B. Thompson – Jackson must ‘step up,’ and earmarks aren’t bad

Jackson must ‘step up’

“You can’t run away from Jackson, you have to stay here and invest in Jackson,” he said. “Mayor (Harvey) Johnson’s gonna need all of our help.”

Thompson was the featured speaker at the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership’s membership luncheon at the Jackson Convention Complex.

Over the course of his speech, the eight-term congressman addressed a variety of issues including health care, President Barack Obama and federal earmarks.

“There’s some notion in this community that earmarks are bad,” Thompson said.

He mentioned several earmark-funded projects under way in the metro area like the new federal courthouse, the FBI headquarters and improvements to the west section of County Line Road.