Mississippi’s free-market think tank, the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, won two national awards at the State Policy Network annual conference in Atlanta yesterday.
- 1ST AWARD - “Biggest win for Freedom” award: Earlier this year, Mississippi passed historic tax reform, with the Mississippi Tax Freedom Act. The change cut the state income tax and gave 1.1 million Mississippians a tax break. In recognition of MCPP’s role in achieving this landmark reform, MCPP was given the “Biggest Win for Freedom” Award, jointly with Empower Mississippi.
"Mississippi has historically had a high tax burden and slow growth," said Douglas Carswell, MCPP’s President & CEO. "Our campaign to cut the state income tax is helping to change that."
"We won this award for the work we did to bring key people and organizations into alignment, found common ground for carefully costed state income tax cuts, and at the same time built popular support for the idea.”
- 2ND AWARD - SPN Network Award: In recognition of our effort to overturn the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate, our litigation division, the Mississippi Justice Institute, won the SPN Network Award. We were given the award jointly with a number of other think tanks, including the Texan Public Policy Foundation and Louisiana’s Pelican Institute.
"We are honored to be recognized alongside so many esteemed constitutional litigation centers," said MJI director, Aaron Rice, who helped lead the fight. "We will continue standing up against government overreach and protecting constitutional rights at every opportunity."
The State Policy Network supports a movement of over 60 independent think tanks across America and has over 90 partners. At this year’s conference, SPN gave out five awards. MCPP was a finalist in three of the five categories, going on to win in two.
"It is wonderful that MCPP was a finalist in three of the five categories," Carswell said. "But we like to win for Mississippi, so it was wonderful to go on to actually win twice.
"Mississippi has been one of the poorest states in America for as long as anyone can remember," Carswell said. "MCPP exists to try to change that, and we believe we will only change that by achieving big, strategic changes that improve decades of public policy failure."
"These awards show that MCPP is an effective vehicle for change," Carswell said. "We are helping to drive the far-reaching change that Mississippi needs. Now we want to try to achieve big, strategic wins in improving education and healthcare in our state, too."
An American city of 150,000 people is without running water. Pumps at the main water treatment plant in Jackson, Mississippi failed this week. Low water pressure means that many homes and businesses can’t even run the taps. Those that are getting a trickle are advised not to clean their teeth with it, let alone drink it, since it is likely contaminated.
How did this happen?
Jackson city leadership would like you to think it has something to do with all the recent rains we have had here in Mississippi. Speaking somewhat cryptically at a recent press briefing, Jackson’s mayor, Chokwe Lumumba, said the water-treatment facility had been “challenged, as it relates to these flood levels”. Putting the blame on the rain, he went on to say that the city’s water administration was trying to “figure out how they contend with that additional water that is coming in”.
Officials in neighboring towns and cities, such as Madison, Flowood and Clinton, managed to figure out how to supply residents with clean water despite having just as much rain.
Unless the laws of physics are different in Jackson, the only logical conclusion one can draw from this fiasco is that Jackson’s water problems are a consequence of systemic mismanagement.
Two thousand years ago, the Romans figured out how to supply a city with running water by putting it in pipes. Jackson today seems to be struggling to master this technology.
Key water treatment plants in the city did not employ qualified personnel to run them. Now they have stopped running. What did city authorities think would happen?
For years, city authorities have underinvested in Jackson’s water infrastructure, to the point where it is now falling apart. This, some will be quick to tell you, is because of a lack of money. But why is there not enough money?
In 2017, Jackson’s water billing system collected $61 million in revenue, and the operating costs of the city’s water system were about $54 million. That left a healthy surplus that competent management might have allocated to meet maintenance costs.
This year, the amount of revenue collected is likely to be closer to $40 million, far below running costs. Not only is there no surplus to go towards maintenance, there does not seem to have been much maintenance even when there was a surplus.
How on earth does a city water authority manage to lose almost a third of its revenue in the space of five years? In large part because the city authorities have not collected revenue since they have lacked an effective water billing system.
