Conversation on the Coast

Will Morgan Freeman's name be on the ballot next to Luckett's?

Good one from Marshall Ramsey.

UM Cartoon: Bill Clinton and Panty Thief

Josh Clark at The Daily Mississippian and Marshall Ramsey at The Clarion Ledger with their takes on the Bill Clinton-Travis Childers campaign event at the University of Mississippi today.

Obama Administration - Same As It Ever Was

Must be from Mississippi

Obama: Fight Fire with Words

Obama To Enter Diplomatic Talks With Raging Wildfire

(Hat Tip Conservative Belle)

Denny Crain: Bring It On

Everyone should be able to enjoy this one.

Jerry Mitchell on Colbert Report

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The Irony of Tax Increases

The Wisdom of Id on Cig Taxes

The Clarion Ledger notes tobacco taxes did much better in August than July. In August they came in above expectations by 3.52% and in July they missed expectations by 17.99% which according to the Ledger translates to "meeting expectations for the most part." If an 18% deficit is "meeting expectatoins for the most part" then Governor Haley Barbour's 5% budget cut announced yesterday should be no big deal.

Over the first two months of this new budget year, tobacco taxes have failed to meet projections by an average of 7.46%. We'll see how things turn out.


New Jersey actually saw a net loss of tobacco revenue when it increased tobacco taxes last year. While that won't happen in Mississippi, we think we will see less revenue than some expected. In other words, Mississippi is keeping the Golden Goose alive, but it isn't laying eggs as frequently as the farmers would like.

Poor Speaker McCoy

Everyone Likes Marshall

I'm sure those who approve of Jim Hood's actions and those who do not all like today's Marshall Ramsey cartoon.

No April Fools Joke: Bill Minor Calls Democrats Suicidal

That's right, Bill Minor, the voice of the Mississippi Democratic Party decided to take sides with white Jamie Franks (a trial lawyer colleague of his son Paul. Paul by the way is appealing his conviction for bribing judges this week). He calls the Blackmon's black (no pun intended) faction a "rump" which I suppose is his way of saying "Blackmon got back."

A rump group of state Democratic Executive Committee members led by Vice-Chair Barbara Blackmon, who is black, held a special meeting on March 21 with a goal of ousting several previously-chosen white leaders of the state party- a move that had classic signs of driving white Democrats out.

Removal of state Democratic Chairman Jamie Franks was in the air, but the group decided only to sack their other target, state party director Sam Hall, and replace him with Blackmon's hair dresser.

Franks immediately disavowed the rump meeting and its actions.

Franks attributed the rump session to a "small faction" on the committee that, for whatever reason, "didn't want Sam Hall, or me for that matter." Later, Franks said, "we hope we've gotten the party straightened out." Still, he announced that a meeting of the full 80-member executive committee will be held April 4.

Rumblings of a revolt by the Blackmon faction against Jamie Franks' leadership of the party bears ominous signs of a new, self-destructive party split.

Not only would it be senseless for black Democrats to threaten a new party split at a time when Democrats have the best opportunity ever to finally build a viable state party organization, but renewal of fratricidal warfare within the party could endanger rural white Democrats holding on to their critical seats in the Legislature.

Marshall Ramsey said it best when he said