Yesterday, Congressional candidate and career politician Alan Nunnelee traveled to Washington, DC to advance his dangerous agenda which includes protecting tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. Nunnelee met with Americans For Tax Reform leadership and staff and has signed their so-called Taxpayer Protection Pledge. The pledge and the group support keeping tax breaks that benefit companies that ship American jobs overseas. Representative Childers supported a recent measure to close those tax loopholes that encourage companies to ship jobs overseas.

“As Alan Nunnelee flew up to Washington this week, Mississippi families can see that he was signing away their jobs overseas,” said Sam Hall with the Mississippi Democratic Party. “In this economy, families are rightly worried that their job could be the next one to be shipped overseas, yet that doesn’t stop Alan Nunnelee from rewarding companies that profit by outsourcing Mississippi jobs. Alan Nunnelee might think that standing up for Wall Street and Washington special interest by protecting tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas reflects Mississippi values, but the voters of Mississippi know better.”

Background

Nunnelee went to Washington yesterday and met with Grover Norquist and the staff of Americans for Tax Reform. [Nunnelee Twitter, 6/16/10]

Nunnelee has signed the Americans for Tax Reform’s “State Taxpayer Protection” Pledge. By signing the Pledge, Nunnelee swore to “oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes”, including closing loopholes that ship jobs overseas. [ATR.org]

Childers supported a measure to close tax loopholes for companies that outsource jobs. The House passed Senate amendments to H.R.4213 – The American Jobs, Closing Tax Loopholes and Preventing Outsourcing Act. [HR 4213, Vote #324, 5/28/10]. This legislation Childers supported includes a provision to crack down on companies that take advantage of loopholes in the foreign income provisions of the tax code which makes it more profitable for them to outsource jobs. The bill would prevent corporations from using current U.S. foreign tax credit rules to subsidize their foreign activities.

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In today’s Republican nomination for Mississippi’s 1st district, Republicans rejected outsiders and chose a ‘career politician’ with a legacy of hurting Mississippi families as their standard bearer for Congress. For the last several weeks, the Mississippi Democratic Party has released updates on the devastating budget legacy of Appropriations Committee Chairman Alan Nunnelee. Nunnelee recently referred to his work on this year’s state budget as“one of the legacies I’ll leave.” [Clarion Ledger, 4/21/10]

“Alan Nunnelee’s a career politician whose legacy puts him out of touch with middle class families here in North Mississippi,” said Sam Hall with the Mississippi Democratic Party. “Even his primary opponents knew that Nunnelee was a say-one-thing do-another type of typical career politician but they didn’t realize how devastating that career has been for the families of this district. Whether it’s drastic cuts to law enforcement officers or increased class sizes in our schools, Alan Nunnelee’s priorities have been wrong for the district and harmful for families. Travis Childers has been independent minded and stood up for working families while Alan Nunnelee has only stood up for himself and his own career.”

THE LEGACY OF ALAN NUNNELEE, REPORT #5

Thousands of DeSoto County children will find more of their friends in class beside them this fall. Superintendent of Education Milton Kuykendall announced Monday the DeSoto County Schools district would eliminate 40 teaching and 50 teacher’s aide positions before the new school year begins in August. [Desoto Times, 5/4/10]

Background
Republican candidates, especially Tea party favorite Henry Ross, have tried to cast Nunnelee as a ‘career politician’ throughout the primary. [NEMS Daily Journal, 5/5/10; 5/30/10] Nunnelee is a career politician having been in the state senate for nearly two decades [Nunnelee for Congress, accessed 5/31/10]

The Mississippi Democratic Party began exploring the implications of Alan Nunnelee’s legacy in this state budget by raising concern over his “pay cut for thousands of teachers, law enforcement officers and other state and local employees” and continued raising concerns about budget cuts that directly affect children. [Mississippi Democratic Party, 5/10/10; 5/12/10; 5/13/10; 5/21/10]

For more information, contact Sam Hall at (601) 969-2913 or via email to sam@mississippidemocrats.org.

