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Welcome to this week's edition of Mississippi Happenings podcast.

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My name is David Olds.

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Jim, my co-host and cohort, is not feeling very well today.

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As you may know, he broke his arm about three weeks ago and he is in a lot of pain and the
painkillers, I don't think are doing very, much for him.

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We wish him well and we do miss him today.

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This week, our topics

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Our topic is Mississippi prisons.

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Our guest today is House representative for district 92, Becky Currie.

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She is a chairwoman of the state house corrections committee.

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She also serves on the appropriations, public health, Medicaid, education, transparency,
drug policy and peer.

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She was in 2007.

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Representative Currie,

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It is a pleasure and honor to you with us.

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We appreciate your service to all Mississippians.

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And looking at your uh resume and your committees, you have quite a uh plate full of
responsibilities.

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I have a handful, but I love doing them.

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you know, if I weren't busy, it would be more upsetting to me.

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I'm with you there.

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Some people just have to have to be busy.

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uh Last week, we talked to Cliff Johnson.

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Cliff is the director of the MacArthur Center for Justice at the University of Mississippi
School of Law.

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We discussed the center's mission to reform Mississippi criminal legal system.

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They explored the implication of recent judicial rulings, the challenges of political
polarization.

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the importance of community responsibility in addressing violence.

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We also talked about economic justice, the role of faith in social issues, and the need
for hope and optimism in Mississippi.

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Representative Currie, in the June 19th article of the Mississippi Today, you talked about
your recent visit to Parchman.

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ah Jim and I, along with probably everyone who read that article, was quite moved with
your comments and quite moved with the compassion that showed for those inmates.

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Please tell us about that visit at Parchment.

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Well, I got this committee in January of last year and I had been in the house for 18
years and Corrections was never on my radar.

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I'm a registered nurse.

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I graduated from nursing school in 1979.

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So you can tell I'm an old nurse, I just, Corrections just never was my thing.

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And I love Medicaid and

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public health and a lot of other issues, but corrections never was.

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But the speaker said to me, our healthcare system is broken.

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And when I looked at the people to choose who could fix that, I'm choosing you to do that.

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And so I took it on ah quite literally.

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I knew nothing about prison systems.

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You can't be an expert in all fields.

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ah So I had a lot to learn, but I spent a year

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ah diving into the system.

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ah I will tell you that ah Burl Kane was good to me.

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He let me uh learn and go into prisons.

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ah So we, I don't know if you remember last year, we stayed in session until the first of
May.

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It was the longest session I feel like I ever had been through.

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So when I started going to prisons, it was already getting pretty hot.

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And I can tell you, it was, I was determined, let me say that.

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And, you know, I'm pretty sure I got the fluff tours when I first started going.

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ah But I had received a letter from one inmate.

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When I became chair, you get a lot of letters from inmates and I read every one of them.

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ah I still read every one of them.

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And I have them in several stacks of what I'm going to do.

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ah So we, I had a letter from a gentleman and ah you told me your wife is a nurse and I
don't know if she has really bad handwriting, but I have really bad handwriting.

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You know, it's just something we did as a nurse and way back when, you know, if a lawyer
couldn't read your handwriting, that was great, but I could.

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And doctors are the same way.

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But ah so anyway, ah it was one of those things where

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He wrote me this letter, a prisoner who had been there for 24 years for murder, and his
handwriting was immaculate.

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And I was drawn to this letter.

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This is as simple as it starts.

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And I asked Burl if I could see this inmate.

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He didn't ask me for anything.

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And I guess the other thing that drew me to this letter was the fact that he didn't ask me
for anything because most of them did.

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He just said he had dedicated his life to God and ah he could be of any service.

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It was just a moving letter.

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And so I talked about this in the Mississippi Today article, but they got a little bit of
it wrong.

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They said that he was in a wheelchair.

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He was walking on a walker.

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But I didn't go back and correct them.

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ah

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Burl Kane, just for clarification, he is the commissioner of the Department of Correction.

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Is that correct, Burl Kane?

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Okay.

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Okay.

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Okay.

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my.

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Yeah.

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he's got lots of documentaries, if you ever want to pull them up.

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He's ah enjoyed that.

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he's, you know, we got along great the first year or so, and he was there with me and this
man started uh walking on his walker my way and he was very jaundiced.

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You know, my nurse eyes caught all of it.

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He was, you know, 6'2", 6'3", extraordinarily thin.

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And we sat down on a bench and, you know, I just said, well, it's so nice to meet you.

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And obviously you have liver problems.

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And he said, I do, I have hep C and I've asked for treatment for years and I can't get the
medicine.

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And so,

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I looked at Burl and said, you know, why are we not treating this man?

