Published: January 26, 2007 12:31 am      

Barbour optimistic about future

Governor pleased with state’s progress

In what he promised would not be a speech, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour held his audience captive Tuesday with an upbeat talk about “where we started and where we are.”

Speaking at the MSU Riley Center to public officials, law enforcement officers, teachers and concerned citizens, Barbour’s appearance was the fifth of 10 scheduled stops throughout the state.

During the meeting, the governor discussed his legislative agenda and detailed his priorities for this legislative session.

“One of things you notice at every one of these is that not everybody here supported me for governor; not everybody here is Republican,” Barbour said. “I’m glad everybody felt welcome to come. We want the people to be here because this really is ‘for you’ information.”

The governor began his presentation outlining the status of the state before he took office, particularly under the administration of former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove.

His key points: On Barbour’s first day in office, Mississippi had a net loss of more than 38,000 jobs; every small business was “one step away from bankruptcy;” and the state had a $720 million budget hole.

“We had gotten ourselves in the worst financial condition in the history of our state,” Barbour said.

In addition, he said, the state had shortchanged its priorities — universities and community colleges: “That year, universities in Mississippi received 7 percent less in state appropriations than they did when Fordice was governor. Our community colleges received 16 percent less.”

And, in the middle of an increase in crime, the budget for state drug enforcement was cut 41 percent.

Barbour introduced what is known as Haley’s Plan, which proposed to create better jobs, improve education, and promote a healthy Mississippi, safer communities and stronger families.

“In the first year I was governor, the Mississippi Legislature passed six pro-life pieces of legislation that were so significantly strong, that that year America United for Life, one of the largest national right-to-life magazines, said Mississippi was the safest state in America for an unborn child.”

To improve the state’s unemployment rate, Barbour’s goals included ending lawsuit abuse, overhauling workforce training programs, realigning the state’s economic development incentives, avoiding no tax increases and creating more and better-paying jobs.

Barbour noted that in 2 1/2 years, the state’s budget was balanced without raising taxes.

“Mississippi went from a $720 million budget hole to a predicted surplus of $220 million to the end of this fiscal year,” he said.

Also, during his first three years in office, 35,000 jobs have been regained “despite enduring one of the worst natural disasters in American history.”

“Statewide employment returned to pre-Katrina levels within six months, even though 70,000 lost their jobs because of the storm,” he said.

In the last fiscal year, state spending grew less than 1 percent, Barbour said, while state revenues increased more than 10 percent.

And since he took office, the state has paid off more debt than was issued — the first time since 1987.

“Bonded indebtedness actually went down, providing financial relief to our kids and grandkids,” Barbour said. “We owe less today in bonded indebtedness than when we went into office.”

The governor also talked about improvements in education, including an increase of $323 million in K-12 spending, an 8 percent increase in teachers’ pay, 100 percent funding of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program’s funding formulas and more money for universities and colleges.

State Democratic leaders have welcomed the governor’s “sudden support” of fully funding MAEP. The party, however, plans to air a television ad statewide that criticizes Barbour for “flip-flopping on the issue,” said Terry R. Cassreino, spokesman for the Mississippi Democratic Party.

“Mississippi Democratic party officials want to remind the people that the governor underfunded the MAEP in his proposed budget he released in November,” Cassreino said. “And while he says he now supports it, we’ll wait and see whether he signs the bill to do so. The MAEP was fully funded just once in its existence — that was in 2003 under Democratic Governor Ronnie Musgrove.”

Barbour expressed dismay that, now that Mississippi has a balanced budget with a surplus known as “Rainy Day Funds,” some legislators want to spend it.

“I will fight to make sure that they don’t mess with that money,” he said. “I urge you to talk to your legislators and encourage them to not dip into the Rainy Day Funds.”

He also rallied for more support of law enforcement — providing more effective use of state and local resources to fight drug abuse and tougher penalties against felons who commit crimes with guns — and more promotion of the state’s culture, heritage and tourism.

Barbour concluded his presentation by detailing “where we’re going,” which included creating more and better jobs, improving education, promoting a healthy Mississippi, developing safer communities, encouraging stronger families and balancing the budget — without raising taxes.