When it comes to education, the private sector and individual families generally do a much better job of innovating than the government. That will remain true during the coronavirus pandemic.
In a world when many government schools are moving to online learning only or implementing rigid policies concerning face masks, social distancing, and extracurricular activities, we have seen an interest in something else. For many that has been homeschooling, but that might not be for everyone.
Enter microschooling, or more simply, pods. This isn’t exactly new. Just much more relevant today than years past.
While this may take many shapes and sizes, the premise is that a small group of families pool their resources to hire a teacher for their children. With this, children are able to get a “school setting,” have a teacher hired by the parents, and parents are able to work outside of the house. And by being in a smaller setting, the thinking is you are less likely contract COVID.
All the while, you have the ability to customize your child’s education in choosing a learning style that you feel best meets their needs and interests. Much like private school, you opt-in after reviewing the various options available and what the specific schooling entails.
How do people find out about local pods and get help in starting one? There are structured microschooling organizations, but if you’d like something more informal, Facebook groups are a great starting point to find the right fit. The Pandemic Pods group now has 30,000 members asking questions and sharing ideas.
Pods can also be a great option for current teachers who either don’t want to go back to school under current conditions or are looking for something different. In this setting, teachers would have a significant amount of autonomy to teach children without the current reliance on test scores and restraints of the state and federal government mandates.
In many ways, pods are similar to co-ops, which have long served homeschool families, but come with some differences. Co-ops largely rely on parents to take turns with instruction and are generally only one or two days per week, with parents filing in the rest of their child’s education. The pod allows an outside source to handle all (or most) of the education during the day similar to a traditional school.
The best part about what we are experiencing with education today is that we are finally seeing a move toward individualism to meet a child’s needs at a large scale. So much of education is just a closed decision. You send your kids to a school when they are five. Thirteen years later they graduate with a certificate saying they learned…something. It requires as little effort as you’d like to make. Usually the hardest decision is finding a place to live within government created lines that dictate school zones or districts.
Today, we’re making hard decisions about our child’s education. A lot of this is about safety and socialization, but it’s about what’s best for them, and what will lead to the best outcomes. That is good. Because the one thing we’ve always said is there is no one-size-fits-all approach that is going to work the same for every child.
For you, that might be a pod.
“My name is Danielle Russell and my business in Craveable Creations.
“You could say I got started when I was 8 years old. My mom and dad were both Navy, so I wasn’t raised by a traditional mom. She didn’t cook much, and she hated it when she did. But my aunt loved to cook, and I loved being with her learning. After she taught me how to make pancakes, I fell in love with cooking everything. I especially love old timey recipes.
“Fast Forward to 20015, a friend of mine asked me to make mini pies for her wedding and I did – 300 mini pies of all sort for the grooms table. After that I researched what I could do from home and found out about the cottage food guidelines. To be honest I do not like having my hands tied by such restrictions.
“I sell baked goods and custom snacks. I have a very eclectic clientele. I have been blessed to be a small part in several weddings, birthday parties – the most recent was for a 99-year young gentleman in our community. I have participated in baby showers, snack foods for football parties. I even had the privilege of making cinnamon rolls for former First Lady Deborah Bryant.
“Because of this business, we’re able to prepare for retirement. I am 46 years old and I have worked in a hospital laboratory as a Med Tech my entire adult life. I was so excited to see the ability to advertise cottage food products online. And the increase income of $35,000 will also be a big help!”
Danielle Russell
Craveable Creations
Newton, Mississippi
“My name is Leslie Stingley and I operate Homestead by the Brambles.
“Currently I make homemade breads, and syrups that can be added to teas, lemonades, and cocktails. I have a garden, we make pickles, and I have wild chanterelles mushrooms growing on the property.
“I started this business when I lost my job at a food manufacturing company in May. I worked 55-60 hours per week before. But because of the new business, I’m now able to be at home with my daughter.
“We are still really in its startup phase, but I know there is a market for fresh, preservative free goods. I’ve seen and experienced the beginning of the failure of the food system. I feel strongly that my purpose is to help change the food system.
“I want to change our culture to one of true sustainability, not this fake sustainability that has been preached by the major food companies the past 10 years. I strongly fear if we have a worse food shortage than we did over the coronavirus pandemic, people will not know how to eat.
“The legislature allowing cottage food businesses to earn more and advertise online will be a big help.”
Leslie Stingley
Homestead by the Brambles
Morton, Mississippi
Mississippi has a ways to go before challenging some of the South’s strongest economies, and one key reason is more regulation and red tape than its neighbors. New legislation proposed this session could have helped rein in government red tape, but the most significant bills failed to gain enough traction. Thus, Mississippi has a long way to go if it wants to unburden itself of the moniker “the most regulated state in the South.”
