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It’s a question I hear a lot. Conservatives usually support sweeping tax cuts and lower regulations for corporations, so many people are confused as to why these businesses seem to oppose conservative politicians. Progressives often get riled at the mere thought of the question; after all, so much of left wing ideology is devoted to limiting the power of business interests.

And yet, corporations at least seem to be liberal. Big businesses regularly host diversity seminars, publicize their support for LGBT acceptance movements, and, as of recently, some have started openly supporting race-based affirmative action and backing left-wing social movements such as Black Lives Matter. There is no equivalent outreach to conservative movements from big business. So, are large corporations truly “progressive”? Have the CEOs of America’s largest companies become committed supporters of social justice and the redistribution of wealth?

No, of course not. When we see big businesses in America show support for traditionally liberal causes, it is all a cost-benefit calculation. Supporting liberal social causes—particularly identity politics—is the most reliable way to attract young, urban customers with little risk to their bottom line.

This summer, McDonald’s tweeted its support for the Black Lives Matter movement and “social justice.” Yet, the McDonald’s branch in Azerbaijan has tweeted support for the suppression of ethnic Armenians in their disputed homeland. Google fired an employee for expressing conservative-leaning views on gender roles—after he was asked for his opinion on the issue. Yet, Google has enthusiastically aided China, an authoritarian dictatorship, in creating a censored search engine.

Examples like this show us that, when practical, countless corporations will abandon liberal principles to aid their bottom line. The defining interests of corporations continues to be making money, so this should not be too surprising.

But why does big business support progressive causes in the first place?

Corporations want consumers. They want talented employees. But a sufficiently large corporation wants cultural relevance as well; they want the trendsetters and the well-connected to both buy from them and work for them. Corporate America has calculated that that cultural relevance is centered in coastal, liberal, and urban areas. They have calculated that the “cool” people live in big cities, not the rest of America. And in response, they publicize support for causes that they believe to be more popular in those areas rather than in the Bible Belt or Middle America.

Arguably more important is to look at the issues that big business entities are not supporting: $15 minimum wages, increased taxes on the wealthy, etc.; corporations remain silent on issues that could actually lose them money. But identity politics, increased immigration, and LGBT acceptance all offer perceived potential monetary, social, and cultural gains, so naturally those just happened to be the issues that many corporations engage with and promote.

In a warped sense, big business is killing two birds with one stone. Not only do they ignore progressive policies that could hurt their profits, but by indulging in liberal causes that do them no harm—identity politics in particular—they could very well be distracting young liberals and leftists from opposing big business or seeking action on bottom line-threatening policies in the first place.

A liberal focused on gay marriage is less likely to be a liberal focused on regulating big business. A socialist focused on “people of color” is a socialist not focused on the working class as a whole. In an ironic twist, corporations acting “liberal” might end up hurting the radical left more than anyone else. So let us not be surprised when we find out that when businesses extoll liberal views, it is still just a business decision.

Ty Usey is a senior at Jackson Preparatory School.  He is interested in economics, engineering, and he participates in cross country, chess team, and quiz bowl.

In a year that’s potentially on pace for the highest homicide rate in Jackson history, police and city officials have sought a new ally in the fight on crime: your doorbell.

Jackson has been launched into the heart of an intense civil liberties debate over the discussion of a new program which would allow Jackson city officials to tap into private residential and business doorbell cameras.

Jackson residents can now register for the program, giving police a variety of access options to their personal cameras including alarm-triggered live feeds, 24/7 streams, and more.

In a discussion with WLBT, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba noted, “[w]hat we’ll be able to do is get a location, draw a circle around it and pull up every camera within a certain radius. If someone is running out of a building, we can follow and trace them.”

Mayor Lumumba further noted, “[u]litmately, what will happen is residents and businesses will be able to sign a waiver, if they want their camera to be accessed from the Real Time Crime Center. It would save (Jackson) from having to buy a camera for every place across the city.”

The Jackson City Council approved a 45-day trial for the program, but not all Council members are supportive. Councilman De’Keither Stamps questioned whether the technology could be abused and stated, “I don’t believe the government should be tapping into my Ring, I don’t believe we should be sponsoring this.”

Jackson will be partnering with Jackson-based technology company, PILEUM, and Georgia-based cloud service provider, FUSUS, in order to allow Jackson police to collect and access the videos.

