Tag: Mississippi

Mississippi Declares An Emergency

I have written a lot about my state of Mississippi how it is always at the bottom of good things and the top of bad…..and we are having a rise in infant mortality and the state reacts….

Mississippi has declared a public health emergency as its infant mortality rate climbs to the highest level in 14 years, highlighting urgent concerns about healthcare access and deepening racial disparities. The state counted 9.7 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2024, nearly double the national average, per CBS News. State officials say that over 3,500 infants have died before their first birthday since 2014. The emergency declaration is rare, but health leaders argue it’s necessary to treat infant deaths as an urgent crisis.

The declaration is meant to speed up efforts to close gaps in care, including expanding prenatal services in underserved counties, improving emergency transfers, and boosting programs that offer home visits and community health support. “Every single infant loss represents a family devastated, a community impacted, and a future cut short,” said State Health Officer Dr. Dan Edney, per CBS. “We cannot and will not accept these numbers as our reality,” he added, per ABC News, which reports the leading causes of infant death include congenital malformations, premature birth, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome.

Racial disparities loom large. Black infants in Mississippi are more than twice as likely to die before turning one compared to white infants, and the gap is growing. National data show similar trends even in cities with better healthcare, highlighting the role of broader social factors—poverty, housing, and healthcare access—beyond clinical care.

What can we expect when every year the state legislature cuts spending especially to the poor and rural hospitals and clinics cannot stay afloat and close….and now some of the leadership of the state…..Mississippi is a deep red State….is scrambling to try and curb a disaster of their own making.

I am looking forward to reading about their solutions for this problem and trend…..I will bet that some other needed program will take the hit so the goofs that run this state can pretend to repair the disparities.

This is what we get when we elect idiots and Repubs….it sucks….but nearly as bad as their fake certain.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

What If Mississippi Was A Nation?

Note:  This scenario could be any state that leaves the union….

From time to time I post about the doings in my state of Mississippi….basically to let my readers know what goes on here for a lot of people probably could not find my state on a map.

Back during the years of the Obama admin there was lost of talk about Texas seceding from the union and forming their own nation….there even other states that were thinking along their lines most of them red states and their dislike for anything democratic.

Back then I thought what if Mississippi acted along those lines….then I would smile and think not a chance…..why?  Mississippi depends too heavily on the federal budget for their own state budget….but it was still something to think about….

And Pierre Lemieux did just that….

Mississippi would be a poor country relative to the United States.  (ya think since it is the poorest state I cannot see much changing) The average hourly wage in Mississippi is $23.91, compared to $38.41 in California (Bureau of Labor Statistics, data for May 2024). On average, wages are thus 38% lower in Mississippi than in California. For the whole (current) USA, the average wage is $32.66, which means that Mississippian wages are on average (about) 27% lower than in the rest of the United States. As a newly sovereign country, Mississippi would be much poorer than the US, although still wealthier than, say, Vietnam or China.

Voices would be raised in the (remaining) United States to claim that American businesses cannot compete against their Mississippian counterparts given the latter’s “unfair” wage advantage. “We need fair trade, an equal playing field, with Mississippi,” American lobbyists and politicians would proclaim.

After the first national-account system in Mississippi is set up and its customs authorities have become effective enough at measuring trade flows, the new data would lead to further conflict. By virtue of a frontier having been drawn on the map, the trade deficit would suddenly become a politically contentious issue. It is likely that Mississippi currently has a trade deficit with the rest of the US, although it cannot be measured in the absence of border surveillance and control. After independence, many Mississippian lobbyists and politicians would get all pumped up about the trade deficit.

From a liberal-individualist viewpoint, nothing would have really changed: it would still be individual Mississippians and their private organizations trading with Americans and the latter’s private organizations. Many variables, including a few new ones, would adjust between the poorer traders in Mississippi and the richer traders in the US: the terms of trade and (if Mississippi had its own currency) currency exchange rates; interest rates; foreign investment flows; public policy and government intervention, etc.