In 2018, as part of a national review of state regulations, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University found Mississippi has nearly 118,000 regulatory restrictions on the books. All told, the state code book includes 9.3 million words, and it would take about 13 weeks to read if all one did was read regulations as a full time job.
The biggest regulator in Mississippi, by far, is the Department of Health, with more than 20,000 restrictions. Coming in second is the Department of Human Services, with over 12,000 restrictions. Various state boards, commissions, and examiners have a combined 10,000 restrictions.
These regulations touch every industry in the state and impact each Mississippian in some form or fashion. The health care and assisted living sectors are particularly highly regulated. Some of these rules keep our senior citizens safe, but surely others, like restrictions on relocating or renovating medical facilities, just make the system inflexible, especially during an emergency.
The coronavirus pandemic has revealed deep shortcomings in the regulatory system. To ensure an adequate amount of health care coverage, governors around the country have been relaxing—not increasing—regulations. This includes easing restrictions on telemedicine, recognizing medical licenses from other states, and in some states, rolling back requirements that health care facilities obtain permission from regulators before adding new equipment like hospital beds.
Overall, Mississippi’s regulatory load is about average for a typical state, but when compared to some of its neighbors, a clearer picture emerges. A new Mercatus Center analysis summarizes data from eight southern states stretching from Kentucky down to Florida and over to Louisiana. Of these states, Florida has the most regulatory restrictions at 171,000. However, if one adjusts for the fact that a bigger population tends to generate more regulation, Florida is, by that measure, actually the least regulated. Of the group, Mississippi has the most regulations per capita (and the lowest GDP per capita).
More populous states tend to have more industries, denser urban areas, and other factors that generally contribute to a higher number of regulations. This explains why California, Ohio, New York, and Texas are all among the five-most regulated states in America, despite having very different political environments.
Mississippi lawmakers recently had an opportunity to reduce regulatory burdens. Several bills were proposed that would have created regulatory reduction pilot programs at various state agencies. The idea is that a small consortium of agencies should have to measure and track how much regulation they impose, and then make sensible cuts based on those measurements. If all goes well, the pilot program can be expanded to other agencies. The state of Virginia has already implemented a pilot program like this, demonstrating that the idea is feasible, affordable, and even bipartisan.
None of the various Mississippi proposals made it into law this year. However, governors around the country have taken action by issuing red-tape reduction executive orders. Gov. Tate Reeves could start by reviewing regulations suspended in response to COVID-19, as Idaho has recently done. Or he could take a more aggressive approach, like Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, who earlier this year ordered a 25 percent across-the-board regulatory reduction.
Whatever approach is taken, Mississippians need regulatory relief now. The pandemic continues to ravage the country, and the nation’s regulatory system is simply not up to the task. There is an opportunity to rectify the situation if our leaders will heed the call.
This column appeared in the Clarion Ledger on July 7, 2020.
Mississippi has some of the most consumer friendly laws in the country when it comes to buying and using fireworks.
You have probably noticed temporary firework stands set up near your house in the past couple weeks and that is because Mississippi has a defined selling period. Retailers can sell fireworks during the two busiest seasons; from June 15 through July 5 and from December 5 through January 2. And what retailers can sell and you can purchase is largely wide open.
But while state law provides for much freedom, many municipalities limit the use of fireworks in their city limits. Though not exhaustive, here is the rundown of whether fireworks are legal or illegal in Mississippi cities.
Fireworks are legal in the following cities:
Bay St. Louis, Horn Lake, Jackson (as of 2011), Natchez, Nettleton, Waveland.
The use of fireworks are banned in the following cities:
Aberdeen, Amory, Biloxi, Columbus, Corinth, D’Iberville, Diamondhead, Fulton, Hattiesburg, Hernando, Laurel, Long Beach, Meridian, Moss Point, Ocean Springs, Olive Branch, Oxford, Pascagoula, Pass Christian, Petal, Poplarville, Ridgeland, Southaven, Starkville, Tupelo, Vicksburg, West Point.
Disclosure: These regulations are based on recent news stories. Check with local authorities for most updated ordinance.
The default appears to be illegal, while it is largely legal in unincorporated portions of the counties.
One of the most common refrains from limiting fireworks is safety concerns and injuries caused by fireworks. But a 2017 report from the U.S. Consumer Safety Commission says “there is not a statistically significant trend in estimated emergency department-treated, fireworks-related injuries from 2002 to 2017.”
