Y'all remember when Phil Bryant was the state auditor "chiding" the legislature for the Beef Plant?

http://www.governing.com/topics/economi…

*"Rushing to please every company is something we have to be careful of," Bryant says. "In our haste, we did some things we would have never done otherwise. We ignored basic business and industry principles."*

But he was [all in for Kior][1]:

*“I think our energy sector in Mississippi is the largest economic development opportunity that we have,” he said, citing not only KiOR but also the planned clean coal gasification plant in Kemper County, expansion of Chevron’s Gulf Coast refinery and work to reclaim oil in old rigs.
“Energy is going to be something that’s going to be not only a commodity we use to bring in other industry but a commodity that we’ll be able to sell to other states,” Bryant said.*

I wonder when Republicans in Missisippi will figure out that that type of investment that the state needs is *infrastructure* and *education* and not huge unsecured loans to Delaware corporations in unproven industries.

[1]: http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/cont…

"Wow" @Janna... what an utter misconception of what ACA is.

The ACA ("Obamacare") is a law that regulates and attempts to expand *health insurance* in this country, as well as an expansion of Medicaid to cover the "working poor" as opposed to the simply destitute.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/learnvest/2…

We no longer can be turned down due to pre-existing conditions and all insurance policies are required to offer certain basic benefits. Ideally, the exchanges (originally a GOP idea) would create more competition among insurance providers and more information for consumers -- and, indeed, in states that participated fully, it's working that way -- like Kynect in Mitch McConnell's home state.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/artic…

Is ACA perfect? No. But the current gridlock in Washington, the blocking of Medicaid expansions and the lack of commitment by state leaders to pull together an exchange means Mississippi residents are losing out on the benefits of ACA that are being enjoyed by many other states around the country.

**Update:** The Rooster Pub begins at 5:45 p.m. and we'll be showing State and Ole Miss games, plus free "tailgating" food and drink specials.

We've also go swag from Capital City Beverages and a 51-inch HDTV courtesy of Johnny and Sharon Maloney that will be part of the door-prize raffle.

Wear team apparel of any kind and you can get in for $10 instead of $15. Come and watch the games with us while standing up again domestic violence!

It's not a crime to be in the country without documentation.

Good idea! Let's spend the $5000/day for the court case, $25-$30k per annum to house them in jails and prisons... then deport them anyway!

I absolutely agree it should be a felony to want to uproot at great personal risk, work hard, and give your children a better life. Especially if you didn't come from the *correct* sort of country -- a European, Asian or Southeast Asian country -- where we're lining up to give people visas.

Instead you're just tired, poor, huddled masses, yearning to breathe free. Meh. Felons!

Why would you bristle at the idea of gun owner ID?

(And, for the record, I already spoke to the Voter ID issue in some detail up-thread.)

Well then, I guess that solves it. :)

@tsmith *No* mention? "Well-regulated militia" sounds like training to me.

As I've mentioned on more than one occasion, I'm always surprised by the relative lack of coordination among supports of the Voter ID movement and the very similar proposal to license gun owners in the U.S.

Isn't the logic the same for what I like to call the "2A-ID" proposal? It's simple -- let's federally require training and licensing of gun owners -- and the registration of all owned firearms, associating them with that licensed owner.

The result would be a valid photo ID that must be carried at all times by anyone who wishes to purchase, carry or transport any sort of firearm and/or ammunition on his person or in vehicle.

After all -- you've got to have a license to drive a car. Why would you bristle at the idea of getting a license to own and use a gun?

This argument is a little tired, as it seems to willfully overlook the weakness of the comparsion. The assumption is that it's "easy" to show ID to make these everyday transactions. But the argument ignores the clear and remarkable differences between voting and everyday purchases or transactions, to a point that I find, frankly, a little disconcerting coming from members of a democratic society.

Here's just a few:

1.) Voting is a fundamental right, and one where there's a legal tension over creating undue hardships, regulations and disincentives (poll taxes, literacy tests) in order for a person to quality.

2.) As far as I'm aware, no one is required to head down to the county courthouse and register to purchase alcohol and tobacco, thus placing your residence and signature on file with the authorities.

3.) When you purchase alcohol and tobacco, you aren't required to do so at a specific purchasing precinct where your name and address are on a roll; nor are you required to sign your name to complete the purchase.

4.) If you're turned away from a store that misreads your valid ID and disallows you from purchasing alcohol or tobacco, you generally have the remedy of going to a different store and purchasing there.

5.) Identification is used in financial transactions to combat a different type of fraud than one generally finds in voting; ID is used to verify age for tobacco and alcohol sales; for a credit card transaction it would be used to verify that the name on a photo idea matches the name on the credit card. There's relatively little voter fraud that would be mitigated by showing a photo ID; most voter fraud happens at the registration level. (The GW Bush Administration went hard after it in the 90s and came up with a handful of cases. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/washi…)

There are more reasons why Voter ID is a bad idea... it does cost money to get ID if you don't have ID and/or the supporting documents, it's not clear what happens if you haven't updated your ID after a move or birthday or expiration; you're placing that decision in the hands of someone who probably has minimal training and/or is feeling pressure from politically motivated poll watchers.