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The Mississippi Democratic Party continued its series of updates on the budget legacy of Appropriations Committee Chairman Alan Nunnelee. Nunnelee recently referred to his work on this year’s state budget as “one of the legacies I’ll leave.” [Clarion Ledger, 4/21/10]

THE LEGACY OF ALAN NUNNELEE, REPORT #4

The Lafayette County School District continued the process of letting employees go at the beginning of this week, citing a shrinking budget. This brings the total count to 23 employees who have lost their jobs since last Thursday. Seventeen others are retiring, and many will not be replaced.

At Lafayette Elementary School, seven employees were terminated. At Lafayette Upper Elementary, six employees, the activity teachers including the library assistant, computer teacher, music and art were terminated. At Lafayette Middle School, four employees including an assistant coach, library and art teacher, were terminated. Lafayette High School had six employees let go, according to Superintendent Mike Foster. [Oxford Eagle,5/14/10]

“The Nunnelee budget has devastating effects on our public education system and our ability to prepare our kids to compete for good, high-paying jobs,” said Mississippi Democratic Party Executive Director Sam Hall. “Nunnelee wants to run on his record and his legacy but Mississippi families are learning how dreadful a record it is. Teachers, law enforcement officers, school students, even librarians – no one is safe from Alan Nunnelee’s knife. The only job he’s looking out for is his own.”

Schools across North Mississippi will be forced to make similar cuts as they approach the new budget year. [Monroe County Journal, 5/12/10]

The Mississippi Democratic Party began exploring the implications of Alan Nunnelee’s legacy in this state budget by raising concern over his “pay cut for thousands of teachers, law enforcement officers and other state and local employees” and continued raising concern about budget cuts that directly affect children. [Mississippi Democratic Party, 5/10/10; 5/12/10]

For more information, please contact Sam Hall at (601) 969-2913 or via email to sam@mississippidemocrats.org.

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The Mississippi Democratic Party continued its series of updates on the budget legacy of Appropriations Committee Chairman Alan Nunnelee. Nunnelee recently referred to his work on this year’s state budget as “one of the legacies I’ll leave.” [Clarion Ledger, 4/21/10]

THE LEGACY OF ALAN NUNNELEE, REPORT #3

ABERDEEN- In its April meeting, the Aberdeen School Board voted not to renew 16 teacher and 16 teacher assistants contracts during executive session. […] These cuts ultimately stemmed from budget cuts every school and state agency in Mississippi is currently facing. [Monroe County Journal, 5/12/10]

GRENADA- “Difficult decisions have been made and are continuing to be made to ensure the financial solvency of our district,” said Dr. David Daigneault, superintendent. “Over 110 employees are affected by these cuts, including reductions in staff, decrease in extended day contracts, and voluntary reductions in salary by the administrative team,” he said. [Grenanda Star, 5/12/10]

“The more we learn about Alan Nunnelee’s legacy of cutting education funding, the more people we learn will be hurt,” said Mississippi Democratic Party Executive Director Sam Hall. “He’s shortchanged law enforcement and is now forcing cuts to teachers that will hurt students in Aberdeen and Grenada, among others. It’s becoming increasingly clear that Alan Nunnelee’s legacy is a danger to Mississippi’s future. If our kids can’t count on him, who can?”

Schools across North Mississippi will be forced to make similar cuts as they approach the new budget year. [Monroe County Journal, 5/12/10]

The Mississippi Democratic Party began exploring the implications of Alan Nunnelee’s legacy in this state budget by raising concern over his “pay cut for thousands of teachers, law enforcement officers and other state and local employees” and continued raising concern about budget cuts that directly affect children. [Mississippi Democratic Party, 5/10/10; 5/12/10]

For more information, contact Sam Hall at (601) 969-2913 or via email to sam@mississippidemocrats.org.

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The Mississippi Democratic Party continues its series of updates on the budget legacy of Appropriations Committee Chairman Alan Nunnelee. Nunnelee recently referred to his work on this year’s state budget as “one of the legacies I’ll leave.” [Clarion Ledger, 4/21/10]

THE LEGACY OF ALAN NUNNELEE, REPORT #2

The Clinton Public School District announced Thursday its employees, including teachers, will work fewer days over the next two years. […]The district announced in March that 43 positions would be eliminated in the coming school year. He said the furloughs could save the district $600,000 over two years.

