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Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 140

• Corinth, Mississippi •

T-storms Today

Tonight

20 pages • Two sections

Tupelo’s program gives perspective to Corinth plan BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com

Staff photo by Bobby J. Smith

Talant Trading Co. founder Johnson Benjamin works on his latest creation.

Talant in the bag Entrepreneur finds niche with unique business BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com

Late in 2011, Wenasoga resident Johnson Benjamin was searching for a name for his new company. In Benjamin’s new venture, the young entrepreneur planned to hand-make durable and high quality canvas bags. Finally he came across a passage in the Bible that spoke to him, Matthew 25, the parable of the talents, a lesson about using the gifts one is given. “That really inspired me. It made me think, ‘What am I doing?’ and realize that has to be the name,” recalled Benjamin. “Even as a child, I don’t know if it scared me, but it held a heavy weight on me. All of us have a responsibility.” Thus was born Benjamin’s Talant Trade Co. With Talant,

the 23-year-old MSU grad has an opportunity to engage his appreciation of design and aesthetics, while creating and selling quality merchandise made by Benjamin and his family in a shop behind their home on County Road 718. Benjamin graduated from MSU last spring after studying landscaping architecture. Last summer he started a lawn care business. Halfway through the summer he began thinking about a different direction for his life. Around September the idea for what would become Talant Trading Co. began to form. “I was inspired by people doing things like this, the artisans and craftsmen who were making and selling items that were better quality than you can buy from a name brand,” Benjamin

Excel by 5 creates brighter futures

Please see BAGS | 2A

Please see STREETS | 3A

BY ANGELA STOREY

Please see EXCEL | 2A

Please see LAW | 3A

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Corinth’s program is patterned on Tupelo’s Major Thoroughfare Program, which has been operating in Northeast Mississippi’s largest municipality for almost two decades. Phillip Harbor, Major Thoroughfare Program Director for the City of Tupelo, said there is no doubt Tupelo’s program has transformed his city for the better.

astorey@dailycorinthian.com

school, graduate and become a more productive workforce.” The local Excel by 5 accreditation, O’Connell said, will demonstrate to business and individuals who are looking to invest in the area that Corinth and Alcorn County has invested in the children – the future of the community. “Excel by 5 is a pathway to ensure success for the smallest children in our community, but it takes a village,” said O’Connell. Launched in 2004, Excel by 5 is a program designed to encourage and assist communities to become actively involved in supporting their young children. It emphasizes the important roles of parents and primary caregivers in educating children during their most formative years.

is that they will stay i n

BY BOBBY J. SMITH

Staff photo by Mark Boehler

City leaders hope the proposed thoroughfare program will provide funds to make more streets look like Proper Street, which was recently milled, paved and striped and had new curbs, gutters and sidewalks installed.

Couple shares career in law enforcement Husband and wife Derrick and Shannon Hester both work in law enforcement in Booneville and Prentiss County. Derrick Hester is an investigator with the Prentiss County Sheriff’s Department. Shannon Hester, a native of Alcorn County and a former dispatcher at the Corinth Police Department, is a patrol officer with the Booneville Police Department. Pursuing a career in law enforcement was not a difficult decision for Shannon as she had been around law enforcement all her life. An Alcorn County native, her dad, the late Charles Hinds Sr., was a highway patrolman, while her brother, Chuck Hinds, is employed with Corinth PD and serves as a constable in Alcorn County. Shannon’s career began as a dispatcher with the Corinth Police Department in 1994, a job she held for 11 years. The entire time she worked in communications she knew she wanted to be an officer. “I had to get nerve up to try out for the academy. Ten weeks away from family is a long time,” she says. Shannon became a certified

bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com

The best hope for tomorrow rests with the children of today, and local leaders are working for a brighter future by focusing on the most crucial period of a child’s mental development – the first five years. By adopting the Excel By 5 program, Corinth and Alcorn County are working to improve their efforts in early childhood education. The community of Corinth and Alcorn County was recently designated as an Excel By 5 candidate community, one of 25 in the state. Nine Mississippi communities have thus far received Excel By 5 certification. “The adoption of the Excel By 5 program shows a commitment of the city and county business, government and civic leaders to better prepare our children from ages 0 to 5,” said Susan O’Connell, project manager for the Corinth and Alcorn County Excel by 5. “If our kids are better prepared to start school, then our hope

