Miss. Speaks; Governor Kirk Fordice

And I welcome to Mississippi speaks I'm Mary Weeden We are live in Jackson waiting for your questions and your comments to our special guest a man we haven't seen in the few months. Happy New Year governor Fordyce glad to have you with us tonight and we have certainly a whole menu of items that we give the telephone number to our viewers it's 1 800 9 2 2 9 6 9 8 that's a freebie anywhere in the state of Mississippi. I want to start off with the car tag issue. You have what you would probably like your bird Good to be back. Yes and Happy New Year. Thank you. Car tags now. What's the latest. You've got your proposal and there are other ones floating around in the legislature. What's the status of the well as I said flat out in the state of the state address so we don't have any pride of authorship what we want to do is get on what the people of Mississippi need done. And we don't we're not that partial to our own proposal it's just one way to begin an attack on the problem and charge full sales tax proposal would cut car tags at about half I would like to reduce me even further than that in the future. But that was our proposal to begin discussion and we're not wedded to it at all. If there is another

proposal that will work is sound and is revenue neutral of course the counties and municipalities have got to have the money then will back it. Do you suppose that maybe something like that would take some sort of radical changes in the way county government is structured in this IPI even thinking about reducing the number of counties which is a really a very politically incorrect thing to mention in the state of Mississippi but you know might it take something like that to bring this is to be more in line with the real world about things like car tags. You make such a giant reach there I'm having trouble. If you let me go as far as changing the number of counties in the connection with the price of car tags I don't see any direct connection I think we are probably pretty well covered as far as number of counties and it goes back to a day when it took a lot longer to travel but I've looked at several of the states you know trying to get a handle on it myself and we're not that far away I was stunned when we were given it and give me odds on whether a bill will make it to the legislature or that will be satisfactory to you that will reduce the price of car

tags. I'm not the odds business Barry but I think he's got a better chance than it ever had as it's a Idea Whose Time Has Come. Myself as I've said many times used to think well is just nothing we can do about it. You've got to have the revenues to operate your counties and cities but change that view. After listening to people who were just so irritated Why should a government irritate its own populace to that degree and every time I think of a horrible example like I used to say a thousand dollars someone a comes in says manager and one that was 2000 the other day and there's not a whole lot of consistency between counties I suspect we are up to 2000 for some car tax. That is just it just keeps people so upset. That I think it's the obligation of government to fix it. Governor Kirk Fordyce's live in our studios waiting to hear from you at 1 800 9 to 2 9 6 9 8 free call anywhere in the state of Mississippi. You said you're not in the OGs business makes money with gambling which is big business in the state of Mississippi have you been to the coast lately by the way it's been done many of the time down there about a week ago

I never go inside but I always go door through the parking lots and check the crowds and of course the newfound casino gambling industry in quotation marks appears to be not appears to be saying the revenue figures of say in the tax intake figures for the state of Mississippi. It is both. And every casino under construction seems a little grander than the last. There is one under construction right now that I saw last week at the state port of Gulfport. That is even larger than the one over on the Bay of St. Louis which is a pretty Graham operation so it's the whole coast is just kind of vibrating with excitement. The Vicksburg your hometown will do so but what I want to ask you is no secret that there is a seems to be a problem between the people who administer the gaming business in the cities to the tax commission and the gaming commissioner and I realize that there is legislation that splits the two later on this year.

Is it your feeling that you need to intervene in any of that at all or is it your feeling you need to back off and let that take care of itself in as much as you appointed the head of the tax commission. Well we don't feel inclined to back off and let something happen that's as important as it is that injury is fair. I agree with Commissioner Bulow that you would have more control and probably a more efficient operation if you left the gammon commission under the tax commission but current law is going to divorce the two if nothing else is done. As of October and if we're going to do that divorce that and leave the Gambling Commission free standing then we feel very strongly that some changes need to be made there. I don't know if you are aware but the way the law is structured now you would have three part time commissioners and we feel that maintenance of control over gambling over casino gambling in this state is so important and it's growing so fast that that's just

not tenable. We feel like that that would probably need to be three full time people or at least something similar to the tax commission where you have a full time chairman in order to. Properly regulate something that has the potential I don't like anybody to argue for going to arrive and probably rather quickly if it's if it's not closely monitored and closely controlled. When I ask you one more question about gambling related issue and then we'll get to the telephones and by the way 1 800 900 to 9 6 9 8 is how you can convert a current Fordyce live in the studio and it will take your telephone calls in just a minute. Should a lottery bill make it out of the legislature and it looks doubtful now but should it make it out of legislature and get your doubts still in a veto. I've been very clear on it all along. Mary in the answer to that is yes and I'll do some odds on that one. I don't think it has a snowball's chance of getting what the way it looks in the legislature right now and I think that's good.