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ah He was having problems with constant vomiting and diarrhea.

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He was losing weight.

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ah he said, he told me on the bench that day, I need some boost.

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And so we made sure he got boost and I made sure he got treated for hep C and he is now
well.

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So the further I looked into this, nobody was getting treated for hep C.

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And I believe that a fourth of the population in the Department of Corrections is positive
for hep C.

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I've talked to too many people and um at one time uh the Department of Corrections started
drawing blood.

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This was back when Centurium was the healthcare provider.

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And there were so many ah and they started treating it.

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And then Burl brought in Vitalcore, he brought them from Louisiana with him.

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And they stopped treating uh Hep C and HIV.

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And uh I guess apparently they...

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uh

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You know, May 1st I had another uh inmate that I was talking with about this and he was in
really bad shape and before we could do anything he died May 1st of this year.

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So it's just my goal and I'm a Christian and you know the Lord says ah what you do to the
least of them you do unto me.

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And I'm not going to stand before him and say, had the power to do something about this
and I didn't do it.

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I'm just not, that's not going to be in my wheelhouse.

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So we're going to treat these folks and we're going to get better healthcare in prisons.

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And, and I'm not saying we got to have a Cadillac blue cross, you know, which I don't, I'm
not thrilled about blue cross.

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have that, but, oh you know, but let's, we're going to not let people have a, uh

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five or ten year sentence be a death sentence.

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And that's where I am and I'm not going to move an inch.

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Now uh Hep C and I, you're right, my wife is a nurse and I listened to her and I
understand some of the things she said.

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Now Hep C, that's highly contagious, isn't it?

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Okay.

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contagious.

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So not only you have to look at it as a public health issue, it's contagious.

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So people around those people could get it.

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When they get out of prison, then they come back out into the community, people can get
it.

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ah So it is a public health issue.

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ah What I also found out, and I've been doing a lot of digging is years ago, ah somebody,
and I don't know who,

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throw them under the bus, but somebody took the Department of Corrections out from under
the Department of Health.

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So they have no oversight, none, zero.

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Nobody to say ah this is going on except for the email, not the email, excuse me, letters
they send.

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And I'm positive that letters have been sent out and thrown in the garbage because, you
know, it's prison.

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And I will be honest with you, a year and a half ago, I might've thrown a boy too because
it wasn't in my wheelhouse, but now it is.

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And I read these letters.

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I don't get back to each and every one of them, but I hope they can tell that I've said
something to the healthcare professionals there and that they need to be getting treated.

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I'm...

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um

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going to go down this road wherever it leads if we have a new health care provider or if
we start one of our own.

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went to Louisiana.

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Louisiana does their own health care.

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So their doctors and nurses and dentists are employed by the state and get retirement
benefits, state benefits, and they run their own health care.

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we have nurses and come and go who don't stay.

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And we have

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Those nurses were saying, have 24 years in the system.

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Next year, I'm able for retirement.

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And they were as happy as they could be.

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So we've got to look at what is the best way to ah provide basic needs uh and get people
well.

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Thank you.

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Thank you for that.

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Now, tell us a little bit about Vital Core.

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I understand that they are the health provider.

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Is that correct?

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Okay.

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There was, and I'm looking at the article.

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uh Were they uh fined or did the Mississippi Department of Correction withhold some...

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uh

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money from them.

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It looks like maybe two million dollars in proceeds.

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Yes.

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And so like I say, I dig a lot.

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They signed a contract, which I asked the governor's office not to sign this contract
until I could get in.

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mean, it was bad.

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So why would we sign a contract where we know the health care is bad?

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And so, oh you know, the RFP was out and it's a lot of legal smegling.

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I'm no lawyer.

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ah And that contract went on.

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and we re-signed with them.

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And what is it RFP?

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I'm sorry.

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is when an agency bids for a contract with the state.

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forgive me if I use terms that are normal to me, but always ask me, I'll tell you.

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But that's how companies or anybody in the state, everybody needs to learn what an RFP is
if you want to do business with the state, because that's how you get a contract.

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So what had been happening before this,

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Prior to this contract, ah the Department of Corrections just kept renewing the same
contract with Vital Core.

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They've been there about five years now ah on an emergency basis.

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And nobody was paying attention, so they just kept renewing it where nobody had to go
through the bidding process.

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So they did make it through the bidding process.

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They were the lowest bid, which sometimes is not the best bid.

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Mm-hmm.

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they came in at 119 million a year.

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We paid them 123 million for 2025.

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And at the end of this, they'll be making, at the end of the three-year contract, they'll
be making $133 million a year.

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Well, when I was going in the prisons and knowing the numbers, I came out saying, where's
this money?

