Jackson Free Press

"No. This is a nonprofit and a group in the private sector that is stepping up to offer their time, and I think that is something we should commend them on their willingness to do so."

— Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves at a June 1 announcement of the Mississippi Optometric Association and Mississippi Vision Foundation to offer free eye exams for kids who failed the third-grade literacy test.

Why it Stinks: We know based on data from the Mississippi Department of Education that children who didn't pass the reading test are concentrated in poorer districts, where families are more likely to qualify for programs such as Medicaid. Seeing how Reeves is so deeply concerned about kids' eyesight and how Medicaid covers both eye exams and glasses, naturally, we thought that 15 percent of students failing the so-called third-grade gate might soften his opposition to Medicaid expansion. Apparently, we were wrong.