Profit-sharing agreement signed for biomass plant

National Clean Fuels announced today that the company signed a profit participation agreement with the Center for Environment, Commerce & Energy (The Center). The two organizations are working together closely to build a biomass-to-electricity (BTE) plant in Port Gibson, Miss.

According to the agreement, National Clean Fuels will provide the Center with monthly project support payments in exchange for a percentage of the net profits generated by the Port Gibson BTE plant once it becomes operational. The Center and National Clean Fuels signed a term sheet earlier this month.

Plans call for the new Port Gibson BTE plant to generate electricity by gasifying sawdust and woodchips to power a massive turbine. NACF inked a letter of intent with the City of Port Gibson in September to devise plans for biomass and solar-energy production in and around the municipality as well as other potential means of green energy production. The Center will assist with the planning and implementation of the project.


MBJ

S510 now being considered in Senate could radically change small farms and food markets

CHARLIE MITCHELL: Voters haven’t ‘changed their minds’ about anything

Mitchell

Middle America wants better performance by the federal government and Middle America has given the Republican Party center stage.

Three Mississippians – returning U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper of District 3 along with newly elected Rep. Alan Nunnelee of District 1 and Rep. Steven Palazzo of District 4 – are in the thick of it.

There’s been a shallow but consistent media chorus since midterm elections. The story line has been, “Why did Americans turn against Obama?” and “Why did voters change their minds?”

Bogus questions, both of them. Voters didn’t turn against Obama. And voters certainly have not changed their minds.

Let’s define Middle America as the voters who swing elections. They dwell between the extremes of liberalism and conservatism. Two years ago, Middle America embraced Barack Obama’s rising star and accepted his pledge to be a president for all the people – one who would focus on the economy and bring federal spending under control. (He really did make those pledges.) Middle America also responded to his promise to bring rationality, equity and cost controls to the delivery of health care and to resolve immigration issues, among many other things. Yes, Obama was a “liberal,” but he was solution-oriented. That resonated.

Obama’s rival for the White House, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called his opponent “naïve,” but Americans not only backed the far more charismatic candidate, they also provided President Obama with clear Democratic majorities in both chambers of Congress. Media folk called this a big victory for liberalism. Wrong. It was a big endorsement of problem-solving.

In the two years since, Middle America has not undergone a giant shift in its collective ideology. Only the most simplistic talk show hosts would suggest that has happened. Lefties are still lefties. Righties are still righties. What Middle America wants is solutions.

So what that means is that Republicans – even without control of the White House or the Senate – must either deliver in the next two years or it will be their turn to decide who gets invited to farewell parties.

Within the party itself, there are divisions.

Harper, Nunnelee and Palazzo have aligned with the super-conservative core of the GOP.

Harper, from Pearl, went to Washington at the same time Obama did. Regarding the $787 billion stimulus bill, Harper had a great quote. When trying to get out of a hole, a good first step is to stop digging, he said in voting “no.” He was re-elected to a second term to deliver the same “stop spending” message. (Interestingly, Harper has been chastised for voting against new spending that would have benefitted Mississippi. Nothing like knocking a guy for doing what he said he’d do.)

Nunnelee, from Tupelo, managed Mississippi’s money as chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the state Senate. Although he and Palazzo don’t take office until January, Nunnelee is on the record with other incoming House Republicans to stop earmarks immediately. (For the record, Obama also pledged to review earmarks “line by line,” yet has signed off on hundreds.)

The way to make the people happy is to fix what’s broken and fixing what’s broken means crafting legislation that (1) Middle America understands and (2) in which Middle America has confidence.

It’s easier said than done, of course.

But folks need to stop saying voters changed. It’s just not true.

NEMS360

Steering panel loaded with John Boehner's allies

House Speaker-designate John Boehner has some close allies to help him potentially sway other members on a Republican panel set to pick leaders of key committees in the next Congress.

Several lawmakers close to the Ohio Republican reside on the 34-member House Republican steering committee – including Lynn Westmoreland (Ga.), who gave a speech backing Boehner to be House speaker, according to a list of steering committee members obtained by POLITICO.

Rep. Steve LaTourette is a fellow member of the Ohio delegation, while Reps. Doc Hastings (Wash.) and Tom Latham (Iowa) have long been close personal friends with Boehner as well.

Others well known to be close to Boehner on the Steering Committee include House Republican Conference Vice-Chair Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (Wash.), National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (Texas), House GOP transition team leader Greg Walden (Ore.), Mike Rogers (Mich.), and Gregg Harper (Miss.).

Boehner’s choice in contested races to head the Energy and Commerce, Appropriations and other panels is automatically worth four votes, the most of any other committee member. The next expected House majority leader, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) gets two votes, while all other members get one vote each when considering each committee race, jurisdictional challenges and potential caucus rule changes.

Shimkus, Energy and Commerce ranking member Joe Barton (Texas), Fred Upton (Mich.) and Cliff Stearns (Fla.) will give roughly 10-minute presentations to the steering committee Tuesday to give their arguments to head the energy panel, followed by a question and answer period. The steering committee will convene at 1:30 p.m. in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.

Read more: Politico

Less than an hour left to vote.

Less than an hour left. Click HERE for a message from Will Longwitz.

Who did you vote for in the race for Madison County Judge? Open thread.

Who did you vote for and why? Watch here for returns out of Canton as they are counted.

Open thread. Keep it civil.

Good Balance Creates Good Leaders

BY: B. Keith Plunkett

Society has morphed into a mob that wants to hear our leaders definitively and emphatically say “never” and/or “always”. We get caught up in feel good phrases like “Yes We Can.” Empty and meaningless maxims discount one simple fact: none of us, not even those willing to shout such blather from the rooftops and podiums, are ever really in control.

We reward people as worthy of leadership for the pronouncement of meaningless platitudes. We use it to build an otherwise banal personality into a heroic figure and then lay at their doorstep our problems to be fixed. We want someone else to be the “go to guy”, because at our core, the majority of us are scared to stick out our own necks.

We are fearful little children, who learned to deal with life through our control dramas at a young age, and we have brought those dramas with us into adulthood. How do I get fed? I cry. How do I get my way? I throw a temper tantrum. How do I get out of this? I lie. How do I win? I cheat. Those are the standards of the playground in which we live. It is the ways we have deluded ourselves into maintaining the belief that we can control our situations. It is our lesser selves we revert to when focused on a shortcut to the end result. We have forgotten that we are not in control and never have been. We have allowed ourselves to become manipulators--and maninpulated, out of fear, out of laziness, out of aloofness, and in some cases out of blind allegiance to the perception of power.

That’s all power really is; a perception. Situational control, that is momentary management, will always lie with the person or group that is perceived to have power. That group and control will often change when that power is challenged, when a reaction to new circumstances is insufficient to maintain it, or when they begin to believe that they are above reproach. There are leaders and there are followers. Without belief there are no followers, and there can be no leaders without followers.

We deify those who say “never this” or “always that” and put them on a pedestal. But, when those heroes become all too human, as they inevitably do, those that believed in the miracle can only stand by quietly disappointed and watch as the axe is sharpened, usually by someone else who is shouting, “Never again!”

Then, the process starts anew.

We deify our demagogues, and then sacrifice them at the altar of their own failures when it is WE who have set the bar too high for them, while not even bothering to set a bar for ourselves.

