Archive for August 2022
Canceling student loan debt
It is widely anticipated that President Biden will announce a plan today to forgive a considerable portion of student loan debt in the U.S. Early reports indicate that: Individuals earning under $125,000 with federal student loans will receive $10,000 in loan forgiveness. Married couples earning under $250,000 with federal student loans will receive $20,000 in…
Read MoreState removes regulation. Entrepreneur follows her dreams.
“I never dreamed I would be here.” That’s how Karrece Stewart describes the feeling of owning her own makeup studio, Get Glam Beauty in Fulton. Little did she know when she set out with this new venture that she would face barriers making it nearly impossible. Karrece placed her dreams on hold because the State…
Read MoreNational media butchers Mississippi Highway Patrol story
Last week, a video of an altercation between a Mississippi Highway Patrol officer and a citizen in McComb went viral. The short clip showed a patrolman, Hayden Falvey, tackling a cuffed Eugene Lewis into a ditch. Falvey is white. Lewis is African American. The video quickly made its way to national media outlets, with suggestions…
Read MoreMississippi receives top marks for driver’s license policies
While Mississippi often ranks near the bottom of the country in important rankings, a review of the state’s criminal justice policies places the state near the top in one category. Grading Justice, which reviews 15 issues related to the state’s criminal justice system, gives Mississippi a grade of ‘A’ for the freedom to drive. The…
Read MoreTime for a better trade-off on K-12 testing
Economist Thomas Sowell once noted that there are no solutions; there are only trade-offs. “You try to get the best trade-off you can get; that’s all you can hope for.” Decades after the launch of the systemized standardized testing in K-12 education, here is my reflection on whether we have the best trade-off available. A…
Read MoreInflation cools while food prices surge
Americans are deeply concerned about inflation and risks facing our economy. Poll after poll shows it is the number one issue heading into midterm elections. And July’s “break” in steadily-increasing inflation won’t assuage those fears. Inflation reached 9.1% in June, but came in cooler than expected at 8.5% in July. Food prices, however, surged 13.1%.…
Read MoreMississippi law allows for seizure of private property – without a criminal conviction
A little-known provision in Mississippi law allows for state and local agencies to seize private property. The process, referred to as civil asset forfeiture, is advertised as a way to deprive drug dealers and criminals of their ill-gotten gains, but the truth is deeper than that. While it’s true that civil asset forfeiture allows for…
Read MoreServing their local communities
In the small town of Louisville at a table in the local restaurant, Cameron Whitehead knew nearly everyone who walked through the doors at lunchtime. She’s the town’s nurse practitioner and treats a number of its residents. Cameron began working as a nurse in Jackson 20 years ago, and over the years realized she was…
Read More5 ways to expand school choice in Mississippi
A year after West Virginia adopted the most expansive school choice program in the nation, Arizona – which has been a longtime leader in school choice – followed suit. The landmark legislation recently signed by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey ensures that all K-12 students in the state have access to scholarship funds to access the education that…
Read MoreBringing Business Home
Nancy Pelosi became the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Taiwan since House Speaker Newt Gingrich did so 25 years ago. Her visit highlights a conflict between Taiwan and China decades in the making. The stakes are high. When China fell to communism, the ruling regime at the time found refuge in Taiwan. The U.S. backed…
Read MoreThe next evolution of drug courts in Mississippi
Drug courts have existed in Mississippi since the 1990s. The idea emerged as an alternative criminal justice intervention for people dealing with addiction. Although the traditional approach was to sentence drug users to prison, drug courts instead allow participants to remain at home while completing drug treatment programs. Drug courts usually incorporate frequent meetings with…
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