What do you think? Would you sign up for the program/allow your device to be used by police?

Engage with us on Facebook and Twitter to discuss further!

Here at the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, we believe that with its hard-working people, cutting-edge research centers, and low cost of living, Mississippi is a state with immense potential to make a substantial national impact on the rapidly emerging tech economy.

Considering the potential for technological expansion in our state, we are pleased to launch the Tech Talks interview series. In our Tech Talks, we will have engaging discussions with individuals from across the state who are making an impact on the advancement of technological prosperity in Mississippi through their initiative and innovation. We will hear their insights, stories, and expertise on a variety of important issues for tech innovation in Mississippi, ranging from regulatory reform to advancements in tech-driven solutions. We look forward to seeing the Tech Talks series as a place to showcase the past successes and future objectives that are driving the tech conversation in our state.

The series will be led by Matthew Nicaud, Mississippi Center for Public Policy’s new Tech Policy Analyst. His work will focus on engaging with tech policy from a free market-oriented perspective and working with policy and community leaders to advance public discussion on these issues.

Using these opportunities to interact with some of the best and brightest in our state, MCPP looks forward to further exploring the tech landscape and starting the conversation on tech policy issues. With the understanding that economic liberty leads to economic prosperity, we are excited to hear from pioneering tech leaders, policy makers, and entrepreneurs on how Mississippi can encourage tech advancements and reach new heights.

We invite you to join us as we showcase the Mississippi leaders that are making a difference in tech and promoting prosperity in our state!

Visit the Tech Talks homepage at:

Tech Talks Series

Every year, the 2,700 pregnancy resource centers in America serve women in the midst of an unexpected pregnancy. They offer medical, material, emotional, and spiritual resources for women and men facing a decision about their pregnancy. These centers walk with women and their families from the first pregnancy test to long after the baby’s birth. 

Last month’s release of Charlotte Lozier Institute’s Pregnancy Center Services Report revealed stunning findings about these local non-profits. 

Nationwide in 2019, pregnancy centers served local communities with: 

In Mississippi, we have nearly 40 pregnancy centers dispersed throughout the state. 

These centers offer their services completely free to their communities. They are loosely banded together with national network partners like Heartbeat International and CareNet. This decentralized movement of free service clinics and centers include the assistance of nearly 69,000 staff and volunteers, with 78 percent of them being volunteers. Over 10,000 of these staff and volunteers are licensed medical workers.

It is estimated that pregnancy resource centers saved American taxpayers $270 million in 2019.

The vast majority of pregnancy centers receive no government funding whatsoever. Despite not having the support of government agencies and grants, pregnancy centers are extremely efficient at distributing goods and services according to the needs of their cities and counties. 

One of The CPC Metro Area’s two clinics can be found 100 yards from the state’s last abortion facility in Jackson. Inside, you can find a sonogram machine donated by an evangelical non-profit. This allows women considering abortion to view their child on a big screen, funded by local donors, for free. 

The waiting room and counseling rooms are filled with donated brand new furniture, the hallways lined with art donated by local artists. 

The clinic is kept cool and warm by a donated HVAC system. 

Medical and administrative staff and supplies are solely funded by churches and individuals from the greater metro area. 

The free prenatal vitamins are covered by a local pharmacist. 

The sonograms reviewed by radiologists who donate their time and expertise. 

An OBGYN compassionately offers expertise as a medical director. 

The single moms’ support groups are hosted by some of the nearly 100 local church partners, and baby and maternity supplies rush in so quickly, storage can barely be maintained. 

Even the Center’s websites, graphic design, and video production is given as free talent and time from local professionals. This is just one of the three dozen PRCs Mississippians support by their own accord. 

When left to coordinate needs with resources freely, it’s amazing what this spontaneous assortment of non-profit centers can accomplish. 

Jones County Junior College has agreed to revise their free speech policies on campus after a lawsuit was filed by a former student.

Michael Brown, who is now a student at the University of Southern Mississippi, was stopped twice by campus police for trying to inform students about the political club he was involved with, Young Americans for Liberty, without prior authorization from the school’s administration, Along with the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, he filed suit in October 2019 challenging the policies. 

Brown was stopped by campus officials over an inflatable beach ball, known as a “free speech ball,” upon which students could write messages of their choice and again in the spring for polling students about marijuana legalization. 