Rest assured, you are more likely to get injured from children’s toys then from fireworks-related injuries.
Noise is the other big complaint concerning fireworks, particularly after a certain time. Of course, municipal noise ordinances can and already do police that issue.
So as you celebrate the day which marks our freedom from the tyranny and oppression of another country, make sure you don’t run afoul with our own government regulators that have taken it upon themselves to limit your freedoms.
A few months ago, I wrote with great hope and optimism that 2020 very well could be the “year for alcohol freedom.”
Unfortunately, even before the coronavirus pandemic forced adjustments to the legislative session, legislators were already casting their votes against many widely popular bills that would have expanded the freedom of Mississippians and strengthened entrepreneurs. Or just never considering such bills.
Sunday sale of alcohol. Grocery stores allowed to sell wine. Direct shipment of wine. Expansion of liquor licenses. Privatization of distribution. Craft brewery freedom. Regulatory reform. A range of bills were introduced this session that would have dramatically empowered both consumers and entrepreneurs. Almost every single one of these bills died.
In voting against alcohol freedom, legislators are not only consistently voting against the will of Mississippians but are also crushing potential economic growth of a potentially major industry.
In a survey conducted earlier this year, an overwhelming 75 percent of Mississippians said that they would be in favor of legislation that allows grocery stores to sell wine in addition to beer. Furthermore, 48 percent of those surveyed said they would be more likely to vote for a legislator who had supported such legislation, while only 17 percent said they would be less likely to vote for said candidate.
The survey also found that among Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, levels of support were above 70 percent. How often today are individuals across political parties able to so strongly agree on an issue? The present support should have been enough to drive change.
House Bill 981, sponsored by Rep. Brent Powell (R-Flowood) and Senate Bill 2531 sponsored by Sen. Walter Michel (R-Ridgeland) would have changed state policy and allowed for the widely supported sale of wine in grocery stores. Unfortunately, neither bill even made it out of committee, and thus was never given a chance for a floor vote in the House or Senate.
Ironically, many Mississippians shop at stores such as Costco, Whole Foods, Sam’s Club, and others throughout the state who have their own liquor store directly attached to the actual store. However, current law does not allow these stores to be connected internally, so one is forced to walk out the door and then right back in. These types of rules fail to pass even a basic test for common sense.
Mississippi had the opportunity to become the 44th state in the nation to give individuals the freedom to purchase wine and have it shipped directly to their homes through Senate Bill 2534, also authored by Michel. When this bill came to the floor, it was defeated by a vote of 32-13.
At the present moment, it seems that the only bill set to pass would allow for shipment of alcohol to a local liquor store. This allows a customer to avoid the hassle of going through the ABC warehouse process to order a specific bottle of wine or liquor, but is far from embracing the widely supported direct shipment of alcohol to one’s home.
In rejecting many good bills, legislators have chosen to not only restrict freedoms that are widely supported by Mississippians, but also to further hinder the alcohol industry in the state.
Moving forward it seems likely that pandemic has changed the state of the game for many burdensome rules and regulations. Many rules have been dismissed, including ones that blocked the sale of to-go bottles of wine or mixed drinks, as well as the delivery of alcohol curbside. While a pandemic has raged across the nation, many of the rules which we were previously told were enacted for our safety, were quickly thrown out in order to promote actual health and safety via social distancing techniques.
Thus, the question is begged as to what other rules ought to be dismissed to further protect health and safety. Ordering alcohol online via one of the many food delivery apps would surely help to lower the number of physical interactions at stores. The direct shipment of wine to one’s home would also go a long way to improve social distancing methods. As the fear of a Fall Covid-19 return looms, should we not quickly take action to promote and encourage safe actions in any way possible?
Support for change in alcohol policy is not a political issue, but a freedom issue. The question at hand is whether state officials trust their constituents to make decisions related to personal responsibility for themselves.
While this may not have been the year for alcohol freedom, continued growth in support for new policies demands a coming change to the status quo.
This column appeared in the Daily Journal on June 23, 2020.
Legislation to make it easier for military spouses to obtain an occupational license when they move to Mississippi will be among the item’s legislators will be able to consider when they return to finish out the session.
Today, about one in five need a license to work, a strong contrast from the 1950s when just five percent of the population needed permission from the government to earn a living. The impact on military families is even more pronounced than the public as a whole. Data from over the past year – before governments shut down the economy because of the coronavirus pandemic – showed military spouses had unemployment rates that ranged from 20 to 25 percent.
