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Legislators discuss issues with public
Published Tuesday, March 4, 2008
NATCHEZ — Four legislators announced their support for the occupancy tax at a legislative breakfast Monday morning.
Rep. Robert Johnson, Rep. Sam Mims, Sen. Bob Dearing and Sen. Kelvin Butler all represent at least a portion of Adams County.
Each legislator said they would support the occupancy tax, an increase to $2 per hotel room that was recently approved by the Natchez Board of Aldermen. The money made by this tax will be used toward marketing the city. The House and Senate now must approve this piece of legislation.
Natchez resident Opal Vines, right, talks to Sen. Bob Dearing and state Rep. Sam Mims Monday morning during a legislative breakfast at the Eola Hotel.
Johnson said he is responsible for supporting whatever the city wants.
“If that’s what the city wants, I’ll support it,” Johnson said. “It’s as simple as that.”
Dearing said it is key to his support that the money will be used for marketing.
Mims said he supports it because the tax won’t affect citizens of Natchez and Adams County.
Legislators also gave updates on the state budget, and answered questions on other hot-button issues.
All four legislators warned of a tight fiscal year.
“We’re in a very down year with big bills to pay,” Johnson said.
But possible solutions, he said, could be raising cigarette and alcohol taxes.
Legislators were split on the issue of voter identification.
Dearing said it is an issue that has before the Senate for six or seven consecutive years and each time he voted for it.
A criticism of voter identification is that the elderly may not have the proper identification, but Dearing said the bill allows for many options, from a driver’s license or social security card to a copy of a utility bill in that person’s name.
“If you don’t have all that, then you can have an affidavit vote,” he said.
Mims is in support of the bill but also in favor of taking it a step further and requiring the identification to be photo only.
Both Butler and Johnson were against voter identification.
Legislators also discussed a proposed tax hike by Entergy — an electric company that supplies much of the state. The rate increase would fund a nuclear power plant they hope to build at Grand Gulf.
The bill has passed in the Senate and both Butler and Dearing voted for it. Mims also supports it.
Butler said while he is in support of raising rates to pay for a plant that does not yet exist, he said if something goes wrong in its construction, citizens should be compensated.
“What if it goes belly up?” Butler asked. “I think citizens should get their money back.”
Dearing said the reason he voted for it is because he feels it is better to pay now to help start its construction, instead of waiting until it is constructed, which would cost citizens more money.
Johnson said an investment needs to be made and he will support the bill.
“I think it’s a step forward,” Johnson said. “We need to step out and take bold moves.”
Comments
Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on March 4, 2008 at 12:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Voter Identification is definately needed! It has worked well in Louisiana as several other states! In today's environment, it is very definately needed from a safety and security standpoint! I can not see why Butler and Johnson are against it-it is just a pure Cop-Out on their part! Thanks to Dearing and Mims for their support!
Posted by Mucasplug (anonymous) on March 4, 2008 at 6:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Butler and Johnnson are against voter I.D. because they are FOR VOTER FRAUD its as simple as that. These voters have to have social security cards to draw social security. They did not get them without I.D.'s. It's lame to say someone can not come up with some kind of I.D.. They are crooks.
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on March 4, 2008 at 8:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sen. Butler is advocating a no interest unsecured loan from Entergy's customers to Entergy. He is doing this at a time of severe credit problems. If you got a loan of this sort you would be asked to pay 20% or upwards, with fees and penalties.
From the London U.K. Telegraph:
"It is hard to imagine a more plain-vanilla outfit than the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages bridges, bus terminals, and airports.
The authority is a public body, backed by the two states. Yet it had to pay 20pc rates in February after the near closure of the $330bn (£166m) “term-auction” market. It had originally expected to pay 4.3pc, but that was aeons ago in financial time."
Loans to public bodies are usually considered the most secure loans of all, being guaranteed by the government's abilitly to use the future labor of taxpayers as collateral. If the New York Port Authority has to pay 20%, what does that tell you about credit markets? It should tell you that any loan of your money should come with some guaranteed return. The only thing Butler is even considering guaranteeing to the customers is a lack of loss if Entergy doesn't build the plant.
What collateral is Sen. Butler willing to ask Entergy to provide in return for this no interest loan from the Entergy customers? Do you think he will amend that bill to include a bond on Entergy upper management and Class A Stockholders? Probably not, huh?
Don't believe it when Entergy and Butler and the other politicians tell you this is in the best interest of the customers. Being a corporation Entergy's first responsibility is to the stockholders, not to the customers, and Entergy has a near monopoly in Mississippi.