said. By October the idea became more defined. From November through February, Benjamin was buying equipment and visiting old sewing factories to purchase equipment. He also began learning to sew, helped by his mother, Janet. He worked out his new prototypes while sitting at the kitchen table. Benjamin’s father, Larry, is also part of the business. He worked with sewing machines for years in his own father’s garmet factories as well his own career. Benjamin brings the aesthetic and design sense, his mother brings the sewing expertise and his father is the mechanical side of the family. When they brought in

As Corinth voters prepare to head to the polls this summer to consider a new tax levy to fund major improvements to the city’s infrastructure, one Northeast Mississippi municipality has been reaping the benefits of a similar program for nearly two decades. Corinth Mayor Tommy Irwin and the city’s board of aldermen have proposed a plan to significantly improve city streets along with other infrastructure. The board has set a special election for Aug. 21 for voters to consider a 12 mill tax increase to fund the program. The tax levy is expected to generate approximately $1 million per year and will run for five years before it would either expire or have to be voted on again. Funds generated by the proposed tax would be kept entirely separate from the city’s general fund. The majority of the money would be used for street paving with other potential projects including drainage work, improvements to entrances to the city, handicap accesibility improvements, strategic planning and grant matching for various improvement projects. Irwin has said he believes the program is necessary because the city needs to make a commitment to improving the community’s infrastructure, but those kind of improvements require significant funding. He has said this vote gives citizens an opportunity to decide what they want their community to be in the future. The mayor has said

Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports......8A

Staff photo by Angela Storey

Shannon Hester is a patrol officer with the Booneville Police Department. Her husband, Derrick Hester, is an investigator with the Prentiss County Sheriffs Department.

On this day in history 150 years ago Gen. Grant is placed back in command of the Army of the Tennessee. He had been serving in the meaningless post of “second-in-command” of the army group under Halleck, a position that drove him to the brink of resigning from the army.

Local

2A • Daily Corinthian

Larry Benjamin works on one of Talant’s sewing machines in the shop behind the Benjamin’s Wenasoga home.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Staff photos by Bobby J. Smith

Benjamin’s company offers two styles of canvas bags — drawstring canvas backpacks and cross-body bags.

BAGS CONTINUED FROM 1A

Benjamin’s sister Katie, a graphic design professional who helps on the marketing end, the formula was complete. By February Benjamin’s shop was set up and he began producing his products. The Talant Trading Co. goods made their big debut at the April installment of the Green Market in down-

town Corinth. After another successful Green Market day in May — and many canvas bags sold through word of mouth advertising and Benjamin’s online efforts, Talant’s founder is looking to expand into new types and styles of canvas bags. By the end of Fall 2012 he hopes to have a line of six or more canvas bags in various styles to serve a range of purposes.

Two styles of bags are currently available for purchase, the $35 drawstring canvas backpack, and the $65 cross-body bag with canvas outer and cotton liner. Another important part of Talant is the pride Benjamin takes in Mississippi. “All my tags say ‘Made in Mississippi.’ It’s been very important to me, even as a marketing de-

Health and Human Services, the state legislature, the Mississippi Community College Board, Head Start, the MSU Extension Service, the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service, Mississippi Public Broadcasting and several nonprofit organizations. This group developed the basis of a standard to define “early childhood”

communities. Excel By 5 is essentially a standard certification whereby communities that choose to can be formally recognized for their progress to support young children and their families. It identifies gaps in community resources, promotes community collaboration, volunteerism and economic development. Organizers expect that

vice,” explained Benjamin. “I’m proud to be from Mississippi.” Less than a year after Talant was only an idea, a dream, Benjamin is selling finished, original products and seeing to the details of his growing company. So far he has sold approximately 70 of his hand-made canvas bags. “I’ve sold bags from here to New York, South

Carolina, Missouri, Georgia — just in three months I’ve had bags reach that far,” Benjamin said. The entrepreneur has also discovered an unexpected source of happiness: Seeing people complete strangers carrying his products. “It’s a joy seeing somebody I don’t know using and appreciating one of my bags,” he said. “It’s something I never expect-

ed. It’s really heartwarming to see people carrying my bags. And really humbling to me.” To contact Johnson Benjamin about Talant Trading Co. call 662-6435726 or send an email to talanttc@gmail.com. Talant is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ talanttradeco and Benjamin is currently launching a new site at www. talanttrade.co.

