[Release]Under fire, Bryant does U-turn on Partnership
Under fire for his involvement in Mike Moore’s unlawful Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi, State Auditor Phil Bryant seemed to do an about-face on Wednesday.
On a recent radio debate, Bryant said he was involved in the Partnership’s spending.
“I was a non-voting board member. Mike Moore asked me to come over and provide some accountability as State Auditor. Help him look at the Partnership. Determine if he could have some internal controls and decide how they would spend the money. Now I didn’t get any of the money I didn’t vote to give anybody any of the money. I went in there and said, “You know, you guys need to make sure that you are spending this legally. Need to make sure you’ve got internal controls, internal auditors and make sure that you spend a lot of it on drugs.” I mean we’re having trouble here with drugs in our schools, on our streets. I advised the board who was then made up of some wonderful people to do that. I thought I was adding accountability where there was none and I thought it was the right thing to do.” Bryant on the Mississippi Connection with Matt Friedeman, Jun. 11, 2007
But yesterday, Bryant did a U-turn. Appearing on the Supertalk Network’s “J.T. & Dave Show,” Bryant criticized the Partnership and lauded the conservative effort led by Governor Barbour and Treasurer Tate Reeves to disband the Partnership and stop the unlawful diversion of $20 million taxpayer dollars per year to it.
“People say a lot of that money was wasted, and you know yes I agree with that, and as state auditor I wish I had had control over what had been wasted.” Bryant on Supertalk FM, Jun. 20, 2007
That new position stands in stark contrast to Bryant’s actions. Bryant served as a member of the board of Moore’s Partnership and has yet to produce a record of anything he did to oppose, criticize, or hold the Partnership accountable. Bryant has cited, but not produced, a letter he says he wrote to Moore in June 2005, but Bryant fails to point out that he went on the board in September 2003.
In December 2003, Bryant wrote to Moore that he thought “accountability and compassion” were “two elements I know are prevalent in the management of the Partnership.” In January 2005, Bryant failed to respond directly to Treasurer Reeves request for Bryant to audit the Partnership, instead referring Reeve’s request to Mike Moore-who was no longer Attorney General-to respond on his behalf.
“When Mike Moore was siphoning $20 million taxpayer dollars a year into an illegal account, Phil Bryant was right there with him,” Ross campaign manager Nathan Wells said. “Now that he’s under fire for his role alongside Mike Moore, Bryant seems to be changing his story.”
“Three days ago Senator Charlie Ross simply asked Auditor Bryant to produce all documentation that proved he provided accountability and how he advised the board on how they should spend the money. Mr. Bryant should come forth with this documentation,” Wells said. “This is a most reasonable request considering the amount of money that was involved. Mr. Bryant should let some sunshine in by producing that documentation.”
For additional documentation regarding Mr. Bryant’s involvement with the Moore’s Partnership, download http://www.charlieross.com/foia/partnership.pdf
Posted by kate at 01:00 PM in Legislature, Tobacco, Elections, Releases | Email this entry
Comments:
Is Mississippi’s legislature becoming Communistic in their dealing with the tobacco tax increase to fund a decrease in the grocery tax? A government of the people, for the people and by the people should not resort to selecting a segment of society to force their will upon. We all know that tobacco use is detrimental to ones health as is written right on the carton. We also know that alcohol is the most used drug by our youth at this time. Why not raise the tax on tobacco, alcohol and gambling proportionately and do away with the tax on groceries.The cost per pack of cigarettes at present is approximately ten cents per cigarette or two dollars per pack. I just looked at an add in the paper for beer at twenty containers of twenty ounces for a cost of seventy-five cents per can.In proportion a coke will cost anywhere from one twenty-five to one fifty per can. At present we are collecting eight percent on gambling whereas other states with gambling collects thirty-five to forty percent. We have a state where twenty-five percent of the citizens are disabled. Shouldn’t our politicians be more concerned with one of four of the population disabled than the fact that people are using a product which isn’t illegal? Why are they also concerned with the fat people with this number disabled. What criteria do these people use to determine a problem which needs government intervention. I had much rather meet a driver on the road with a cigarette than one with a bottle.I had also rather meet one with a cigarette than one with a cell phone. Why not be a fair impartial public servant as they promised while asking for your vote instead of forcing their will on those of their choice.
Posted by on 08/16 at 11:48 AM | #
Edwin writes:
Why not raise the tax on tobacco, alcohol and gambling proportionately and do away with the tax on groceries.
Makes sense to me. Hell, raise the tobacco tax to 75 cents a pack and raise the alcohol and gambling taxes, kill the grocery tax, and use the overage to improve early childhood education and better fund municipalities. We aren’t going to build a sustainable economy on cigarettes, beer, and slot machines.
Re taxing tobacco, there is a very clear precedent for that: marijuana. First we taxed it, then we banned it. If we’re going to talk about communist reasoning, that would go at or near the top of the list. Tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol should all ideally have the same status--legal but taxed--but if they’re not going to, it’s hard to come up with a good libertarian reason to give alcohol and tobacco special props that we’re not going to give to other drugs with equal or lesser side effects.
And another thing: We’re not exploiting DUI fines as well as they could. Set up checkpoints on a random selection of busy streets on Friday and Saturday nights, aggressively enforce, and you’ll raise more than enough in fines to pay the overtime for the police--and make the streets safer to boot. Just lost someone else to a car accident last week, and yet we still live in a city that’s $4 million in the hole where driving under the influence is almost ubiquitous. That needs to come to an end, now, and it’s not like it would take that many DUI arrests for someone to get the message that it might be cheaper to call a cab.
Posted by Tom Head on 08/17 at 07:08 AM | #
I have the feeling that all this drug thing is slowly getting out of control. No matter how big are the taxes, drugs will always sell because they feed our addictions. I think we should work a little harder on this aspect and start to action starting from a personal level. People who can afford drugs, can also afford <a href="http://www.drugsrehabs.com/date/2007/03/ “>drug treatment</a>, so, in words, the solution seems simple…
Posted by on 05/20 at 04:01 PM | #