[…]

Kevin Gilbert, president of the Mississippi Association of Educators, said the money crunch is hurting students. He said he’s heard some districts won’t order new textbooks and the ratio of students to teachers will undoubtedly go up in most classrooms.

“Unfortunately, many school districts have cut 40 to 50 jobs per district,” Gilbert said. “The ultimate issue with these budget shortfalls is that our children will really pay what we fear is a heavy price.” [Associated Press, 5/7/10]

“The damaging impact of Alan Nunnelee’s budget continues to come to light, and now we found out that our children are the ones who will suffer,” said Mississippi Democratic Party Executive Director Sam Hall. “First we find out about pay cuts for law enforcement officers, now Mississippi families learn that Alan Nunnelee’s destructive budget will cut teachers and textbooks and will increase class sizes. If this budget that hurts students is his legacy, Mississippi families should make it the last legacy he leaves.”

Schools across North Mississippi will be forced to make similar cuts as they approach the new budget year.

The Mississippi Democratic Party began exploring the implications of Alan Nunnelee’s legacy in this state budget by raising concern over his “pay cut for thousands of teachers, law enforcement officers and other state and local employees.” [Mississippi Democrats Release, 5/10/10 ]

For more information, contact Sam Hall at (601) 969-2913 or via email to sam@mississippidemocrats.org.

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The Mississippi Democratic Party has started the first in a series of updates on the budget legacy of Appropriations Committee Chairman Alan Nunnelee. Nunnelee recently referred to his work on this year’s state budget as “one of the legacies I’ll leave.” [Clarion Ledger, 4/21/10]

THE LEGACY OF ALAN NUNNELEE, REPORT #1

The Clarion Ledger reports that this year’s budget legislation, sent to Governor Barbour on Friday afternoon, “amounts to a pay cut for thousands of state and local employees.” The budget will “increase employee contributions to the state pension system.” [Clarion Ledger, 4/24/10]

“Alan Nunnelee promises he stands against tax increases but he’s happy to raise fees and cut pay for teachers, law enforcement officers and other state and local employees rather than use the state’s reserve funds,” said Mississippi Democratic Party Executive Director Sam Hall. “Whether they work in K-12 education, law enforcement or at our community colleges, these families will have less money to pay the bills because of Alan Nunnelee. Those are his values and that is his destructive and dangerous legacy.”

Other state leaders had suggested taking funds out of the state’s reserve account to fix the retirement system or to wait for the continuing stock and economic recovery to take hold and rectify the shortfall. [NEMS Daily Journal, 4/23/10]

Over the weeks ahead, the Mississippi Democratic Party will be exploring the other implications of Alan Nunnelee’s legacy in the state budget.

For more information, please contact Sam Hall at (601) 969-2913 or via email to sam@mississippidemocrats.org.

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PRESS RELEASE

May 10, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TUPELO — Democratic Party Chairman Jamie Franks today released the following statement in reaction to Rep. Scott Bounds’ announcement that he was joining the Republican Party:

“The truth of the matter is that Scott has been a Democrat in name-only. He has voted with the majority of Republicans more times than most Republican members of the House have,” Franks said. “In fact, no Democrat has voted fewer times with the Democratic majority on key issues than Scott.

“What Scott Bounds did today was not switch parties, he just finally started telling the truth about what party he supports,” Franks said. “He’ll have to answer to voters in Neshoba County about lying to them for so long.”

Here are a few statistics about Rep. Scott Bounds and his record during the most recent legislative session:

• Rep. Scott Bounds voted with a majority of Republicans 92 percent of the time.
• Out of 49 Republicans, only 15 voted with a majority of the Republican members more times than did Rep. Scott Bounds. That means he had a voting record as a Democrat that is “more Republican” than do 34 of the Republican members of the Legislature.
• No Democrat has voted less times with the Democratic majority on key issues than has Rep. Scott Bounds.
• No Democrat has voted AGAINST prevailing measures more than Rep. Scott Bounds.
• Rep. Scott Bounds introduced a bill that would have allowed employers to force employees filing a workers compensation claim to take a drug and alcohol test without probable cause that the worker was using drugs or alcohol and regardless of the nature of the accident. That means if a box fell on a employee, that employee could have been forced to submit to a drug and alcohol test before moving forward with his/her claim. The measure failed. (HB 1484)

For more information, contact Executive Director Sam Hall at (601) 969-2913 or via email to sam@mississippidemocrats.org.

