Crossing the Line
We won’t argue whether Mississippi’s “Religious Conscience” measure is right, but no one can deny it’s not helping the state’s economy.
Last week was a busy news week in DeSoto County and beyond, so let’s get to it.
First, Gov. Phil Bryant didn’t waste any time in signing the controversial “Religious Conscience” measure that gives private businesses and public officials the right to refuse services if it violates religious or moral beliefs.
We’ll sidestep the question of who’s right and who’s wrong and focus more on the repercussions. Because, as discussed in this space last week, there will most definitely be repercussions regardless of right and wrong.
Indeed, it only took a few hours for Vermont’s governor to ban official state travel to Mississippi because of the law. By the next day, New York and Minnesota had done the same. And businesses right and left, including the companies that operate most of the state’s casinos in Tunica and elsewhere, quickly denounced the law as discriminatory.
It’s easy for supporters to scoff and say the state doesn’t need the approval of northern neighbors or businesses that are just afraid to offend anybody, but Mississippi has less margin for error than many other states when it comes to turning away growth and development.
As Marty Wiseman, retired director of the John C. Stennis Institute at Mississippi State University, said after last week’s signing: Between the Confederate flag flap and now this measure, Mississippi is really painting a target on its back.
EASIER SAID THAN DONE
I know Hernando Mayor Chip Johnson just wants the media attention over his nude selfie photo to go away — and maybe it will — but I’m not sure reading a prepared statement then refusing to entertain public comment at last week’s Board of Aldermen meeting was the way to go.
A number of people who were there hoping to raise questions were shut down before the meeting even started, as Johnson admitted to a mistake but said he wouldn’t use a public meeting to take questions about a private matter. Some would argue that actions which raise questions about judgment involving people who oversee the public welfare aren’t really private matters. For those who feel that way, it’s doubtful they’ll let it go this easily.
And I say that not just because I suspect it to be so, but because those people said so.
LET’S WAIT AND SEE
Everybody says the ambitious development plans for Elvis’ Circle G Ranch in Horn Lake, which we detailed in stories last week and again elsewhere in today’s newspaper, appear to be the real deal. Still, a little healthy skepticism is always a good idea until something actually happens.
Florida-based real estate developer Davage “Buddy” Runnels outlined his vision last week to the Horn Lake Chamber of Commerce quarterly luncheon, detailing a plan that calls for hotels and residential communities as part of a massive tourist destination drawing up to 400,000 visitors a year eventually.
Of course, nothing has actually been submitted to Horn Lake officials for approval so far, and Runnels admits that much beyond the initial phase will depend on economic factors out of his control.
If anyone has the devoted following to make a tourist destination work, one would think it would be Elvis. All that said, “Suspicious Minds” might be the Elvis tune we want to hum until we see something concrete.
ONE BIG FAMILY
This might seem a little inside baseball at first glance, but The Commercial Appeal has a new owner.
Gannett, the media giant that owns USA TODAY, completed its deal last week to buy Journal Media Group, which includes The Commercial Appeal.
It matters because it gives us access to a wider range of content and the chance to work with other Gannett newspapers, which include the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson.
While difficult to say right now exactly how that will benefit DeSoto readers, it seems safe to say the impact will be positive. We’ll still cover the same things we cover now and provide the same focus on DeSoto and North Mississippi readers, but we now have more firepower to help get the job done.
So stay tuned to see where this takes us. I’m as eager to find out as you are.
AND FINALLY THIS WEEK ...
In case you missed it, we launched a new suburban podcast, Suburban Voices, last week that featured DeSoto County Schools Superintendent Cory Uselton as the first guest.
The podcast will, on a regular basis, spotlight people and issues in DeSoto County as well as the Shelby County suburbs.
Uselton talked about what he’s learned during his first three months in office, and he touched on the new state law requiring appointment of superintendents in the future.
Go to commercialappeal.com to listen.