We need a reawakening. We need a renewal of personal responsibility—not control, but responsibility. That doesn’t start with some political catchphrase. It starts with each of us. It begins at the most grassroots level, in our own backyard, and in our own communities. It starts by worrying about what we can do for others and relinquishing any hope at controlling the outcome, and by not scheming about what we need for ourselves or manipulating the situation to gain an edge. It starts with REAL public servants, those are people who are in it for the right reasons, people of courage, people prepared to help bring consensus to difficult issues to solve problems.

Politics reflects society. We get exactly what we deserve. Being courageous doesn’t require being obnoxious and building consensus isn’t the same as sacrificing principle. The path is narrow. It requires good balance to keep from falling off into the weeds.

Senator Chuck Hagel writes, "The quality of leaders and effectiveness of government are directly related to informed and committed citizens willing to participate in politics."

Nothing is accomplished by divisive avarice. Citizens should encourage good balance within our social networks and follow the leaders that naturally appear as a result.

Bachmann Says NO to More Work

But, find a camera and she'll be there!

According to Politico, Ms. Bachmann was asked to be an appropriator next session and said thanks, but no thanks.


Ms. Bachmann presently sits on only ONE committee … the House Financial Services Committee … where she is a backbencher. Heck, even “rookie” legislators have more asssignments … Consider that Gregg Harper (R-MS) has just started his career in Congress this term and is assigned to four committees (Committee on the Budget, Committee on the Judiciary, Committee on House Administration, and Committee on Standards of Official Conduct). Or fellow freshman Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), who is assigned to the Judiciary; Natural Resources; Oversight & Government Reform Committees.

Ms. Bachmann is lazy. The Appropriations Committee is a demanding assignment … requiring long hours that can involve skillful diplomacy. It is a lot easier to let someone else do the work …

For all the TaxEnoughAlready folks who sent their hard-earned dollars to support Ms. Bachmann’s re-election should be asking for their monies back.

MNPoliticalRoundtable

Blake Walley Memorial Benefit to be held December 18 in Flora

Blake Walley

Saturday, December 18 at 11:30, friends and family members will gather for a benefit to remember Blake Walley. Walley was killed in a one vehicle accident in Louisiana on September 12. Blake, reffered to by many as just "Walley", was a great guy, a good friend to many and always greeted people with a smile and a handshake. He was the type of person the world needs more of.

The Fish Fry event will be held at the Holcomb Airstrip AKA "Roothog International" on Highway 22 just west of Flora. Plates will be available from 11:30 until 5:00 for $5.00 each. There will also be drawings for prizes and a live and silent auction at 1:00. Two helicopter rides will be among the auction items. Live music will be provided by Crossin Dixon.
All donations go to help pay for final expenses. Amounts in excess of the goal will be donated to a local charity.

Longwitz receives endorsements from Governor and key leaders in Madison County

Governor Haley Barbour, Former Mississippi Republican Party Chairman Jim Herring, Madison County Sheriff Toby Trowbridge and Madison County State Representative Rita Martinson all supporting Will Longwitz in runoff election.

As the runoff election on Tuesday, November 23rd is just a few days away, Madison County Judge candidate Will Longwitz is pleased to announce that he has received the public support of several key Mississippi leaders.

Will Longwitz has received the support of Mississippi's Governor Haley Barbour as well as the former Chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party, Jim Herring, of Canton. Will Longwitz also has the support of Madison County Sheriff Toby Trowbridge and Madison County State Representative Rita Martinson.

In addition, today's edition of the Madison County Journal newspaper has encouraged readers to vote for Will Longwitz with the newspaper's endorsement titled "Will Longwitz for County Judge" that states, "Will Longwitz is a man of character who possesses solidly conservative ideals. Among other things, Longwitz understands the growing juvenile crime problem in Madison County and is committed to stopping bad behavior from becoming criminal behavior."

Governor Haley Barbour has given his support to Will Longwitz's campaign with the following statement: "There is an important judicial election in Madison County, and I hope you will vote for Will Longwitz. I know he will be a fair, impartial and effective judge for Madison County. Will worked hard for me after Hurricane Katrina, and I know he will work hard for you."

In a letter to the Madison County Herald newspaper, former Mississippi Republican Party Chairman, Jim Herring, of Canton, writes, "Will has shown me he is not afraid of hard work- an essential trait for any good Judge...Will has shown me that he has the proper temperament to be a good Judge, one that is calm, kind, fair and impartial, yet one that can also be firm and even courageous if necessary."

In January, Longwitz announced his campaign at the home of Andy & Karen Taggart of Madison. He promised to "do everything in his power to help keep Madison County safe and strong, and a great place to raise families."

Longwitz is a former federal prosecutor, a special prosecutor for Madison County, and has his law practice in Madison. He is now in a runoff to be held on Tuesday, November 23rd. Longwitz came in first place in the general election on November 2nd, 2010.

You can learn more about Will Longwitz and his campaign by visiting http://www.will4judge.com/
For more information, contact the campaign at (601) 707-8560

Brown strikes a deal in public intoxication charge

Mississippi Department of Transportation executive director Larry "Butch" Brown has reached a plea deal with prosecutors that could see public intoxication charges dropped.

Brown was not in court this morning, but his attorney reached a deal with prosecutors in the charge of public intoxication arising from an incident at Beau Rivage Casino & Resort in July of this year.

Brown is to enter anger management classes and stay out of trouble. If he successfully completes the course, the charges against him will be dropped and his record expunged.

Read More: SH

Storey wills Tri-County to OT victory, North State

As the Tri-County Academy Rebels gathered around Trainor Storey at midfield towards the end of regulation in their second round game with DeSoto last Friday his message was simple.

"I just told them that we were brothers and we were going to go down and score and win this one," Storey said. "There was no way they were keeping us out."

The senior was true to his word as he guided the Rebels down the field to tie the game in the final minute and pull off a miraculous 35-28 victory in overtime.

The win kept the Rebs undefeated at 13-0 and was the first loss of the season for DeSoto.

TCA moves on to face Tunica Academy in the Academy A North State Championship this Friday.

"I'm very proud of this team right now," said Coach David Blount. "Their running game was probably the best we faced this year but in the end, our kids rose to the occasion."

MCJ

Congressman Harper Re-elected by peers to GOP Steering Committee

U.S. Representative Gregg Harper today was re-elected to the Republican Steering Committee as the sophomore class representative. This select party committee, comprised of the Republican leadership and region and class elected representatives, is responsible for choosing committee chairmen and assigning committee seats to all Republican Members of the House of Representatives.

“I’m so honored to serve again on the Republican Steering Committee and I want to thank my classmates for instilling their trust in me to be a voice for the sophomore class,” said Harper. “I am eager to work with Republican leaders to advance our jobs agenda that focuses on reducing runaway federal spending and reforming Congress.”

As Republicans enter the majority, this committee position will allow Harper to advocate for his classmates with regard to their desired committee assignments for the 112th Congress and Mississippi’s two new Republican congressmen-elect.

“Mississippians have chosen two rising stars to join the Republican majority,” Harper added. “I am working closely with Representatives-elect Alan Nunnelee and Steven Palazzo to help them gain seats on committees that will benefit both their district and our state.”

The Republican Steering Committee will settle committee rosters when the 112th Congress convenes in January, although committee chairmen may be selected later this month or in December.

Harper currently serves as the only freshman on the Committee on House Administration and the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (Ethics). In addition, he serves on the Budget and Judiciary Committees.

Madison County woman charged in insurance fraud

A Madison County woman is behind bars today facing charges she committed insurance fraud, announced Attorney General Jim Hood.

Johnnetta White, 23, of Camden, was arrested by the Madison County Sheriff's Office today following an investigation by the Mississippi Attorney General's Public Integrity Division/Insurance Fraud Unit.

