Barbour: more jobs, health reforms, supports current prayer
Eaves: more taxes, cost increases, jeopardizes prayer
In case you missed it, news reports and recent announcements continue to demonstrate the clear choice voters have this November between Governor Haley Barbour and John Arthur Eaves, Jr.
JOBS VS TAXES:
GOVERNOR BARBOUR
Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Labor released the latest job numbers showing that under Governor Haley Barbour’s leadership, Mississippi has broken its all-time record employment level for a second month this year. Employment levels rose to 1,166,800 in August, topping the previous high set in June 2007 at 1,160,600. Mississippi’s employment rate grew faster than any other state in the country, creating 46,000 since Governor Barbour took office. This does not even count all the new jobs (like Toyota) coming to Mississippi. Just Tuesday, Governor Barbour announced 400 new jobs on their way to Baldwyn. For more on this, watch the Barbour for Governor’s campaign advertisement: “40,000 and Counting.”
MR. EAVES, JR.
At the recent debate in Biloxi, John Arthur Eaves, Jr. proposed increasing the tax on casinos an additional 2%. Governor Barbour supports strict gaming regulation. Governor Barbour supports a law to prevent expansion outside the counties that currently allow gaming. Governor Barbour also will not permit an expansion of Choctaw gaming into Jackson County. Gaming in Mississippi currently employs 30,100 Mississippians and generates $332 million in tax revenue for our schools, health care system, infrastructure like roads, and other government services. In 2001, a study by researchers at the University of Southern Mississippi said a 3% casino tax increase would cost the state over 5,000 jobs. Governor Barbour’s leadership attracts business and creates jobs; John Arthur Eaves, Jr.’s tax schemes will drain jobs from the Katrina battered Coast.
HEALTH REFORMS VS COST INCREASES
GOVERNOR BARBOUR
Governor Haley Barbour is leading a bi-partisan effort among Southern governors to change the federal funding formula for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) to ensure all Mississippi children at or below 200% of the federal poverty level will have health insurance.
MR. EAVES, JR.
Sid Salter writes in Wednesday’s Clarion Ledger about Eaves’ plan: “…his math to pay for the program both now and in the future is at best uncertain and at worst irresponsible for state taxpayers….It’s more than a $100 million mistake. Eaves is telling Mississippians they can more than double the provision of public health care for children without more than doubling the costs. And he’s putting co-payments on the poorest of the state’s poor children while at the same time making public health insurance available to a family of four with an annual income of $134,225.” (Read Salter’s full column: “Eaves ‘Kid Care’ plan based on Illinois plan that is expanding”)
John Arthur Eaves Jr.’s plan for Illinois Mississippi: 1) requires the middle class to pay more and get less 2) will break the budget and lead to higher taxes 3) will lead Mississippi toward greater government control of health care.
PRAYER
GOVERNOR BARBOUR
Today is “See You At The Pole Day,” a national day of voluntary student led prayer at schools. Governor Haley Barbour recognized today’s importance with an Official Proclamation and praised the federal and state departments of education for allowing religious expression like today’s events on school grounds.
John Arthur Eaves, Jr. has made bringing voluntary student led prayer to Mississippi a political issue for his campaign. Governor Haley Barbour challenged Mr. Eaves on this matter at the recent debate, “I do want to look you directly in the eye about school prayer. We have school prayer when I was in school and it was a good thing. The U.S. Supreme Court did away with it. Lots of people like me have tried time and time and time and time again to get around that ruling. As my learned lawyer, constitutional lawyer knows, the State of Alabama tried in the 1980’s to do just exactly what he said and the Supreme Court overturned it. My fear is that politicians trying to make political points on prayer in schools are going to jeopardize the prayer in school we have now. And we do have Christian groups in school, we have pray around the flagpole groups. We have people who organize religious groups at their school everyday. I’m not going to jeopardize that to try get somebody to vote.”
MR. EAVES, JR.
In the Biloxi debate, John Arthur Eaves, Jr. said to voters, “I dare you to dream of a new day in Mississippi, when our children have voluntary student led school prayer.”
We can tell Mr. Eaves, that day is today. It was also yesterday. And it will be tomorrow, unless it is jeopardized by the shameless political self-promotion of John Arthur Eaves, Jr.
Haley Barbour Campaign Release
9/25/7
Magnolia Tribune