EXCEL CONTINUED FROM 1A

Originally funded by Chevron and the Phil Hardin Foundation, the project was developed by representatives from the Early Childhood Institute at Mississippi State University, the Barksdale Reading Institute at the University of Mississippi, the Mississippi departments of Education,

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Submitted photo

Members of the Excel by 5 leadership team are committed to helping the community improve the lives of children by creating a better environment for children to learn and develop.

much riding on your decisions, it is good to have a trusted advisor who can help you sort through the alternatives and assist you with a plan that makes sense for you.” Chuck Counce, BancorpSouth Financial Advisor, 601 Fillmore Street, Corinth 662396-6016 Not FDIC No bank guarantee. insured. May lose value.

Investment Services, Inc.

children in Excel By 5 communities will be healthier and better prepared for kindergarten and first grade. “Community leaders representing hospitals, schools, doctors, libraries, parents and a host of others are coming together to focus on supporting parents and children,” said

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certification process by forming a local leadership team made up of representatives from key community groups, including schools, churches, businesses, parents, hospitals, early care and education centers and government organizations. Please see EXCEL | 3A

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Steven Renfroe, president of the Excel By 5 board of directors. “It’s an amazing thing to see what Excel By 5 certified communities and Excel By 5 candidate communities are doing to help children be healthy, happy and ready for school when they reach kindergarten.” Communities begin the

A story in Saturday's Daily Corinthian contained an

incorrect date for the 2012 Slugburger Festival. The fes-

tival will be held July 12 to July 14 in downtown Corinth.

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3A • Daily Corinthian

Sunday, June 10, 2012

STREETS CONTINUED FROM 1A

“Almost every major street has benefited from the program,” he said. Harbor explained the program began almost 20 years ago with the goal of greatly improving traffic flow through the city. It is funded through a 10 mill property tax levy and voters must go to the polls every five years to renew the tax and approve a list of projects to be funded by the next phase of the program. Harbor said one of the keys to the success of the program is that the tax levy provides guaranteed money for the city to take

Deaths on major projects. “It is a pay as you go system,” he said. Major Thoroughfare has generated approximately $90 million in funds for projects in Tupelo through the years and has allowed the city to create a modern network of roads that can support increased traffic flow as the city has grown and developed. One of the centerpieces of the program has been the creation of a loop around the city. Composed of Cliff Gookin, Cooley Road, McCullough Boulevard and others, the loop is nearing completion with the

final phase of the project currently underway. It has also provided funds to improve and widen key arteries throughout the city. Harbor said Tupelo’s program has been succesful and provided key funds that have made the expansion of the city’s traffic system possible. The director said he is unaware of any other municipality in Northeast Mississippi that has a similar program funded in the same way, though the city of Saltillo is also currently preparing for a vote on a program patterned after Tupelo’s Major Thoroughfare pro-

gram. Saltillo aldermen are preparing to go to voters with a proposal for STEP, the Saltillo Transportation Enhancement Program. Also modeled after Tupelo’s program, STEP will seek a similar ad valorem tax increase to the one proposed in Corinth to fund significant improvements to the city’s road system. Voters in the Lee County city will go to the polls on Aug. 14 to vote on the proposal which would increase taxes by 8 mills for five years to fund significant improvements to roads and other infrastructure.

