Opinion Columns & Blogs | SunHerald

Charlie Mitchell

Not all roads have been a priority for Mississippi officials this past year

Mississippi roads and bridges have been wearing out for years but the Legislature has yet to come up with a plan to fix them. But a new road to Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves neighborhood, at least for a while, was a priority.

Charlie Mitchell

A hint of scandal could make governor race interesting

Charlie Mitchell

A tax even the no-new-taxes crowd could love

A Supreme Court ruling means online retailers will return to Mississippi taxes collected on sales to Mississippians. Politicians love the fact they get new tax money without raising taxes.

Charlie Mitchell

It's not easy to unravel the case of the same-sex wedding cake

The Supreme Court that ruled a baker can't be compelled to use his/her talents has always been reluctant to force transactions between private individuals. And this court has only one new justice since it outlawed same-sex marriage bans.

Charlie Mitchell

Social media makes it too easy to drop out of community, civic life

About 14 percent of Mississippi's eligible voters went to the polls for the primary election. Information overload from social media has caused some to tune out politics in favor of other pasttimes. That's bad news for self-rule.

Charlie Mitchell

This could be another summer of discontented drivers

Pundits are talking about President Trump and porn star Stormy Daniels. But voters are paying more attention to gas prices, which most always rise in the summer. The higher gas goes, the more likely voters are to punish someone.

Charlie Mitchell

The next Oxford could be your hometown

The Walton Family Foundation's study of small town America produce a recipe for success any town can use. Oxford, home of Ole Miss, is one example.

Charlie Mitchell

Counting our heads is easier said than done

Americans, it’s time to stand up and be counted … or not.

Charlie Mitchell

Slot machines, taxes have much in common

Income tax season is over for another year, meaning most people are no longer thinking about how much Mississippi and Uncle Sam claim from their wages — which, of course, is just how Mississippi and Uncle Sam like it. It’s a natural thing. We look at our checks, not the list of deductions.

Charlie Mitchell

It is sad to hear Wicker singing praises of Trump

With apologies to Lloyd Bentsen, Mississippians have watched the career of Roger Wicker for a while. Roger Wicker is no Donald Trump.

Charlie Mitchell

State’s K-12 teachers seem to have other priorities

The last mass protest by Mississippi teachers was in 1985. This year, with summer approaching and the Legislature adjourned, there’s no sense that state teachers will ramp up to march on the Capitol for more pay as their counterparts have been doing in other rural states — West Virginia, Kentucky and Oklahoma.

Charlie Mitchell

MPB radio and TV told to prepare to go it alone

Let’s hope not.

Charlie Mitchell

Mississippi Legislature didn't exactly hit the jackpot

Mississippi Legislature served up drama but was short on substance. A lottery and a school funding overhaul were rejected but a controversial abortion law was signed. Lawmakers also had time for some show bills as well.

Charlie Mitchell

Chris McDaniel never saw this Republican trap coming

Roger Wicker no longer a Nancy Pelosi-loving, Mississippi flag-hating pinko since Chris McDaniel hopped into a new race. But now it seems the Ellisville Republican fell into a trap laid by the Republican Party with Sen. Thad Cochran’s help.

Charlie Mitchell

Cochran’s well-timed exit triggers high drama

The April departure from the U.S. Senate of the man who broke the Democratic Party’s lock on federal offices from Mississippi opens the door to a doozy of a summer and fall.

Charlie Mitchell

Old NRA would have helped, not hindered, gun control discussion

The NRA has dramatically changed its stance on gun control over the decades. And that makes a sane conversation about guns all but impossible.

Charlie Mitchell

In charter school debate, lawmakers praise ‘local control’ very selectively

Legislators are selective in their respect for the ability of local folks to make the best decisions about their communities.

Charlie Mitchell

Back-scratching with ad dollars tough to limit

It comes down to voters detecting for themselves when public money spent on advertising is in the public’s interest, and when it’s in the interest of incumbents seeking favorable attention.

Charlie Mitchell

New per-student funding plan doesn’t do much for schools

The Mississippi Uniform Per Student Funding Formula Act of 2018 seems designed to benefit the image of the Legislature. It has very little to do with student achievement.