Do we have a representative form of government in Mississippi? On paper, we do.
We have 174 legislators (122 house members and 52 senators) to represent us in Jackson. These legislators are chosen to represent the best interests of the citizens. There are occasions when looking out for our best interests conflicts with what’s popular. Those cases are rare, however. Mississippians generally know what’s good for them and expect our legislators to act accordingly.
That would happen with a truly representative form of state government.
Monday, a A Siena College/Mississippi Today poll showed that 79 percent of respondents, including 71 percent of those identifying with the Republican Party which dominates state government, said the state should fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.
In January, another Siena College/Mississippi Today poll showed 80 percent of Mississippians (and 70 percent of Republicans) favored accepting federal funds to expand Medicaid.
In 2019, 74 percent of voters approved an amendment to the state constitution to create a medical marijuana program despite the legislature’s attempt to defeat it by offering a competing ballot measure, hoping to create enough confusion among voters to defeat both amendments. When that failed, the state turned to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which invalidated the citizens initiative process entirely on a technicality that had no real bearing on the original intent of how those initiatives can be placed on the ballot.
It’s the worst Mississippi Supreme Court decision in memory, one that continues to deny Mississippians the right to amend the constitution when their representatives refuse to do so.
The very real outrage that followed that decision proved to be a tipping point. Feeling that heat, the legislature grudgingly passed legislation to create a medical marijuana program.
They also promised to restore citizens’ initiative.
How can it be that these three measures, all of which had overwhelming bipartisan support of the citizens, continue to be compromised, diluted or stymied by our legislature?
Because representative government in our state is a delusion.
What we have is a Crime Family Syndicate form of government. The House speaker and lieutenant governor, who rule the two chambers, are the godfathers. Their underbosses are their hand-picked committee chairs. The rank-and-file members have little to no say on what moves though the chambers. Only by keeping their mouths shut and bowing to the godfathers’ wishes can legislators expect to get funds for their communities or bills passed that are primarily of local significance.
Most of the time, the two godfathers are on the same page. Occasionally, however, they differ. A week ago, the Senate unanimously passed a bill that will fully fund MAEP for only the third time in its 26-year history. Don’t get excited. House Speaker Philip Gunn is almost certain to have the bill killed in conference committee.
Expanding Medicaid is already dead on arrival. There were 15 separate bills introduced in this session to expand Medicaid. All of them died without debate or a vote in either chamber.
Likewise, a bill to restore the right of Mississippians to enact law through the ballot is dead. The Senate passed that bill, 49-0. It died in House committee, purely on Gunn’s instruction.
Imagine what life for Mississippians would be like if our state wasn’t run like a crime family.
All Mississippians would have access to health care, our public schools would be adequately funded. We would have a medical marijuana program that isn’t burdened with red tape and confusion and, finally, we would have the right to implement laws at the ballot box when our legislature refuses to act.
We have none of these things because of the Mississippi Mafia that ruthlessly controls our state.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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