Jackson Free Press

It's been a crazy couple of weeks. Everywhere Jacksonians look, we discover that somebody is trying to slip something by us—to benefit themselves in some way that ranges from completely absurd to annoyingly selfish.

It's impossible to pick the most egregious, so we will reach in the cauldron and grab one of the doozies nearly hoisted on us until word got around and caused public outcry and challenges of the people behind these actions.

Vying for most absurd—and most racist and classist—is the effort by SafeCity Watch (which grew out of the equally as annoying Metro Crime Commission), through Sen. Joey Fillingane, to get the state Legislature to turn (only) parts of Jackson into a "safety zone." It included where some of the SafeCity board members live—but not some of the most crime-challenged parts of the city. In the original plan, people caught committing certain crimes in these parts of town would have suffered greater penalties than in the, er, lesser parts. Not to mention, it would have shifted power from Chief McMillin to D.A. Smith.

Fillingane, a Republican from down in Sumrall, also wreaked dissension with his bill to help Jackson State "quick-take" the land of people around the university—land they want for development and even to sell. Bottom line: JSU needs to respect free enterprise and property rights by going through proper channels and negotiating for the land fair and square.

Equally as ridiculous is the effort by Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, on behalf of Entergy, to rush a steathily named bill through the Legislature that would allow that private utility company, and others, to charge rate-payers up front for the cost of building a new nuclear facility to help them produce power, much of which they could sell in states that won't take such a plant. Bryant and other senators who lobbied and voted for this bill should be ashamed, pure and simple. Entergy should fund their own risky ventures, not the taxpayers. Nice work, Bryant.

Finally, as we reported last week, the city has learned that, somehow, Tougaloo College made a rapid ascent to the top of the list for the new civil rights museum site. More disturbing, it seems that the process to date has been unfair and slanted toward Tougaloo—both due to the college's officials and alum on the location committee, and in the treatment of Tougaloo compared to downtown officials like Dr. Leslie McLemore.

Thankfully, the SafeCity bill and the JSU quick-take effort died this week. Next, the Entergy corporate-welfare boondoggle needs to be stopped. And, finally, the community needs to keep speaking out against efforts to hide the civil rights museum on a small private campus up north next to the interstate. City and state residents deserve better on all fronts.

Most importantly, we must tell the people who tried to snooker the capital city that the jig is up. It's time to ask us what we think and bring us to the table rather than playing us like fools.

Previous Comments

ID

76243

Comment

I have always thought the utilities around the nation do a poor job in educating the public in regard to energy. That is why we have the ignorant masses who think in 10 years there will be only solar and wind power. Chances are whoever wrote this article knows next to nothing about power generation. Because the utilities think it is hopeless or are just too lazy to educate the public, they sneak bills through legislature without letting the public know much about it. I completely agree with the direction they are going in, but I don't like the methodology. If they really educated the public, the majority would support what Entergy is doing. Instead they are quiet about it and it gives credibility to misguided politicians who make laughable statements like "Grand Gulf was a financial disaster." If it wasn't for nuclear power, the power bills all over the South would be a lot higher.

Author

The Dude

Date

2008-02-27T20:29:47-06:00

ID

76244

Comment

Actually, Dude, we know quite a bit on this topic. Believe it or not, I covered the utilities industry for a business publication out west for a while. So why don't you fire away and tell us-the-ignorant masses about what Entergy is doing and why we should support them in this. You might as well skip the part, though, where you treat other people like they're stupid. You're really not all that.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-02-27T20:52:50-06:00

ID

76245

Comment

Sorry I stepped on your toes ladd. I didn't mean to say everyone is stupid. Its more the fact that people don't care and want to believe what they want to believe. And whether you know a lot about power gen or not, chances were that you didn't. You are the journalist not me. It is your job to tell everyone about carbon-cap-and-trading, rising commodity costs, baseload generation vs. peak load, power plant economics, major project financing and risk management, the role of renewables as natural gas offsetters, the consequences of waste, alternative fuel, EPA 316b, etc. If I say something on this page and the few people that actually read it will skip over it. The media must turn these things into headlines. I am hoping Jeff Immelt will have the balls for NBC to lead the way. It is a crime that the most important issue of the coming election is practically ignored by all candidates and voters. The economy demands cheap energy, the environment demands clean energy, we wouldn't be in Iraq if the country wasn't sitting next to the largest oil deposit in the world, Iran is using high oil prices as an excuse to enrich uranium, food prices skyrocketing because we want to burn corn??? for fuel, heck even healthcare is affected. How many breathing disorders and deaths are caused by smog produced by car and coal power plant emissions every year, not to mention ozone depletion causing skin problems? Energy is the single most important issue affecting the country and the world today. And yet no one cares.

Author

The Dude

Date

2008-02-27T21:40:12-06:00

ID

76246

Comment

And whether you know a lot about power gen or not, chances were that you didn't. You know what they say: Assuming makes an a$$ out of you and you. The problem with your post is that you haven't added anythigng new. You're using jargon to try to impress people that you know what you're talking about on. this. bill. in particular. But you've given us nothing beyond that and insults about the uninformed. So you might go out the door and start over again, addressing this issue in specific and why people should support this particular bill. If you can't, or won't do that, get lost. You're wasting my time and site memory.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-02-28T08:47:12-06:00

ID

76247

Comment

You missed the point. People don't have to support the bill, they can sneak it through because no one cares.

Author

The Dude

Date

2008-03-02T18:50:00-06:00

ID

76248

Comment

Dude, with due respect, you haven't made a clear point, yet.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-03-03T09:38:46-06:00