutenant governor, has accepted four invitations to participate in wide-open, one-on-one Republican debates across Mississippi. Senator Ross’ opponent, Phil Bryant, has accepted only one.
Posted by admin at 12:59 PM on 05/23/07. Discuss (1)
[C-L] Former Gov. Ray Mabus Becomes Middle East Adviser for Obama Campaign
A Clarion Ledger article reports that former Gov. Ray Mabus is joining presidential candidate Barrack Obama’s campaign as an unpaid adviser on Middle Eastern issues. Mabus, who was the U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia during the Clinton administration, will additionally make appearances in support of Obama as he believes that the candidate, whom he calls a “new voice from a new generation,” is exactly what the country needs after the previous divisive administration. Mabus is a good choice as an adviser because of his credibility and previous experience in dealing with the Middle East.
“On the other hand, it doesn’t hurt to have a former ambassador to Saudi Arabia advising on Middle Eastern issues,” said Wiseman, director of Mississippi State University’s John C. Stennis Institute of Government.
Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Mabus will have “a leadership role in the campaign in Mississippi and across the nation.”
Mabus serves on the advisory board for the Center for Middle East Public Policy at the RAND Corp., a nonprofit research group. He’s also on the board of directors of America-Mideast Educational and Training Services, Inc., a Washington-based nonprofit group that works to strengthen ties among the U.S., the Middle East and north Africa.
Posted by kate at 11:02 AM on 05/23/07. Discuss (11)