cery Court bailiff and as a part-time officer with Northeast Mississippi Community College Campus Police. The couple met through mutual law enforcement connections. They married on Feb. 14, 2007. The couple resides in the Thrasher community with their three children, Jodie Taylor, 15, and Valerie Hester, 4, and Casen Hester, 3. Both cite helping their community as being one of the most rewarding aspects of their work. “The sense of accomplishment for the betterment of the community and I work with absolutely the best administration and co-workers anyone could ask for,” Derrick says when asked about some of the best things he likes about his work. For Shannon it’s “Helping people in general ... just being there to help people and making a difference in the world.” “Every call you go on you never know what that call will hold for you,” she adds. “You never know what to expect. You never do the same thing every day. When you put your uniform on to go to work, you just have to pray that you and your fellow officers make it back home to your families at the end of the shift.” “The most important aspect of any officer’s job should be to ‘do the right thing’ (a motto the Prentiss County Sheriff’s Department has adopted),” Derrick said. “The second most important aspect is to uphold a positive public image,” he said. Because both work in law enforcement, it’s easier for them to know what the other deals with on any given day. Derrick’s work as an investigator often involves some of the most devastating crimes such as murder, child molestation, armed robbery, kidnapping, rape, ar-

son, as well as break-ins, identity theft, narcotics involved charges, aggravated assault, petit larceny, DUI, perjury, forgery, burglaries, chop shops, missing persons, Internet crimes, felony fleeing and vandalism. “Sometimes the work is very trying and stressful,” Derrick says. “But in the end my spouse knows what’s going through my mind and knows how to handle the emotional roller coaster.” As a law enforcement officer herself, Shannon thinks it’s great to be married to a fellow officer. “We understand what each of us does during the day and understand the stress with the job. “You have somebody that understands what you do each day. To me it’s a good thing. We know that each day that we may not get to come back home to our families but we made that decision to try and make this a better place for our children and everyone else’s children to grow up,” she said. Sometimes with their busy work schedules it can be hard to see each other. “We try to make the most of what time we do have together,” Shannon said. The couple enjoys spending a lot of time outdoors with their children and the couple likes to get away riding Derrick’s Harley Davidson motorcycle. Even away from work, Derrick often finds he is still thinking of what he needs to be doing on certain cases the following day. And both can be called out at all hours of the day or night. Daughter, Jodie, just completed her sophomore year at Thrasher High School. Jodie is very good to help with her younger siblings who very often ask their parents when they leave for work, “Are you going to

catch some bad guys and put them in jail?” Jodie also plays basketball at THS and Valerie plays on a T-ball team during summer league at the Booneville City Park. The entire family enjoys riding 4-wheelers around the house. “When we walk in the house, we try to go into mom and dad mode and not think about work and what we’ve experienced during the day or what we’ve had to deal with,” she said. Yet so often no matter what they are doing, their careers are never far from their minds. “Law enforcement is everything I thought it would be and more,” Shannon says. “It’s a career I would not ever want to change. It gives you a lot of pride every day to know it’s possible you’re going to make a difference in somebody else’s life ... even though most of the times people never hear about the good things we do.” Derrick remembers when he was attending the police academy, one of his instructors really put his mind to work. “He said, ‘I want you to visualize what kind of cop you want to be in your future.’ “Immediately, I knew the kind of officer I wanted to be,” Derrick said. “Prior to my leaving for the academy, some words of wisdom were offered to me by retired Booneville Police Officer J.R. Gray. “Gray told me that the only way to get respect of the public was to give respect to the public first. I took the words to heart and try to live by this daily,” Derrick said. “If you find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. With that being said, I also believe that attitude reflects leadership and that is why I love getting up and going to work every morning,” he said.

LAW CONTINUED FROM 1A

police officer in 2005 after having completed training at Mississippi Delta Community College Law Enforcement Training Academy. “Every day was a challenge but if it’s something you want enough you can get through it,” Shannon said. She worked as a police officer at Corinth PD from 2005-07 and later worked as a probation officer for the Mississippi Department of Corrections from 2007-2010. After staying home with their children for eight months, she then began working at Booneville PD in July 2011. “No two days are the same,” Derrick says about his work. But they can often be stressed and fast paced. “Sometimes there are not enough hours in the day,” he says. Shannon agrees no day is typical in law enforcement. “When you put the uniform on to go to work you never know what your day will hold. You have to be prepared for anything,” she said. “Growing up, I think every kid wants to be a police officer, but I never dreamed I would actually become one,” said Derrick, a 1995 graduate of Booneville High School. He began working in law enforcement in 2003. Derrick worked for the Booneville Police Department as a part-time/ reserve officer for about three years and 61⁄2 years as a patrol deputy for the Prentiss County Sheriff’s Department. He has served as an investigator for the sheriff’s department for the last two years. While serving as a patrol officer for Booneville PD is Shannon’s main job, she also works as an independent process server for attorneys, a Prentiss County Chan-

