Good news from the Legislature

By By Buddy Bynum / editor
Feb. 2, 2003
Two pieces of good news came from Jackson last week, where Mississippi legislators are wrapping up their first month of a 90-day session.
First, education funding bills that will pump an additional $236 million into all levels of education, from kindergarten through universities, sailed through both houses.
This is on top of the $2.1 billion that Mississippi had already committed to spending on education this year and represents about 62 percent of the state's general fund budget.
At a time when the rest of the nation is cutting back on education, Mississippi is increasing our support. This is crucial when we know that good schools attract good jobs, which build good communities,'' Gov. Ronnie Musgrove said.
What a concept: Good schools attract good jobs, which build good communities.
Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but this isn't exactly a new concept. Some of us have been hammering on this issue for a long time and it was good to see the quick legislative action.
Isn't it interesting how legislators and a governor can respond to a crisis so quickly in an election year.
As a reporter for the Associated Press accurately pointed out in a story last week, most legislators are expected to seek re-election, and can campaign by saying they took an unprecedented step of funding education before other parts of the state budget.
It will make a great sound bite for campaign commercials.
But the real test will come next year and the year after and the year after. Unless the state's economy improves and unless schools begin to show that real progress is being made in terms of relevant teaching the general public's enthusiasm for education could still weaken.
And the truth is, as some lawmakers have tried to express lately, such a major commitment to education will likely leave some other state agencies out in the cold come April, when the Legislature adjourns.
This is not necessarily a bad thing. Certain areas of state government, whether the good people who work in them admit it or not, are not essential. Instead of toying with their funding, perhaps the Legislature should simply eliminate some of them.
With more money in the pipeline, the challenge now falls to school districts and the good people who run them to put this money to the best possible use. They still don't have a dime to waste.
Base closure
Regarding his firing of Washington, D.C.-based consultant Barry Rhoads, the specialist who has helped communities and the state avoid U.S. military base closures, Musgrove has taken one on the chin.
The education bills he cannot afford to veto earmarked $283,000 to the Mississippi Military Communities Council so it can hire Rhoads back.
What can only be surmised at this point is that Musgrove also will want to retain the services of the new consultant he hired, Jefferson Governmental Relations of Washington, D.C. His pal Wilson Golden's firm will be paid about $1 million over four years to do what the Rhoads firm was already doing: protecting the military bases in Mississippi from the next round of closures in 2005.
From what Musgrove said, he doesn't care if the communities get money from the education pot to keep Rhoads on duty.
If the local communities want to hire a specific person and the Legislature is willing to pay for it out of another fund, certainly we'll be glad to work with them,'' Musgrove said.
Previously, money for base closure prevention has been routed through the Musgrove-controlled Mississippi Development Authority. All eight members of the military communities council lined up against Musgrove when Rhoads was fired, went to the Legislature particularly Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck and Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Gordon and quickly got what they wanted.
Why Mississippi should need two potentially competing consultants is beyond the scope of my comprehension. The Legislature might want to consider whacking Musgrove's million out of the MDA budget.
We had to make a decision and my goal is instead of being simply on the defensive end, which is where Barry Rhoads seems to have expertise, I believe we ought to be on the offensive end,'' Musgrove told the AP.
A kick in the bohunkus
And, speaking of ends, likely Republican gubernatorial candidate Haley Barbour, interviewed on CNN after the president's State of the Union speech, was tagged by the all-news, all-the-time network as a "Washington lobbyist." What are the chances he'll see those words again, and again  in living color during a campaign for governor?