Mississippi Business Journal » MBJ Editorial

MBJ Editorial: Bryant the man to build bridges, hoist state from depths

MBJ Staff — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 06:00:01 +0000

This publication has been more than critical of Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant in many areas, particularly during his run for governor, for which he will go head-to-head with Dave Dennis, Hudson Holliday and Ron Williams on Aug. 2 in the Republican primary. Insiders admit to us that he has deserved much of the criticism. His [...]

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MBJ Editorial: State needs consumer advocate at Public Utilities Staff

MBJ Staff — Sun, 15 May 2011 06:00:53 +0000

The Mississippi Public Utilities Staff is in need of a new director. Executive Director Bobby Waites has announced he is retiring June 30. He has served as director since 1996. The Public Utilities Staff is the advisory body to the Public Service Commission, which regulates electric, gas, water, sewer and telecommunications utilities in Mississippi. Reorganized [...]

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MBJ Editorial: Oil drilling policy not deterring business in the Gulf of Mexico

MBJ Staff — Sun, 08 May 2011 06:00:33 +0000

Oil drilling is returning to the Gulf of Mexico, but slowly. One year after BP’s Macondo well blew out — claiming 11 lives and sparking a ban on deepwater drilling — 11 new deepwater and 49 shallow water drilling permits have been issued, according to the federal agency that oversees offshore drilling. That’s far less [...]

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MBJ Editorial: Year later, beer has New Albany business buzzing

MBJ Staff — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 06:00:37 +0000

It wasn’t that long ago that a beer bill in the Legislature was getting lots of attention from around the state. It died a quiet death, never making it out of committee. At the crux of our story were two Mississippi men who have started a craft beer business in Louisiana. They never considered Mississippi, [...]

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MBJ Editorial: If it sounds too good to be true, well, you know

MBJ Staff — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 06:01:48 +0000

As long as we pick up the phone or log onto a computer or empty our mailboxes, we have got to keep our guard up. Recently, the Mississippi Public Service Commission fined two companies — one in Arizona, the other in Florida — $15,000 each for violating Mississippi’s Do Not Call Law. That shield against [...]

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MBJ Editorial: Burton’s actions are slimy, at best

MBJ Staff — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 06:00:03 +0000

Ethics in government went out the window a long time ago. Politicians routinely lie to the media, and many believe that is OK. A more concerning issue, however, is politicians’ willingness, not to just lie, but to cover up the lie, which can lead to a lot more issues. Sen. Terry Burton, R-Newton, proved he [...]

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MBJ Editorial: Sex ed and a state seeking to fulfill potential

MBJ Staff — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 06:00:08 +0000

Experts, economics and demographics of Mississippi spoke candidly in a Special Report we published in February. Their assessment: Mississippi’s soci-economic health will decline until its teens quit having babies. Legislators don’t dispute the prognosis; they’ve just chosen to ignore it. That changed this year — at least slightly, with Mississippi’s first ever requirement that public [...]

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MBJ Editorial: Legislature missed a great opportunity

MBJ Staff — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 06:00:40 +0000

After weeks of slow and steady progress under the Capitol dome, the Mississippi Legislature was in position to accomplish a rare feat in today’s highly partisan political atmosphere. Despite the sabre rattling and public pronouncements of those clamoring for a costly court fight, the redistricting process was reduced to a single Senate vote. It represented [...]

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MBJ Editorial: Banks must be a part of payday loan fix

MBJ Staff — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 06:00:45 +0000

Another seven years of bad luck for Mississippi’s working poor. No superstitious fears here. Mississippi’s payday lending future is sufficiently clear to tell us what we can expect now that a seven-year renewal of the controversial lending practice has cleared both the House and Senate. Without renewal, the law authorizing payday lending in the Magnolia [...]

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MBJ Editorial: Wording can ease business worries of house bill

MBJ Staff — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 06:00:49 +0000

We’re not sure who has the edge in the balance of trade between Mississippi and Arizona. But one Arizona export to the Magnolia State — the “show us your papers” immigration legislation — should be packed up and sent back. Yesterday. We can give you all sorts of reasons why. But here are a few: [...]

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