White was indicted in Madison County on a single count of Insurance Fraud after she allegedly filed a fraudulent automobile insurance claim.

White was under house arrest at the time of the offense for a 2009 conviction in Madison County for embezzlement.

CL

House Republicans Elect Leadership Team for the 112th Congress

The Members-elect of the House Republican Conference met today to select leaders for the 112th Congress.

The results of those elections are as follows:
• Speaker of the House: John A. Boehner of Ohio
• Republican Leader: Eric Cantor of Virginia
• Republican Whip: Kevin McCarthy of California
• Republican Conference Chairman: Jeb Hensarling of Texas
• National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman: Pete Sessions of Texas
• Republican Policy Committee Chairman: Tom Price of Georgia
• Republican Conference Vice-Chair: Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington
• Republican Conference Secretary: John Carter of Texas
• Freshman Elected Leadership Representative: Kristi Noem of South Dakota
• Freshman Elected Leadership Representative: Tim Scott of South Carolina

Nobody wants a fruitcake.

Laforge: Earmark Moratorium will have NO impact on the federal budget.

BY: Bill Laforge

Yesterday the Senate Republican conference agreed on a two-year moratorium on earmarks. Republican Leader Mitch McConnell reluctantly changed his position of supporting earmarks, went along with the party’s conservative wing, and embraced the idea of a moratorium, thus ensuring the endorsement of the Republican caucus, and avoiding a bitter and devisive intra-party battle. This is all in reaction to the election and to voter interests in the government, especially the Congress, doing everything possible to reduce spending and get the financial house in order. Congressional Republican leaders feel it is necessary to restore trust in government by the American people.

However, in reality, it is a mere symbolic gesture…a political reaction and a “feel-good” outcome for politicians who believe that they must listen to the American people and do their will on this issue. It will have NO impact on the federal budget. Earmarks are not “new” money. They only direct where the money will be spent. Essentially, they are directives from Congress on how taxpayers’ dollars should be spent, rather than allowing executive branch agencies to make all the decisions. The same amount of dollars will still be on the table and will be spent. The sad difference now is that Congress is abdicating its constitutional responsibility and privilege regarding the power of the purse, and turning over all the decisions to the executive branch. To me, this is very short-sighted. But it is an issue rife with demagoguery and political messaging. Politicians are falling all over themselves trying to outdo their rivals on this issue, so you will note that an unlikely coalition involving the President and congressional Republicans is having a field day with this issue. For many, perception has become reality, and it appears that the moratorium is real, at least for now.

The Senate action by Republicans comes on the heels of similar action by House Republicans earlier this year. It remains to be seen how congressional Democrats in both houses will respond and what they will do next. It is possible that all or some Democrats, and possibly even some Republicans, will continue to request earmarks. Politically I would envision Republicans making any Democratic earmarks a big issue during the next campaign. Hell hath no fury like a reformed earmarker! Only time will tell.

Bill LaForge is an attorney, Washington, D.C. office managing shareholder and Government Relations Practice Group leader with Winstead PC. A Cleveland, Mississippi native, Laforge was chief counsel of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, and culminated his government career as Chief Legislative Counsel and Chief of Staff to United States Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi.

Tea Party Fuels Born-Again Earmark Opponents

Tuesday's Republican vote on imposing an earmark moratorium was a direct response to the rising influence of Tea Party conservatives in the Senate. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), the de facto leader of the Tea Party Senate caucus, said "the significance of this policy victory cannot be overstated" in an e-mail to supporters.


But a close look at Tuesday's voice vote to impose a non-binding moratorium on earmarks not only showcases the Tea Party's clout in the Senate this year, but its significant influence in GOP primary politics in 2012 and beyond.

Several Republican senators who are up for re-election in 2012 and who have previously sought millions in earmarks reversed course on Tuesday to vote for the measure -- a move for some that was undoubtedly intended to shore up their right flank in 2012. And even newly elected moderate Republican senators, like Illinois' Mark Kirk and New Hampshire's Kelly Ayotte, backed the measure, an indication that the politics of opposing earmarks is now viewed in the GOP as a clear political winner.

"Part of a politician's DNA is to talk out of both sides of their mouths," said Steve Ellis of Taxpayers for Common Sense, an organization that opposes earmarks. "So it's not surprising that they have put their fingers into the political wind and sensed it has changed directions on earmarks."

Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker (R) is another surprising supporter of the moratorium. A veteran appropriator, Wicker requested $384 million worth of earmarks in 2010, in a state that's relied on federal funds for its military bases and shipyards, among other projects. But he's up for re-election in 2012, and his support of the moratorium is probably with a primary challenger in mind.


HL

Stick a fork in Steele, he's done!

The articles I posted in April and July of this year should have been a pretty good indication of what was to come. More proof that Affirmative Action is a bad idea!

Top RNC Aide Slams Steele For Failed Fundraising


Republican National Committee political director Gentry Collins offered an abrupt resignation Tuesday, coupled with a stinging rebuke of Chairman Michael Steele and the committee's fundraising efforts in the midterm elections.

In a five-page letter to Steele and members of the RNC's executive committee, Collins said the party's lackluster fundraising effort contributed just a fraction of the amount of money to state parties that it had in previous cycles. That financial downturn, Collins said, prevented Republicans from capitalizing on an historic wave election and allowed Democrats to hold on in key races.

Collins' public rebuke of Steele's tenure is the latest indication that there are serious divisions within the RNC and that Steele, who is seeking a second term, will face a tough battle to hang on to the job.

Steele hired Collins, a top Republican operative who worked for former Gov. Mitt Romney in the 2008 cycle, in an effort to reassure donors and committee members that he was building an effective operation with seasoned and competent people in key roles. Collins is the latest staffer to leave disgruntled, but the first to have done so in such a public manner.

"Sadly, if left on its current path, the RNC will not be a productive force in the 2012 campaign," wrote Collins. "During the 2010 cycle, the RNC allowed its major donor base to wither."

Collins said the fundraising operation was ineffective, handing out a relative pittance to state parties and candidates while spending more money to raise less. Big donors who gave more than $1,000 contributed just 10.5 percent of the committee's fundraising, an incredible drop-off from recent years.

Meanwhile, Collins revealed the RNC has drawn down $15 million it had secured in lines of credit, and that unpaid bills owed by the committee are "likely to add millions to that debt." The money went to expenses other than the political department, which for the first time since the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill was passed did not fund an independent expenditure program.

What's more, even standard programs developed over decades failed to materialize. The RNC's 72-hour program of turning out voters "was left largely un-funded," Collins wrote, as RNC chief of staff Mike Leavitt withheld funding from states until October 22, a week before those funds were to be implemented.

The lack of funds had a real impact, Collins argued, contributing to Republican losses in Democratic-held seats the party might otherwise have contested. Collins points to 21 House races, stretching from Washington State to Arizona to New York and North Carolina, that the party left on the table, as well as to Senate races in Washington and Colorado and governorships in Vermont, Minnesota and Connecticut.

The 2012 elections represent "huge opportunities requiring massive obligations," Collins wrote. "And this Committee can meet them. But to meet them, we must dig out from huge debts, be focused and disciplined about spending wisely, only spend to win elections, and adopt a laser-like focus on the hard work of reviving our major donor fundraising network."

Collins' public rebuke is stunning in that he has shied away from ever commenting about the internal workings of the party. While staffers, former staffers and committee members have complained, Collins refused to speak with the press except on a handful of occasions while briefing reporters at committee meetings.

HL

We know how to get out of this mess. But, how much more damage gets done until then?

