Harper to award WWII veteran Bronze Star Medal in ceremony today.

Congressman Gregg Harper speaks with Mississippi officials
at the State of the State address in Jackson.

A World War II veteran who was wounded and taken prisoner during the famous Battle of the Bulge will receive the Bronze Star Medal on Tuesday.

U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper, a Mississippi Republican, will present the medal to Clarence Earl Derrington Jr., a retired U.S. Army corporal, during a 1:30 p.m. ceremony at Mississippi's War Memorial Building.

Harper called the medal in a news release a testament to Derrington's "courage and selflessness."

Derrington was 20 when he was wounded and captured. He spent 260 days as a prisoner in Stalag 69.

Keeping East Flora open is a bad idea until a majority of parents prove they care.

BY: B. Keith Plunkett

The Madison County Board of Supervisors voted in favor of a resolution asking Madison County Superintendent Mike Kent to find a way to keep East Flora Middle School open following a special meeting on the subject on Friday January 28.

"The school is inefficient because of its economy of scale," Kent said, adding that the cost to educate a student there is $14,000 compared to $7,700 in the rest of the district.

In a Madison County Herald report today, District 4 Supervisor Karl Banks suggested the district redraw lines to force kids from Madison Middle School--rated a top rated Star School--into the Flora District as a way of increasing attendance. The East Flora Middle School is currently rated as "academic watch".  Banks suggested that, despite the fact that the Madison County taxpayers are spending almost double the average cost per student at East Flora, that the school is being "penalized." But, he obviously had no problem "penalizing" students from Madison Middle School.

"If you changed the attendance zone, student cost wouldn't be the issue. Fourteen thousand dollars is not the issue," said Banks, who represents the Flora area. "If you're going to penalize (East Flora Middle) because of the costs, you can solve that with the stroke of a pen - bring in more children."

"Maybe if the lines were drawn better, we could have two Star Schools," Banks said.

But, will bringing kids in whose parents care more about their kids education, into a school that's parental involvement is among the lowest in the district help students, or hinder overall achievment? And is that an experiment the School District wants to conduct on it children? Furthermore, how many of the Madison Middle School students who would be drawn into the Flora District will withdraw from public schools and enter the private school system?

My guess is: most of them, leaving the school district and East Flora Middle School with the same problems--lower achievement, a majority of parents who care more about their own convenience than they do about their kids education, and an extremely ineffecient school.

Supervisor Paul Griffin's suggestion was predictable: raise taxes.

Supervisor Paul Griffin said the school district could consider doing what the county did a few years ago to provide for needed funds - increase the millage rate.

"If the Board of Education wants to provide good schools and keep them going, they may have to bite the bullet and raise taxes," Griffin said.

Griffin made a similar suggestion weeks ago in order fund the construction of emergency sirens in his district.

The attraction to economic development is a wonderful argument on it's face. Having a school in town is a much bigger draw to industry looking to relocate. But, like the redistricting argument, it doesn't hold water, either. Once industry recognizes the school is in serious trouble, it may as well not exist.

If parents of students don't care about the school, why should the Madison County taxpayer.

Health Care Rejection: A copy of Vinson's ruling

Opinion - 2

Marshall Ramsey Cartoon: In the Eye of the Beholder

MarshallRamsey.com

Fla. judge strikes down health overhaul

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- A federal judge in Florida says the Obama administration's health overhaul is unconstitutional, siding with 26 states that had sued to block it.

U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson on Monday accepted without trial the states' argument that the new law violates people's rights by forcing them to buy health insurance by 2014 or face penalties.

Attorneys for the administration had argued that the states did not have standing to challenge the law and that the case should be dismissed.

The case is likely to go to the U.S. Supreme Court. Two other federal judges have upheld the insurance requirement, but a federal judge in Virginia also ruled the insurance requirement unconstitutional.

Sun Herald

Supes talk Flora Middle School Closure (Video) Part 2

Citzens respond at the Special meeting of the Madison County Board of Supervisors on January 28.