It should be obvious that few individuals would become richer if the American state imposed tariffs on imports from Mississippi, or if the Mississippian state imposed tariffs on goods imported from the US. It would be the contrary: most people on both sides of the border would become poorer—and probably to a greater extent on the Mississippian side because of the relative size of the two economies. Nobody would become richer except for government favorites and cronies.

If Mississippi Became a Sovereign Country

Until Mississippi moves past the ‘good ol’ boys’ mindset it will be the poorest whether a state or its own country.

Hopefully you read about my state….kinda boring at times but it does have its points.

I Reade. I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Mississippi Secedes–1861

This is for all my Civil War history buffs.

My state of Mississippi officially secedes from the Union on 09 January 1861…..I offer up this resolution for their actions on that day….this is the official statement…..

A Declaration of the Immediate Causes which Induce and Justify the Secession of the State of Mississippi from the Federal Union.

In the momentous step which our State has taken of dissolving its connection with the government of which we so long formed a part, it is but just that we should declare the prominent reasons which have induced our course.

Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery– the greatest material interest of the world. Its labor supplies the product which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun. These products have become necessities of the world, and a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization. That blow has been long aimed at the institution, and was at the point of reaching its consummation. There was no choice left us but submission to the mandates of abolition, or a dissolution of the Union, whose principles had been subverted to work out our ruin. That we do not overstate the dangers to our institution, a reference to a few facts will sufficiently prove.

The hostility to this institution commenced before the adoption of the Constitution, and was manifested in the well-known Ordinance of 1787, in regard to the Northwestern Territory.

The feeling increased, until, in 1819-20, it deprived the South of more than half the vast territory acquired from France.

The same hostility dismembered Texas and seized upon all the territory acquired from Mexico.

It has grown until it denies the right of property in slaves, and refuses protection to that right on the high seas, in the Territories, and wherever the government of the United States had jurisdiction.

It refuses the admission of new slave States into the Union, and seeks to extinguish it by confining it within its present limits, denying the power of expansion.

It tramples the original equality of the South under foot.

It has nullified the Fugitive Slave Law in almost every free State in the Union, and has utterly broken the compact which our fathers pledged their faith to maintain.

It advocates negro equality, socially and politically, and promotes insurrection and incendiarism in our midst.

It has enlisted its press, its pulpit and its schools against us, until the whole popular mind of the North is excited and inflamed with prejudice.

It has made combinations and formed associations to carry out its schemes of emancipation in the States and wherever else slavery exists.

It seeks not to elevate or to support the slave, but to destroy his present condition without providing a better.

It has invaded a State, and invested with the honors of martyrdom the wretch whose purpose was to apply flames to our dwellings, and the weapons of destruction to our lives.

It has broken every compact into which it has entered for our security.

It has given indubitable evidence of its design to ruin our agriculture, to prostrate our industrial pursuits and to destroy our social system.

It knows no relenting or hesitation in its purposes; it stops not in its march of aggression, and leaves us no room to hope for cessation or for pause.

It has recently obtained control of the Government, by the prosecution of its unhallowed schemes, and destroyed the last expectation of living together in friendship and brotherhood.

Utter subjugation awaits us in the Union, if we should consent longer to remain in it. It is not a matter of choice, but of necessity. We must either submit to degradation, and to the loss of property worth four billions of money, or we must secede from the Union framed by our fathers, to secure this as well as every other species of property. For far less cause than this, our fathers separated from the Crown of England.

Our decision is made. We follow their footsteps. We embrace the alternative of separation; and for the reasons here stated, we resolve to maintain our rights with the full consciousness of the justice of our course, and the undoubting belief of our ability to maintain it.

That is word for word the declaration for the cessation of the state of Mississippi from the United States……now you tell me what the reason for this was…..it is clear to me no matter what they narrative has become….there was NO ‘Lost Cause’ it was preserve the institution of slavery…..

I offer this up because the schools in the South are failing to teach what lead to the Civil War that killed so many Americans.