Will Butler also put something in the bill that allows Entergy to do this promising that any money Entergy earns off this rate increase during the time the money is not being used will be returned to the customers, and not payed out to the stockholders, and a guaranty that Entergy will from this point on make no political contributions of any kind to any politician in Mississippi?
Or will Butler and friends be successful in getting Mississippi Entergy customers to move one more step toward total fascism?
Just for fun, watch:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=...
This will refresh your memory about how the real world of corporations functions. Pay particular attention to how gleefully the energy traders discuss serving the needs of the customers "at the right price" where "plenty of energy is available".
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on March 4, 2008 at 8:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Someone must have found Enron's playbook!
I still think the "pay as you go" for capital construction with a public corporation is ludicrous!
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on March 4, 2008 at 9:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Since Rep. Johnson is obviously creatively challenged when it comes to possible solutions, focused only on tax increases on alcohol and tobacco, I feel compelled to help him out with a little advice.
New Hampshire, a state with one fifth the landmass and about half the population of Mississippi, ranks 49th in combined state and local taxes, and has a median income of 57,000.00 with a per capita income of 37,000.00, roughly 10.000.00 per capita more than Mississippi. Representatives in New Hampshire are paid only 100.00 a year, no pay raise since before the turn of the century. The New Hampshire legislature is known for frugality; among those who care New Hampshire scores first in terms of aggregate freedoms.
Rep. Johnson, arrange a junket to New Hampshire and study our northern neighbors and how they do business, and ask them for help in developing a poltical philosophy consistent with the U.S Constitution and then you can extrapolate those lessons to include the Mississippi Constitution.
Don't pander to insurance companies, casinos, and energy companies, and voters looking for gifts from the common wealth. Consider the principles that made America first among nations to be still relevant, and work to apply those principles to a state ranked last in per capita income.
Give me a valid reason to move back across the river to my beloved Jefferson County. So far all you and your peers have done is make me consider New Hampshire as the only viable spot for relocation.
Posted by destiny (anonymous) on March 4, 2008 at 10:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Again gemccull you are right on target. You said a mouthful before I did. Thanks.
Posted by NatchezEnema (anonymous) on March 4, 2008 at 1:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have been to N.H. many times. You know why it is like that up there? All you have to do is look at the state motto" LIVE FREE OR DIE"
Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on March 4, 2008 at 1:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Enkikur - I lived in NH for a few years, beautiful place, with GREAT schools, just too cold for me.
You left one thing out -- NH has NO income tax. Yet they still have a solid budget and great schools. They do make money for the state off of a LOTTERY, and all alcohol sales are state controlled. LIVE FREE OR DIE - I respect that!!
My Man Bob DEARING !! - Voter ID - what a no-brainer, we need VOTER ID
I can't believe it when I go vote and they don't ID me, I am insulted, I don't want anyone else voting for me. Anyone could step up to the voting booth, just lie and say they were anyone and vote, and then go to another voting station and vote again, and again, and again. It's crazy not having voter ID
I previously didn't care either way about this hotel tax, but after reading some of the articles the employees of the city wrote, especially one guy who confessed to not only being a city employee but also heavily invested in private business-- I'm suspicious about this tax benefiting a few select individuals under the guise of benefiting all of Natchez, now I'm skeptical
Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on March 4, 2008 at 2 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have to pay my own advertising
Seems like hotels should have to pay for their own also
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on March 4, 2008 at 7:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Krogers, there might be another alternative. I just heard a radio interview with Russell Means of the Lakota Nation speaking about how the Lakota Nation is trying to reorganize complete with their own gold and silver backed currency and constitution. Means claims they already have other Americans of various races immigrating to their Nation. That is wild, isn't it? They are calling it the Republic of Lakota.
Posted by frogprincenessntz (anonymous) on March 5, 2008 at 2:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Voter ID would take all the "FUN NY" out of elections in Woodville.
Posted by Bobaloo (anonymous) on March 5, 2008 at 3:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
These politicians are whack. Making the consumer pay in advance for a nuclear power plant that will take no less than a decade or two to build. Then touting that the energy will cost less in the future. BS!! Energy cost never go down, in reality. They just go up or dip to only rise again. Especially with a non renewable source. Nuclear is neither renewable or green. Quite the contrary. It's another rapidly depleting energy source.
check this out: http://timeforchange.org/pros-and-cons-o...
Entergy has a plan for the nuclear waste. Oh yeah, they have a plan. Burn it to make energy like they do with petroleum coke. That's just plain dumb. Nothing will ever change as long as dumb things are done.
Check this out: http://www.all4energy.org/
Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) would be a much better investment in the future of our planet and society.
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