You can view Superintendent Mike Kent's statement in Part 1 HERE


Part 2 Madison County Board of Supervisors Jan 28, 2011 from DI Smith on Vimeo.

Supes talk Flora Middle School Closure (Video)

The video was provided by Supervisor DI Smith, and is 40 plus minutes long. But, if you're interested in getting information on why the school board feels closing Flora's Middle school is the only option, you should watch it.

Thanks to Supervisor Smith for his continued efforts to provide transparent government to Madison County residents.


Madison County Board of Supervisors Special Mtg East Flora Middle School Jan 28, 2011 from DI Smith on Vimeo.

Yin and Yang: Reagan and Obama

It's simple ideology

Two more Mississippi Democrats switch to Republican Party

BY: B. Keith Plunkett

Two more Mississippi Democrats made the switch to the Republican Party today at GOP Headquarters in Jackson brining the total number since 2009 to 53. State Representatives Russ Nowell of Louisville represents District 43, and Representative Margaret Rogers of New Albany represents District 14. The two were joined by gaggle of state officials.

Majority in Mississippi has a running tally of party switchers HERE.

Click the pictures below for a larger view:



GOP Chairman Brad White is joined by Governor Barbour and dozens of
state officials to join Russ Nowell and Margaret Rogers to the Republican Party























State Rep. Russ Nowell of Louisville is flanked by Governor Barbour, Rep. Scott Bounds,
Rep. Margaret Rogers, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann and other state officials
as he announces his switch to the Republican Party.



Rep. Russ Nowell



State Rep. Margaret Rogers of New Albany with Governor Barbour, Secretary
of State Delbert Hosemann, Chairman Brad White, and Rep. Russ Nowell.



Governor Barbour welcomes Rep. Margaret Rogers and Rep. Russ Nowell
to the Mississippi Republican Party

Harper Floor Speech: 'Affordable Care Act' is Politics Above Economics (Video)

U.S. Representative Gregg Harper (R–Miss.), a Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, made the following statement today on the House floor in support of legislation to repeal the “Affordable Care Act:”

“The so-called ‘Affordable Care Act’ is nothing short of politics above economics.

"This penalizing law is loaded with excessive constraints and oppressive federal mandates on states. As Medicaid rolls rise, state revenues continue to fall, and this law only increases the challenges that Governors face in their attempts to balance their budgets.

“Instead of granting state executives the authority to tailor their Medicaid programs to their states’ diverse populations, the ‘Affordable Care Act’ implements a one-size-fits-all Maintenance of Effort provision which restricts states from changing their Medicaid programs.

“Republicans want to provide states with the flexibility they need to manage their health programs. This is simply one example of why I am committed to repealing this carelessly crafted health care law and replacing it with reforms centered on decreasing costs and protecting our middle-class jobs.”

Supervisor Griffin says he's okay with Madison County incurring more debt for Emergency Sirens in his district.

BY: B. Keith Plunkett

District 5 Supervisor Paul Griffin was quoted in a weekend story as saying he would be willing to consider a bond issue for Madison County if he could get some emergency sirens in his rural district.

Now, only residents of Ridgeland, Madison, Canton and Flora are within earshot of emergency weather warning systems run by those municipalities. But, Griffin said he wants all other county residents to hear similar alarms sound when tornadoes or dangerous storms approach.

"It's for public safety. I want to get citizens as much notice as possible," said Griffin, who represents the rural northern end of the county. "Having sirens in the county has always been a thought of mine."

Let me say that I am not against properly managing emergencies. I am not against the people in Supervisor Griffin's district. I don't want to see their property destroyed by bad weather or a tornado. But, the idea that Madison County would even consider a bond issue right now is madness.

We have roads that have been engineered and re-engineered when the money isn't even there for construction. How much of these engineering fees that Mr. Griffin voted to approve could have gone to provide the safety he wants for his constituents?