BY: B. Keith Plunkett

Even those of us with a little history of being on the wrong side of the political witch hunters in Madison County—one day, I’ll write that story and explain—have to look at the past few months of shenanigans with mouths agape in amazement. There is no definitive starting point, and apparently no ending point, to the political gamesmanship that occurs here in the “Land Between Two Rivers”. It goes back decades. But, if one were to try to define a timeline of events that have us where we are today, the ramp-up to our most recent toxic political climate can be traced back to February 2006 when Board President Tim Johnson and Supervisor’s Karl Banks and Paul Griffin formed a voting bloc and passed a $50 million bond debt program without knowing how the county would pay it back. That lack of budget sense was followed by a vote again in September 2008 to raise taxes to the tune of 3.3 mils to cover the debt that was incurred from it.

Before the 2008 vote, there was an attempt to stifle debate altogether by closing the public hearing, followed by a surprisingly inept attempt to double the increase to 6.33 mils. Due to public outcry and the threat of legal challenges, it was quickly reduced back to the original 3.33 mils. But a new way of doing business had been put into play:

Johnson, who said he worked with an “ad hoc” committee comprised of County Engineer Rudy Warnock and road department officials to develop the plan, said he intentionally did not solicit input from either Jones or Taggart. Johnson, who said he did not need public input to determine the county’s greatest transportation needs, said he did discuss the plan and how best to finance the individual road projects chosen as priorities with District 4 Supervisor Karl Banks and District 5 Supervisor Paul Griffin.

“They were a part of it, yes,” Johnson said.

Warnock, who formally drafted the presentation document outlining almost $100 million in road construction and repair projects, was approved as part of the road plan’s 3 to 2 adoption to serve as the lead engineer for the entire road plan project – a responsibility that could potentially earn his engineering firm up to 20 percent of the road projects’ total costs.

“I will be the lead engineer for the road work,” Warnock said.

“It’s what the board decided.”

Plans for the future had been made behind closed doors. It was a sign of things to come.

Wary citizens talk of the lack of open government and restraint in Canton reached the stratosphere by 2009. One road project that had fallen out of favor within the newly developed road plan was holding up development in the City of Madison and Mayor Mary Hawkins-Butler began a closer look at the county spending. The result was notice of potential double-dipping by County Engineer Rudy Warnock in his billing practices with subcontractors.

A subsequent report by an independent engineering consultant, Richard McAfee, funded by concerned citizens in the City of Madison found several red flags in Warnock’s cozy relationship with Madison County. The allegations became public in March of 2010, and calls for a visit from State Auditor Stacey Pickering ensued. Board President Johnson and Warnock looked on that as the seminal shot fired. With the help of the voting bloc that now controlled the Board of Supervisors, they began implementing a scorched earth retaliation policy, and a game of “hide-and-go-seek” of the county’s invoice approval process.



It has engulfed the county’s business ever since. Now including Board Attorney Eric Hamer’s billing practices:



The questions of financial irresponsibility also extends to questions over the salary of lobbyist C. Steven Seale, and even if his employment is legal under Mississippi code. Nothing at this point appears to be viewed outside the prism of doubt and mistrust.

I’d be willing to bet that former County Administrator Donnie Caughman and Comptroller Mark Houston are happy as two pigs in slop that they got out when they did.

The latest installment of the timeline has the Board of Supervisor’s trying to lock Supervisor D.I. Smith out of any executive sessions by charging him with leaking sensitive legal information to MDOT regarding one of the privately planned road projects.

The tactic employed by Johnson and company is to deny everything, admit to nothing, and to lay waste to everything through counter charges. There is a void left from the board’s refusal to come clean, and citizens are left guessing at why this is all happening. The vacuum created by a Board of Supervisor's unwilling to explain themselves is filled by any number of rumors.

There is Supervisor Banks land holdings and the question of whether he has personally profited from his votes on the board. There have been concerns of the possible uber-politicization of the upcoming redistricting process to allow the control of the power levers to remain in Johnson’s hands as, are you sitting down . . . County Administrator. That's right folks, rumor is he has his sight set on a job to run the whole county; Boss Hogg in a sequened jumpsuit.

As puzzled citizens scratch their heads, old rumors of the county engineer’s epic shindigs have again been brought to the fore, as well. Warnock’s soiree’s, the rumor goes, supposedly helped him gain enough dirt on public officials that he could get away with the billing deceptions and the closed door road planning meetings. No one would dare cross him lest he go public.

Is this all true? I’m not sure. There is almost always a hint of truth in the most deceptive of lies. That’s what makes them believable. But one thing is for certain; the fact that it is all being talked about as the back story to the ongoing head-butting between factions is not financially or civically healthy for any of us.

This is what we Madison Countians have been reduced to by the mismanagement of a few who want all the power all the time. It didn't just start this year, and it won’t be fixed overnight. Most voters probably now realize it will require some serious purging come Election Day before that fix is possible.

The question becomes, “Can Madison County keep from imploding until then?”

Johnson's Cabal does away with all pretense of good government.

Tim Johnson and his friends on the Madison County Board of Supervisors have stopped acting as if they care, deciding to boot Supervisor D.I. Smith from Executive Sessions. They have worked behind closed doors from the public for so long, apparently now they want to rid themselves of the distractions while they systematically dismantle decades of work in one of the most promising counties in the state.

Madison County board says D.I. Smith e-mailed suit plans

A Madison County supervisor is accused of leaking information from a closed session that could impact a lawsuit against the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

Supervisor D.I. Smith faced allegations from fellow supervisors Monday during a board meeting.

On a 4-1 vote, with Smith in opposition, the Board of Supervisors agreed to have Board attorney Eric Hamer seek the opinion of the attorney general or the ethics commission on barring Smith from any executive sessions in which the MDOT lawsuit is discussed.


"He's shown he can't be trusted in this matter," board President Tim Johnson said in seeking to bar Smith.

Smith, however, said he has done nothing wrong and called the board's attempt to censure him "simply politics in Madison County.

"I'm not aware I disclosed any information I wasn't supposed to," Smith said.

The county is asking MDOT to pay back $20 million local officials said was lost when the county decided not to build an I-55 interchange for Reunion Parkway. Smith has said he thinks the suit is a waste of the county's money.

However, Mississippi Ethics Commission Executive Director Tom Hood said state law does not keep an elected official from discussing what occurred behind closed doors.


"Discussing what happens in executive session is not a violation of the open meetings act or the ethics in government law," Hood said.

CL

Bond Denied For Mother Charged In Newborn's Death

Police: Baby Was Found Inside Suitcase

A Madison County Circuit Court judge on Monday denied bond for a 41-year-old woman charged in the death of her newborn son.

Sheila Ealey is charged with murder, court officials said. She was recently indicted by a Madison County grand jury.

Madison County Sheriff's Department investigators believe Ealey gave birth to the boy in July. She's accused of wrapping the baby in a plastic bag and putting him in a suitcase, which was found behind Smith Chapel Baptist Church in Flora, police said.

Related Posts: Coroner: Baby Found Dead In Suitcase Behind Flora Church
Arrest made in dead baby case
Madison County DA: Baby was alive when dumped in Flora
Bond set in Madison baby death case

3BP Analysis: Haley Barbour the man to beat in 2012

Haley Barbour is running for President.


No, he hasn't announced yet, but his intentions are well understood.

The best thing that happened to Haley Barbour and his aspirations for the presidency came when Mark Sanford decided to be an idiot. When Sanford was knocked from his post as head of the Republican Governors Association, Barbour took over and turned it into a powerhouse.

