Today's Opinions

One of the things that continues to strike me as unusual about living in Northeast Mississippi is that the government of the State of Mississippi seems to be located in a land far, far away and state government activities are simply not discussed much in this part of the state. Actually, there are groups who have some strong ties and connections with our state elected and appointed officials and it is they who communicate how you and I feel about the affairs of our state.

    Using the excuse of a “bad economy” to excuse everything from misuse of federal bailout money by bankers to inappropriate business transactions on a personal level, is becoming the practice of those who experience questions or challenges about what their activities. The problem is that, as an excuse, it has been worn completely out by our national politicians and business leaders leaving nothing of any substance to be used anywhere else or for any other reasons.

    Arising from the efforts of Mississippi State Representative Brian Aldridge and Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, a couple of bills are being considered by both houses of the Legislature which concern the requirements for operations of a legitimate charity in our state. They propose easing the regulations concerning some of the paperwork many small charities find almost impossible with which to comply.