To the telephones now Daniel is up first metalic County Hi Daniel you're on Mississippi State. That's a that's a good question because we're not in a very good competitive position with our surrounding states. The caller may have seen just as I have very well done expensive commercials come to Allentown and we don't compete at all in that market and we intended our proposal to the legislature is to set aside 20 percent of the gambling revenues that the state realize is strictly for tourism promotion and we feel like that a good way to derive the necessary revenues because that industry will benefit probably disproportionately from tourism promotion. But we've just been too far behind for too long in the state of Mississippi has attractions that are just as good or better than our surrounding states and if we

promote it we will without question in Hants the economic well-being of all the state and certainly hope that passes in a session of the legislature. When you travel around the country I would presume that especially now with the gambling and money gambling people are talking about Mississippi. Yes indeed and I think we've bad mouth ourselves and poor mouth for too long people that say and we are around the country a lot as you say. There generally speaking have a very favorable impression of Mississippi. They've been aware through the recent recession that we haven't suffered anything like as badly as some. I was recently out with the head of the Mississippi Department Economic Community Development Jimmy hydel and some others in Orange County California which is a real boom country for new country companies in all and they're very down because the cost of doing business in California has become inordinately high. And I kidded some of them about we ought to set up a recruiting office

out here to bring business to Mississippi. And he was on his program talking about doing. And we are very seriously about doing that. My own industry for us the construction industry has absolutely collapsed in California and it's up to Mississippi and Jimmy Hoddle is very good about following these trends to take advantage of those things and truly to recruit some of those companies particularly the newer high tech companies that are just an idea that is born in June and July sometimes goes to the Fortune 500 and that's actually happened out there. The top people want to track one essential element. To make that go is private venture capital and we were talking directly to venture capitalists out there one of the chief whom is a good Mississippi and I live in a great big house overlooking the Pacific Ocean and dreamin about Mississippi and coming home every day particularly with things going the way they are in California. So those are the top things that we try to follow up on and capitalized

on to benefit all the citizens of Mississippi through increased economic activity. On the topic of economics a couple of bills in the legislature are at opposite ends of the pole one bill in the Senate would increase legislative pay from the base pay from ten to twenty thousand dollars a year. The idea being that you know you pay good people good money in the other bill and the House would reduce the base pay to 60 600 on the idea of making it a citizens legislature what feelings we got on either one of those. Well as far as Dublin the primary and I have some real good friends up there and I think there's embarrassed as I am such a proposal by one or two people that is a patent absurdity and is not going to happen. A double legislator. Veto pen would be ready should that well it's because there are now women who are that it's just ridiculous I can't imagine what the Optus was of putting that forward in the first place. Got questions or comments from Governor Kirk for governor Kirk Fordyce love to hear from the 192 9 6 9 8 were alive and they're ready to hear from you. A few other items you have been notified Washington D.C. A few weeks ago the Mississippi is ready to build a

house or just waste facility very controversy a very complex topic where do we stand on that. Well first of all let's clear up the procedure and exactly what I did do. Mary in 1990 before I got here the state of Mississippi passed a law and that law said that we are going to examine those places in Mississippi that are most I'm Anable to the siding of a hazardous waste dump and we're going to allow a private company if more if they so desire to come in and compete for establishing such a facility. And if that doesn't happen the state of Mississippi is going to get in the business himself that die was cast before I was ever elected to office. Kind of parallel to that is a federal procedure that says that every two years every state will draw up what's called a capacity assurance plan sometimes known as a C.A.P and submit that the Environmental Protection Agency. One of the conditions of which is that if you don't submit it then we the

feds You know there's always a quid pro quo when you're dealing with the US then we the feds will not provide you any money to clean up Superfund sites of which there are several in Mississippi. So the environmental council which is made up of legislative members was about the time well we were overdue for a capacity or assurance plan and I was getting a little itchy because I like to have my reports in on time we were overdue to submit to Washington and along about that time a court in joy and environmental council. From giving their recommendations to the governor so what we did was we said OK enough is enough and went ahead and set the capacity issue of plan f required by federal law in consonance with state law. So the fact of what I said to dump it was grossly distorted by one particular interest in this thing and before anybody gets overwrought about the waste situation they really ought to look at who is promoting gaming what particular point of view because there's big money and several companies involved here.

