PETTUS on #msflag: “People elect public officials to set public policy”

EMILY PETTUS: Flag, symbols in Mississippi don’t have to go on the ballot

The argument about legitimacy ignores the fundamentals of how government works.

People elect public officials to set public policy. Subject to approval or veto by the governor, legislators decide how state dollars are spent and write a wide variety of laws, including those that set the symbols of the state.

Elected officials changed one Mississippi symbol in 2014, when legislators passed and Republican Gov. Phil Bryant signed a bill that added “In God We Trust” to the state seal.

Clarion Ledger
8/20/17