An administrator told YAL that they weren’t permitted on campus since they hadn’t sought permission from the college.

According to Brown, he and another student held up a sign polling students on marijuana. Campus police took him and another student to their office after telling a friend, who wasn’t a student, to leave. Campus officers later escorted the friend off campus.  

The Department of Justice even became involved with what is known as a statement of interest. 

The DOJ statement compared the school’s regulations regarding public speech from their handbook to the tyrannical state of Oceania in George Orwell’s “1984.” The statement also says the college has an obligation to comply with the First Amendment. 

Previously, the regulations required at least three days’ notice to administrators before “gathering for any purpose.” The student handbook also puts even more restrictions on college-connected student organizations, which must schedule their events through the vice president of student affairs. The school administration also reserved the right, according to the handbook, to not schedule a speaker or an activity.

The statement says that these restrictions operate as a prior restraint on student speech and contain no exception for individuals or small groups, and grant school officials unbridled discretion to determine about what students may speak.

As part of the settlement, JCJC has reversed course and agreed to implement a policy allowing students to express themselves without permission. The policy also adopts language from the “Report of the Committee on Freedom of Expression” at the University of Chicago (better known as the “Chicago Statement”). The college also agreed to pay $40,000 for attorneys’ fees and damages.

Last year, the legislature debated the FORUM Act, which would expressly permit all forms of peaceful assembly, protests, speeches and guest speakers, distribution of literature, carrying signs, and circulating petitions. 

Schools would not be able to create specific “free speech zones” and they may not deny a religious, political, or ideological student organization any benefit or privilege available to any other student organization, or otherwise discriminate against such an organization, based on the expression of the organization.

House Bill 1200 passed the House, but died in the Senate. 

Perhaps if the law was on the books, JCJC could have saved $40,000. 

One year after the Mississippi Justice Institute filed a lawsuit against the city of Jackson, the city council has repealed their buffer zone ordinance that restricted free speech around abortion clinics. 

Last October, MJI and members of Sidewalk Advocates for Life – Jackson, Mississippi launched a constitutional challenge to Jackson’s prohibition on pro-life counseling and other free speech outside the state’s only abortion facility. 

"We are pleased that the city of Jackson has decided to do the right thing and end this unconstitutional restriction on free expression," said Aaron Rice, Director of the Mississippi Justice Institute. "This is a major victory for free speech for Jackson and the state of Mississippi.

The old ordinance banned individuals who are near health facilities from approaching within eight feet of any person without consent, for the purpose of engaging in various forms of speech such as counseling, education, or distributing leaflets; bans people from congregating or demonstrating within 15 feet of the abortion facility, and bans any amplified sound. Violations of the ordinance could have result in fines of up to $1,000 and 90 days in jail.

"Sometimes, the law ends up being what it should be, and this is such a time," said Andy Taggart, a founding partner in Taggart, Rimes & Graham who served as pro bono co-counsel. "The city of Jackson has rescinded an ordinance that should have never been the law to begin with, and, at least for now, things are set right."

“At 22, I became the head biomedical engineer at Merit Health in Natchez. A year later, I started freelancing, with the approval of my hospital administrator. 

“My business, Southeastern Biomedical, provides clinical engineering services for medical facilities in Mississippi and Louisiana, focusing on rural areas. The engineering program at Mississippi State taught me an important lesson to remember when starting a business: don’t start with just an idea – first, find a problem, and then, provide a solution. 

“When I moved to Natchez, I soon learned the surrounding rural areas did not have options for biomedical engineering services. I started Southeastern Biomedical because I want these rural clinics to be able to “shop around” for their clinical engineering needs -- not be locked into having to rely only on large corporations. 

“Rural towns need medical clinics for their communities. Southeastern Biomedical provides support services to help sustain these clinics. We are nimbler and less expensive. Often, we can diagnose and fix problems that corporate staff cannot.

“I want to see Mississippi grow and prosper. Small businesses create jobs. I see a bright future – not only for engineers in Mississippi, but for female engineers in particular. Biomedical engineering will play a significant role in Mississippi's and the Southeast's expanding contribution to biomedical technology and innovation. Amazing advancements in medicine and care will occur over the next decade. 

“I am excited to be part of it!”