Nothing cut in stone about a facility out in this if you know the bottom line. Correct. The law passed in 1996 and also said it is going to have is going to have a facility. But as far as as where we are tonight there's songs you know nothing beyond the law that was passed in 1990 and the continual process that was set up by that law. I can from Lauderdale County High run this is AP speaks go ahead. Governor for us how you doing. Question number two reform do you think there's going to be possibilities this year that we will see some much needed to reform legislation coming out of the sessions legislation. I think there's a good chance and I think there's a better chance than there ever has been for one thing. We have a governor now that is not an attorney. We haven't had that for a long time someone said after I got elected on the first businessman governor since you why I guess that's true the first government ever paid a worker's compering than that ever really made a payroll. And that makes a difference.

Also I think we've come to the point in history as a state and a nation that people are no longer very easy to snow. There's an effort you might have seen some of their commercials on television by the name of M-Fer Mississippians for a fair legal system which has no connection with our office. That kind of emphasizes what we've been trying to emphasize in the area of tort reform that is that some members of the legal profession and I emphasize some I'm not here to bias lawyers. But some members of the legal profession are misusing the tort system for their own enrichment. And so one of the things that we propose and think is just essential to Mississippi's grope is to put a cap on punitive damages that is those damages that are paid over and above real or compensatory damages which Mike won hold from whatever the injury was. We feel very strongly about that we're working very hard to pass that in the legislature. And yes or I think it's got a good chance and it's got a better chance than it maybe ever has

and it passed in the Mississippi legislature this session. It was going to go to Jackson County now. Hi glad to have you on this if he speaks your next step if the branch from death row should reach the six birds. I just would like to know why you so it can not as let me see if they have a lottery. I would like you right there met here and thank you. Thank you Eva glad to talk to fellow Vicksburg. If you did leave us and go to the coast even a lottery is one of the least efficient means of raising money for a government in the first place you have to support a huge new bureaucracy to run it. If you tax your citizens you get almost a dollar back for every dollar of tax you don't get anything like a dollar out of the proceeds of a lottery. Over and beyond that and probably much more important a lottery is highly addictive if you will notice a Texas

lottery ticket these days. There's a 1 800 number printed on there and that 1 800 number is the number of Gamblers Anonymous in Texas. In other words they're saying we know that if you are exposed to this method of Gamelin it is this common it's probably available at every corner drug store that there's a good chance you'll become addicted. And so they say the state is in the business now of promoting something that is so addictive that it needs to be treated in a fair percentage of the population. I was in Wisconsin a couple months ago at a governor's conference and as I was leaving on the front page article in the Milwaukee paper was that the Wisconsin legislature was a going to address a law to appropriate monies for treating gambling addiction due to the lottery that the state had gotten into. It is not the proper function of the state of Mississippi in my opinion to be in the gambling business people say we already are no we're not casino gambling is regulated by Mississippi But

Mississippi is not in that business. Others say well our money's going to Louisiana our money's going to Florida. Some of it is but that's no proper reason I don't feel for Mississippi to get directly into this business to promote the degeneration of our own people's malls. Certainly the people that go to Louisiana or Florida to buy lottery tickets are not significant compared to what it would be if we made it legal throughout the state and our children would be subjected to it and everyone else. And I hope those reasons make sense to you. It's not that I don't want to let Mississippi have a lottery. I feel that as the chief elected official in this state that it's my bounden duty to present the other side of the picture. And also if you look at those states that have a lottery they're not the answer. They're not keeping anybody from financial ruin Louisiana is a good idea they're continually in a financial bind in spite of their lottery in many places. You'll

see the lottery revenues continually going down and then you have a mad scramble for how you're going to replace him you get at the St. Mark's addicted to that Florida is a good example of that. The state gets addicted to those revenues and I think it's easy to see that they're not going to continue because people get tired of throwing their money away. The only way the lottery can make money for Mississippi is for Mississippi demote most of its people being losers. It takes losers for the state of Mississippi to take in money from the lottery and that's that's just terribly counterproductive. And sooner or later people get tired of it and you have to have frantic activity in this bureaucracy you've created to dream up new games and new fascination to try to lure more people in to throw their money away. I just don't believe that's what Mississippi ought to be doing because even a lottery question this one from Hinds County in Norman Norman you're next. Thanks for coming. I would like to know the difference between Really folks here and the lottery system. Great tremendous amount of revenue into the state.