When all was said and done, the RGA had plenty to brag about come November 3rd.

Republican Governors have won control of the majority of 2012 swing states. The following states that held gubernatorial races are considered swing states: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The RGA spent $49.5 million in these 10 swing states we deemed critical to 2012.

And while it's not a swing state, the RGA also was forced to move into South Carolina and provide some reinforcements to ensure Nikki Haley's victory.

Hmmm.

There's something awfully interesting about some of the states listed above.

Iowa. Nevada. South Carolina.

Well, it just so happens that the GOP primary calendar undertook some slight revisions this past year in order to guarantee four states had the first primaries.

New Hampshire. Iowa. Nevada. South Carolina.

Additionally, the new calendar emphasizes the importance of delaying the beginning of primary season and ensuring there isn't a kind of national primary that provides a candidate with an insurmountable lead.

Now no one would think a man with as heavy a drawl as Barbour could compete in New Hampshire. But Iowa, Nevada, and South Carolina? Those seem like decent possibilities.

Now take into consideration the massive amount of political capital Barbour gained among the new Governors in each of those three states by investing so heavily into their races. Branstad, Sandoval, and Haley all owe Haley Barbour. And they owe him big.

Is it enough to bring a hugely important endorsement? That much is unclear, but Barbour clearly has every reason and right to put the pressure on all three.

Now consider what happens if Barbour is able to finagle the early endorsements of people like Corbett, Kasich, and Scott in PA, OH, and FL. In the horserace that is primary politics, that provides quite a momentum shift.

No one doubts Barbour can raise money. No one doubts his abilities as a tactician. His record in Mississippi is exemplary. The only question is his background as a lobbyist and I'm not quite convinced that's the Achilles Heel many seem to believe.

If Barbour can manage to pull down these endorsements, watch out. Without a doubt, he'll be the man to beat for the 2012 GOP nomination.

3BP

Harper meets with President of Taiwan in Taipei

President Ma Ying-jeou said Thursday that his administration's cross-Taiwan Strait policy, including signing of an Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) between the two sides, has won recognition worldwide.

During a brief meeting with visiting American Congressman Gregg Harper (R-MS) and his wife at the Presidential Office, Ma said he feels pleased that the China policies implemented by his administration since he took office in May 2008 have gained the support of United States President Barack Obama and his predecessor George W. Bush.

In addition to serving to consolidate business and trade ties between China and Taiwan, Ma said the ECFA, which is something like a free trade agreement, has also helped ease tensions across the Taiwan Strait, formerly considered one of the world's flash points.

Ma told his visitors that he believes the peace-maker image that Taiwan has built will be conducive to its integration into the international community.

The president also took time to reiterate his aspirations for closer ties between Taiwan and the U.S., including Taiwan's acquisition of advanced F-16C/D jet fighters from the U.S., the signing of an extradition agreement between the two countries, and the U.S. waiving visas for visiting Taiwanese.

FT

Seale says he'll answer a few questions . . . so let's ask a few.

Seale

Madison County Lobbyist C. Stephen Seale's latest response to our fun little back and forth continues. He says:

"I can't explain each and every action or the propriety of my fees to every taxpayer in Madison County."

And why not? It's really simple, just answer the questions.



Seriously though, I do understand. If he doesn't take direction from anybody but the Board of Supervisors, that's fine. I feel like we're making a little progress here. So, I'll be flexible. 

Seale Says:

"What I will offer to do is to explain the work I do to you and give examples of the work and fees charged by similarly-situated entities for the same kind of work in Washington and Jackson. This is the same thing I've done for the Board since I was hired and have been supported in every instance by a 4-1 vote. It will then be up to you to make your own conclusions if you choose to participate and to report on what we've discussed for your benefit and for the benefit of your readers. Call me if this interests you."

This doesn't exactly sound like a willingness to answer questions, but rather to "explain things" to me. In fact, "examples of the work and fees charged by similarly-situated entities for the same kind of work" sounds eerily like that inner government audit done by the county that tried to explain away Mr. Warnock's engineering fees, doesn't it?

But, when I said I wanted to turn this into "food for thought" I meant it. So, you have my attention, Mr. Seale.

Of course, we'll have to set some ground rules. But, I'm going to move ahead on the assumption that I get to ask a few questions. And, since I had hoped my readers here could ask a few in an open thread, what I'll do instead is offer this up as a thread for readers to send the questions to me. If I can get Mr. Seale to answer them, I'll do my best.

We'll see. Mr. Seale, I'll be in touch.

You ask 'em, I'll ask 'em, readers. So shoot.

Grassroots conservative movements will move Mississippi's local officials to GOP

BY: B. Keith Plunkett

Last night I attended a lecture by Andy Taggart and Jere Nash at Millsaps. The lecture was part of Millsaps Art and Lecture Series, something I was completely unaware of until late last week. That’s when I found out about this particular appearance by the two proprietors of the Red/Blue Review. Andy and Jere have grown their partnership into quite the informative franchise, with books, a popular blog and a regular weekly appearance on WLBT. Last night’s lecture had a particular focus on analyzing the elections from last week, and a look ahead to Mississippi’s 2011 statewide elections.

I was somewhat disappointed to find that I and only a few others were easily the youngest in the room of about 50 people. I won’t go into detail except to say that I am firmly planted now in the category of “middle-age.” With the exception of my 18-year old son, there appeared to be no one under the age of 25 in the room, and only a few that may have been under 40.

This is a sad state of affairs. Where are all the young Political Science majors? Where are the same young people that are easily found mulling about and schmoozing with cocktail in hand at any number of political fundraising parties? Where are the young professionals? The answer to that question may also give an idea of why, even in a huge turnout year for mid-term elections, we still have an abysmal number of actual voters participating in the process. Citizen engagement drives the debate, and drives participation by people who will be true public servants.

The lack of citizen-representatives, and the continuing progression towards exclusivity in party-centric ideas was part of the reason for a huge backlash this year from the TEA party, 9-12 groups and other grassroots efforts. The movement has registered huge numbers of disaffected and first-time voters in the past two years. Those in political circles that dismiss the TEA Party as a fad or as simpletons do so at their own peril.

In his opening remarks, Democrat Jere Nash made the same mistake that the Dems keep making: he made light of the TEA Party, even going so far as to call the movement “a gift” to the Dems for future elections. His lack of understanding about who these people really are is why the Democrats will have a long road back in Mississippi.

To be sure, some of the TEA Party leadership in this state has become quite enamored with their new found celebrity. Some (and I highlight the word “some”) have found themselves standing atop the heap and think that this “revolution” affords them the right to be demanding, and more than a little indignant. Because it is such a loose confederation, there are a few shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later sensibilities at play, and many are not yet very adept at realizing that everything that comes at them through an email may not be the gospel truth. But, however unstable the movement, these are by far core conservative voters. The GOP must walk beside them, albeit gingerly.

Nash called into question Taggart’s opinion that North Mississippi’s First Congressional District turning back to the Republican’s during this cycle is a sign that many officials statewide will now be moving to the GOP in local elections. Nash rightfully asserted that this district was “Red” before when now Senator Wicker was the Congressman there, and local officials by and large were running as Democrats statewide then. But, what went unsaid is that Nash fails to recognize the significant shift that has occurred at the local grassroots level. He and other state Dems make light of TEA Party anger. If they hope to make it back to some semblance of power in his lifetime, they shouldn't.

