There's more to the American today than this letter.  Haley says "It's all about economic development" and the on-line poll indicates by about a 12 point margin that readers disagree with AD's appointment to the ADP.

quote:

---

Originally posted by: Circulation's Up
"Haley says "It's all about economic development"..."

---

So has every other governor since Hugh White. <YAWN>

The number one way to improve the "economy" in Mississippi is to fully fund education & begin building a culture that values education. Quality of life issues go far beyond getting a regular paycheck. And that's what the big companies are really looking for. Selective tax breaks aren't gonna do it over the long haul. Sweetheart deals for the execs aren't gonna do it over the long haul. Short-range, myopic free workforce training programs aren't gonna do it over the long haul. Portraying ourselves as a cheap alternative to outsourcing to South Asia or Latin America isn't gonna do it over the long haul.

Only broad-based education can effect the massive changes in the public psyche that will change the way potential employers view Mississippi. But friends, that is not going to happen in my lifetime, because Mississippi politicians, regardless of their partisan stripes, do not want an educated population ... a population that might just be able to figure out that they're being ripped off every time the Legislature convenes.

Ultimately like all his predecessors, Haley Barbour has no intention of upsetting the status quo in Mississippi, because that would upset his big-money boys (and girls). I wonder which ones of them will be benefitting from the special session?

quote:

---

Originally posted by: Curmudgeon
"Amen, Invictus. One need only look to Texas and North Carolina to see the payoff from investing in education. While both those states haven't been terribly strong in K-12, they have invested heavily in higher education for a very long time. It doesn't happen overnight."

---

Mr. Wonderful - I'll nominate Invictus two posts up.  Curmudgeon, the last sentence of your post is not one well-received by this administration.