In social studies standards for 45 out of 50 states and the District of Columbia, discussion of Reconstruction is “partial” or “non-existent,” according to historians who reviewed how the period is discussed in K-12 social studies standards for public schools nationwide. In a report produced by the education nonprofit Zinn Education Project, the study’s authors say they are concerned that American children will grow up to be uninformed about a critical period of history that helps explain why full racial equality remains unfulfilled today.

https://time.com/6128421/teaching-reconstruction-study/

The history lesson is done….you may now return to your normal drudgery.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–11Jul17

I Hate These Posts!

Posts where I report on the deaths of US soldiers…..this time it is in my state and not from some armed conflict in an international hell hole……

 I am sorry to report that there has been a plane crash that cost the lives of 16 US soldiers……

A US military plane crashed into a field in rural Mississippi on Monday, killing at least 16 people aboard and spreading debris for miles, officials said. Leflore County Emergency Management Agency Director Frank Randle told reporters at a late briefing that 16 bodies had been recovered after the KC-130 spiraled into the ground near Itta Bena, about 85 miles north of Jackson in the Mississippi Delta. Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Burns said in a statement that a KC-130 “experienced a mishap” Monday evening but provided no details. The KC-130 is used as a refueling tanker.

Andy Jones says he was working on his family’s catfish farm just before 4pm when he heard a boom and looked up to see the plane corkscrewing downward with one engine smoking, the AP reports. “You looked up and you saw the plane twirling around,” he says. “It was spinning down.” Jones says the plane hit the ground behind some trees in a soybean field, and by the time he and other reached the crash site, fires were burning too intensely to approach the wreckage. The force of the crash nearly flattened the plane, Jones says. “Beans are about waist-high, and there wasn’t much sticking out above the beans,” he says.

My sympathies go out to the families of those troops that perished in the place crash.

Just a short reminder to my loyal readers…..tomorrow may be a short day for I have to get a battery of tests and I have no damn idea how long it will take….never fear there will be a few posts but not sure how many…..chuq

So It Is Written, So It Is Done

I seldom write about my state, Mississippi……basically nothing of interest happens too often….but I do like their politics.  A Bible Belt conservative state that elects those people that do the most damage to the state……in essence a cultural wasteland.

My state has about 21.6% poverty……is 49th on the health index…..49th on the best educated index…..I could go on with the stats so let us just say Mississippi is at the bottom or near on every “good” characteristic and at the top or near on every “bad” characteristic……

I bring this up because of the laws that will go into effect on 01 July…..one would think the the reps would be addressing the economic characteristics that effect the people of this state, right?

You would be sadly mistaken!

These are the laws that will go into effect next week…..

HB 511: Ready to pass a big truck on I-55? The left lane should be free, since a new law is taking effect that outlaws “lollygagging” in the left lane on the interstate. If you’re caught hogging the left lane, you could face a fine of anywhere from $25 to $50.

SB 2968: Soon, there will be more highway patrolmen on the roads with you. With this law, trooper school has been funded. Classes start in October, and by the first of the year, new troopers will be hitting the roadways.

SB 2710: Sanctuary cities for undocumented immigrants has been a hot topic across the United States, but they will be outlawed in Mississippi starting July 1. The law also prohibits municipalities from prohibiting a city employee from asking a citizen about their immigration status.

SB 2689: Campaign funds will no longer be able to be used for personal use come July 1. This means any funds that were collected by any political campaign for the purpose of furthering the candidate cannot be used for personal vehicles, homes, rent, etc. If any campaign funds are left over after the fact, they will have to be returned to the donors, donated to the state, or can be donated to another political or charitable cause.

HB 1046: Students who have relied on the Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship can now continue to utilize that scholarship all the way through school. The scholarship can be used to enroll in private school, therapy programs, or purchase resources that would further the child’s abilities in school.