The people that live and work in the rural communities throughout Mississippi every day, in towns like Ackerman, Maben, Leakesville, Silver Creek and Magnolia feel like they don’t have a voice. Many of these towns are not regular stops on the political circuit, and people who live and work in small towns are no longer accepting that they are left out of the equation. These are the people who have become active in ways that we haven’t seen before. New technology has allowed people to find like-minded friends within their own communities in ways that was not possible 10 years ago. It is loosely organized, but it is organized.

Another thing that is discounted by state Democrats is the number of small municipal officials who run as Democrats locally, but vote as Republicans. Poll any number of municipal or county officials in rural areas that have heavy Black Voting Age Population (BVAP) districts or wards, and you will find a large number that will tell you they “have to run Democrat.” The new found friends in the grassroots efforts that swept Mississippi last week can give these DINO’s the cover they need to join in on a year-long “coming out party” in 2011.

If Mississippi Democrats continue to stick their head in the sand, they will wake up and realize the world has changed around them. In fact, it’s already begun. Grassroots organization has changed with the dawn of Social Media. With state elections and redistricting around the corner, and a highly motivated base of new conservative voters there is a lot on the line. In light of all this, referring to conservative voters and TEA Party Members as “ignorant”, as State Democrat Leader Jamie Franks did a few weeks ago, even insinuating it, as Nash did last night, is not good strategy.

‘Gatemouth’ Moore honored with Blues Trail marker in Yazoo City

Bishop Arnold Dwight “Gatemouth” Moore, a former national blues star who left the nightclub stage for the pulpit, is being honored with a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail.

The marker was unveiled Monday in Yazoo City.

During the 1930s, Arthus Dwight "Gatemouth" Moore was one of the better-known blues singers in the country. But, in the 1950s he abandoned this kind of music to take up vestments in the Baptist Church. He underwent a very personal journey from being one of the preeminent blues singers in the 1930s and 1940s to becoming a minister in the 1950s.

Moore, known as one of the most elegant and charismatic blues singers experienced a dramatic conversion when he went onstage at the Club DeLisa in Chicago in 1948. No blues came from his mouth, only the spiritual “Shine on Me.” Moore soon became not only an ordained minister but also one of America’s top gospel radio announcers on WDIA in Memphis. He did not miss a beat in transferring his flair for showmanship from the blues to the church, and remained one of the country’s most colorful personalities. He once delivered a sermon from a cross and gave his own eulogy from a casket. Although he devoted himself to church and community work, he still enjoyed singing the blues on occasion, and kept in touch with B.B. King and other bluesmen he had inspired. In the 1992 documentary on Moore’s life entitled “Saturday Night, Sunday Morning,” King described the lyrics to Moore’s hit “Did You Ever Love a Woman”: “No blues gets any stronger than that.”




 

Born in Topeka, Kansas, in 1913, Moore grew up in an impoverished environment. By the time he was nine, he was singing soprano at church but abandoned that at 16 to tour the country with Ma Rainey, performing in tent shows. Beginning nightclub work in Chicago, he ultimately reached the pinnacle of fame on Beale Street in Memphis. This mecca for black singers and musicians was a college for entertainers who could learn anything desired: showmanship, musical presentation, public relations, and much, much more. In the heart of the black community, the Beale Street area supported a separate black culture of nightclubs, churches, social organizations, schools, and businesses. Outside of this enclave, Moore and his colleagues performed in "white man's land." But they entertained well, and, as one cohort said, we "roll with the punches and take the money."

He served as pastor of several churches in Mississippi and Louisiana.

He died in Yazoo City in 2004.

Mississippi utilities recoup charity donations from customers

Entergy Mississippi and Mississippi Power Company have been reimbursed by customers for more than $3.1 million in charitable contributions to schools, colleges, civic organizations and businesses over the past three years, according to public records. These regulated public utilities plan to recoup even more in 2010.

Credit for donations to entities such as Boy & Girls Clubs, cities, museums, private and public schools and universities, neighborhood associations, Junior Auxiliary chapters, state agencies, chambers of commerce, theater and arts associations and more have gone to Entergy and Mississippi Power, when the majority of the tab was picked up by customers.

State law allows public utilities to recover charitable contributions that were made “in the public interest” in rate base, provided the donations are approved by the Mississippi Public Service Commission.

Other Southern states, such as Alabama, Arkansas, Florida and Georgia, do not allow this practice. Louisiana does.

Many ratepayers are unaware that the Mississippi Public Service Commission, and its counterpart the Public Utilities Staff, allow utilities to donate ratepayer money.

MBJ

Growing Clout: South to gain more Congressional seats than earlier projected

It's been clear for a while that the South's political clout will grow after the 2010 Census data was released next year and used to redo the nation's Congressional districts. But a new projection suggests the region's gains will be even bigger than had been estimated earlier, with Southern states picking as many as eight House seats and Electoral College votes for president.

The new analysis by Election Data Services predicts that burgeoning growth in the South and West will pull 12 Congressional seats away from states in the Midwest and Northeast. Here are the states that would gain:

STATE / CONGRESSIONAL SEATS GAINED

Arizona +1
Florida +2
Georgia +1
Nevada +1
South Carolina +1
Texas +4
Utah +1
Washington +1

The gains in the South are bigger than had been estimated a few months ago, when the Great Recession and housing market collapse were slowing migration to Florida and Texas.

But the new analysis suggests Florida's population will grow enough to comfortably pick up a second Congressional seat. Texas is right on the bubble, winning a fourth seat by a margin of just 38,000 people.

These are just estimates: If Texas falls short when the official 2010 Census numbers are released on December 31, EDS says there are 16 states that could overtake Texas to pick up the final seat, lead by New York, California, Arizona, North Carolina and Illinois.

North Carolina's chances of gaining a seat may be even higher, thanks to U.S. foreign policy.

As EDS notes, their analysis doesn't account for military personnel -- which ended up being the decisive factor in 2000, when N.C. beat out Utah in adding a Congressional seat. Over the last decade, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have brought thousands of members of the armed services to North Carolina's military bases, which will be credited as their official U.S. address for Census purposes.

On the flip side, Louisiana's massive displacement from Hurricane Katrina will likely cause it to lose a district.

Here's a map from EDS showing which states are projected to win and lose from the new 2010 Census numbers:

FS

Oklahoma Is Sued Over Shariah Ban

A Muslim activist in Oklahoma City filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging a voter-approved measure that bars Oklahoma state judges from considering Shariah, the Islamic religious code based on the Koran and the Prophet Mohammed's teachings, in formulating rulings.

State Question 755, which passed Tuesday with 70% of the vote, declares "the legal precepts of other nations or cultures" off-limits to Oklahoma courts. "Specifically, the courts shall not consider international law or Sharia Law," it reads.

The suit, filed by Muneer Awad, director of the state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, asks the federal district court to block officials from certifying the referendum. Mr. Awad says the measure violates the First Amendment, which protects "free exercise" of religion and prohibits official "establishment of religion." A hearing was set for Monday.

The complaint alleges Oklahoma has singled out Islam for "profound stigma," consigning Muslims such as Mr. Awad "to an ineffectual position within the political community."

Oklahoma's Legislature voted overwhelmingly to place the Save Our State Amendment before voters. A co-sponsor, state Sen. Anthony Sykes, denied it sought to stigmatize Muslims. "We're not trying to send any sort of message here," said Mr. Sykes, a Republican.

Rather, he said, Oklahomans wanted to insulate their judiciary from un-American influences. While no Oklahoma court ever has cited Shariah law, "we are on a slippery slope," he said.


