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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The Mississippi Democratic Party today responded to the GOP’s announcement that they would be conducting a statewide tour to drum up support for a Voter ID initiative.

Statements from Chairman Jamie Franks:

“The State of Mississippi is suffering from record unemployment, deep cuts to our health care systems and exorbitant drop-out rates among high schoolers. We have hospitals in South Mississippi facing bankruptcy and furniture manufacturers in North Mississippi fearing closure. Our once promising automotive industry in Mississippi is slowing in Canton and on hold in Tupelo. And the Republicans are focusing their efforts on Voter ID?

“Just like their counterparts on the national level, the state Republican Party is losing touch with what matters most to the people in Mississippi. People here don’t care about politicians’ political posturing, people care about their own jobs, putting food on the table and making sure they can afford to go to the doctor when they get sick.”

Statements from Executive Director Sam Hall:

“It’s odd to us that the Republicans are doing this, considering that it was Repulican senators under the direction of Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant who killed a comprehensive voting bill that included not only voter ID but also early voting initiatives.

“If this doesn’t prove that Republicans are more interested in voter ID as a political wedge issue than really passing meaningful legislation, then I don’t know what does.”

Hall also called into question the process the Republican Party is undertaking to put this initiative on the ballot:

“The courts still have not fully clarified where these signatures must come from. The law says from the state’s five Congressional districts, but we only have four Congressional districts today. Until this is clarified by the courts, it looks like a petition drive is getting the cart before the horse.

“Mississippians should also wonder about the validity of the signatures collected. The Republicans want people to show ID before they vote, but they do not require ID to sign their petition. I know, because I asked numerous signature gatherers at the Neshoba County Fair if ID was required to sign their petition. They all said no.”

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By Jamie Franks • Chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party

President Obama has said we are at a time of great challenge. We face wars abroad and a struggling economy at home. But with great challenges, come great opportunities. The problems we face require more than the usual Washington quick-fix, they require fundamental reform.  

There are few better examples of the need for fundamental reform than in our health care system.

Our health care system is broken. Health insurance premiums are going through the roof and the number of uninsured persons is rising. Forty-five million Americans don’t have insurance, either because they can’t afford the high premiums or because they were denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions.  Many families are loosing their choice of doctors due to insurance cutbacks — some are loosing the choice to even visit a doctor when they’re sick. Elderly couples across Mississippi are being forced to choose between buying groceries or the medications they need.

We’ve all heard stories from friends and families who have been affected by the high costs of health care. In Mississippi, nearly 20 percent of our population is uninsured. In the last year, 37.1 percent of Mississippians under the age of 65 were uninsured, including 75.6 percent who went more than six months without insurance. All of these averages are much higher than the national average, including the number of uninsured children.

Just over 11 percent of American children are uninsured. In Mississippi, that number is more than 16 percent. Part of the blame can be laid at the feet of Gov. Haley Barbour who has forced staggering budget cuts to children insurance programs.

Turning a blind eye to so many people in need is not the mark of high morality. We must reach out and give a hand up to those in need.

But reforming the health care system isn’t just a moral imperative, it’s a fiscal imperative. State and local governments are facing cutbacks across the board and can no longer bare the burden of emergency care for the uninsured. Businesses, large and small, are struggling to balance their books and are forced to cut jobs because they can’t afford the rising cost of insuring their employees.

In Mississippi, less than 30 percent of small businesses offer health care to their employees. And the state cannot overcome the deficit of health care spending. Mississippi currently spends more than 18 percent of its state product on health related expenditures. Considering the budget problems we face today, it is unrealistic to think we can continue to fund health care costs at such a high percentage.

The burden is no less on insured families, either. In Mississippi, 30 percent of families spend more than 10 percent of their paycheck on health care cost. The average annual premium for insured families is more than $10,000. That is a burden too high for Mississippi working families.

Reforming the system will undoubtedly be a huge undertaking. Health care is an issue that affects every American and the only way we can successfully change the system is by bringing all voices to the table. That’s why President Obama will tackle this in the same way he has taken on all the major challenges of his administration — by listening to voices on all sides of the debate.

We must move beyond the divisive arguments that have plagued past attempts at reform. Americans can no longer bear the burden of a broken health care system. We must act now to enact reform that works for families, local governments, and businesses alike.

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JACKSON – Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Jamie Franks today called on Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant to call a special session while Gov. Haley Barbour is out of the state on political fundraising trips.

“Our state Constitution says that when a governor is out of the state the lieutenant governor becomes the acting governor, enjoying all the authority of that office,” Franks said. “Considering the Senate and House negotiators reached a budget deal over the weekend, I believe Lt. Gov. Bryant should call a special session to pass the budget.”

Franks said such a move would show leadership by Bryant, something that has been lacking in the current lieutenant governor’s term as head of the Senate.

“Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant praised the agreement reached over the weekend at one point, but when Gov. Barbour said he didn’t like it, Bryant backpedaled,” Franks said. “Lt. Gov. Bryant needs to show real leadership and act within the authority of his office to get this budget passed this week.”

Franks also criticized Gov. Barbour for putting the people of Mississippi after his own political aspirations.

“Gov. Barbour doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to do the job he was elected to do,” Franks said. “Instead, he is too busy testing the waters for a presidential run three years from now by raising money in New Hampshire and Iowa.”

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JACKSON – Chairman Jamie Franks today condemned the Republican legislative leadership for playing politics with the well being of the state and its taxpayers.

“Republicans in the Legislature have decided that their political futures are more important than the future and well being of the people of Mississippi,” Franks said. “Instead of doing the work they are paid to do, they abdicated their authority to the governor in a purely politically calculated scheme.”

Franks said Gov. Barbour, Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and other Republicans in the Senate are more interested in 2011 elections than the budgeting process.

“House and Senate negotiators have reached compromises, only for Sen. Alan Nunnelee to withdraw the agreement at the behest of the governor,” Franks said. “These political shenanigans threaten to shut down government, and if that happens, the people will suffer because of foolish political games played by Republicans.”

The sticking point in negotiations is now whether or not to move $60 million to a fund to be used in 2011.

“We have $60 million to fill budget holes. Why don’t Republicans want to use that money this year? I’ll tell you why. Because Phil Bryant isn’t running for governor until 2011,” Franks said. “There is no rational, logical reason to delay using that money right now to fill our budget holes.”

Franks said using the Rainy Day Fund should also be an option.

“Look outside, it’s coming an economic monsoon in Mississippi,” Franks said.

Franks also praised House negotiators for their efforts.

“When the governor wanted a $90 million hospital tax and the House was opposed to any hospital tax, the House negotiators compromised,” Franks said. “On one day, Sen. Nunnelee thought the compromise was a good idea. A few days later, he said it wasn’t good enough. How is that good-faith negotiating on the part of the Republicans?”

Franks also pointed out that allowing the governor to call a special session is bad fiscal policy.

“A special session costs more per day than does the regular session, but the governor and lieutenant governor don’t care about that,” Franks said. “The governor wants control over the legislative process, and I guess Phil Bryant doesn’t mind handing over that control instead of being a leader like he was elected to do.”

Franks said the governor’s budget will be detrimental to the state. Gov. Barbour’s budget would:

• Increase classroom sizes to 45 students, far too large for teachers to be effective
• Cut $100 million in education funding over three years
• Reduce funding for special education and gifted programs
• Levy a $90 million tax on hospitals in a time when health care costs are increasing and hospitals are struggling to stay afloat
• Cut funding for training of new highway patrol officers at a time when 10 percent of the force is approaching retirement

“For someone who travels the country talking about his sound fiscal policy, Gov. Barbour has some troubling budget proposals,” Franks said. “We have money to pay for services now, but instead of doing so the governor and lieutenant governor will waste thousands of taxpayer dollars on a special session. That may be good partisan politics, but it’s horrible public policy.”

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JACKSON – Democrats across Mississippi are celebrating big municipal races that prove the Democratic Party has strong momentum heading into next year’s midterm Congressional elections.

“Tonight shows us that the Democratic message is resonating with the voters of Mississippi,” Chairman Jamie Franks said. “We’ve picked up mayoral seats in key cities like Vicksburg while turning away fierce Republican challengers in cities like Ocean Springs.”

Franks pointed to a variety of victories in illustrating how the Democratic message is being heard by every type of Mississippian.

“We’ve won large metropolitan races and small-town races,” Franks said. “City voters, rural voters and everyone in between realize that the Republican Party in Mississippi is leading us down the wrong path, and these voters want new leadership.”

Franks said it was important to note that voters in Booneville, Starkville and other similar smaller towns with more rural populations also elected Democratic mayors.

“The idea that the Democratic Party will not play in rural Mississippi is misguided, and I think the Republican Party is starting to get that message,” Franks said. “People want leaders who look out for jobs, for health care, for education; not leaders who look out for big business and special interest groups.”

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JACKSON (May 7, 2009) — Chairman Jamie Franks today released the following statement on the death of Jackson Mayor Frank Melton:

“We are saddened to learn of the death of Mayor Melton,” Franks said. “He served our capitol city as a businessman, community activist and civic leader. Our prayers are with his family and friends during this very trying period.”

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JACKSON (April 29, 2009) – Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Jamie Franks today released the following statement on the death of Rep. Charles Young:

“I had the great honor to serve with Rep. Young when I was in the Legislature. He was a tremendous man and a remarkable legislator. He will be missed by those who knew him, and his absence will be felt by those with whom he served.”

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