Doctor S Doctor S is the JFP’s sports consultant. He is a graduate of Miskatonic U. in Arkham, Mass., where he majored in Cthulhu Studies and was a member of the varsity 43-man squamish team. He wrote the College Basketball Preview.
Diandra Hosey A native of Bay Springs, Diandra Hosey played basketball at Jones County Junior College and Mississippi College. She received her law degree from MC School of Law and is an associate with the law offices of Matt Greenbaum. She wrote a sports feature.
Ward Schaefer JFP reporter Ward Schaefer came to Mississippi to teach middle school, and is now a journalist. His hometown of Chevy Chase, Md., was not named for the actor. He is slowly learning to play banjo. He wrote Talks and Most Intriguing profiles.
Kimberly Griffin Advertising Director Kimberly Griffin is a Jackson native who likes yoga, supporting locally owned businesses and traveling. In her spare time she plots how she can become Michelle Obama’s water holder.
Terri Cowart Freelance writer Terri Cowart lives in Vicksburg with her family. A lover of dark chocolate, she can’t live without “Days of Our Lives.” She wrote a food feature.
Jessica Kinnison Freelance writer Jessica Kinnison is a former JFP intern and graduate of Loyola University in New Orleans. She wrote the Body & Soul feature.
Lance Lomax
December 29, 2010 - January 4, 2011
Lance Lomax received a master’s degree in mass communication from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2007. He is a manager and technical writer for a human-service transportation firm based in Ridgeland. He wrote a music piece.
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Ashley Jackson Account Manager Randi Ashley Jackson is a Brandon/Reservoir area native. She loves organic gardening and her goldfish GillBert. She strives to be the next Food Network star chef, if only in her own mind. She manages JFP sales accounts.
publisher’snote
by Todd Stauffer, Publisher
Common Sense in 2011
P
olitical junkies watched with some surprise as the lame-duck 2010 Congress passed a number of lastminute bills to bring the year to a close. Widely heralded as a week of “wins” for President Obama, the accomplishments are hopefully a bit of a harbinger of things to come. With Republicans taking firm control of the House and weakening the Democrats’ majority in the Senate, it would be nice to see the GOP start to take the business of governing more seriously and leave their “Party of No” signs in the cloakroom. The lame-duck session offered lessons for liberals as well. Perhaps the most impressive feat for the Obama administration was the end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”—mostly because it was done in exactly the way the president wanted it done, by act of Congress, not by court mandate. While many liberals howled in anger when the administration chose to fight court cases that might have overturned DODT this summer and fall, Obama’s strategy was vindicated. Now, DODT is effectively and completely overturned within 60 days, instead of dragging through the courts for what could have been years. Pretty much no one is happy with the tax compromise that occurred in this session, with both liberals and conservatives complaining that if their party had waited until the new year, they could have gotten more of what they wanted. The truth is, this is probably good economic policy in the short term. The payrolltax holiday will offer the most direct stimulus to the economy thus far. And while I’d prefer to see marginal tax rates on the top two income levels return to Clinton-era numbers, I understand that any tax increases are best held on to until the economy is firing on all cylinders. These tax rates should have been higher during the 2000s, when revenues would have been much easier to capture and retain. When times are flush, the coffers should be filled, not emptied further. When times are lean, governments spend. Over Christmas weekend, we made a whirlwind trip from Jackson to Savannah, Ga., and back to Neshoba County in about 72 hours total; one thing we saw were miles and miles of improved highways and infrastructure, and we heard tales of more finished construction throughout the Southeast. The original Obama stimulus may have taken a while to get rolling, but the evidence is that we’re still bearing that fruit. (President Obama himself recently said that one of the things he’s learned in his first two years in office is that “there’s no such thing as a shovel-ready project.”) Now, stimulus will come in the form of additional dollars in the paychecks of working folks, which will no doubt find their way back into the economy. (Hopefully not exclusively at Walmart. Think local, y’all.) And, yes, thanks to this compromise, we’re set for some dramatic debates on tax
policy in the next few years. I, for one, hope that they’re fruitful debates and that conservatives decide to come at them honestly and intently, and not just with more obfuscation and obstructionism. As Obama said this past week of the GOP (paraphrasing Spider Man), “With greater power comes greater responsibility.” Here’s praying the Republicans take that to heart. Recently I’ve been reading a book called “Political Common Sense for America: The Creation of the Franklin Party.” This book, which appears to be self-published, begins as a parable and ends with a treatise and platform for the formation of a third party, called The Franklin Party. The premise for the party is that “common sense,” simplicity and full individual participation should prevail. (More info at http://www.thefranklinparty.org/.) While I don’t agree with every plank in the platform (some of it is a bit too xenophobic and “tough on crime” for my taste) the book does lend itself to the argument that many conservative and liberal principles can co-exist if they’re not specifically designed to explode on impact. Ideas like a flat tax, health care directly from the provider, and radical new rules for ending our reliance on fossil fuels are real winners—not always for the special interests that currently buy elections, but for the actual country that these officials are supposed to be governing. The likelihood of the Franklin Party taking hold seems limited—aside from a blog, a newsletter and a Squidoo page, there doesn’t seem to be much organization there. But the need for “common sense” in politics remains. For two years we’ve watched the GOP in Congress spend entirely too much time
trying to block President Obama. In two weeks, we got a much better sense of what progress can look like if there’s some giveand-take among the parties and branches of government. Likewise, I think we’ve seen the benefits of President Obama’s focus on the “long view” and his patient approach to governance—leadership we’ll need going into this next Congress. In 2011, we need government aimed squarely at growing this economy, not just to increase consumer spending, but with an eye to the future of industry in the U.S. We’ve got a green infrastructure we could be building, a bio-tech industry poised for rapid growth, and a maturing Internet economy that needs care and feeding. I’d love to see a revamped, simplified tax structure—not to mention an emphasis on educating children—looking toward a future of smarter, professional Americans ready to lead the world again in math, science and the arts. Accomplishing these things will require leaders interested not in smaller government for small government’s sake, but rather in good government: efficient, effective … and sensible. Mississippi is sending an almost completely Republican delegation to Washington in 2011; we need to demand from them not party fealty or ideological purity, but common sense. They work for us, not their lobbyist benefactors. Mississippi needs smart progress, not just corporate welfare. And we need a government that works for us, not one that shuts down over winnertake-all party politics. Let’s watch our delegation closely and hold them accountable for sensible governance for our state and country.