Read More: WSJ

Now in Power, G.O.P. Vows Cuts in State Budgets

Republicans who have taken over state capitols across the country are promising to respond to crippling budget deficits with an array of cuts, among them proposals to reduce public workers’ benefits in Wisconsin, scale back social services in Maine and sell off state liquor stores in Pennsylvania, endangering the jobs of thousands of state workers.

States face huge deficits, even after several grueling years of them, and just as billions of dollars in stimulus money from Washington is drying up.

With some of these new Republican state leaders having taken the possibility of tax increases off the table in their campaigns, deep cuts in state spending will be needed. These leaders, committed to smaller government, say that is the idea.

In some cases, that may mean not just greatly changing state policies on taxing and spending, but also loosening regulations facing businesses, restricting access to abortion and rights for illegal immigration, and, perhaps, slowing the Obama administration’s health care overhaul.


Republicans gained more than 690 seats in state legislatures (leaving them with numbers last seen more than 80 years ago), at least five more governor seats, and, perhaps most significant, across-the-board power in the legislatures and governor’s offices of at least 20 states — more than twice as many as before the election. Included in that group were Maine and Wisconsin, which the day before the election had been entirely in Democratic hands.

Read More: NYT

Chickens Are Coming Home To Roost: AARP Raises Insurance Costs for Employees

This would be funny if it weren't so damn sad for so many people who trusted these idiots!

The AARP’s health insurance costs are going up next year due to rapidly rising medical costs that are partly fueled by the health overhaul, the AP is reporting.

Premiums for the group’s employees will rise by 8% to 13% next year, the story says. The association is changing co-pays and deductibles to avoid a 40% tax on high-cost health plans that goes into effect in 2018, according to the AP. About 4,500 people are covered by the group’s plans.

In an Oct. 25 email, Jennifer Hodges, the AARP’s director of compensation and benefits said, “Plan value changes were necessary not only from a cost management standpoint but also to ensure that AARP’s plans fall below the threshold for high-cost group plans under health care reform.”

The endorsement of the seniors’ lobby helped get the law passed back in March. According to the AP story, the association stands by that move and says the health law is a “small part” of why its employee health costs are going up.

“The impact on AARP employees is not a factor at all in our policy making, which is directed at the impact on our membership and on all older Americans,” the group’s legislative affairs director, David Certner, told the AP.

Other companies have cited the new law in making changes to their health offerings, including Boeing and 3M, which the WSJ wrote about here and here.

WSJ

How the GOP Can Stop the Spread of Obamacare

Progressive pundits and policy wonks boast that, despite Tuesday's Republican victory in the House, ObamaCare will be very difficult to eradicate. They correctly point out that, to get rid of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), both houses of Congress must pass repeal legislation and that a Democrat filibuster would more than likely forestall any such effort in the Senate. They further point out that President Obama would certainly veto any repeal bill that somehow found its way to his desk, and that there is virtually no chance that his veto would be overridden. All of this is absolutely true. Moreover, the PPACA infection has already been introduced into the health care system and has begun to spread. Nonetheless, when the Republicans officially take control of the House in January, they will still have the ability inoculate us against future outbreaks of this contagion.

The three-stage vaccine with which the GOP can stop the spread of PPACA has already been proven effective -- in Massachusetts of all places. It will come as a surprise to many that Romneycare was not the first "universal coverage" law to be inflicted on the long-suffering citizens of the Bay State. In 1988 that state's legislature passed a health care bill containing many of the provisions that later reappeared in the 2006 boondoggle signed by Romney. That "reform" program was signed into law by then-governor Michael Dukakis, who gave it a prominent place in his résumé during his unsuccessful bid for the presidency. Like polio, however, "DukakisCare" is all but forgotten. Why? Because a group of newly elected state legislators defunded the program, delayed its implementation and, for all intents and purposes, killed it after Republican William Weld was elected governor in 1990.

The many similarities between the DukakisCare and ObamaCare situations have not received any attention in the media, of course, but they have not been lost on everyone. Mike Stopa, who unsuccessfully sought the 2010 Republican congressional nomination for the MA-3 district, offered a PPACA repeal plan whose introduction declared, "[T]he experience of Massachusetts in the late 1980's… serves as a model in our current situation." Indeed it does. Not long after the Dukakis legislation passed, the GOP made significant gains in the state legislature and immediately set about dismantling the bill. There are also parallels in the executive branch. As Stopa put it, "Michael Dukakis passed universal healthcare in 1988 and his term as governor ended in 1990. Barack Obama passed PPACA in 2010 and his term ends in 2012." All of which suggests that the "MA vaccine" could work on ObamaCare.

For the newly empowered GOP, however, the most difficult stage of the vaccination process may be the first -- getting solidly behind the defunding project. Their vociferous denunciations of PPACA notwithstanding, many House Republicans have expressed reservations similar to those of Rep. Paul Ryan: "Well, yeah, technically speaking, we can put riders in appropriations bills that say, 'No such funds can go to HHS to do x, y, or z in implementing ObamaCare.' He's gotta sign those things. And he doesn't strike me as the kind of person who would sign those things." Similar noises have been heard in the upper chamber. Retiring Senator Judd Gregg recently said, "I don't think starving or repealing is probably the best approach here …"

These and other Republicans are understandably chary of fighting a PR war with the White House. Their shellacking by Bill Clinton in 1995 is still green in their memories. But much has changed since then. Fifteen years ago, the Democrat-friendly "news" media could exert considerable control over the public perception of a battle between Congress and the President. Now, the blogosphere and conservative talk radio can -- and will -- provide an alternate narrative. And the voters who came out in such impressive numbers to repudiate the Democrats are not likely to be patient with a pusillanimous approach on this issue. Most would likely agree with the chairman of DeFundIt.org, who responded thus to Ryan's squeamishness: "[I]t is a policy battle we must fight…. Make no mistake, the conservative base will revolt against a Republican Party that backs down in a funding fight over ObamaCare."

Assuming the Republicans can absorb this reality and summon the courage to face down the President on funding, they can move to the second stage of the vaccination process. In addition to the power of the purse, the new House majority will also have subpoena power that can be used to delay implementation. They can hold numerous and protracted public hearings, while demanding all manner of documentation from the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). They can summon HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to answer questions about her 2009 gag order to insurance companies and her growing reputation as an enemy of the First Amendment. It would also be instructive to hear CMS administrator Donald Berwick to elaborate on statements like, "Any healthcare funding plan that is just ... must redistribute wealth."

The third and final stage of the vaccine must, of course, be administered in 2012. The event that enabled Massachusetts legislators to finish off the 1988 universal coverage bill was the replacement of Michael Dukakis with Republican William Weld. The decision, by the former, not to seek reelection in 1990 made that process easier than might otherwise have been the case. Needless to say, Barack Obama is very unlikely to follow the Duke's example. However, if the President stays true to form and refuses to face the reality that the American people do want to "re-litigate" the reform issue, it is at least possible that a good Republican opponent can beat him in the 2012 presidential contest. And Tuesday's big GOP gains in key state houses and legislatures, particularly in crucial battlegrounds like Pennsylvania and Ohio, render an Obama defeat even more plausible.

Cynics will argue that, even if Obama can be given the bum's rush in 2012, that doesn't guarantee the success of this three-stage vaccine. And it is certainly true that it didn't permanently inoculate the Bay State from new and more virulent strains of health "reform." But that's hardly an argument for supinely allowing the PPACA to spread or waiting for the Supreme Court to provide a miracle cure. This contagion must be eradicated now. John Boehner was right when he said, "[W]e have to do everything we can to try to repeal this bill…" And, if outright repeal isn't possible, then the MA vaccine is the next best alternative.