Maybe Griffin wasn't looking that far ahead when he cast those votes. Maybe he doesn't care about budgets and taxes at all. After all, we know where the majority of the tax money comes from, and it ain't District 5!

But, let's just pretend that Griffin, Board President Tim Johnson, and Supervisor Karl Banks hadn't put the the taxpayers on the line 50 million dollars five years ago. Are the sirens a good investment?


District 5 is a very rural district. If, as the article says, to install a siren costs $20,000, it shouldn't cost over $40,000 to put one in Sharon and one in Camden. That should do it. Any more would be a waste and the money needed to cover those two communities can be found by cleaning up waste in other parts of the county budget. Attempts to cover the countryside with sirens to protect a few homes that, if they are like mine in Flora, already know the storm is coming before the sirens go off anyway, is a waste of resources.

Butch Hammack, the county's emergency management director, seemed to agree.

"There's always a lot of debate (about the effectiveness of sirens), but I'm putting together this study for the supervisors review," he said.

"It's not feasible to spend $20,000 for five houses and thousands of cattle," Hammack said.

MBJ: Kirby, Bryant prove to be anti-business; Dennis for personal responsibility

However, when Sen. Dean Kirby, R-Pearl, argues against a microbreweries beer bill, because he doesn’t want to put his committee members in an uncomfortable position during an election year, it is obvious that political gain is more important than business success.

Even Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, a Republican candidate for governor, took the same position in a story in the Mississippi Business Journal this week. Bryant said he didn’t see a reasonable benefit to increasing the alcohol content in Mississippi.

If that is the case, Bryant and Kirby must be against more jobs and a better tax base for Mississippi.

In a conversation with the Mississippi Business Journal last week, Coast businessman Dave Dennis, a Republican candidate for governor, said he would be for such a bill and that any concerns about alcohol and morality is about personal responsibility, not politics.

So, if Dennis sees the financial and jobs benefit of the bill, why not Bryant and Kirby. I’m assuming they would rather see government impose its will on Mississippians instead of allowing for personal responsibility.

MBJ

P-A-R-E-N-T-S

It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. J. K. Rowling

90 pregnancies at one high school

By James Eng

About 90 teenage girls at one public high school in Memphis, Tenn., are either pregnant or have had a baby this school year, according to media reports.

Frayser High School has 978 students – 508 of which are girls. That means nearly 18 percent of teen girls at Frayser are either currently pregnant or recently had babies.

As a Title One school, Frayser receives federal dollars based on the number of students from low-income families who qualify for free or reduced lunch, according to WMC-TV.

Pregnancy is not a new problem for the school, one Frayser graduate says. "When we would come back from summer break, there would be a thousand people pregnant. We were like, what's going on?" Alicia Williamson told KTUU. Williamson graduated from Frayser in 2004. She added, "There were a whole lot of bellies. You had to watch out so you didn't bump into them. Being 2011, I thought a lot of them would have thought this is not the right way to go, having babies during school time.”

The news comes as the city plans an initiative to fight teen pregnancy in their community with a nonprofit organization called Girls Inc., which teaches girls about pregnancy prevention.

In Memphis, the teen pregnancy rate is between 15 percent and 20 percent – and in Frayser, the rate is 26 percent, said Deborah Hester Harrison, executive director of Memphis’ Girls Inc. It’s no surprise that Harrison places at least part of the blame on the media, such as the popular MTV shows “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom.”

"So much of our society is sexually oriented. As adults we can look at that and it doesn't impact us, but kids are different," Harrison said.

The Fix: Michael Steele bows out of RNC Chair race, endorses Maria Cino

By Chris Cillizza

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele bowed out of his longshot bid for a second term, bringing an end to a two-year tenure more defined by gaffes than the electoral victories his party wracked up.

"I will step aside because I think the party is ready for something different," said Steele before the fifth ballot for chairman began. He immediately threw his support to former RNC official Maria Cino's candidacy.

Even in defeat, however Steele was unapologetic about his time in office. "I hope you all appreciate the legacy we leave," he told the 168 members of the RNC. "Despite the noise, despite the difficulties, we won."