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Nick Nixon

Prayer service for Nick Nixon, 64, is set for 2 p.m. today at McPeters Funeral Home with burial in the Dogwood Cemetery. Mr. Nixon died Friday, June 8, 2012, at his residence. He was born January 20, 1948, in McNairy County, Tenn., to the late Homer and Rosa Nixon. He was a retired

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CONTINUED FROM 2A

In Corinth and Alcorn County, the effort toward Excel By 5 certification was spearheaded by the Committee for the Future of Alcorn County. Over two years ago the committee formed seven focus areas following a series of public forums. Of the three education-related focus areas, one was centered on early childhood education. “The committee looked into additional ways to concentrate on early childhood education, and one of the things that surfaced was Excel By 5,” explained Sandy Williams, chairman of the CARE board and member of the Committee for the Future of Alcorn County steering committee. To help fund the program, the Committee for the Future of Alcorn County received a $30,000 grant, half from CARE and half from the Pierce Foundation. “Excel By 5 is truly a county-wide community effort,” Williams emphasized. “All segments of the population are attempting to improve our early childhood education.”

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Soldier honored with monument PONTOTOC — The Pontotoc County Historical Society has placed a monument on the grave of a World War II solider killed in Belgium while trying to escape Adolph Hitler's troops.

WTVA-TV in Tupelo reports that PFC Jimmie Lee Leatherwood was killed after being captured by the Nazis during the Battle of the Bulge. He was later buried in a cemetery in the Black Zion community.

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Excel By 5 certification requirements are divided into four groups: Community Involvement; Family and Parent Support; Early Care and Education; and Health. The groups vary according to community size and capacity. The certification process takes about two years to complete, and the certification is awarded for three years. If the community wants to maintain its Excel By 5 certification, it has to reapply in the third year and complete the criteria for recertification. The president of the Excel By 5 board of directors recently wrote a letter welcoming Corinth and Alcorn County into the programs group of candidate communities. “It’s with great pride that I recognize Corinth/Alcorn County as the latest addition to Mississippi’s family of Excel By 5 candidate communities. Congratulations!” wrote Renfroe. For more information about the program – including downloadable community certification requirements and support materials – visit the program’s website at www.excelby5.com.

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painter and member of the Church of Christ. He was preceded in death by his parents. Survivors include his wife, Mary Hamm Nixon; a daughter, Tish Holley (Jeremy); one granddaughter Lillie Holley; a grand-niece, Chynna Horne; two brothers; and four sisters. Visitation is from 1 p.m. to service time.

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Maxine Feazell

Funeral Services for Maxine Feazell, 76, are set for 1 p.m. Monday at Memorial Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. John Creasy officiating. Burial will be at Pleasant Hill Methodist Church Cemetery. Mrs. Feazell died Friday, June 8, 2012, at her residence. She was a member of First United Pentecostal Church in Covington, Tenn., and was retired from ITT Telecommunications. She was preceded in death by her parents, Bynum and Alice Mask; the father of her children, Carol Eugene Mason Sr.; and a sister, Marie Russell. Survivors include her husband, Roy L. “Lum“ Feazell; a son, Carol Mason and wife Sharon; daughters: Regina Gurley and husband Greg, Linda Baross and husband Bill, all of Corinth; a stepson, Jeff Feazell of Corinth; a brother, Buddy Mask and wife Shirley; sisters: Mary Ruth Creasy and husband the Rev. John of Covington, Tenn., Charlene Herring and husband the Rev. DeWayne of Atoka, Tenn., and Pauline Milan and husband the Rev. Allen of Corinth; five grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. Pallbearers are James Larry Cornelius, the Rev. Jonathan McGaughy, Max Goodman, Curtis Davis, Joey Lee Briggs and Jerry Briggs. Visitation is today from 3 until 9 p.m.