Several years ago, Siemens was contracted to create a new billing system, while at the same time upgrading much of the city’s dilapidated water infrastructure. That arrangement ended with Siemens being sued by the city for $89 million.
Was that large dollop of Siemens’ money given to the city used to improve Jackson’s water system? Twice as much was spent on attorneys ($30 million) as went to improve Jackson’s water and sewage system ($14 million).
Given what happened with Siemens, I worry that Jackson might not be able to find a contractor willing to undertake the herculean task of fixing the city’s water supply, even if the money could be found. I also suspect that any large outside contractor prepared to undertake the task may want to ensure that they were free to subcontract with their preferred partners on the basis of value, and not to be subjected to various ‘contract rules’ on the basis of politics.
Without some sort of outside support, Jackson’s water crisis will not be resolved. Our’s may become the first state capital in America where it becomes impossible for residents to take a daily shower.
At the state level, Mississippi’s Governor Tate Reeves, who lives in Jackson, has stepped in. He has taken on the task of providing emergency water distribution to local residents – and offering state money to pay for half of it.
The federal government also seems keen to help out. President Biden specifically mentioned investing in Jackson’s water system, during the passage of the Infrastructure Bill. But as Representative Bennie Thompson has sensibly suggested, for the federal authorities to step in “the city to come up with a plan”. Representative Thompson is right.
The federal and state authorities seem willing to act. The key question is whether Jackson’s city leadership is willing to let them come in alongside.
Douglas Carswell is the President & CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy. He lives and works in Jackson.
Since moving across the Atlantic to run the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, I have led successful campaigns to:
• Cut the state income tax, resulting in both the largest tax cut in Mississippi history and a flat tax.
• Enact a law to combat Critical Race theory consistent with liberty.
• Reform occupational licensing, making it easier for skilled people to work here.
Low tax, liberty max – this is what real conservatism looks like. If only folk back in Britain were offered real conservatism!
In recognition of our success in building a mass movement that made these wins possible, the Mississippi Center for Public Policy has been nominated for an award – but we need your support to win.
Please vote to make sure Mississippi wins!
Thank you!
(Jackson, MS): The Mississippi Center for Public Policy has hired Michelle Brodsky as its new Investigative Researcher/Journalist
Michelle Brodsky, a native of Pennsylvania, will serve as the Mississippi Center for Public Policy’s new Investigative Researcher/Journalist. Through this position, she will conduct primary research on energy policy, healthcare and education and works with the Director of Communications to assemble her findings in a cohesive and succinct manner.
Michelle is a graduate of the University of Hartford where she studied history, psychology, and economics, launching her journey in conservative politics. She will be attending Cornell Law School this coming fall and hopes to eventually become a criminal defense attorney or a civil rights attorney.
“Michelle is a first-class writer who will produce in-depth research and analysis," CEO & President Douglas Carswell said. "I am excited to have her as part of our team, taking on the cozy cartels that hold our state back and advancing the cause of liberty.”
Monday was Michelle’s first day on the job. She will primarily be working virtually. Her first research article, published Thursday, can be found here.
As a first-generation American whose parents escaped the communism of the former USSR, Michelle is particularly passionate about ensuring that the United States does not end up like the former Soviet Union. Along with freedom of speech and gun rights, Michelle's top issues are school choice, education reform and election integrity.
“I am really excited to work for MCPP as an investigative reporter because I will have the opportunity to conduct primary research on issues that deeply affect all Mississippians and Americans,” Brodsky said. “In a world that relies on sound bites, it has become increasingly important to dive into the facts and draw original conclusions.”
Read a letter to Mississippi elected officials, sponsored by several of the state's think tanks, alliances and unions, on the need for income tax elimination here.
Mississippi’s administrative state has a major democratic deficit, according to a new report published today.
Of the 222 state government bureaucracies reviewed in the report, only 5 percent are headed by a directly elected official. The state Senate only confirms a small minority of appointees to other key positions.