HB 1322: Craft beer breweries in the state can now sell their products onsite. Initially, breweries could conduct tours and host events, but would have to direct customers to a nearby distributor for their beer or light wine. Here’s the catch: they can sell it to you there, but you have to take it away to drink it. It’ll be sealed. You won’t be able to down that six-pack at the brewery itself.

There you are…..new laws…typical Repub bullshit that does NOTHING to improve the lives of the people of Mississippi.

This is why Mississippi remains at the bottom of the list of good states in which to live.

I once called the government of Mississippi as a “Moronocracy” and nothing has changed in 35 years.

Only In Mississippi

I have often said that the state where I live, Mississippi, is the asshole of the country…..it is a cultural wasteland…I have often thought that that “welcome” sign when you enter to state should read…”Welcome to Mississippi….stet your watch back 150 years”……

Today we celebrate the life of the civil rights activist, Martin Luther king, Jr, but a city in the South of Mississippi just had to try and hold on to outdated beliefs……

The city of Biloxi sparked a debate about the holiday honoring the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. after announcing on social media that city offices would be closed Monday for “Great Americans Day,” the AP reports. Monday is federally recognized as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Sun Herald reports Great Americans Day doesn’t exist as a holiday and is not even recognized by the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office. However, Biloxi City Council passed an ordinance in 1985 declaring the holiday “Great Americans Day.”

After the Mississippi city defended the holiday reference on Twitter and Facebook, dozens of comments were posted that criticized the move. Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich called for the city to repeal its ordinance and recognize the holiday with the King name. The backlash appears to have worked: On Saturday, the city’s Twitter account posted, “On Monday, before the city’s annual MLK parade, Biloxi will change a decades-old ordinance: It’s MLK Day.” The city’s website says the ordinance will be officially changed at a special meeting of the city council Monday.

So much for the con job of a “new South”…..looks pretty much the same as it has since the 1870’s…..

Mississippi Proves Itself Again

I live in the great state of Mississippi or as I call it, The Great American Cultural Wasteland….there should be a sign on every highway leading into the state that says “Welcome to Mississippi….Set Your Watch Back 150 years”……

Before I go any further I would like to share breakfast…..hash brown casserole, eggs, bacon and biscuits…..and about a gallon of good Sumatran coffee….now I am ready to face my adoring public….(tee hee)…..

Mississippi seems to always be at the top of every list of bad things like heath, pay, income, et al….and at the bottom of every list of good things…..recently a list was issued of the healthiest states in our great union……and we did it again!

What is the healthiest state in the USA? For the fifth straight year, the winner is … Hawaii, according to America’s Health Rankings. The Aloha State snagged the top spot for its low rates of uninsured people and obesity, though it scores above average for excessive drinking, reports USA Today. In last place was Mississippi, which fell the only place it had to go from No. 49 last year, faulted for problems including widespread childhood poverty, low birthweight, and smoking. (Iowa, at No. 17, was the most improved state.) The annual ranking relies on CDC data on a range of health and well-being measures. Here are the top five:

  1. Hawaii
  2. Massachusetts
  3. Connecticut
  4. Minnesota
  5. Vermont

Click for the full report.

Now this could explain their propensity to elect idiots both national, state and local…..idiocy begets idiocy……

Okay my friends….it is Sunday and time to do something completely different…..whatever that might be….

See you guys tomorrow for more stuff…..

Gunfight At The “Magnolia” Corral

I have made no bones about the mentality of the state in which I reside…..for a thinking person it is a cultural wasteland….Mississippi, the Magnolia state….some of the dumbest things have occurred…..like a scrap metal guy sneaks onto a military firing range a takes metal he found…well he was cutting up is ill gotten gains when he exploded an artillery shell killing him instantly……

Recently I read in my local newspaper about a gun fight at a gun store……

‘Pearl River County deputies responding to the shooting on Mississippi 43 about 3:15 p.m. found the store owner and his son dead in the store, Chief Deputy Shane Tucker said’.

‘The owner’s wife was working at the store when two customers, a man and his son, entered to pick up a firearm that had been repaired’.