731-925-6985 DAY • 731-607-8684 CELL 731-925-4245 Benny Austin “THE SOD FARMICIST”

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Reece Terry, publisher

Opinion

Mark Boehler, editor

4A • Sunday, June 10, 2012

Corinth, Miss.

Union push: Hardest sell found in numbers STARKVILLE — Public sectors unions took a political beating in Wisconsin this week in a political exercise that may have far-reaching impacts on public pension programs across the country. Private sector unions continue to face a steady decline in membership. That’s the backdrop against which efforts to unionize the state’s burgeoning auto manufacturing industry is unfoldSid Salter ing. Clearly, there is an effort to break Mississippi’s “right to Columnist work” state status with a successful unionization push at the Nissan plant in Canton. Yet other than perpetuating the union’s eroding existence with new members and new union dues, the United Auto Workers have to make some sort of rational pitch to the state’s auto workers as to why it would be to their advantage to pay dues to the union. While there have been incredibly vague and as yet unsubstantiated allegations of “human rights violations” by union organizers and some of the beneficiaries of their campaign contribution largesse in Congress, the UAW has yet to offer any substantive examples of why Mississippi auto workers need union representation. But more than failing to make the case that worker safety is endangered or that wages are out of line with other non-union auto manufacturing plants in the region, here’s the hardest sell for the UAW in Mississippi: According to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis, Mississippi’s per capita personal income level increased 3.6 percent from 2010 ($31,071) to 2011 ($32,176). Since 2003, per capita personal income has increased by $8,206 or 34.2 percent. The numbers show that as Mississippi continued and expedited the long and difficult transition from low skill, low wage jobs to high skill, high wage jobs during the twoterm administration of Haley Barbour, the state’s per capita personal income actually increased despite the worst natural disaster in U.S. history, a global recession and the collapse of the nation’s real estate markets -- as did the state’s per capita income. The Commerce Department defines per capita personal income is “the income that is received by persons from all sources. It is calculated as the sum of wage and salary disbursements, supplements to wages and salaries, proprietors’ income with inventory valuation and capital consumption adjustments, rental income of persons with capital consumption adjustment, personal dividend income, personal interest income, and personal current transfer receipts, less contributions for government social insurance.” The relatively new high skill, high wage jobs like those at Nissan, Toyota, Severstal, PACCAR and others are giant steps toward getting Mississippi off the bottom of the U.S. per capita income ranking. Now, the UAW proposes to have new Gov. Phil Bryant, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and House Speaker Philip Gunn attack economic development with one collective hand tied behind their backs by organized labor. Nationally, labor unions represent 11.8 percent of the work force or some 14.8 million workers - down from an all-time high of 22.2 million in 1975 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor. The unintended consequence of the UAW push in Mississippi in the current economic environment with the current leadership of the Mississippi Legislature is that public employees and existing members of organized labor may well be impacted negatively by the UAW push. Conservative legislative leaders who have already taken some steps to stabilize the state’s public employee retirement system aren’t oblivious to public opinion as expressed in the Wisconsin recall fight. Those same conservative leaders are concerned about the state not losing competitive ground in the fight for high wage, high skill jobs among other Southern “right to work” states. In politics, it is difficult once the ant hill has been kicked to escape getting a few stings. In the state’s new conservative leadership regime, it’s seems a particularly foolhardy time to kick the organized labor expansion ant hill. (Sid Salter is a syndicated columnist. Contact him at 601-507-8004 or sidsalter@sidsalter.com.)

Prayer for today Dear Lord, give us boldness and wisdom to tell people about salvation in Christ Jesus. Amen.