Why do we see this? One of the reasons is the obvious. The average military family moves every two to three years, meaning new town, new schools, new lives, and, if the spouse is working, a new job for him or her.
But obtaining an occupational license from another state, which includes new classes and testing, doesn’t make finding a new job easy, and it certainly doesn’t make it quick. By the time the paperwork and testing are completed, and you receive a license and then find a new job, you will likely be moving before too long. This process then repeats itself with every move. Eventually it gets to the point that it isn’t worth it. And we see absurdly high unemployment rates for military spouses.
Senate Bill 2117 would make important changes to ease that burden off military families. It is now headed to the governor after the Senate agreed to House changes today.
Under the proposal, occupational boards in Mississippi will be required to recognize occupational licensed obtained from other states for military members and their families, if the applicant holds a current license from another state and is in good standing. The board will have 60 days after the application is filed to issue (or deny) a license.
If someone has already jumped through the necessary hoops to obtain a license in another state, we should recognize that license in Mississippi.
New legislation giving the Occupational Licensing Review Commission the ability to review existing regulations is one step closer to becoming law after the House concurred with changes from the Senate.
House Bill 1104, authored by Rep. Randy Boyd, allows OLRC to review, on its own discretion, the substance of an “existing occupational regulation promulgated by an occupational licensing board.”
Under the law, regulations must increase economic opportunities for all of its citizens by promoting competition and thereby encouraging innovation and job growth and use the least restrictive regulation necessary to protect consumers from present, significant, and substantiated harms that threaten public health and safety.
If a regulation does not, the OLRC can declare that the noncomplying regulation will become invalid 60 days after the date of review, according to the new law.
The OLRC is made up of the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state.
Today, Mississippi has more than 117,000 regulations, which numerous empirical studies show to have a detrimental effect on economic growth. Mississippi also licenses 66 low-and-middle income occupations. According to a recent report from the Institute for Justice, Mississippi has lost 13,000 jobs because of occupational licensing and the state has suffered an economic value loss of $37 million.
HB 1104 passed 97-17 in the House and 36-15 in the Senate. After the concurrence, it is now headed to the governor.
Two days before the June 17 deadline for floor action on legislation from the other chamber, both the House and Senate are moving forward with key bills that will expand liberty, remove barriers, and make it easier to work and earn a living in Mississippi.
While there are other bills still alive that run counter to the ideals of liberty and freedom, here is a rundown of many of the good bills that have already moved:
HB 838: This will allow individuals leaving state prisons to use MDOC documents as qualifying papers to obtain a driver’s license. For ex-offenders to land gainful employment, they generally need a driver’s license. Something that has been a hinderance. This will make that process easier by allowing MDOC documents in lieu of a birth certificate or social security card. The bill has a reverse repealer, meaning the bill will now go to conference.
HB 1024: This will make various reforms to Mississippi’s “three strikes” habitual offender law for nonviolent drug offenses. It prevents offenses from more than 15 years ago counting toward the enhancement and prevents nonviolent offenses from triggering a life sentence. The bill has a reverse repealer, meaning the bill will now go to conference.
HB 1104: This will give the Occupational Licensing Review Commission the ability to do a review of an existing regulation to determine whether it increases economic opportunities for citizens by promoting competition and uses the least restrictive regulation to protect consumers. Right now, the OLRC, which is comprised of the governor, attorney general and secretary of state, is limited to review only new regulations. It was amended in the Senate and will return to the House for concurrence.
HB 1136: The Learn to Earn Act will provide new apprenticeship opportunities for Mississippi students. It was amended in the Senate and will return to the House for concurrence.
SB 2117: This will provide universal recognition of occupational licenses for military families. In committee, the House took the language of House Bill 1510, a similar bill, and inserted it before it passed the House. It now returns to the Senate for concurrence.
SB 2123: This will allow the Parole Board to consider individuals after they have served 25 percent of their sentence for a nonviolent offense and 50 percent for a violent offense. The bill has a reverse repealer, meaning the bill will now go to conference.
SB 2552: This will remove the prohibition on how much alcohol a brewery can sell on its premises. It has been sent to the governor.
SB 2594: This extends the Special Needs Education Scholarship Account program, which was needed, or it would expire at the end of June. While this is still a good program with great potential, the legislature has chosen to keep the program tiny and even made changes that hurt the program. It is now on to the governor.
SB 2725: This will legalize the cultivation of hemp in Mississippi. It was amended in the House and will return to the Senate for concurrence.
SB 2830: This will expand the current list of eligible patients in the state’s Right to Try law to an individual with a traumatic injury and would also allow adult stem cells as a treatment option. It is now on to the governor.