“There was some contention about a $25 fee,” Tucker said’

‘In an attempt to clear up the dispute, the woman called her husband, who later arrived with his son. An argument ensued between the owners and the customers’.

“During this argument, we believe there might have been some pushing and shoving,” Tucker said. “One of the customers and one of the owners produced firearms. We don’t know who shot first.”

‘All four men were shot. The two customers were airlifted to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, Tucker said’.

From : http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/crime/article56305535.html

You just “Can’t Fix Stupid”!

Poverty: Mississippi’s Shame

I write about the conditions in my state, Mississippi……we are always at the top of the “worse” lists and the bottom of the “best” list…..healthcare…bottom, wages…..bottom, poverty….top…etc.

Regardless of what most state politicians want the world to believe there is NOTHING good going on in Mississippi for the people……

Take a trip through the Northwest part of the state along the Mississippi River…..you will see poverty like you have NEVER seen both….basically, if you did not know where you were you would swear it was a third world nation.

There are homes in the “Delta” that still do not have indoor plumbing….yes, I know…it is the 21st century……

These photos of today’s Mississippi Delta…….

 

I bring all this up because we were promised back in the early days of NAFTA that scenes like this would become a thing of the past written about only in history books…….

Globalization has been one of the worse ideas to fight poverty, especially in the South…….if anything it has made poverty even more brutal than before….

Source: Brutal Poverty in the U.S. South Is Caused by Globalization — and Statistics Don’t Make it Better | Alternet

Now we have another promise of less poverty with the new trade agreement….TPP….

You can write about poverty and its effects….but if you have never looked it in the face….then your opinions are worthless as the promises of better days.

 

The 51st State?

Today is the big day!  So many elections for governors, AGs, etc………but the part that interest me most is what is happening in Colorado…….

For years we have heard that Puerto Rico could possible, one day become the US 51st state…..but that is not what is happening today……it seems that the people of Colorado can vote today on whether the northern section of the state can secede and become the 51st state, Northern Colorado…the voters will choose!

From a report in the International Business Times……….

Like many states before them, Colorado is seeking to become two separate entities. Representatives from the Midwest state gathered Monday to discuss their desire to split the northern, rural region into what would become America’s 51st state, North Colorado.

According to a report from CBS Denver via Yahoo News, representatives from eight northern counties cited a “growing urban-rural divide” as their main reason for the split at the meeting, claiming economic-related decision by lawmakers as the cause of the rift. “Northern and northeastern Colorado and our voices are being ignored in the legislative process this year,” said Weld County Commissioner Sean Conway, one of many who claimed to be affected by gun control legislation and the state’s efforts to encourage less oil use and gas production. “Our very way of life is under attack,” he said.

If successful, Colorado will join the short list of four U.S. states that have successfully seperated from already existing locations. (Maine separated from Massachusetts, Kentucky from Virginia, Vermont from N.Y. and N.H., and West Virginia from Virginia in 1863). Texas was the last U.S. state to request succession in 2012;  the White House receieved 72,000 petition signatures from residents in favor of the change on their website. While the attempt to create North Colorado is only in the beginning stages, counties seeking to secede has already received support from one U.S. representative. “The people of rural Colorado are mad, and they have every right to be,” said U.S. Rep. for Colorado’s fourth congressional district Cory Gardner. “I don’t blame people one bit for feeling attacked and unrepresented by the leaders in our state.”

What do my readers think about this?

Personally, my state of Mississippi is facing the same problems as cited by the Coloradans about the divide…….I have for a long time that the bottom 3 countries, maybe the bottom 6 counties should secede from the state and go it on their own ………we have NOTHING in common with the northern part of the state….

I will be watching this and if successful will see what we can do for the state of Mississippi…after all the part of the state that I live was once a free and independent Republic of west Florida in 1800″s….why not go it alone the rest of the state has NOTHING to offer the bottom 3 counties…….

If successful could be a perfect game plan for others………

Please give me some thoughts on this!