By Staff
Musgrove's ad hard to believe
To the editor:
It has come to my attention while viewing the recent campaign commercials that there are some very misleading facts being given to the voters of Mississippi. Gov. Ronnie Musgrove's commercial claims he's created 56,000 new jobs in Mississippi since he was elected. That sounds hard to believe. I did some research and the reason it is hard to believe is because it's not true.
Here are the facts:
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Mississippi has lost more than 48,000 manufacturing jobs and has a net loss of 34,600 jobs since Gov. Musgrove took office in January 2000. This information can be found at: http://data.bls.gov/labjava/outside.jsp?survey=sm.
All in all, I see the claims that our current governor is making are political manipulation of the numbers. Honestly, can Mississippi afford another four years of this kind of leadership and deception?
My vote is for Haley Barbour, a man who can turn around the current blight in Mississippi. We hear how he is a Washington politician, well, maybe the influence that Mr. Barbour has in Washington is what we need here in Mississippi to turn our destiny around.
I urge my fellow Mississippians to go to the polls in November and cast their vote for Haley Barbour, a man who can make a difference.
Bobby Dee Myers
Potts Camp
Birthday bash
To the editor:
I find it hard to understand how the City Council can find the funds for an out of town birthday party for a former resident who lives in New Orleans. Kenny Smith did not solicit the funding the party organizers approached the council. I am as proud as anyone else when a local person does well with his or her chosen profession, and even moreso when that resident chooses to give back to their hometown or to those less fortunate. But that is not the case here.
It would be different if the party was here in Meridian, but it is not. When the council has been approached in the past for donations from Little Leaguers, softball teams and other groups attending events out of town, and thus representing Meridian, have all been turned down. I'm glad to see that a new precedent has been made.
Thank you, Mrs. Henson, Mr. Thomas and Mayor Smith for contributing to these individually, and may the rest of the council follow your example. I would hazard a guess that Kenny Smith would have been tickled to see that $500 go to the Boys and Girls Club in his name. That would be a more fitting tribute.
Leigh White
Meridian
You get what you pay for
To the editor:
I was reading The Meridian Star online and noticed the results of an online poll asking the question of who would you vote for in the lieutenant governor's race? The poll showed Amy Tuck with over 50 percent of the votes verses Barbara Blackmon's 40 percent plus.
Ms. Blackmon is a more trustworthy candidate that Ms. Tuck. Ms. Tuck jumped ship from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party because she was looking out for number one. When I think of Ms. Tuck I can't help but think of another turncoat by the name of Benedict Arnold, the infamous Revolutionary War turncoat. If she can turn her back on the Democrats, what makes Republicans so sure she won't flip flop on them?
Remember, my fellow Mississippians, you get what you pay for and the Republicans have been in charge of the economy for a couple of years now on the national level. The economy is nothing to brag about.
Michael L. Thomas
Meridian
In good company
To the editor:
I believe you can tell the character of a man by the company he keeps. Haley Barbour has been endorsed for governor by the Mississippi Medical Association, the Mississippi Manufacturers Association and Mississippi's largest small business group, the National Federation of Independent Business.
Ronnie Musgrove has been endorsed by the trial lawyers, including those under indictment on the Coast for bribery, fraud and racketeering. Musgrove has also recently been endorsed by Equality Mississippi, the state's self-proclaimed "steward of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders."
My family and friends will be voting for Haley Barbour as the next governor of Mississippi.
Kenneth M. Boxx
Ocean Springs
Tuck a turncoat
To the editor:
I have no beef with politicians who switch parties at the end of their term, but many of us feel that Amy Tuck betrayed us by switching mid-term. She used Democrat money to get elected, then used the office to enhance the Republican agenda.
I personally feel that she betrayed me. I voted for her, first, because I feel that women should be encouraged to become more involved in Mississippi politics. Second, I voted for her trusting her to support and uphold the principles and ideals of the Democrat Party. She betrayed that trust.
The story is making the rounds that many people voted for Blackmon in the primary, intending to vote for Tuck in the general election, believing that white people won't vote for a black woman over a white woman. They also know that black people tend not to vote, period. Thus, assuring that Ms. Traitor will be re-elected. So they think.
But more and more white people are voting for candidates, not on the basis of skin color, but on "the strength of their character." And many black people are realizing that, by failing to vote, they are betraying Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King and three young men whose blood is still crying out for justice. When we fail to vote, we are all betraying those who gave their life in the cause of justice.
C.E. Swain
Carthage
Christian music
To the editor:
This letter is really for the Meridian area business community. We had one radio station that tried to have Christian music for young people, WMMZ 102.1. Because of lack of support from the business community this station has had to convert to another blues station.
Don't we have enough of this type music that is not pleasant to listen to, much less good for our young people?
Our grandchildren, who are teenagers, listened to the Christian station continually. There are very upset now they have nothing good to listen to.
It is very sad that we live in a community that professes to be supportive of our young people, but cannot support the one Christian music station that tried to have something good instead of all the other garbage on the airwaves.
We hope the businesses that refused to support this Christian station will reconsider that decision.
Billy and Marjorie Nabors
Meridian