Julianna Wallace
Southeastern Biomedical
Natchez, Mississippi

In an age increasingly expanding its reliance on technology in business, science, education, and defense, the significance of a technologically skilled workforce has never been more important.

While many states have made great strides in the tech sector, the Mississippi economy is in need of more tech expertise. Whether this expertise is utilized in the state’s more traditional industries, such as manufacturing and agriculture, or used to launch innovative new startups, tech skills are essential. 

I recently visited with Mike Forster, chairman of the nonprofit Mississippi Coding Academies, based in Jackson and Starkville. It was an excellent opportunity to learn more about the work being done there to develop a skilled workforce in Mississippi.

Matthew: What is the main purpose of the Mississippi Coding Academies?

“Mississippi has done a great job in the past attracting manufacturing industries to our state. But the future of this state and of this nation … in fact, the hub of the world economy, is the digital economy. Everything that we touch every day, from literally our refrigerators and televisions to our smartphones, requires software development. Coding is what puts life in all of these electronic devices. 

“So we, the founders of the Mississippi Coding Academies, perceived that there was a need in Mississippi to directly address the underserved population of our state who don't have some of the advantages others might: others who can go to four-year colleges and make an investment in computer science as a choice of degree and therefore prepare themselves for futures in this industry. The interesting thing is that the four-year colleges in Mississippi produce about 250 to 300 computer science graduates a year, and half of them leave the state. We've got about a thousand openings right now in the state for people with the kinds of skills that Mississippi Coding Academies produce. Some of those jobs are for more experienced people, of course, but the message is still the same.

“There is a big gap between what we have in terms of local production of people who have the ability to develop software for electronic devices and for new services. There's a huge gap in the state between what is needed and what we're producing. The community colleges play an important role here. I don't want to overlook them, but we are unique in that we are really a high tech vo-tech operation. We focus on folks who are high school graduates, who typically have no ability for whatever reason, socioeconomic or whatever, to go to college, even to a community college, or, perhaps, they just are people in transition. Perhaps they're veterans who've served this country, and now they're looking for a way to build some new skills.

“And so what we do is take our students – and we don’t prepare them for jobs – we prepare them for careers. This is a 20-year or 30-year career opportunity. Now they're going to have to continue to develop, change and grow, but they've got all the fundamentals when they leave us to be able to have a long-term career in this economy.”

Matthew: Can you tell us a little bit about the significance of encouraging people with different career contexts to learn code?

“I spent 54 years in the technology world, and I ran worldwide operations for billion-dollar companies and was CEO of two “bleeding edge” software companies. One of the things I learned over the course of all that time is you cannot predict who has the skills to be a good software developer. There is a creative component, as well as an analytical component, to this job. And the most capable and creative developers that ever worked for me had other skills, but they also had a certain level of analytical ability and they could tie those two things together. You just don't know who has those skills. They are innate in many, many people who don't even realize they have it. Our coders are layering these new skills onto existing skills and going forward. … Part of what we do is conduct a little bootcamp, and we let them learn more about what it is we are expecting from them. They invest a year of their lives in developing these skills. When they get through, they are ready to go to work. They have been in a workplace environment. It is as if they had just spent a year in a training program with a local employer, except that they've been in this simulated workplace in the coding academy.”

Matthew: How do you work with potential future employers?

“One of the unique things that is a very important part of our program is that we build partnerships with employers. They make sure our curriculum is up to date, they evaluate our students. They help us select our students. They come in multiple times a year. Some of them are guest lecturers, but they all bring the practical, ‘Here's what it takes to be successful in business,’ type thinking into the Coding Academy. These employers and these supporters add tremendously to what it is we're doing because they put us in a real-world type environment.

“Neither Jackson nor our GTR Academy [in Starkville/Columbus] are lecture halls, they are a workspace. Now we'll use whiteboards and screens to teach a new concept, or to get a new concept going, but what we do is basically introduce a concept and put people to work. They learn by doing. They work together. They learn to work together in small teams. And one of the things that this employer relationship provides is to keep us on our toes. It keeps us current. This industry reinvents itself about every two years: there's some new development in technology that didn't exist two years before. Because we can be light on our feet, we can operate a little bit more independently than educational institutions. We can adapt quickly to what's going on, and that's critical in preparing our students for the workforce with future employers.”

