Developmental liabilities need examination as budget is made

Editorials

November 15, 2012

Developmental liabilities need examination as budget is made

Guest Editorial

By the (Tupelo) Northeast Miss Daily Journal The Picayune Item Picayune Item Thu Nov 15, 2012, 11:40 AM CST

Tupelo — By the (Tupelo) Northeast Miss Daily Journal:

Mississippi’s 2014 revenue estimate, approved by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee and Gov. Phil Bryant, begins the long process of agreeing on state spending priorities for the budget cycle beginning July 1, 2013, and almost certainly some adjusted spending for the current budget because of a revised, higher revenue estimate.

The 14-member committee, by law, sets the revenue estimate every year before the next legislative session convenes, and the governor must concur.

In most years that’s about as far as agreement extends because what the governor proposes will be followed by what the Legislature proposes, followed by the debates in the session.

The $5.02 billion estimate for 2014 is 1.6 percent higher than 2013 revenues, which is mildly encouraging, but in almost the same breath the state’s chief economist, Darrin Webb, says we’re still in a mild recession that started earlier in 2012, but we could pull out of it this quarter.

The official economic forecast from Webb and the other experts operating under the umbrella of the public universities has been consistently very cautious since late 2007.

The official economic forecast for the fourth quarter released this month explains Mississippi’s situation in more detail:

— The growth rates of output and employment in Mississippi have been lower than the U.S. rates this year. The annual growth rate of real output in 2012 is expected to be under 1 percent, but will gradually accelerate in the coming years, reaching a peak of 2.7 percent in 2015.

— Employment in the state has fallen every year since 2007, and no growth is expected in 2012. — The heavy reliance on lower-skill workers is more vulnerable to cuts, due both to competition from imports and to changing consumer preferences, which are shifting toward technology-related services. Professional and business employment has expanded at rates of over 3 percent nationally since 2010. Mississippi growth here has turned negative, with the demand for professional, scientific and technical services hit especially hard.

The health care, transportation/utilities and government sectors are the only ones with positive growth since 2008. Along with making a budget, basic re-examination of our developmental liabilities is in order.

Online:

http://www.djournal.com

Text Only

Editorials

Bryant tantrum on education major standards was misguided
By the (McComb) Enterprise-Journal:
That was quite a tantrum Gov. Phil Bryant pitched at the College Board recently, criticizing its members for voicing concerns about his effort to increase standards for education majors.

March 29, 2013
Legislature to City Hall not sure move
Five Mississippi House members are running for mayor this year, and while name recognition might provide some advantage, lawmakers have had a mixed record in trying to go from the Capitol to City Hall.

March 27, 2013
Nation’s economy improving, but state’s still lagging
By The (Jackson) Clarion-Ledger
It’s been a long time coming, but finally there are bright economic signs nationally that seem here to stay a while.

March 23, 2013
Armed teachers dangerous idea for school safety
By (Columbus) The Commercial Dispatch:
The Mississippi House of Representatives sent back to the Senate a bill that would arm teachers.
Before sending it over, the House, by a 70-46 vote, amended the Senate’s bill in two major ways. Actually, the House did more than amend it. They neutered it.

March 22, 2013
Not every bill grabs headlines
The first two bills that Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed during the 2013 legislative session dealt with money.
House Bill 19 gave more cash to the agency that coordinates a program to put all emergency offices under the same digital communications system. House Bill 20 moved money from the car tag reduction fund to the Budget Contingency Fund. Lawmakers use the contingency fund to cobble together cash for the overall state budget.

March 20, 2013
Transparency key to ‘best watchdogs’ oversight
By The (Tupelo) Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal:
Rep. Jerry Turner’s effort to require open meetings of water associations and notice of meetings in which members of boards of directors will be elected remains alive in the Legislature. It should be enacted in the interests of transparency in the running of the nonprofit associations providing water for a significant percentage of Mississippi’s population.

March 16, 2013
Miss. makes news, good news, this time
By The (Columbus) Commercial Dispatch:
Generally, when Mississippi makes national news — especially of late — it is not the sort of notoriety we welcome. ...
So March 3, when Mississippi again made national news, we braced ourselves for the embarrassment that was sure to follow.
Only this time, it wasn’t anything to be embarrassed about.
Imagine that.

March 15, 2013
Ag’s legal expenses top $2.4M for year
An ongoing lawsuit challenging Mississippi’s foster care system has cost the state at least $4.4 million in legal expenses and fees since 2008.
Expenses continue to rise as the plaintiffs and the state work toward a telephone status conference scheduled for April 25 with U.S. District Judge Tom S. Lee. The price tag this year is $1.35 million.

March 13, 2013
Ag’s legal expenses top $2.4M for year
An ongoing lawsuit challenging Mississippi’s foster care system has cost the state at least $4.4 million in legal expenses and fees since 2008.

March 13, 2013
Higher pay best way to recruit better teachers
By The (McComb) Enterprise-Journal:
A centerpiece of Gov. Phil Bryant’s proposals to improve education in Mississippi is raising the requirements for college students to major in the education field.

March 9, 2013
More Editorials Headlines

Editorials

Search Results

Developmental liabilities need examination as budget is made

Guest Editorial

Site Map

Contact Us