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JACKSON — Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Jamie Franks today released the following response to Gov. Barbour’s State of the State address:

“Mississippi is like a lot of other states right now: We’re facing dire economic times. For that reason, it is imperative that our leaders on both sides of the political aisle work together to help craft a budget that funds key services, spends wisely from our reserve funds and puts us in a position to grow once the economy improves.

“Gov. Barbour has already signaled that he is not readily willing to compromise. This became evident during the first week of the session when the governor requested unfettered authority to cut any state budget at his discretion. When the House leadership offered him 90 percent of what he wanted, he said it was not enough.

“If our leaders are to pull the state from this financial brink, then Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and Gov. Haley Barbour must take a bi-partisan approach to legislating. Their our-way-or-the-highway approach is not healthy for the state, and it will not be productive.

“After all, six years of Haley Barbour and four years of Phil Bryant have led the state into this financial crisis. Their failed economic policies — both in bringing in new jobs and diversifying our revenue streams — have left us at a great disadvantage as unemployment in Mississippi has skyrocketed to record levels and tax revenues have hit record lows.”

“Our goal should be not to recover but to flourish. If we cut public education to the bone, if we decimate our health care systems and if we destroy the programs that help those who can’t help themselves, then we will have failed the people of Mississippi.

“I believe in a Mississippi where we invest in our young people in order to realize a brighter future; where our first thought for the sick is “how can we help”, not “how much does it cost?”; and where hard work is rewarded but the less fortunate are never punished.

“I know the people of Mississippi to value hard work, moral principles and opportunities to succeed. We want good schools, safe homes and good-paying jobs. Riches here are good friends and healthy families. And in the toughest times, Mississippians stand tall and face adversity head-on.

“Our leaders in Jackson have a choice: They can punish our school children by cutting public education; they can lock up the sick by cutting mental health; they can shatter the hopes of our poorest citizens by cutting Medicaid. In short, they can take the easy way out by slashing government services and hoping things get better before there are no services left to cut.

“Or, our leaders can seek every alternative to the slash-and-burn policies proposed by Gov. Barbour. They can spend wisely from our Rainy Day funds, for the economic forecast is stormy. They can bring our fee structure in line with our cost structure. They can accept the help of the federal stimulus package in these difficult times. They can work together to weather this storm, because tomorrow can be a brighter day.

“Without doubt, tough decisions must be made. Budget cuts cannot be avoided. We will have to reign in our spending, prioritize and go without. But we must do this as one, with both sides working together to forge the best path for recovery.

“I hope our Republican leaders will join the Democratic leaders in this spirit of bipartisanship. I hope that we can work together to do what’s best and what’s right, without regard to political advantages. Too much is at stake, and the times are too tough to be successful any other way.”

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JACKSON – Chairman Jamie Franks released the following statements regarding Gov. Haley Barbour’s budget recommendations.

ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

“The governor has touted his ability to bring new jobs to Mississippi, but under his administration Mississippi is facing the worst economic downturn most of us have seen.”

“Instead of damaging the education systems of our state or devastating the budget of our state’s chief law enforcement officer, the governor should start his cuts with his own office. He has the largest staff and payroll of any governor in our state’s history. The same can be said for Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant as well.”

“We all know budgeting is going to be difficult, but what Gov. Barbour has put forward would wreak absolute havoc on our ability to provide crucial services to the people our elected officials serve.”

UNIVERSITY CONSOLIDATION

“By the governor’s own admission, his plan to consolidate three of our state’s universities with two others would save us a minimal amount of money. That he would propose such a change without the input of college leaders and the State College Board shows his arrogance and his dictatorial approach to governing.”

