Ed Blackmon leads Mississippi's "Party of No"

Open Meeting's Reform - Ed Blackmon says NO

Attorney General Sunshine Legislation - Ed Blackmon says NO

Nathan's Law / Children on School Bus Protection - Ed Blackmon says NO

Barbour: "I swore an oath" to support the Constitution

Governor Haley Barbour sent a letter to Attorney General Jim Hood reaffirming his commitment to challenging Obamacare in court as unconstitutional.

As a statewide elected official, I swore an oath that I would "faithfully support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Mississippi"...This oath and my own believe that a violation of the Constitution should never go unchecked obligate me to ensure Mississippi challenges the healthcare reform law.

As the Attorneys General of fourteen states have already determined, the healthcare reform law violates the U.S. Constiution...a number of constitutional problems which have already been identified by attorneys and academics across the nation...I intend for Mississippi to join this litigation not later than the date on which the First Amended Complaint is filed by the Attorneys General who States are plaintiffs to the Florida suit. If, by that time, you have determined you wish to represent the state, I would appreciate you and your office's doing so. If you decide otherwise, I will retain outside counsel and provide your office with a copy of the contract for your ratification.

Jim Hood has a lot of baggage going into his 2011 reelection bid. If he refuses to challenge, or refuses to allow Mississippi's Governor to challenge Obamacare in the courts, that would be near the top of the list for any opponent to make an issue.

Florida the even More Sunshine State while Mississippi still in the dark

Florida is increasing their sunshine while Mississippi remains in the dark.

[Florida] Attorney General Bill McCollum today released the following statement after the Transparency in Private Attorney Contracting Act passed the Senate with bipartisan support and a final vote of 27-11:

“Pay-to-play scandals involving public officials have caused citizens to lose trust in their government, and this bill will insulate the Attorney General’s Office from inappropriate influence that is a concern with contingency fee contracts.

“I applaud Senator Thrasher, Representative Eisnaugle and the Leadership of the Florida Legislature for their efforts to pass this bill to promote transparency and accountability.”

The bill, supported by the Attorney General as a top legislative priority, will now head to the Governor for his signature.

“Floridians should have faith in their public officials, and I believe this bill will champion accountability and shine light on contracts between outside law firms and the state's chief legal officer,” said Senator John Thrasher, sponsor of Senate Bill 712.

Florida's legislation required:

provisions such as posting contracts and payments online, keeping detailed time records for private attorneys’ hours, and competitively selecting private attorneys. The bill will also require the Attorney General, prior to entering a contingency fee contract with a private attorney, to make a written determination that the representation is both cost-effective and in the public’s best interest....sensible limitations on the contingency fee percentages to be applied to the damages award, and limits the maximum payout to $50 million in contingency fees, excluding costs. The private legal services engaged on a contingency basis must also be competitively procured, whenever possible.

Meanwhile, Ed Blackmon and House Democrats continue to block this type of reform in Mississippi, at the behest of Attorney General Jim Hood.

Praise for Obamacare

Who said this?

We feel that the Healthcare Reform has been a significant battle and a success of [Obama's] administration...the government...has approved medical care for the overwhelming majority of its citizens...Health Reform comes as a success to the Obama administration...the satisfaction expressed in the presidential speech and his recognition of the contribution made by the members of Congress and the administration to make possible the miracle of the Health Reform, which strengthens the government's position vis-à-vis political lobbyists and mercenaries that curtail the authority of the administration...[Obama is] a man unquestionably smart and sufficiently well informed...Yet, to the most intractable right-wing Obama is an extremist; and they threaten to continue fighting in the Senate to neutralize the effects of the Health Reform and to openly boycott it in several States of the Union by declaring it an unconstitutional law.

Attorney General Jim Hood? Close.

The Mississippi Democratic Party? Closer.

Nancy Pelosi? Almost there.

It was former Cuban Communist Dictator Fidel Castro.

Hood Refuses to Authorize Barbour to Sue Obamacare

You can read Attorney General Jim Hood's response to Governor Haley Barbour here.

But the short of it is Hood claims the health care bill is really really hard stuff and will take a long long time to read and figure out and he doesn't know how long, but he is refusing to join with the other states (who apparently were able to figure it out much quicker than him) in filing a lawsuit against it to protect Mississippi.

And lest the Governor decides he wants to do so, Hood makes it clear:

so there will be no misunderstanding with regard to the matters set forth above, you are not authorized by this office to engage or employ counsel, file suit, or intervene in pending litigation at this time while we are completing our review and making our decision whether to file suit

Many attorneys believe Obamacare is clearly unConstitutional. Many other attorneys believe it is clearly permissible under the Constitution. But for Hood...dang, its just really hard stuff and he can't figure it out yet.

Must be from Mississippi

St. Patrick's Day in Washington DC

How will Nancy Pelosi, Travis Childers, and Barack Obama celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

Blackmon champions secrecy

The Sun Herald noted Representative Ed Blackmon, Jr. "single-handedly killed legislation last week that would have strengthened Mississippi’s Open Meetings law."

David Hampton at the Clarion Ledger wrote "Blackmon's claims that the amendment to improve the bill somehow violated the unwritten sovereign honor code of the committee system is as bogus as his claims this bill could be a hardship on local officials who might not know the law. His colleagues, other committee chairmen and the House speaker should have called his hand on this obvious abuse of power. Such acts undermine the credibility of the House and the internal process."