Normally there's a significant difference that I mention in the previous question in that Mississippi is not directly in the gammon business with the casino gambling that we have now. The state regulates casino gambling but the state does not conduct casino gambling. If we get into the lottery bit as will be directly into the gambling business ourselves and of course it produces some revenue. Have you. Have you thought of the consequences. In the case of a lottery I just went through the possible gambling addiction and so forth. And also there's no way that you can depend on that revenue be in there and you only get a portion of what those people are throwing away the losers are buying their lottery tickets and consider this. There is no sales tax on that lottery money and studies have shown this is what lottery tickets are way over proportionally bought by poor people and the money probably would have gone into food and other things to sustain the family.

There would have been sales tax paid. So you have a double loss. The other side might also say and I've heard this and you've heard these two people say well the state is in the liquor business the state controls liquor sales and so. People go and buy liquor and they get hooked on them and then you know and then you have that as a problem solver. You know how to respond to it from the only the only. The only reason that you could apply there was so let's get into another corruption of our own citizens I stated my reasons very well and to conduct this debate as long as we want to but the fact that the major is basically And this is by the legislature's own accounting doom for this session shows that those legislate Olva responsive to their constituents who don't want to get Mississippian of the gamut. William from Hinds County thanks for waiting you're next.

Governor if I understood what you just said Oh few minutes ago sorry hazardous waste. Thank you maybe and correct it. Mississippi is legally obligated to have a hazardous waste facility in Mississippi. It is to recall what law we have what is your personal opinion as far as Heaven has a way still to hear or you for it or your guest. Thank you thank you sir. As you know I was elected as your governor because I agreed to be straightforward with the people and I'm fixing to be straight forward with you now when I tell you that my opinion is that we cannot as Americans as Mississippians continue to avoid facing up to the problems that we have in this country. And one of the problems that we have in this country is what to do with hazardous waste. It is not a viable solution to think that we can go into the 20th century and recruit our share of industry and all by continually shipping our way somewhere else. At some point we've got to face up to the fact that we ought

to take care of our own. Now the logical extension of that is and certainly in some of the the proposition that have been looked at. Yes governor but these proposed waste facilities will take care of a whole lot more waste than Mississippi generates. Therefore we'll be importing waste. Well those figures are yet to be devised no permit is been issued and all of that is hashed out in the permitting procedure in the first place and that's why I think it was particularly wise when the legislature passed the law in 1990 that says if none of that works out with these private companies then Mississippi can do it themselves. But sooner or later we've got to contend with our own waste I think that's only reasonable to assume it's going to Lincoln County now and Brenda that next time Mississippi speaks Brenda governor of Florida right. I'd like to find out what you got in your car. Argue your facts. You have a vehicle that will tell you anything. The park absolutely if you

want to die. Thank you thank you. Brenda was it. Yes. Brenda I served my country in uniform for two years when I was called like most folks did back in the 50s and then I continued to serve. Right Dean more years in proudly in the U.S. Army Reserve so I have some kind of military experience and just like all others that I know with military experience including Colin Powell who I have the greatest admiration for I think he's one of the finest people that the U.S. military has had in a leadership position in a while from Colin Powell General Colin Powell on down to this. Citizen who served when he was asked like so many others. I don't think no. It's wrong to lift the ban on homosexuals in the U.S. military forces and furthermore I think because he's such an honorable

man that Colin Powell probably won't stay and I think Bill Clinton will be badly served if he runs cold. General Colin Powell off I think there may come a time when he may need his his military acumen. So was that plain enough I am totally opposed to removing the ban on homosexuals in the United States armed forces and therefore completely at odds with the position of Bill Clinton. One more question anyway Oh Nora from Sunflower County Hi glad to have you with us. I've got a question for the governor concerning the gifted mandate. It was a few years ago over the last couple of days. The House passed a bill to the basically did away with the mandate for Gifted Education Mississippi. And I wondered what your opinion was on that and whether you thought that that bill would also go through the Senate. Yes ma'am I'm not expert on it but I know something of it as you

do. As I understand it it's strictly a monetary consideration and as is the case in all other school funding matters I would presume that a local school board could run the program on their own not withstanding state funds. Now if you want to know how personally feel I think that there's nothing finer that we could do to enhance education then to promote. Special treatment of specially talented people we ought to be lifting up in my opinion in pants in the development of our brightest kids. As a very high priority item we probably have less than 30 seconds. Time has flown by just a real quick reaction Sid Saunders column Sunday said you're looking at an air ambulance facility for central Mississippi any real quick 10 second sound bite. We can have one soon.

Well we have been working hard enough on it Mary. I'd like to say at the outset that I do Richard I did with the good Mississippi of the member of the Mississippi National Guard and we're going to we're going to do it if we can. We'll continue the conversation when you come back I thank you Governor on July 5 be with us thanks for joining us tonight. See you next time tonight.