Tug Fork River Running Through Mississippi
Cue the "Dueling Banjos" (for the full effect as you read this blog, listen to the song by visiting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2krbLoYYWU ) and please excuse my occasional "country-style" writing.
Tug Fork River, a tributary off the Big Sandy River, is the dividing point for one of America's most famous hill-folk family feuds. Along West Virginia's bank of the river lived the McCoys. On the Kentucky shore, the Hatfields. The bad blood between these two families is the stuff of legend and folklore dating back to the end of the Civil War. Pigs, murders, massacres, hangings, affairs, judicial impropriety, land wars all add up to decade after decade of unrelenting hatred and bitterness that has gone down in history as the epitome of territorial fighting with a hillbilly twang.
I dare say most, if not all, of you reading this have heard of the Hatfields and McCoys. You may have even seen the old Bugs Bunny cartoon parodying this story. What you may not know is that it took the two families nearly 40 years and numerous lives lost to end their quarrel with the last feud trial in 1901. What is even more interesting and perhaps curiously ironic in a modern day sense was the appearance by the two families on the game show "Family Feud" back in 1979 where they competed for a cash prize and a pig which was kept on stage during the show taping. But I digress.
Today, the banks of the Tug Fork River seem to have overflowed and meandered its way into Mississippi, finding a new home at the Capitol. A familiar name is still on one shore - the McCoys; Billy and the boys that is. Across the great divide, on the other shore - the Barbours; Haley, Phil, and the gang. Everyone knows the Barbours and the McCoys feud every year. Heck, for six years now there's been one shot after another fired between the two. Medicaid, MAEP, rainy day funds, stimulus funds, voter identification and on it goes. The current budget debacle by the State Legislature is just another in the long list of feuds, adding to the already tense territorial fighting.
The McCoys are fighting to stay afloat and the water is rising around them. One vote and Billy wouldn't be swinging our Speaker's gavel. A member of the House budget conference committee, who by the way was the chairman of Medicaid (one of the major sticking points in the budget), was caught voting present somehow while he was in Disney World. A slight miscommunication the McCoys say. Partisan politics is the name of the game for the McCoys where if you aren't a member of their band of liberal merry men you are intentionally kept out of the loop. Papa Billy rules the roost. Staying relevant is becoming increasingly more challenging for the McCoys in these economic times when their initial reaction is to shoot first (in legislative terms, throw money at a problem) and ask questions later. Yet for some reason and despite these and other examples, Billy's boys remain loyal to their patriarch. Makes you question their common sense. Also makes you question how in tune they actually are with their constituents.
The Barbours have dug in and fortified their shore with sound fiscally conservative policies, common sense bi-partisan communication, and far less petty name calling and character assassinations. Haley and the gang are holding the line on spending during these tough economic times by making prudent use of the rainy day fund and calling on state agencies to make the necessary cuts to weather the storm. The Barbours aren't willing to spend a bunch more money than we need to or can afford to spend. Heck, they're even willing to take a little heat and make some difficult decisions that aren't popular. Quite a concept, don't you think? (Are you paying attention Mr. President and Congressional Leaders? You could learn a thing or two if you watch the Gov.)
The impasse and deadlock we are now seeing in our State Legislature is simply unacceptable and ludicrous. Truth is, my fellow Mississippians, whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, you should be appalled that your State Legislature had five months to get the job done and have yet to come to a reasonable agreement on a state budget. The state budget is a legislator's primary task every session. They should be working on it day in and day out, without excuse. The Governor is not to blame; yes, he has input, but ultimately only signs or vetoes what is sent to him by the State Legislature. And now due to the legislators' lack of care and handling with their primary task, our state is on the cusp of completely shutting down.
With that said, I do believe that our state will have a budget by the deadline of June 30th at the impetus and call of the Governor. His use of the Special Session will force the hand of the State Legislature, and Billy and his boys will have to come to the table either willingly or kicking and screaming. My guess it will be the latter.
My main concern is the cost of this year's feuding over the budget as well as the message such inefficiency sends our citizens and the rest of the nation. A Special Session costs about $30,000+ per day, so depending on how the session is structured our state will take a significant immediate budget hit against an already tight bottom-line. How in the world such sessions can be justified is beyond me. Plus, our State image with our citizens and the rest of the nation is once again hindered by the ineptitude of those supposedly looking out for our best interest.
Let me just throw this out there for discussion: let's start a movement, a petition drive to change state law that when the State Legislature has to be called back for a Special Session to handle business which is under their designated scope of work as outlined in the State Constitution NO pay will be given to those legislators. Such a change should serve to light a fire under their collective behinds and encourage them to get their primary tasks accomplished in the timeframe allotted and budgeted for annually. They seem to need a little boost so let's help them find the momentum.
Wirt Yerger Jr. recently said, "Always choose principles over pragmatism and power." It's time we turned back the Tug Fork River running through Mississippi. The bad blood between the Barbours and the McCoys, the conservatives and the liberals, the Republicans and the Democrats has to come to an end. There will always be philosophical differences between the two but no matter how you slice it, sound fiscal policy today coupled with an eye to the future will pay enormous dividends for years to come, especially in our current day and time. I feel confident the Barbours will extend a hand once again and welcome any healthy, productive discussion. I just hope the McCoys cease fire long enough to see through the smoke they're hiding within.
Perhaps a good game of "Family Feud" wouldn't hurt; it helped that other notorious feuding family across Tug Fork put their ghosts to rest. I know I'd watch that.
Frank Corder,
Pascagoula City Councilman - Ward 4