Friday we called Blackmon's move an "arrogant abuse of power."

The House of Representatives voted for this legislation 98-22. The Senate voted for this legislation 49-0. Who gave Ed Blackmon the power to defeat the measure? Not the voters of his district because while they elected him, they did not give him the power to thwart the majority. House Speaker Billy McCoy is the one who vested that power in Ed Blackmon.

Salter, Perry, VP on Thompson Ethics

Sid Salter, Brian Perry, and the Vicksburg Post all wrote about the ethics investigations surrounding Congressman Bennie Thompson last week.

Salter interviewed Peter Flaherty of the National Legal and Policy Center who said

it would "have been impossible" for congressmen attending the conference not to know about its corporate sponsors. Flaherty documented signage, posters, banners and other promotional materials visible inside the meeting rooms at the event. He submitted 18 photographs and other documentation to the House Ethics Committee documenting that Citigroup, Pfizer, American Airlines, AT&T, Verizon, Macy's, and IBM were corporate sponsors promoting their businesses at the event. And while Flaherty scoffed at the claims of congressmen who said they were unaware of the corporate sponsorship of the Caribbean junket, he was quick to point out that Democrats don't have the market cornered on such behavior.

Perry noted that there are additional allegations pending against Thompson including the credit card hearing, the Tunica junket, and his staffer's lobbyist/fundraising connections. Perry asked

Are these investigations into Thompson's alleged activities just political attacks? Some in Washington point fingers not at Republicans, but at allies of the Obama White House. Thompson led the investigation into the gate crashing event at the White House in November of last year, with his committee threatening to subpoena White House social secretary Desiree Rogers in opposition to the wishes of the Obama Administration. Shortly afterward, these allegations in the Post and the Times began to leak out. Was it a shot across the bow of Congressman Thompson? Could the bare knuckle Chicago style politics of the Obama Administration be the source of the Thompson accusations? The motive is irrelevant, and the Ethics Committee should investigate and report the results to once again clear Thompson, or admonish any wrongdoing.

The Vicksburg Post editorializes

Mississippi Democrats did not offer an alternative candidate for this fall’s election in the 2nd Congressional District. Thompson advances to the November ballot to face one of three Republicans and a smattering of independents. Most see him as a shoo-in once again.

So the biggest career threat he faces could be from his fellow House Democrats. If he becomes more of a liability than an asset, they’ll toss him overboard. If he doesn’t believe it, he can ask Charlie Rangel.

Pay to Play drags lawyers through the....

Many attorneys are frustrated with the dirt on the profession from "Pay to Play" allegations. This cartoon expresses their dismay.

Blackmon kills Open Meetings Reform

Representative Ed Blackmon, Jr. killed the Open Meetings Reform bill in the House of Representatives this week.

The bipartisan measure passed the Senate 49-0. Once in the House, Blackmon amended it in committee (pulling the teeth out of the bill). On the floor, the full House amended it (66-44) back to the strong bill the Senate crafted. Then the full House voted overwhelmingly to pass the bill 98-22.

Blackmon then killed the reform with a procedural move in an arrogant abuse of power. Thank-you House Leadership.

Fraudulent asbestos lawyer a Hood fundraising host

This week a federal jury determined William Guy and attorney Thomas Brock should pay Illinois Central Railroad Co. $420,000 in actual and punitive damages for their role in a fraudulent asbestos lawsuit. The "Honorable" William Guy was one of the hosts of this fundraiser for Jim Hood last year.The Associated Press reports, "Guy is a well-known attorney who served two terms as a state representative in the late 1960s and 1970s before moving to the Senate for one term. He ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor as a Democrat in 1995." He also ran unsuccessfully against Senator Bob Dearing in 2007 in the Democratic Primary (64.5% to 35.5%). He has been a donor for many years to Democratic committees, and besides Hood, candidates like John Edwards for President and Congressman Bennie Thompson.

Brock also has contributed more than $3500 to Hood (here, here, here) as well as contributions to Supreme Court Candidate Billy Joe Landrum, Supreme Court Justice James Graves, Supreme Court Candidate Frank Vollor, and others.

“Illinois Central is pleased that a Mississippi federal jury held these plaintiffs’ lawyers liable for fraud in asbestos claims against us,” said Karen Phillips, Vice President of Public and Government Affairs for Illinois Central. Illinois Central attorney Danny Mulholland of Jackson said he's obligated to report the conduct of Guy and Brock to the Mississippi Bar.

"This case is significant because it is the first time I am aware of that a jury has found that asbestos plaintiffs' lawyers committed fraud," said Mark Behrens, a Washington, D.C., attorney with Shook, Hardy & Bacon.

Add Guy and Brock to the list of shady lawyers supporting and connected to Jim Hood. At least this is just a civil verdict, and they aren't in federal prison like Hood's biggest campaign contributors.

Lack of Health Insurance is Not a Terminal Condition

The Mississippi Health Advocacy Program made this claim in a recent Tweet, "over the next 10 years, 4900 Mississippians will die as result of not having health insurance."



Lack of health insurance is not a terminal condition. No one will get a death certificate pronouncing the cause of death "Lack of Health Insurance." Injuries and illness kill people, not the lack of a premium based contract in which you pay a company in order that they will pay certain bills if necessary. Getting health insurance alone does not change behavior, life style, genetics, or life choices.

And the other side of the coin is every Mississippian, EVERY Mississippian who does have health insurance, will still die.