Views from readers: scam calls + equal pay for women

Do the right thing

The Jackson County Board of Supervisors is about spend $2 million to install concrete ditches along Ocean Springs’ Front Beach.

In late 2019, the county installed a pilot concrete ditch to address sand erosion issues. Residents and beach users were horrified.

The pilot ditch is an eyesore that fills up with sand and litter. It is designed to push storm water into the Mississippi Sound quickly, without filtration, adding to water quality problems.

In March 2020, more than 150 Jackson County residents sent a petition to the Board of Supervisors and the Ocean Springs Board of Aldermen requesting a public meeting and a redesign. There was no public meeting and no redesign.

The residents sent an updated petition with more signatures in October 2020. There was no response.

Now county officials say it is too late to stop the project. Wrong.

It is not too late to listen to your constituents and do the right thing. Stop paving Front Beach. Work with city officials, residents and experts to develop a comprehensive plan that will address storm water, wave action, water quality and public use.

Julia Weaver

Ocean Springs

Bad policy

While it seems that Mississippi is moving in the direction of establishing an equal pay bill, we cannot settle for a bill that would actually be to the detriment of Mississippians. SB 2330 is not the equal pay bill for all Mississippi women. Lost wages severely reduce women’s ability to save for retirement, pay for health care, put children through college, pay for child care, rent, and utilities, particularly given the economic crisis as a result of the pandemic and racial inequity.

Mississippi women are driving change and contribute significantly to the state’s economy. Our pocketbooks should reflect that.

I ask that you do not support SB 2330 because its flawed language leaves room for broad interpretation and limited protection for women of color. The bill does not include any language that specifies race as a factor in wage discrimination, and for this bill to be a strong bill for all Mississippians, it must include discrimination on the basis of race and ethnicity, which is many times, the foundation of pay discrimination.

In addition, SB 2330 does not address or attempt to break the cycle of unfair pay as evident by the bill containing no language around the use of salary history.

Lastly, this bill does not include any language around pay transparency, and it is more than important that we work to make sure that employees have the right to discuss their pay without fear of retaliation and without fear of losing their job. Mississippi women do not want an equal pay bill that is equal in name only. Please vote against SB 2330.

Shamya Green

Gulfport

Don’t fall for it

It seems that scammers are getting more desperate to con good decent people out of their money.

Well, let me give a stern warning: If you get a call, whether it’s someone claiming to be with the federal government about a COVID relief package or someone claiming to be a person from the Social Security office or a police officer, do not fall for it.

All these people want is to steal your money or identity. If you get a call like that, the best thing to do is hang up.

If you become a victim of a scammer, call the attorney general’s office. I hope I get through to folks, especially the elderly.

You know the old saying, if it sounds too to be true, it usually is.

Rebecca Teale

Biloxi