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because it's not being spent here.

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uh we have diabetics.

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I've been in communication with a diabetic that ah has been there for a while ah and has
lost both legs because he cannot control his diabetes in prison.

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Now, I believe if you uh break the law and you're a danger to society, you need to go to
prison.

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But I don't believe you ought to be able to have to lose two legs going.

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uh So anyway, you know, there's just a lot that needs to be done.

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And I'm not, this isn't rocket science.

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This is just humanity and they're human beings.

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And I'll tell you this, I've talked to a lot of them that, you know, unfortunately got a
DUI, injured somebody and they're there.

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And for the, you know, I know a lot of people.

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oh

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My husband and I don't drink, but I know a lot of people who have a couple of drinks
somewhere and get in a car that they could be there too.

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ah you know, it's the grace of God that more people aren't in there under that.

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There's a lot of people there that are not bad people.

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There's a lot of people there that are bad people, ah but we still have to be humane.

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Understood and and thank you for that and and I I had that same verse in my mind, you know
for the sake of was it for the sake of God or You know for the sake of God go I uh

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Something like that.

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Yeah, so uh and you know good people make bad decisions, but I I admire your compassion
that that you have that you have for them is

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Parchman, and maybe this is a question for all the, within the prison systems in
Mississippi, is Parchman a, and I will use this and I mean no offense by it, ah is it a

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prison for profit?

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Well, it shouldn't be.

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It's not supposed to be.

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you know, ah I have been looking through contracts and I think some people do make money
off of prison oh work.

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But, ah you know, it is a not-for-profit prison.

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But it is the third largest budget in the state.

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If you think of

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all of education, all of Medicaid, the next budget is corrections.

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So we're giving, the taxpayers are giving plenty of money for this to be done right.

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And I don't think that there is a person out there ah that would say ah be cruel to people
and let them lose their limbs or their life.

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We're paying our tax dollars to make sure we have prisons, but we need them safe.

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and we need them healthy.

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And so I've been to other prisons uh across the country and uh we're behind, we're uh very
far behind.

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I will say that ah Mr.

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Kane coming from Louisiana, he did a lot of good things in Louisiana.

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I've been there several times and he started uh a lot of good things.

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He's done a lot of things here in Mississippi.

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I think if you haven't been to Parchman, you need to go.

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Everybody, you know, I'd be glad to take people, but he has brought in, we put air
conditioning in almost every building at Parchman except a couple.

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And the honest truth is we ran out of money.

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So that's better.

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The grounds are very nice.

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I'm sure it's not fun to be in prison, but it's better than it used to be.

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They have classes, they have GED classes.

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have, ah I just went to a graduation where uh several people graduated from seminary
there.

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have, yeah, I mean, he's done some wonderful things.

218
00:19:14,430 --> 00:19:21,212
ah He has a barber school, a body shop school, a welding school.

219
00:19:21,212 --> 00:19:24,023
So you can get in these programs.

220
00:19:24,023 --> 00:19:28,566
I will be honest to tell you that we need them bigger.

221
00:19:28,566 --> 00:19:33,528
because there's not enough space for as many people that want to go through them.

222
00:19:33,528 --> 00:19:36,469
But they have a lot of classes, Bible classes.

223
00:19:36,469 --> 00:19:38,930
There's all kinds of things to keep them busy.

224
00:19:38,930 --> 00:19:41,361
ah And that was what his goal was.

225
00:19:41,361 --> 00:19:47,023
As long as I can keep them busy, there won't be a lot of trouble going on.

226
00:19:47,023 --> 00:19:50,575
And that seems to have uh helped some.

227
00:19:50,575 --> 00:19:55,687
But we still have gangs in Mississippi, and we still have a lot of drugs in prisons.

228
00:19:55,687 --> 00:19:58,597
We still have a lot of problems.

229
00:19:58,597 --> 00:20:01,948
and I hope to help work those out.

230
00:20:02,918 --> 00:20:11,653
It sounds like you're definitely on the right track and you do have that laser focus of
what is right and what is wrong.

231
00:20:11,653 --> 00:20:30,566
Yeah, there's uh a religious group called Kairos and I know that they go down to parchment
probably twice a year with their ministry and I know they do a tremendous job with that.

232
00:20:30,566 --> 00:20:31,666
So it's good.

233
00:20:31,998 --> 00:20:36,985
to know that oh the things that you just mentioned that Mr.

234
00:20:36,985 --> 00:20:40,300
Kane had put into place is good.

235
00:20:42,604 --> 00:20:48,192
Are our prisons run by the state or they run by...

236
00:20:50,100 --> 00:20:53,138
uh private companies.

237
00:20:53,812 --> 00:20:55,623
It's run by the state.