“Our state’s historic black colleges are spread out across this state. Merging them does not make any kind of logistical sense. Nor does it make sense to deprive the students these schools serve of choices in their higher education.”

SCHOOL DISTRICT CONSOLIDATION

“We cannot expect to produce a well educated, well trained workforce if we continue to cut our public education budget. The governor has never been a friend to public education, and this year’s budget shows his complete disregard to our school systems.”

“If consolidation is to take place, it should be left to the local school districts, their leaders and the citizens in those districts to make that choice. It should not be the role of Jackson leaders to tell the people of Mississippi how to run their communities.”

“If the governor had his way, communities would lose their identities with their local schools. More importantly, hard-working teachers would lose their jobs. We should be seeking ways to increase public education and create jobs, not the other way around.”

STATE EMPLOYEE BOARD

“Since the day he was elected, the governor has waged war on the employees of this state. It seems to be his greatest ambition to have ultimate hiring and firing authority over the men and women who provide the vital services of our state. I would hope that the Legislature continues to resist the governor’s desire to do so.”

“Our state Personnel Board already has in safeguards to ensure that unproductive employees can be terminated with cause. To strip our state employees of the protection offered by the Personnel Board would be to expose them to the political pressures of the governor who would quite likely ”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JACKSON – Chairman Jamie Franks released the following statement concerning allegations that Gov. Haley Barbour conspired with former Congressman Chip Pickering to circumvent federal campaign finance laws:

“This is a serious allegation, and the facts are pretty clear. It does not take a rocket scientist to see there is no coincidence in what happened. It appears clear that Gov. Barbour tried to hide a campaign donation from Pickering to Louisiana Sen. David Vitter.

“This is nothing new for Barbour or Mississippi Republicans who routinely use shadow PACs, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and innocuous-sounding groups to hide their political money by attacking Democratic candidates so they can look like they are above the fray,” Franks said. “However, this is something a bit more serious. What appears to have happened here actually violates federal law and is a serious offense for a governor who not only represents Mississippi but all Republican governors nationwide.

“If Gov. Barbour did nothing wrong, he should simply come forward and say so. He should tell the people of Mississippi that he has not been involved with Pickering in any way when it comes to raising money for Vitter. Short of such a claim, it is hard to believe these accusations are anything but true.”

The Louisiana Democratic Party filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission this week alleging that Barbour, Pickering and Vitter engaged in an illegal conduit scheme to hide a $5,000 contribution from Pickering to Vitter’s campaign.

From the Louisiana Democratic Party:

In August, Barbour’s political action committee, Haley’s PAC, received a $5,000 contribution from Pickering four days after making a contribution in the same amount to David Vitter’s campaign. Louisiana Democrats say there is strong evidence that David Vitter accepted a campaign contribution made in the name of another, a violation of federal law.

The $5,000 transaction was the only activity reported by Haley’s PAC and the Commerce, Hope, Innovation and Progress (CHIP), Pickering’s committee, in August. CHIP PAC has not reported any other transactions for 2009 and Haley’s PAC has made only one.

“When you lay out the facts, it’s clear that it is not simply a coincidence that in a four day period these two dormant PAC’s suddenly passed around an identical amount of money that ultimately ends up in David Vitter’s hands,” said Louisiana Democratic Party Chair Chris Whittington. “Most people who break the law manage to cover their tracks a little better than Vitter, Pickering and Barbour seem to have.”

CQ Politics reported this suspicious serious of transactions between Vitter, Barbour and Pickering last month, noting that “Pickering, like Vitter is a conservative Christian Republican accused of having an extramarital affair linked to the ‘C Street’ townhouse in Southeast Washington that is at the center of a spate of GOP sex scandals.” CQ Politics labeled the suspicious transactions a “$5K ‘C Street Relay.”

Their mutual scandals and their association with the ‘C Street’ group may explain why Vitter and Pickering would want to hide the contribution, Whittington says.

“Clearly, a direct and publicly disclosed contribution from Pickering to Vitter would bring unwanted attention to both scandal-plagued men and to the Republican Party as a whole,” Whittington said.

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