Steele finished second on the first ballot, a single vote behind Wisconsin Republican party chairman Reince Priebus. But he progressively lost support as the balloting went on as the 168 committee members made clear that they have decided to move past his stormy time in office.

Nearly two years ago to the day, Steele was triumphant -- scoring a somewhat surprising victory over a crowded field to become the first African American chairman of the Republican party. Steele was touted by many within the GOP as a foil to the newly elected President Obama -- a well spoken, fresh face for a party decimated in the 2008 election.

But Steele turned into something far less than what many had hoped -- a gaffe-prone public speaker who struggled to court the high dollar donors that form the financial foundation of the RNC.

READ MORE

The name says it all: Crook at it again.

We can add another peculiarity to former Madison County Chancery Clerk and Ridgeland Alderman Mike Crook's growing list. Some things get better with age. Crook's actions seems to get more unusual as time goes on.

He has been credited with royally screwing up the land records in Madison County during his tenure as clerk, being a lawsuit happy landlord, and attempting to conduct a coup of the TEA party movement for his own meglomaniacal purposes, among other things. Last year he refused to comply with police officers in Ridgeland, and then sued the City for arresting him over it.

But this one? This one makes all the others look positively normal by comparison.

BY: Lucy Weber

Former Ridgeland alderman Mike Crook may have figured dinner for he and his wife and a sleepover could keep him out of legal trouble over rental property, but he was wrong.

Crook was found guilty Thursday in Madison Municipal Court on two counts of violating the city's ordinance governing rental houses. Judge Dale Danks ordered him to pay $867, the maximum fine that includes $300 per count plus court costs.

Acting as his own attorney, Crook tried to convince the judge he didn't need to meet city licensing requirements because he lived at the house he owned at 127 Cypress Drive. However, Danks said tenant Tammy Thompson provided "the most compelling evidence."

"He asked if he and his wife could come over and have dinner and if he could sleep on my sofa in case the city asked if he was living there," testified Thompson, who paid $1,250 a month to live in the house for about seven months last year.

City officials said Crook, a former Madison County chancery clerk, never posted a $10,000 bond required under the rental ordinance adopted in 2008 despite numerous letters and phone calls, but he did pay the required $100 rental fee. A bond or letter of credit is used to guarantee the owner will make any needed repairs the city requires. A bond or letter from a bank for $10,000 costs anywhere from $200-$300, said Bill Foshee, the city's director of code enforcement.

"The city has 327 rental houses, and 326 of them have complied with the ordinance," Foshee said.

Crook said he intended to appeal to Madison County Court. "I'm glad to get to County Court to have a fair trial," he said.

The case against Crook marks the first time the city has taken a homeowner to court for violating the ordinance.

READ MORE

First Tally at RNC Winter Meeting has Priebus ahead by one vote.

First tally of of RNC Chair votes at the RNC Winter Meeting shows Priebus with 45 and Steele with 44, the other three candidates garnered the other 79 votes. 85 needed to win. Let the lobbying begin!

The Hill: Liberal groups worry president will cut deal on 'crown jewel' Social Security

BY: Alexander Bolton

A broad coalition of labor unions and liberal groups has launched an intense lobbying campaign directed at the White House in advance of President Obama’s State of the Union address.

These groups are concerned about Obama’s taciturn response to the proposal by his fiscal commission to gradually increase the retirement age and use a different calculation for cost-of-living adjustments.

Coalition partners held a conference call with liberal bloggers on Thursday afternoon to expand the public-relations campaign directed at the White House and Congress.

The Strengthen Social Security Campaign includes more than 200 member groups such as the AFL-CIO, AFSCME, SEIU, Campaign for America’s Future, National Women’s Law Center, USAction and MoveOn.org.

Many of the groups were members of the Health Care for America Now campaign that worked alongside Obama to push healthcare reform through Congress.

