Selected Article:
The candidates answer the DBJ:
Barbour and Musgrove
respond to seven questions
(Editor's Note: The Delta Business Journal submitted seven questions via email to Mississippi gubernatorial candidates, Haley Barbour (R-Yazoo City) and incumbent Ronnie Musgrove (D-Batesville). Each candidate received the same questions withneither; of cource, able to view the other's answers. Here are their unedited responces. The election is Tuesday, November 4.)


DBJ: Given the state of both the state and national economy, would you pledge to veto any efforts by the legislature to raise taxes either by direct means or through the implementation of higher fees or charges for state services?
Barbour: Yes, I pledge to veto any efforts to raise taxes. Mississippi already has one of the highest state and local tax burdens in the South and The Tax Foundation has ranked Mississippi as having the worst tax system in the nation for its business climate. I’m against raising anybody’s taxes.
Musgrove: Our neighboring states have been forced to raise taxes during this time of national recession. Arkansas just passed a $106 million tax increase, Georgia raised taxes on cigarettes and Alabama is looking to raise taxes by $1.2 billion. My administration has held the line on taxes and kept essential services. We balanced the budget, fully funded education and cut the fat out of state government ñ all without raising taxes. This will continue to be our policy—we have not and will not raise taxes.
In fact, to ease the burden on small business owners and family farms, I will work with the legislature next year to eliminate the death tax.

DBJ: With the success already being enjoyed in the central part of the state with the new Nissan plant, would you work to get a similar or comparable such economic development project for the Mississippi Delta? If so, how would you go about such an effort?
Barbour: Nissan is good for Mississippi but we must realize that we can’t focus all of our economic development efforts on one ‘mega-deal’ project. We must also recognize different regions of our state need their own economic development strategy. There’s no one-size-fits-all economic development plan for the state. We must redouble our efforts to expand the businesses and industries we already have. As Governor, I will use my personal relationships with national political and business leaders to bring new jobs to our state and to find new markets for our products.
While there is no substitute for CEO to CEO communication in economic development efforts, it must be a team effort, not a one man show. The State must work closely with local business, education, community and government leaders to maximize the effectiveness of our economic development efforts. A local leader often can be the best salesman to attract new employers. Indeed, existing businesses will create most of the new jobs in any area.
One of the biggest challenges for a small business is recruiting and keeping employees. We have to reform our job training programs and enact additional lawsuit reform measures. That’s why I have presented a detailed plan on what we need to do to reform job training and provide additional tort reform. Government regulations add costs to a small business. We need to remember that even when the regulations are well intended, they often make it harder for small business people to provide health care for their employees, or to expand their business so they can create more jobs. When it comes to government regulations, I will always keep my focus on the small businesses of our state, and their employees. New regulations are proposed all the time in government. For example, I am against creating a State Department of Labor because it will add bureaucracy and an unnecessary regulatory environment for small businesses.
Musgrove: Education is my top priority, so that our children can compete for highly skilled jobs. Nissan executives have told me that our commitment to education was one of the reasons that they chose Mississippi. I will continue to place the education of our children—our future workforce—as a top priority.
I have worked hard to replace jobs lost due to NAFTA—jobs that have gone to Mexico and Asia. Through the Mississippi Development Authority and my Advantage Mississippi Initiative, we are aggressively going after new economic development projects. According to the Southern Business and Development Magazine, over the next twenty years, at least 43 new automobile plants will be built right here in the South. By landing a $1.4 billion Nissan plant in Canton, we have already shown that Mississippi can compete with any state in the region.
The Mississippi Delta, certainly, is a prime location for future automobile plants and other businesses looking to relocate in Mississippi. In my second term I will also focus on promoting the Delta as the “Birthplace of the Blues.”

DBJ: What would be three primary goals of your administration in the first six months in office?
Barbour: My three primary goals would be to make education the top priority by reforming the system to focus on results and to recruit and retain quality teachers; to get control of our state’s budget crisis by getting control of spending without raising taxes; and to provide honest, strong leadership to improve job creation and economic development to get our economy back on the right track.
Musgrove: As Governor, my top priorities have been improving our schools, because I know that good schools bring good jobs and build great communities. I’ve also focused on healthcare, because it’s important for our children to go to school ready to learn and that their parents go to work healthy. In my second term I will continue to work on improving our schools, creating more and better paying jobs, and keeping Mississippi’s families healthy.
Because I have made education a priority, for the first time, education is being funded first and funded fully. My education accountability program is ranked twelfth in the nation by the Princeton Review. Before I became Governor, the federal government identified 122 schools in Mississippi as “needing improvement.“ In 2002, there were only 11—a drop of over 90%. I also passed a historic teacher pay raise, which will increase teacher pay to the Southeastern average and help keep good teachers in our classrooms. Because of our accountability programs we were the sixth state in the nation—and first in the Southeast—to be approved for the “No Child Left Behind” Act. I’m proud that our students’ test scores are going up across the board in every subject at every grade level. For the second year in a row, Mississippi Curriculum Test scores have increased.
Because I made bringing good jobs to Mississippi a priority, we have created thousands of new, good paying jobs and new investment — jobs like the new Nissan plant, $1.4 billion dollar investment in Mississippi that has already hired folks from 77 of our 82 counties. Over the last three and a half years, we have created over 54,000 new jobs and brought over $15 billion in new investment.
We need to make sure that we protect rural healthcare in the next session, particularly for our children. I have already expanded CHIP to provide access to quality healthcare for over 50,000 Mississippi children. We have made Mississippi fifth in the nation in childhood immunizations. But we need to do more. Next year, I want to continue working to improve healthcare for Mississippi’s children.