According to the report, published by the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, the administrative state in Mississippi has the ability to spend money and decide on public policy without reference to the public. 81% of bureaucratic spending comes from agencies run by appointed leaders with very little regulatory accountability.
The report acknowledges that certain departments or boards are essential to the success of Mississippi, but that there are dozens of agencies the state could probably do without. Might not Mississippi be able to manage without an Interior Design Advisory Committee?
“When people talk about ‘draining the swamp,’ they usually mean Washington D.C.,” explained CEO & President Douglas Carswell. “Our research shows that there is a ‘swamp’ here in Mississippi that needs dealing with, too.”
In order to assess the entire administrative state of Mississippi, we analyzed four elements of 222 state boards, agencies and commissions: accountability, spending power and size, regulatory power and function. Our findings reveal that while much of the state bureaucracy is unaccountable, it is well-resourced and has expanded in terms of its regulatory remit.
“We reviewed 222 state-based bureaucratic organizations here in Mississippi, and we discovered that there is a serious accountability deficit,” Carswell said. “Big, powerful bureaucratic organizations are able to impose rules and spend public money without meaningful accountability to the public.”
What should we do about the administrative state of Mississippi? How can we hold these bureaucrats accountable, and how can we better manage the regulations and functionality of these boards? We at the Mississippi Center for Public Policy have some suggestions.
1. Rein in the broad discretion given to bureaucrats by laying out parameters for regulations and requiring routine audits
2. Establish more grassroots accountability through elections by expanding the amount of elected, rather than appointed agency representatives
3. Look at the possibility of term limits for high-level officials to help remove the problems that can come from a system of career-centered bureaucrats
4. Consolidate or eliminate certain entities to save taxpayer dollars
5. Put in a sunset provision that requires any new regulation to be automatically repealed after a certain period of time if not extended, in order to eliminate the overbearing regulatory authority
6. Require all unelected regulators to submit annual public reports to the legislature outlining enforcement actions, subjecting these entities to higher scrutiny
The Mississippi Center for Public Policy believes “draining the swamp” would have a positive impact on the state by eliminating unnecessary agencies that negatively hold back citizens, while also ensuring those in power do not have an overabundance of money and control.
You can read the full report here.
For media inquiries, please contact Tyler B. Jones, [email protected].
Douglas Murray spoke to a packed meeting at River Hills Club in Jackson, Mississippi yesterday.
Murray’s new book, War on the West, was announced as a New York Times bestseller the day he landed in Jackson. His book was already the number one selling hardback book in his native Britain the previous week.
“Douglas Murray is the man of the moment. His book is a best seller and I believe is proving to be extremely influential in shaping the way America thinks” said Douglas Carswell, President & CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, which hosted the event.
“In recent years, Americans have been told that they must feel bad about their country. Progressive professors have taught young Americans that America is always wrong.”
“Heroic figures from America’s past have been denigrated. Statues have been pulled down by the mob. In the name of equity, millions of ordinary Americans get treated unequally.”
“Douglas Murray’s new book uses clear, well-researched insights to show how absurd these ‘woke’ ideas actually are. And he shows how Americans can stand proud”.
Thank goodness the federal mask mandate on airplanes in America has been overturned.
Requiring everyone to wear face diapers / nappies at all times in the belief that it would reduce the spread of Covid always seemed pretty ridiculous. The idea that face masks would significantly impact the trajectory of the virus was seldom supported by substantive evidence.
Watching people at airports forced to wear face masks often made me think of the irrational way in which people responded to plagues in the distant past. Wearing face masks to try to stave off a disease ranks alongside wearing charms to try to ward off the evil eye. I always thought of it as a form of federally mandated voodoo.
Forcing folk to wear masks was never benign. It gave airliners and airport authorities additional reasons to boss passengers about, making flying an even more unpleasant experience.
What is interesting about the ending of the mask mandate is that it was a federal judge that took the decisive step. Despite all the evidence that mask mandates are both futile and now unnecessary, it was not the federal bureaucracy that acted.
