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Join election chat with candidates
Published Friday, May 23, 2008
I am a political debate junkie.
Ever since I was a lanky teenager back in the late 80s, I would eagerly await the presidential debates.
I was an odd kid back then. I would choose sitting in front of our family television watching Ronald Reagan debate Walter Mondale or George Bush take on Michael Dukakis before I would go out to the mall with buddies.
A good presidential debate to me was like the annual Auburn-Alabama game to my friends. A witty opening statement or a clever retort rivaled a winning touchdown pass or interception in my book.
I loved it when 73-year-old Reagan opened the 1984 debates with Walter Mondale when he said, “I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.”
I cheered when vice-presidential candidate Lloyd Bentsen said of Dan Quayle’s remark comparing himself to John F. Kennedy, “Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy, I knew Jack Kennedy, Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy.”
What could be any better than such verbal, civilized jousting?
I guess I should have known back then of my journalistic leanings. Even though I enjoyed a good back and forth between the candidates, my attention during most debates was on the questions and the moderator.
Every four years, I would shake my head when the debates were finished.
“Where did they come up with this stuff,” I always asked.
Even as a teen, I knew I could come up with better questions than the softballs that were being thrown to the candidates.
The moderators always seemed to be out of touch with the average everyday American.
I knew what questions most Americans wanted asked.
If only I had a chance to ask those hard-hitting questions.
I am sure many Americans have felt the same way in the past elections — even about this year’s Natchez mayoral race.
Well, for all those would-be journalists with hard-hitting questions, natchezdemocrat.com is offering a first-of-its-kind online discussion with this year’s mayoral candidates and supporters of the proposed hotel assessment.
Thanks to technology, online readers will have a chance to ask the questions they think should be asked of the candidates in a series of online chats.
It all starts Wednesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. when Independent mayoral candidate Chick Graning will drop by The Natchez Democrat to answers questions submitted by our online readers.
On Thursday at 3:30 p.m., Sally Durkin from the Natchez Convention and Visitors Bureau will be at the computer screen responding to questions about the proposed $2 hotel tax that is also on the June 3rd ballot.
Then on Friday at 3:30 p.m., Democratic mayoral candidate Jake Middleton will answer questions online.
If you can’t be on the Web each afternoon, don’t fret. You still can get your questions answered. Submissions of questions will be accepted 24-hours in advance for each discussion.
Transcripts of each chat will also be kept online so online readers can see what the candidates had to say about the various issues posed by our online audience.
More information about the online discussions will be posted on the natchezdemocrat.com home page next week.
Who knows? Maybe a comment from this year’s discussions will rank as one of the more memorable moments in Natchez politics.
Drop by Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoon to find out.
Ben Hillyer is the web editor of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3540 or ben.hillyer@natchezdemocrat.com.
Comments
Posted by sammohon (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 12:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hooray!...a victory for democracy!
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 1:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This should be interesting...Most especially about the $2 tax
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 2:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
yes, sounds like fun.
Posted by Natchezms (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 6:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What a brilliant idea! The 21st century comes to Natchez.
Posted by blackwood (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 6:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Well I'll start now by asking Sally where I can get one of those Assessment signs some folks have in their yard?
Ben, its funny what we tend to remember. The one that always stood out to me was Dan Quayles "cornflakes" remark to Bentsen.
Marc Blackwood
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 8:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Marc, I think it would be a very cool idea to make up a bunch of those assessment signs in children's sized t-shirts and dress all the children of Natchez in them...and on the back have social security numbers under the words "future taxpayer".
Posted by NatchezEnema (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 9:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I CAN'T WAIT! GROWL
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on May 23, 2008 at 10:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If the title to the story, "Join election chat with candidates", is correct, why have a session with Durkin?
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 11:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
very good point Gary. I propose an initial question to Madame Durkin exploring the interest of the public in partnerships existing between government and unelected boards and commissions.
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 11:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
EnKiKur, the locals are already paying this tax everytime they visit other towns. This will only allow us to collect some of that money back from when the other town folks visit us here. I'd be dead set against this if it was raising our own taxes.
But I'm all for dressing the school kids up in anything other than those silly uniforms they have to wear. I thought it was supposed to improve discipline. I wonder what happened......
Maybe you are on to something!!! If we're gonna dress the kids all alike (like a bunch of fat little nazi's) we might as well sell advertising space on them. Sort of like some of the tables at La Fiesta.
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 11:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
heheh... funny!
But, OldGrandDad, I think that as Madame Durkin answers questions on the occupancy tax on May 29, which is only four days before the vote on June 3, it would be a great service to the people if the Democrat would publish as soon as possible the bill in its' entirety so the people know what they are voting for.
We need to see the language of the bill. Does it already give the Tourism Council, acting in concert with the aldermen the power to levy additional taxes? Does it allow the Council to levy the food tax the people are opposed to?
After all, the Democrat has been a strong advocate of open government and democracy.
If the question is limited to "do we want more money if we can get it from other people" support will be high.
Levying this tax because other ciities do it is just like stealing the cattle of the next village over because it has stolen yours. Need we be in a constant state of tax war with the other villages because their politicians are mightier warriors than ours? Do we want peace, or war?
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 11:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
oldgranddad or EnKiKur maybe one of you can answer this or maybe tell me where to go to find the answer.
Wasn't the money from the casinos suppose to go towards the schools? Or at least some of it? If this $2 tax passes where will this money be spent?
