[Note: This information has been updated from an MCPP publication originally published in 2002.] (more…)

Marriage in Mississippi: One Man / One Woman?

We have sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men.

This decades-old observation from George Orwell can certainly be applied to the current debate over the definition of marriage.

To hear the arguments of those who seek to redefine marriage, you would think that marriage has, for all recorded history, been recognized as any collection of people who love each other, and that the current effort to amend the Constitution is a recent creation of the "religious right" who seek to impose their morality on everyone else. (more…)

Successful government reformers have discovered the necessity of determining what we call "core governing principles." Core principles are determined by a person's or a party's understanding of the primary role of government. Defining core principles is the crucial first step toward responsible governing because delivering services efficiently and effectively is irrelevant unless government knows what it is supposed to deliver and why. (more…)

by Lawrence W. Reed

The Seven Principles of Sound Public Policy was presented by Lawrence (Larry) Reed on February 17, 2003 at the Mississippi Family Council (now Mississippi Center for Public Policy) annual banquet. Permission was granted by Lawrence Reed and the Mackinac Center to publish the speech. Similar permission should be obtained before republishing this document. To limit confusion, any references made to Mississippi Family Council have been changed to Mississippi Center for Public Policy. (more…)