AS

Ole Miss Political Professor says he wants the truth about Obamacare, but . . .

Robert Albritton is a professor of American and comparitive politics at the University of Mississippi. He writes in The Hill's Congress Blog that in essence the Democrat's inability to explain the positive sides of PPACA, and their sheepishness on taking to task the GOP naysayers led to there demise. He is "puzzled how this much-needed program to assist Americans with the high costs of medical care could become so demonized by the opposition."

I'm puzzled by how anybody could have ever thought it was about health care at all.

Mr. Albriton writes:

In hindsight, of course, the Democrats failed to handle this challenge adequately. Instead of ducking the issue, they should have asked the appropriate questions of Republican opponents, and these questions are no less appropriate for the coming Congressional debates: “Just what parts of the healthcare legislation do you want to repeal?” Prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions? Prohibiting companies from terminating coverage of chronic conditions? Providing portability of medical insurance coverage when the insured change employment or location? Coverage for the millions of Americans who have no access to healthcare, including millions of children who are not covered under CHIP, because they live in the wrong state? Prohibiting termination of coverage for persons with catastrophic needs? Yes, there is a huge price, but the bipartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that, in the long run, the legislation will save billions of dollars in healthcare costs.

Maybe Mr. Albritton prefers the confusing and costly bill that cuts into the already dangerously fragile Medicare system. But, THIS ONE by the GOP seems to not only makes sense, but the price tag is easier to deal with too.

GOP Picks Up 680 State Legislature Seats

While the Republican gains in the House and Senate are grabbing the most headlines, the most significant results on Tuesday came in state legislatures where Republicans wiped the floor with Democrats.
Republicans picked up 680 seats in state legislatures, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures -- the most in the modern era. To put that number in perspective: In the 1994 GOP wave, Republicans picked up 472 seats. The previous record was in the post-Watergate election of 1974, when Democrats picked up 628 seats.

The GOP gained majorities in at least 14 state house chambers. They now have unified control -- meaning both chambers -- of 26 state legislatures.

That control is a particularly bad sign for Democrats as they go into the redistricting process. If the GOP is effective in gerrymandering districts in many of these states, it could eventually lead to the GOP actually expanding its majority in 2012.

Republicans now hold the redistricting "trifecta" -- both chambers of the state legislature and the governorship -- in 15 states. They also control the Nebraska governorship and the unicameral legislature, taking the number up to 16. And in North Carolina -- probably the state most gerrymandered to benefit Democrats -- Republicans hold both chambers of the state legislature and the Democratic governor does not have veto power over redistricting proposals.

NJ

Our taxdollars at work shrinking the private sector

While it might make sense for federal workers to perform certain jobs, other cases now coming under government control — and taxpayer responsibility — remain unclear.

Management of our nation’s armed forces, for instance, is best left solely to the federal government and is, in fact, mandated in the constitutional provision to “provide for the common defense.” But must those providing the troops with meals or uniforms also be federal employees? Should someone working the concession stand at a national park be on the government payroll?

Serving ice cream at Yellowstone or making combat boots can easily, and likely more efficiently and cheaply, be contracted out to a private company.

Yet, barely two months into his presidency, Barack Obama ordered all federal agencies to figure out how to make more private contractors into public employees. The Office of Management and Budget months later required such insourcing reviews occur “on a regular basis.”

This practice does not necessarily, as argued, provide taxpayers with more efficient service. Nor does it save money. The most obvious thing it does is increase the number of dues-paying union members. Over the past 25 years, the number of union workers in the private sector dwindled to just over ten percent. At the same time, unionization grew among government workers. Over 35 percent of government workers are now in unions.

Insourcing, at its core, is an attempt by big-government liberals to fill the coffers of organized labor at the expense of taxpayers and workers in the private sector. Over a period of time, Americans will have to pay more in taxes to pay the generous benefits and salaries of federal union workers, who will be impossible to fire regardless of their quality of work.

Nonetheless, over the past few years, liberals in Congress and Obama administration functionaries have been strategically inserting language into bills that fund the government. Obama’s $800 billion stimulus bill contained strict insourcing mandates, and must-pass spending bills forced private contractors to compete with government wages and benefits. While such language has had to pass every year on its own, attempts are now being made to make this policy permanent.

Ill-conceived policies such as insourcing will lead to a larger and more intrusive federal government that will take away more hard-earned taxpayer dollars to pay for it.

Everyone can’t be a federal employee, but everyone has to pay for them. How many more can America afford and at what cost to liberty?

DC

House GOP walking fine line with Tea Party in effort to keep Bachmann and her ‘antics’ out of leadership

House Republicans Thursday reacted strongly against Rep. Michele Bachmann’s decision to run for a top leadership post in the new majority, looking to nip in the bud any chance that she might attract support from the substantially large group of incoming freshman lawmakers.
The trick for Republicans is to keep Bachmann – the Minnesota Republican viewed by many in leadership as an unserious and unhelpful spokesman for the party – away from an elevated platform that many in the party feel would hinder or harm the GOP, without being viewed as not listening to the Tea Party movement, which supplied much of the energy that gave them a 61-seat pickup and control of the House.

Bachmann is loved by many in the conservative grassroots for her outspoken support for a wide range of conservative positions, no matter how politically incorrect. She has developed a national profile after only two terms in Congress by appearing regularly on TV. But she has attracted significant negative attention as well for comments deemed extreme or careless.

She is running against Rep. Jeb Hensarling, a Texas Republican, for the chairmanship of the House Republican Conference, which functions as a communications and logistics hub for the party.

Top House Republicans from Eric Cantor to Paul Ryan are firmly behind Hensarling, arguing that he is a solid conservative who will provide the very “constitutional conservatism” that Bachmann says she represents.

But Hensarling is far less well known beyond Washington and his home district of the southeast Dallas suburbs, so there is potential for average grassroots conservatives who know of Bachmann but not Hensarling to interpret the party’s support for the latter as a slight of the Tea Party.

And Bachmann could, in fact, gain traction, if a significant number of incoming freshman Republicans side with her. But Republicans made the case, strenuously, that that won’t happen.

“Bachmann will have a tough time convincing anyone that Hensarling isn’t conservative enough,” a House Republican aide told The Daily Caller. “She’ll have an even tougher time convincing the conference that she wouldn’t take our whole team down in flames with her antics.”

Another House Republican staffer aligned with the most conservative elements of the party called Hensarling “literally unbeatable.”

“A Bachmann win would be possible were she running against a no-name do-nothing member,” the Republican said. “But Jeb Hensarling has been one of the most active members of the Conference in recent years–as [Republican Study Committee] chairman, as [National Republican Congressional Committee] fundraiser, as financial services and budget guru, and as media maven.”

Bachmann aides did not respond to requests for comment.

DC

Another Vanishing Civil Rights Landmark

On my recent trip to the Delta, I decided to take the county road north of Greenwood, instead of Highway 49. I wanted to check on the old Bryant Grocery Store in the Money community to see if it was still hanging on. The answer, I guess, is both yes and no.

Passing this building on the highway without knowing its story, you probably wouldn’t give it a moment’s thought–a typical brick two-story commercial building common to the early 20th century and usually forming the heart of rural communities. In this case, the building is so far gone down the road of collapse that you might experience a glimmer of melancholy at the decline of our agricultural communities. But this seemingly insignificant and decaying building is at the center of one of the most important stories in our state’s recent history: it was the site of the beginning of the Emmett Till saga, a murder of a young black teenager that brought the world’s attention to the violent racism that was all too common in Mississippi and in the South generally.

PIM