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 11:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't know the answer to that fire, but I do know the city is supposed to prepare a Comprehensive Annual Financial Report that is a matter of public record, perhaps held at the public library, that would answer that question.
And I think that Natchez could promote itself as a bastion of southern hospitality by proclaiming "We don't tax you for visiting us!"
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 12:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
In the story of Simon, Jesus, and the tax collector Jesus asked Simon if the taxing authority taxed its' children or strangers. Simon answered, "the strangers."
Jesus said, "Then the childen are free", illustrating the relationship between taxation and freedom.
Jesus assented to paying the tax however, and sent Simon to get a gold coin out of the mouth of a fish Simon was instructed to pull from the sea. This illustrates that Jesus was a child of a higher authority, one that could put gold into the mouth of a fish.
The Tourism Council, which represents a cluster of private businesses, is a taxing authority which has not proposed taxing its' own businesses, but the visitation of strangers who already bring profit to these businesses.
I do not wish to question the Christianity of the Council, but I do wish to ask them to examine if their proposal is more in the spirit of the taxing authority or Jesus' demonstration that the children of Christ are free given in this story.
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on May 23, 2008 at 12:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I was in favor of the "bed tax" until the ND published this article: http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/news/2008...
Now, I am a "no" vote.
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 2:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yes, Gary, that article advocates forming yet another unelected commission under the head of another 40,000.00 a year government employee, and at the same time wishes to redirect the tax money before it is even collected. This is the very type of public/private partnership and rule by board I object to in my letter to the editor today, for reasons I hope I have made clear.
To understand this type relatonship read:
http://www.newswithviews.com/guest_opini...
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 2:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
EnKiKur, Actually I kinda like the idea of raiding other villages. Maybe its in the dna. But to the point - if the "assessment" turns out to be something other than what we have been told, i'll vote against it. Like I said before, i've come to believe that local governments need to be watchdogged more than larger governments.
fire39212, I don't have a clue to your question. Sorry.
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 2:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
bad thing about it oldgranddad and enkikur noone probably wants to answer that before the election anyway...
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 3:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have to admit I like the idea of village raids too OldGrandDad. But in the spirit of sportsmanship, I think it ought to be done in the daylight... less chance of capturing maidens you'll have to throw back latern too.
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on May 23, 2008 at 5:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The Natchez Convention and Visitors Bureau has had sufficient time to present a marketing plan for the $2 bed tax. I am thinking that the NCVB does not have a marketing plan. Could it be that the NCVB just wants to create a bigger organization?
Again, I am against the bed tax. Someone at the NCVB should be forecoming with details as to how the additional funding will be spent. If not, the citizens should defeat the proposed increase!
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 6:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree gemccull...I know they will say " It is going to be used to promote tourism" But, how?
Posted by blackwood (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 6:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well I would have thought SOMEONE would have posted to direct me to where I could get one of those signs. Maybe I don't live on the right street?
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 7:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You know Gary, they probably ought to put a meter on the hotel beds and tax by the hour. 2.00 per 7 1/2 hours sounds about right, then an additional amount for every 1/4 hour after that. Probably need to do a study to figure out what the optimal additional rate would be, but it would be worth it. Lazy tourists snoozing away emitting carbon dioxide are not doing their part for our community. They should be out touring, shopping and eating.
Hotel room windows facing the river need to be taxed too. You don't have to tax the whole room, just the windows.
I think the restaurants should consider cutting back on the portion sizes of anyone they suspect of being a tourist so they have incentive to buy more meals and a share of that additional profit could go to the advertising effort.
So many ways to raise money, Natchez just needs a bolder mindset.
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on May 23, 2008 at 8:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ben usually has thought through his articles! I like to read what what he has to say,
I am at a lost to figure out where he is going with this one.
It is unlike Ben to only want to present on side! No, I do not want to be the commenter on the other side. However, I an against the proposal on the ballot!
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 8:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You what is confusing to me? They want the $2 tax so "THEY" will have money to spend on "advertisment" but yet they(how should i say this) put up such a fight if anyone wants to bring jobs here unless it is a casino...Makes no sense to me...that's how it seems anyway...
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 8:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Gary, Ms. Durkin's appearance will be an opportunity for consensus building in support of the tax.
Do you know what consensus building is?
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on May 23, 2008 at 9:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Local governments don't do much anymore Gary. All they do is work with plans put before them, so it doesn't matter who gets elected:
"The DRA includes 235 counties in eight states: Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, and Louisiana. The governing board of the authority will include the Governor of each of the eight states (or his designee) and a Federal Co-Chairman, who will be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Each Commissioner will have a vote, and a simple majority will decide issues."
Who gets what industry or business is voted on by seven other states and a federal guy. Of course, they get lots of advice on what to vote on.
There are now two main political divisions in Mississippi, one is the Delta Regional Authority and the other is the Appalachian Regional Commission. The counties in the states in the Regions are further divided up into groupings that do not go by county boundary.
Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on May 24, 2008 at 9:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I can not see why everyone in Natchez is getting so upset over the $2 Bedroom Tax? We do not need a 1,000 persons to administer this so-called tourism "winfall"! The primary official body that currently administers our publicity program to promote Natchez should do the same with the new taxes, "if it passes"! Is the new tax recovery supposed to be administered like other monies? I've been hearing a lot of "street talk" and many people are saying that they will vote "NO"!
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