A couple of weeks ago, we all saw some horrific scenes from China, where a total lock down is in place. People in Shanghai have been confined to their own homes. The police have attacked desperate people.
Why are the authorities acting so differently over there? Is it a different virus? Are masks more effective in China? Do the Chinese authorities know something we don’t?
No. The difference is that here in the United States we have the United States Constitution. This republic has a Bill of Rights and a judiciary prepared to interpret what the law actually says, not what the powerful want it to say.
From Australia to Britain to Peru, officials responded to Covid by imposing asinine – and at times outrageous – restrictions on society in the mistaken belief that they knew what was best for them. They didn’t. Closing schools or banning people from meeting members of their own families was idiotic, and some of us said so at the time.
The instinct of officials in America might have been to impose all sorts of idiocy on people too. And occasionally, especially on the East and West Coasts, they were able to. But thank goodness the American founders drafted a constitution that curbed the worst excesses of those with power.
Enterprising young people are abandoning decaying Democrat cities in search of a better life
Sunday Telegraph, March 27th, 2022
America is on the move. A rapid demographic change is under way, reshaping the nation’s economic, political and cultural contours. For as long as anyone can remember, America’s big business clusters were in the northeast, the midwest and California. New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles were the kinds of places where enterprising young Americans would go to make their way in the world.
Not anymore. In just 12 months between July 2020 and July 2021, these four cities lost over 700,000 people. A very different phenomenon is playing out in conservative states, especially in the south. Almost 80 per cent of the population growth in 2021 happened in a mere 10 counties. Five of the fastest growing counties were in Texas and two in Florida. The fastest of all was Maricopa county in Arizona, which is rapidly filling up with large numbers of Californian emigres.
What do the growth states have in common? They favour freedom. From snow-capped Utah to swampy Florida, geography and climate are not the decisive factor; state politics is. As free states thrive, radical progressives drive businesses away from their traditional hubs. Last year, Elon Musk relocated Tesla’s headquarters from California to Texas. Thousands of lower-profile businesses have made the same move.
While California combines European level taxation with third-world level public services, free states such as Texas, Tennessee and Florida do not have a state income tax at all. In New York and Silicon Valley, permits are needed for almost anything, yet Arizona and Utah have imposed radical red-tape reduction plans.
Contemporary America remains bitterly divided between these two tribes. Conservative America drives pick-up trucks, prefers its taxes low and its government small. Here, the Oath of Allegiance is pledged daily, and American exceptionalism accepted as self-evident. Progressive America, on the other hand, drives a Prius rather than a pick-up and is far more likely to worry about climate change. This tribe has a fundamentally different conception of what America is, was and ought to be, and prefers to focus on intersectional identity above any kind of exceptionalism.
Opinion formers in Britain, citing Biden’s win over Trump, often assume that America is moving inexorably towards a more progressive future. Yet a rather different picture is emerging.
States aren’t just depopulating due to an exodus of enterprising people. Progressive America is literally dying; deaths in Democrat cities and states have started to exceed births. Though birth rates have fallen across the board in the past decade, it has been most pronounced in places where folk have gone woke, perhaps losing interest in raising a family in the process. Women in conservative America on average marry significantly younger than they do in progressive states.
As Chicagoans and Californians flood into Texas, Arizona and Tennessee in search of a better life, many conservatives fear that they will bring their progressive voting habits with them. A more optimistic scenario is that as the most entrepreneurial abandon progressive controlled areas in favour of free ones, they will merely reinforce the intensely individualistic mindset that already exists there.
What is certain is that two models of American identity are engaged in a fierce battle at a federal level. Because the US system allows interstate competition, here in Mississippi we are leading a campaign to abolish the state income tax. We have written a new law on universal occupational licensing to make it easier for outsiders to come and work here.
What if this kind of localism were normal in Britain? What sort of innovation could be unleashed? You would not have to kill time hoping for Boris Johnson to fix things anymore than we are waiting on Joe Biden.
Douglas Carswell is the president and CEO of the Mississippi Centre for Public Policy.