Now that Republicans control the House and Obama is facing reelection, the political dynamic is different and liberal groups fear the president might be willing to cut a deal on Social Security. Labor unions and liberal groups worry Obama could endorse a boost in the retirement age or a change in cost-of-living adjustments when he discusses strategies for reducing the federal deficit later this month.

“Everybody and their cousin is talking to the White House about this,” said a Democratic strategist involved in the lobbying campaign. “Nobody in the progressive world thinks the president ought to endorse the Bowles-Simpson Social Security stuff. People feel very strong about it and have been working it very hard.

“No one knows for sure where the White House is,” said the strategist. “Social Security has been the crown jewel of progressive policy over the last century. Just because so many people voted for the Bowles-Simpson plan and Obama hasn’t said anything specifically about the Social Security recommendations, groups are doing an all-out push.”

The Campaign for America’s Future plans to release polling data next week conducted by Stan Greenberg showing public attitudes about Social Security and the economy.

In December, former Clinton White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles and former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.), the chairman of Obama’s fiscal commission, released their final recommendations for Social Security as part of a comprehensive proposal to reduce the deficit.

Eleven of the 18 members of the bipartisan commission, including Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) voted for the final debt-reduction proposal.

Kingson said the liberal coalition is also in the midst of planning a nationwide grassroots campaign to press members of Congress not to support cuts to Social Security.

He estimated the coalition’s budget is “a couple million” over the next six months, but that does not include the substantial resources that unions such as the AFL-CIO will allocate to allied activities, such as educating their members on the issue.

"In late January, President Obama will make his annual State of the Union address. It is important that he use the speech to send a clear message to those who want to cut Social Security — Hands Off!" stated an e-mail sent this week.

Hickey warned that if Obama embraced the Bowles-Simpson recommendations for Social Security, it would “split the Democratic Party.”

READ MORE

Could we please dispense with the Palin "target" crap.

BY: B. Keith Plunkett

Let me start by saying I'm no Palin fan. I think she's an opportunist. I doubt her sincerity, and her intelligence. Start "shooting" me those emails ladies. I can take your criticism. But, she hasn't a hooting chance in hell of ever being President.

Having said that, I want to defend her a little here. She's become the whipping girl for everyone on the left for using a graphic of a map that targets Democrat controlled districts with literal targets on her website. But, how about we cut out the holier-than-thou. The Dems did it way back in 2004, and even referenced their "targets" as being "behind enemy lines." There is also a video from 2003 on the same site entitled "A Country Worth Fighting For".

From the Democrat Leadership Council Website:

The heartland strategy begins by choosing likely targets for Democratic gains. Let's go to the map:



Henry Barbour profiled in NYT

There’s not much left between Henry Barbour’s house and the horizon. Since the tornado came through here last April, the house has sat on a bare hill, looking out over the meager remains of the surrounding woods.

It will be decades before that seclusion grows back, but Mr. Barbour is staying anyhow. He grew up here, his family is here and he has managed a career in big-money politics from here perfectly fine.

Whenever Mr. Barbour’s name has shown up in the national news media, it has regularly been followed by the words “nephew of Gov. Haley Barbour.” That suits him well enough; Mr. Barbour has no problem being a backstage player.

But he is also fiercely competitive, and his profile has begun to rise over the last couple of months, as Mr. Barbour, a member of the Republican National Committee, has led a widely publicized campaign to have Michael Steele ousted as chairman. The committee begins its annual winter meeting on Wednesday and holds its election for chairman on Friday, and few are playing a more central role than Mr. Barbour.

READ MORE

East Flora PTA to meet Thursday night over potential school closing.

The East Flora PTA will meet Thursday night at 6:00 in the school gym to discuss the potential closing of the school. If closed, the town of Flora would be the only municipality in Madison County without a school. The move would force students to be bussed several miles away.

East Flora Middle School serves 147 students and is listed as underperforming. Madison County spends $14,000 per student at East Flora compared to the average per student cost of $7,700.

Concerned parents and town officials met Tuesday night at Flora City Hall to discuss the predicament.