Matthew: How are the Coding Academies facilitating the further development of Mississippi’s largest current industries, as well as new industries?

“There is no industry today that does not need technology. You can take an industry as traditional as steel, or the energy sector, or Mississippi’s tire plants. These manufacturers have enormous amounts of data. Our graduates can help industries that are more traditional. Manufacturers need significant amounts of tech expertise too, to be able to harvest and to use all the data they're collecting. They all need technology. Of course, tech startups need coding too, as does everything associated with the digital economy.

“The net of it is that there's no industry that doesn't need traditional IT support, help desk support, data, mining, cyber security and reporting capabilities, as well as application development for new capabilities and functionality on the shop floor. All those kinds of things are needed and are essential. Our graduates are able to fill those types of jobs.”

Matthew: Why is Mississippi a good place for tech innovation?

“Some of Mississippi’s advantages are that we've got a low cost of living and our students have a strong work ethic. And many of them have the skills to become 21st century economy contributors. Our public schools need to do more to inject coding into their junior and senior high programs. As they do, we will have more and more students ‘self-select’ themselves to be candidates for the coding academies, or to pursue a traditional computer science degree.  We need to expand our coverage within the state, and I’m excited about the possibilities of a Gulf Coast location in the near future. We’ve also got an exciting new initiative called ‘TechSmart’ that will allow us to reach smaller communities via tele-learning. Governor Tate Reeves and the key folks at the Mississippi Development Authority and the State Workforce Investment Board are all very supportive of our efforts, so my confidence is at an all-time high that we’ll continue to expand and provide these 21st century skills to Mississippi’s greatest natural resource: our wonderful people.” 

The education setting for many children in Mississippi shifted this year. Perhaps the numbers weren’t as dramatic as mid-summer polling indicated, but the number of homeschoolers has increased by 35 percent over the previous year. 

According to unofficial data collected by the Mississippi Department of Education, 25,376 students are homeschooling this year. These numbers aren’t final and may increase. Families are required to submit a certificate of enrollment form for each child who is homeschooled by September 15. Generally, families don’t submit forms for kindergarteners because compulsory education in Mississippi begins at 6. 

For the previous school year, there were 18,904 homeschoolers. Homeschooling now makes up about 5 percent of total student enrollment. 

The relative ease of homeschooling has helped many families who had never considered homeschooling get started. For a state that has generally shown little interest in education freedom, the freedom to homeschool is broadly supported and protected by law. The one thing a parent must do is file an annual certificate of enrollment with your local school district’s school attendance officer. All you need on the form is your child’s name, address, phone number, and a simple description of the program such as, “age appropriate curriculum.”  

When you do that, your child and you are now exempt from the state’s punitive compulsory education laws. There are no requirements on curriculum or testing or who can teach. Parents, instead, have the freedom to choose the educational system, style, and setting that works best for them and their children. 

The Department of Education “recommends” parents review state curriculum guidelines and maintain a portfolio of their child’s work, thought that is not required. As opposed to following a government curriculum that tells your child what he or she must learn at what age, homeschooling allows you to let your child learn at their own pace. 

That means a child who is excelling can move forward at a quicker pace, cover additional topics, or take in material at a deeper level. If a child is struggling, you can slow down, switch your teaching style, or bring in new materials. If your child has a unique interest, the world is literally at their fingertips with scores of free, online training materials. Yes, YouTube is filled with funny cat videos. But it also provides a library of instruction on virtually any topic you can think of.      

Thanks to today’s technology, a quick Google search can help you get more comfortable with homeschooling. There is an abundance of homeschool Facebook groups with veterans who are willing to share their ideas on getting started, curriculum, extracurricular activities, maintaining your sanity, and much more. Connection to these groups is also a venue to plan an endless variety of outings and field trips. It won’t take long to realize your child will receive as much “socialization” as you would like.  

There are also options such as co-ops, where families gather together and share teaching responsibilities among parents. Similarly, we have seen the emergence of microschools this year in which a small group of parents pool their resources together to hire a teacher. 

While homeschooling experienced it's biggest one-year jump ever, the number of students attending government schools fell from just under 466,000 last year to 442,000, a drop of over 5 percent. This is the eighth straight year that enrollment has decreased since a peak of almost 493,000 for the 2012-2013 school year. 

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