DBJ: The proposed I-69 transcontinental interstate running from Michigan to Mexico is expected to run through the Mississippi Delta from the Memphis area to a Great River Bridge crossing near Benoit, Miss. What will you do to speed this project up as far as the Federal Highway Administration, Mississippi Department of Transportation and the various counties involved are concerned?
Barbour: Using the relationships and knowledge of how the federal government works, I will work to make sure that the completion of I-69 is not hindered by unnecessary bureaucratic delays. I’ll also work to ensure that the route of I-69 through Mississippi has a positive impact on as many areas of the state as possible.
Musgrove: One of Mississippi’s greatest advantages in attracting new economic development is our position as a transportation hub because of the intersection of major highways throughout our state. As Governor, I will continue to work closely with our congressional delegation on all federal projects affecting our state and to protect Mississippi interests.

DBJ: What specific activities would you undertake to enhance the state’s economic development environment outside our borders as well as what would you do instate to help make us more competitive?
Barbour: There are three key elements to getting our state’s economy back on the right track: lawsuit reform, opposing any tax increases, and improving our job training system. We’ve got real challenges to address regarding our state’s economy. Since January 2000, when the current Governor took office, Mississippi has lost a higher percentage of our manufacturing jobs than any other state in the entire country. The Mississippi Manufacturers Association reports 167 plants closed in the last 18 months. I know Mississippi can do better but it’s going to take strong leadership at the top to get our state back on the right track. That’s why I’ve made detailed proposals to enact real reform to our civil justice laws to end lawsuit abuse. I’ve outlined a plan to reform our workforce training system.
Musgrove: I have worked hard to bring new economic development to Mississippi, like the Nissan plant in Canton, which has already hired people from 77 of our 82 counties and which will create over 30,000 direct and indirect jobs. But I have also worked to expand existing businesses, like Howard Industries and Northrop Grumman. Over the last three and a half years, we have had expansions in 1,600 existing manufacturing facilities and created over 25,000 new jobs through expansions in existing facilities.
This year I entered into a historic partnership with Governor Riley of Alabama to bring new economic development to the eastern part of the state. I’ll continue to work with business people and leaders across state and party lines to encourage development in all regions of our state.
Mississippi has been hit hard by NAFTA and other trade agreements and, over the last ten years, we have seen 41,000 of our states’ jobs move to Mexico and Asia. As Governor, I’ll continue to work with the legislature to attract new high paying jobs to Mississippi and expand our businesses right here at home.
I also believe that our schools are some of our best economic tools. By raising teacher pay to the Southeastern average in order to attract and keep good teachers in our classrooms, by funding schools first and fully, by putting a computer with internet in every classroom to bring the world to our children, by giving schools the authority to enforce discipline and expel habitually disruptive students, we are building stronger communities where companies want to do business.

DBJ: What would be the greatest strength you bring to the table as governor?
Barbour: There is a leadership vacuum in Jackson at a time when our state’s serious problems demand strong, effective leadership. As Governor, I will use my personal relationships with national political and business leaders to bring new jobs to our state and to find new markets for our products. I want to put the skills, experiences, and relationships I have developed over the years to work for our state.
Musgrove: I was born and raised in Mississippi. I went to school here, went to college here, and have worked in Mississippi all my life. I have spent the last sixteen years putting Mississippi first—as state senator, as lieutenant governor, and as governor. My experience and my dedication to moving Mississippi forward, by working across state lines and party lines, is my greatest strength.

DBJ: Mississippi ranks last or near the bottom in many surveys and rankings from education and national test scores to its livability and economy. How would you address our rankings in a campaign speech that would inspire hope and confidence rather than more negativity about what we aren’t doing right?
Barbour: We’ve got to be honest about our problems but more importantly, we need real solutions for these challenges. That’s why I’m running a campaign based on issues—focusing on problems and solutions. Some politicians may not understand this but a leader who won’t tell the truth about our problems, won’t lead to solve our problems.
A strong leader will first tell the public the truth about our problems; set priorities and stick to them; fight for what’s right, whether it is politically popular or not; and work with people, including other public officials, and not worry about who gets the credit. That’s real leadership.
Mississippi has tremendous potential. We’re blessed with abundant, beautiful natural resources and a great location; but most of all it’s Mississippians who make our state so special. Our state has a wonderful sense of community, fierce patriotism, strong moral values and a can-do spirit. But we all know Mississippi is not reaching its potential. I’m running for Governor because I know Mississippi can do better. We need strong, proven leadership in Jackson to turn us around and get our state back on track so our children can have the future Mississippi has the potential to offer them – the future they deserve.
Musgrove: I want Mississippians to know that I believe that Mississippi is the best place in the world to live, work, and raise a family. I believe that our workers are the best and most productive in the world. I believe that our children can compete with students anywhere in the world. I’m proud of Mississippi and I’m tired of hearing other candidates run down our state.
People deserve to hear that Mississippi was the first state to have a computer with internet in every classroom. That our test scores are rising — that, for the second year in a row, our children scored higher on the Mississippi Curriculum Test and that our children’s SAT scores are one hundred points higher than the national average. That our education accountability program was ranking twelfth in the nation by the Princeton Review. That we were the sixth state in the nation and the first state in Southeast to be approved under President Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” Act and that, as a result, Mississippi has already been awarded a $72 million “Reading First” grant. That Mississippi has one of the highest percentages in the nation of high school graduates going on to college.
People need to hear that Site Selection Magazine named Mississippi one of the top ten states in the nation to open new businesses or to expand existing businesses. That two of our cities were named one of the top 100 places to do business by Forbes Magazine. The Small Business Survival Committee called Mississippi one of the top ten states on its Small Business Survival Index. That, over the last three and a half years, we’ve attracted over $15 billion in new investment and created over 54,000 new jobs.
The truth is, Mississippi is doing better and we are moving forward, because, together, we are putting Mississippi first. DBJ

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