Dear Democrat,

Earlier today, Rep. Scott Bounds joined the Republican Party. I want to spread a little light on the reality of this situation.

In short: Scott Bounds was a Democrat in name only.

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

The Mississippi House of Representatives is made up of 122 members, 72 of which are Democrats. These 72 Democrats are a diverse mixture, and we’re proud of the work that they do.

We have a large number of conservative Democrats who continue to serve as Democrats because their core principles and the core principles of their voters are shared by all Democrats:

• Strengthening public education
• Providing affordable and accessible health care
• Developing good-paying jobs without giving away too much taxpayer dollars
• Finding a balance between the rights of individuals and the needs of the business world

Bounds today joined a party who devalues all of those things. And Bounds has already proven that he does, too. Look at a bill he authored in the last legislative session, HB 1484.

HB 1484 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 thanks to the work of Democrats who refused to allow corporate America to run roughshod over the rights of hard-working Mississippians.

In case that is not enough proof, here’s the truth about Scott Bounds’ record during this last legislative session:

• Rep. Scott Bounds voted with 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.

Don’t believe the hype of the Republican Party. They are not getting people to switch their allegiances. At best, they are convincing people to stop lying to their constituents. At worst, they are deepening the political divide in this state by placing partisan politics above effective governing.

The Mississippi Democratic Party remains the party of the big tent, the party where diverse and divergent ideologies can co-exist and work together to formulate good, effective government.

Today, we continue to maintain a majority in the House, and we are committed to seeing that majority increase in 2011. To do so, we’ll continue to open our doors to conservative, moderate and progressive members alike.

Democratically yours,

Jamie Franks