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Opinion
Reece Terry, publisher
Mark Boehler, editor
4 • Thursday, November 17, 2016
Corinth, Miss.
Paris, elections and all that jazz I am home now, processing what has happened in our country. But my last week spent in France, I was in Paris, the cherry on the sundae, the crescendo of a wonderful visit. Rheta One day I walked past the Johnson Bataclan on Boulevard Voltaire. Columnist It was a year ago this week that 89 people were killed in the legendary theater and rock-music venue. While I stood on the Paris street, pondering that unspeakable horror, a woman and her child stepped around me and quickly, matter-of-factly positioned flowers on the security fence that still surrounds the meloncolored site. Older bouquets drooped in the autumn sun. The name “Bataclan” refers to an operetta by Jacques Offenbach, but it also is a pun on the French expression “tout le bataclan,” or “all that jazz.” Everyone from Buffalo Bill in 1892 to Jerry Lee Lewis to Snoop Dogg has performed at the Bataclan. Despite the bizarre and forlorn appearance of the circus-y crime scene of orange, yellow and blue, all around the closed theater there is typical and lively street life. Nearby bistros and restaurants were packed the day I visited. Just across the boulevard a street sale, a French “brocante,” was drawing a big crowd, the impulse to clear out one’s closets and attics apparently being universal. Paris friends who live a few blocks away reassured me later that the theater will reopen soon; a concert, they said, is scheduled this month, this week, one year and one day after the attack. Parisians take great pride in the fact that terrorists are incapable of changing the delightful Parisian way of life. The best revenge is continuing to live well. It is a lesson we should take from the French. Terrorists and madmen win only when we allow them to change our ways, when they send us scuttling to cover, or to vote for political rascals all too willing to trade on intolerance and fear. That’s when they really win. Life goes on after the most horrendous and murderous acts, after wars, after disastrous elections. At times, we almost wish it would not, but life goes on. Always. To limp to the sidelines is a temptation, but not the answer. Not as long as there is good music, good company, good books, beautiful sights and, well, a pulse. Did I mention good people? All that jazz. So raise a glass to the Bataclan, a renovation that had to happen. The French knew that. And while you’re toasting, tip one to the United States, a country that withstood a bloody civil war, not to mention any number of involvements elsewhere that drained our best and youngest. This country may be young, but it’s been around the block a few times. The good will rise again. I am not ready to believe that most of us think all Muslims and Mexicans evil, women sex vessels, the disabled objects of ridicule, the Constitution a trifle, the highest office in the land a step up from “Survivor.” Are you? And if you say that comparing lost lives to a lost election is a reach, I’d only remind you that history is full of examples of elections that portended deaths of any number of innocent citizens. Those are extreme examples, true, but at our mental fingertips nonetheless. I’m proud that music will play soon at the Bataclan, where narrow minds tried to silence it. And here, election Tuesday was not the day the music died. Just another verse in a long song called “freedom.” To find out more about Daily Corinthian columnist Rheta Grimsley Johnson and her books, visit www.rhetagrimsleyjohnsonbooks.com.
Prayer for today O Lord, I pray that whether I may be successful in the sight of the world, or whether I may be successful in my own sacrifices, I may have the freedom of courage, and be master of my life. Amen.
A verse to share “And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD” –Numbers 16:3
Bryant supports online sales tax collections STARKVILLE — In his Fiscal Year 2018 Executive Budget Recommendation, Gov. Phil Bryant joined what has become a growing chorus of conservative Republicans who are willing to talk seriously about state legislation to collect Mississippi’s existing seven percent sales tax on online sales as well as counter sales at bricks-and-mortar businesses in the state. In the EBR, Bryant concluded his opinions regarding online sales tax collections in this unequivocal manner: “These approaches do not create a new tax. They would simply allow Mississippi to enforce the collection of a tax that has been in place for decades.” In the statement, Bryant gives political voice to a realization that a growing number of state legislators in both parties are beginning to get behind – that as the shopping habits of Mississippians change along with the rest of the country, Mississippi is losing sales tax revenue that simply cannot be replaced unless Mississippi takes steps to tax online sales the same as counter sales. Lawmakers like Rep. Trey Lamar in Senatobia and Rep. Mark Baker in Bran-
don have spoken in favor of considering full collection of Mississippi existing Sid Salter sales taxes. Or as notColumnist ed before in this column - it isn’t a new tax to ask the guy in Pontotoc who bought a hammer online to pay the same sales tax as the guy who bought the same hammer in a Pontotoc store. Here’s what Bryant said on the subject in his FY 2018 EBR: “While brick-and-mortar retailers collect sales tax at the point of purchase, online retailers without a physical presence in the state do not. Legally, a use tax is still owed to the state but compliance is low. “Three years ago, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann convened a working group of Mississippi business owners, local government leaders, accountants, attorneys, professors, state revenues officials and trade association representatives to discuss these revenue fairness issues. “The working group estimated that Mississippi was losing $67.2 million annu-