A verse to share God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. — 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NRSV)

Reece Terry publisher rterry@dailycorinthian.com

Now Appearing: Two Bills and a Bull BY ROGER SIMON The Good Bill Clinton is the one who is a loyal supporter of Barack Obama. The Good Bill appeared at three fundraisers with the president last Monday night and did everything but samba with him. After giving the president a manly hug, the Good Bill said that Obama deserved a second term because “the alternative would be, in my opinion, calamitous for our country and the world.” Of all the reasons to vote for a guy, preventing a world calamity would be high on my list. But the Good Bill has a flaw: He has little staying power. The Bad Bill always seems to bubble to the surface. Bad Bill had appeared last week when he went on CNN and said Mitt Romney had a “sterling” record while running Bain Capital. Bad Bill added that Romney was “a man who has been governor and ... crosses the qualification threshold.” But that was last week. And those fundraisers in New York Monday were a sign that Good Bill had taken over permanently, right? Nah. If you catch Clinton at just the right moment, you can actually see Good and Bad Bill fighting for control of the same body. NBC’s Brian Williams did this last Tuesday in a

sit-down interview with Clinton, less than 24 hours after Good Bill had pronounced his undying love for Obama’s policies. Williams began his “NBC Nightly News” interview with my two favorite words in the English language. Williams: “Roger Simon, the political writer, has a piece on the Web today, the headline of which I noticed this morning is, ‘Bill Clinton Out of Control in 2012.’ People are wanting to find room between you and the president on issues like Romney, Bain Capital, your quote that they had -- a sterling record in their line of work. Is there any difference between you and the tack the Obama campaign has taken?” This was a straightforward and highly pertinent question — did I mention I liked how it began? -- and it should have been an easy one for Good Bill to answer. The correct answer should have been any variation of, “There is no room between myself and the president.” But Bad Bill has a thing about clawing his way onto TV. Perhaps Clinton was angry he was being asked on national television about what some dopey columnist had to say, but his answer was not exactly what the Obama campaign wanted. The answer begins, by the way, with my other two fa-

vorite words in the English language. President Clinton: “Mr. Simon may think I should be an employee of the campaign, but I’m not.” Whoa! What? Supporting Obama would make Clinton an “employee of the campaign?” You could see Bad Bill’s wounded pride spilling all over the place. Clinton did say Obama’s “health care bill is a step in the right direction” and praised Obama’s energy policy by saying that “on balance” it was good. Bad Bill went on. “I don’t think I should have to criticize Romney personally to disagree with his politics,” he said. Why is this Bad Bill? Because nobody had asked Clinton to criticize Romney “personally.” The Obama campaign was just hoping Clinton would stop going around the country saying that Romney had a “sterling” career at Bain at the same time Obama was running a TV ad attacking Romney’s career at Bain. But, wait, there was more. With Good and Bad Bill there is always more. In a CNBC interview last Tuesday with Maria Bartiromo, Clinton said that the Bush tax cuts, which are due to expire with Obama’s blessing, should be temporarily extended until the nation is out of its “recession.”

Oh, my. Bad Bill just can’t resist headlines (or anything else). Even though Good Bill later put out a statement denying what Bad Bill had said, the media knew which was the true Bill. The Chicago Tribune wrote: “Clinton’s remark is not in line with the position held by the White House or Capitol Hill Democrats. ... Asked last week about a possible temporary extension, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called the notion ‘fairly stupid.’” Politico’s Seung Min Kum wrote, “Congressional Republicans are embracing their latest gift from Bill Clinton, blasting out one statement after another backing the former president’s comment that the Bush-era tax rates should be temporarily extended.” Charles Krauthammer said on Fox News, “I think (Clinton) really is now a bull in a china shop, and there’s a lot of crockery that’s being destroyed.” Actually, the Obama people are not worried about the crockery that Bad Bill destroys. They are worried about the re-election campaign that the old bull is smashing up. (Roger Simon is chief political columnist of politico. com, an award-winning journalist and a New York Times best selling author.)

The left’s rationalization of recall defeat The recall of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker didn’t fail, it was only outspent. This is the considered verdict of the left after a year and a half of trying to smite Gov. Walker with its terrible swift sword. What began as a crusade to vindicate the rights of publicsector unions ended in a pathetic bleat of a complaint against spending in political campaigns. “It hurts too much to laugh and I’m too big to cry,” Abraham Lincoln said after he lost his Senate bid to Stephen Douglas. Too earnest to laugh and too proud to cry, the left can only rationalize. If the antiWalker forces hadn’t been so badly outspent -- and especially if the Supreme Court hadn’t unleashed the forces of darkness in its Citizens United decision -Wisconsin voters assuredly would have rejected his reforms. For the left, Citizens United has practically supplanted Dred Scott as the worst Supreme Court decision of all time. It held that political spending is a form of speech, and therefore corporations and unions can spend freely in elections. The decision came down in January 2010. If its vicious

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logic made it impossible to recall Scott Walker, everyone determined to do so had fair Rich warning. Lowery In reality, Citizens National had Review United nothing to do with the outcome in Wisconsin. Yes, Scott Walker outspent his opponent, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, by a margin of roughly 8-1. This wasn’t the handiwork of the highest court in the land. A provision in Wisconsin law going back to 1987 gives the target of a recall a window to raise unlimited funds. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, it arose when Democratic state senators fighting recalls needed to raise more money for legal expenses, and it passed with bipartisan support. If the organizers of the recall had done more thinking and less shouting into bullhorns, they might have realized that Walker got a period of free and easy fundraising not available to his eventual Democratic opponent; that he could marshal his resources while Democrats might have to

fight it out in a primary until a month before the recall vote; that their assault on Walker had elevated his national profile such that he could raise money from all around the country. In other words, they might have realized Walker had natural advantages that had nothing to do with Citizens United or any other boogeyman. Sure enough, Walker garnered millions in donations from rich people living outside Wisconsin. Is there something wrong with out-of-state money? Certainly not in such a nationalized race. The whole world was watching, remember? Of course, outside groups played in a big way in Wisconsin, too. The biggest, the Republican Governors Association, existed prior to Citizens United, and the group’s fundraising hasn’t been affected by it much. David Koch could give it $1 million as easily prior to the decision as he can now. The RGA spent $9 million in Wisconsin — defending a Republican governor. What else is a governors association for? In the end, all the money in Texas couldn’t have saved Walker if his reforms hadn’t been favored by

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the Wisconsin public. The exit polls say 52 percent of Wisconsinites approved of Walker’s measures. Rather than grapple with this highly inconvenient fact, the left rages against a Supreme Court decision. Its beef isn’t so much with Citizens United per se, but the entire line of reasoning -- evident in follow-on court decisions -- that says free people in a free country should be able to band together and spend to advance whatever cause they like. After all, it wasn’t corporations that flooded Wisconsin with money, but engaged individuals interested in the outcome of a momentous contest. The left will now set out to shut down as much of this political activity as possible. Nancy Pelosi is already proposing to amend the First Amendment so a crackdown on spending passes new-and-improved constitutional muster. The Wisconsin recall was ill-considered petulance; the second act will be a deliberate assault on liberty. (Rich Lowry is editor of the National Review. He can be reached via e-mail: comments.lowry@nationalreview.com.)

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Daily Corinthian • Sunday, June 10, 2012 • 5A

State One-time money remains state budget fixture Associated Press

JACKSON — While legislative leaders and Gov. Phil Bryant have spoken of the need to reduce the use of one-time money to fund recurring expenses, the state's reliance on one-time money has spanned numerous governors and legislative leaders. Even during the 1990s when the state was experiencing double-digit revenue growth thanks to a new and burgeoning

casino gambling industry, legislators were lamenting the use of one-time funds even as they passed bills to use those funds. The term one-time money can mean many different things. In recent years, the state has scooped up money from various special fund agencies that operate on a specific fee or tax, such as the Department of Transportation which is funded through a fuel tax, to prop up agencies that are fund-

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ed through more general taxes, such as the tax on income or retail items. One-time money also can refer to the more than $100 million that the state gets each year as result of a lawsuit settlement with tobacco companies. The money is received annually, but is viewed as onetime money because by law it is not supposed to go to fund recurring expenses. Additionally, by law the Legislature is not sup-

posed to spend 2 percent of anticipated revenue each year. When the Legislature changes the law to spend the 2 percent set aside, it is identified as one-time money. During the 2007 session, a high water mark for the state in terms of revenue collections and appropriations, the budget still included almost $280 million in one-time funds. The 2007 legislative session was a heady time as far as funding

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JUNE 10, 2012