ally in uncollected taxes on remote sales. The National Conference of State Legislatures estimates Mississippi’s loss at over $134 million. “Congress could step in and pass legislation requiring online sellers to collect state taxes and remit them to the state of destination. Alternatively, the U.S. Supreme Court could reverse its 1992 ruling in Quill v. North Dakota, opening the door for Mississippi and other states to enforce their sales and use tax laws against businesses that currently lack a physical presence. Until there is action at the federal level, policymakers should consider establishing a voluntary remittance program for outof-state online sellers. “Alabama adopted one of these programs in 2015. The Mississippi Development Authority will also continue to recruit major out-of-state merchants to Mississippi. “These approaches do not create a new tax. They would simply allow Mississippi to enforce the collection of a tax that has been in place for decades,” Bryant said. Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and House Speaker Philip Gunn are leading a legislative tax
policy study committee in which the legislative leaders said “everything is on the table” as the committee looks at state finance. With Republican leaders taking a long look at full collection of state sales taxes coupled with Alabama’s legislative move in that direction, the online sales tax collection battle may well be at a tipping point. That tipping point is also influenced by the fact that state revenue collections have been stagnant or declining for several months now. Bryant, Reeves, Gunn, and the majority of Republicans they lead aren’t necessarily ready to talk about new taxes in virtually any form. But will they move on what is an effort to fully collect an old tax that’s been on the books since 1932? It appears that the political stars are coming into alignment – and not a moment too soon for Mississippi retailers who have labored in battles with online competitors that hold an automatic seven percent price advantage when sales taxes are foregone online. Daily Corinthian columnist Sid Salter is syndicated across the state. Contact him at 601-507-8004 or sidsalter@sidsalter.com.
Advising the president-elect It didn’t take long. Journalists, editorial writers and columnists who hate Donald Trump and consistently opposed his election are now advising him what not to do. Newspaper headlines claim Trump is pulling back on his campaign promises. Editorials encourage him not to do everything he pledged, although his pledges are what got him elected. The ACLU bought a full-page ad in The New York Times, vowing to use its army of lawyers and volunteers to thwart Trump’s agenda. Since everyone else is offering advice, here is mine: Begin with the economy. Propose to Congress cuts in individual and corporate taxes and a plan to do away with the tax code, replacing it with a flat or fair tax. On illegal immigration, start building the wall, but announce that to help pay for it a toll system will be implemented, charging people who cross our southern border in each direction. Drivers have to pay tolls to get in and out of Manhattan. Why not tolls for getting in and out of America? The
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new president could also ask for contributions from the public to help Cal build the Thomas wall, which can bring in Columnist additional funds. We’ll see if Mexico pays anything. Trump says he will forgo the $400,000 presidential salary. Here’s a better idea. Take the money and donate it to scholarships for poor children so they can escape failing schools and get a decent education for a better future. This could be done immediately while waiting for Congress to pass a school voucher plan and would encourage others to make similar contributions to scholarship funds. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C., is again playing a central role in the transition. Many of its ideas on domestic and foreign policy are posted at heritage.org. Heritage provided many policy suggestions to Ronald Reagan, which he embraced during
his two terms. A source familiar with what is occurring inside the transition tells me “landing teams” from Heritage will be visiting federal departments and agencies beginning Wednesday to ask questions and retrieve information for the new administration. They will be reminded that President Obama is president until Jan. 20 and to be “respectful.” We only have one president at a time. The Trump administration plans to follow Speaker Paul Ryan’s advice and “go big, go bold.” Hundreds of executive orders are being prepared, along with language members of Congress can use to formulate new legislation and repeal old laws. These include school choice, repealing and replacing most of Obamacare and reversing various social engineering orders, such as transgender bathroom requirements. The transition team is combining the New York and Washington offices and entering what was described to me as the “execution stage,” moving from policy pronouncements, to enactment.
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Conservatives should be encouraged that vice president-elect Mike Pence has been put in charge of the transition. He is a rocksolid conservative who will be helpful in making sure people who hold conservative views are placed in key posts. The emphasis should shift from ideology to what works. If, for example, poor children are liberated from government schools and their grades and outlook on life improve, their testimony will be evidence enough that school choice has been a success. This will be the Republicans’ last opportunity for a generation to show that their ideas work and to promote the general welfare. The possibilities are great if Trump and Pence and the Republican Congress ignore critics who want them to fail and press on to receive the prize that success will bring, not only to them and the GOP, but to a nation that longs for it. Cal Thomas is the host of “After Hours with Cal Thomas” on the FOX News Channel. Readers may email him at tmseditors@ tribune.com.
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