238
00:20:56,285 --> 00:20:59,028
It's 100 % state funds.

239
00:20:59,028 --> 00:21:06,377
oh So that's one of the reasons why it's the third largest appropriations in the state.

240
00:21:06,377 --> 00:21:07,861
oh

241
00:21:07,861 --> 00:21:09,301
I wasn't sure.

242
00:21:09,402 --> 00:21:22,171
when I hear the term and I don't, you when I heard the term prisons for profit, I think
about the companies that the state pays to run those prisons.

243
00:21:22,171 --> 00:21:23,051
So,

244
00:21:23,234 --> 00:21:26,714
You know, we have two private prisons in Mississippi.

245
00:21:26,854 --> 00:21:28,834
I don't know if you know that.

246
00:21:29,334 --> 00:21:36,194
Okay, so that came about maybe in the 80s, long before I was here.

247
00:21:36,194 --> 00:21:45,994
We had two built and in the law, it says that we have to keep them at a 10%.

248
00:21:45,994 --> 00:21:51,340
We pay them 10 % less than we do for state prisons.

249
00:21:51,340 --> 00:21:53,532
But there's also a number and I'm not quite sure.

250
00:21:53,532 --> 00:21:57,034
I want to say it's at least 75 % full.

251
00:21:57,034 --> 00:22:06,371
ah One's in Meridian and one is in um Southwest Mississippi, Wilkinson County, I believe.

252
00:22:06,371 --> 00:22:09,042
But don't make me swear on that.

253
00:22:09,042 --> 00:22:10,963
Right this minute it's left me.

254
00:22:11,004 --> 00:22:12,544
I'm a little older.

255
00:22:14,306 --> 00:22:20,374
But anyway, those are two private prisons and I will be honest with you, they have their
hands full.

256
00:22:20,374 --> 00:22:23,259
because we do send the worst of the worst there.

257
00:22:23,259 --> 00:22:30,289
ah A lot of mentally ill are sent to these two prisons that what we call

258
00:22:31,304 --> 00:22:33,155
medicine resistant.

259
00:22:33,155 --> 00:22:36,716
In other words, there's medicine doesn't help.

260
00:22:36,716 --> 00:22:39,476
And they're just, it's sad and it's pitiful.

261
00:22:39,476 --> 00:22:45,738
ah don't, uh you know, I wrote the bill for mental health courts years ago.

262
00:22:45,974 --> 00:22:53,800
It never has really taken effect, which is one of the biggest sad news I have, but it's
just like a drug court.

263
00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:59,762
If you get off your medicines and you commit a nonviolent uh crime,

264
00:22:59,796 --> 00:23:05,470
that you would go to mental health court and we would keep you out of prison, just like
drug court.

265
00:23:05,470 --> 00:23:13,296
You could go and see a judge if you kept your appointments, if you're taking your
medicine, you don't go to prison.

266
00:23:13,296 --> 00:23:16,939
ah But then a violent crime, of course, would go.

267
00:23:16,939 --> 00:23:26,256
So we have a lot of mentally ill patients, I call them patients, in prison, which is
really sad.

268
00:23:26,482 --> 00:23:27,432
Gotcha.

269
00:23:27,553 --> 00:23:40,743
Yeah, there is, like you said, guess there is a difference between an inmate uh and a
patient, like you said, with mental health issues.

270
00:23:41,324 --> 00:23:51,462
Are there any mental health facilities in Mississippi that could take some of those
patients?

271
00:23:51,914 --> 00:23:58,018
I'm proud to say ah we have just opened a hundred bed unit at Whitfield.

272
00:23:58,018 --> 00:24:02,682
ah It's called Forensic Unit.

273
00:24:02,682 --> 00:24:19,208
so the great news about this is we just opened the building and the Department of Mental
Health is working diligently in trying to help us with this situation.

274
00:24:19,208 --> 00:24:31,723
Also, because there were such a long waiting list of inmates that were mentally ill
sitting in county jails waiting to uh get in the forensic unit, which was very small.

275
00:24:31,723 --> 00:24:43,958
So we built this facility to make sure our county jails, oh got to where the judge could
not, they couldn't stand trial because they were not competent, but they had to be deemed

276
00:24:43,958 --> 00:24:45,489
not competent.

277
00:24:45,489 --> 00:24:48,390
So now this unit is a hundred bed unit.

278
00:24:48,494 --> 00:24:52,935
And we are also building apartments.

279
00:24:52,935 --> 00:24:59,908
So once you get out of this forensic unit, you would go into different apartments on
grounds.

280
00:24:59,908 --> 00:25:08,180
It's still behind the gates ah and they're completely watched and taken care of.

281
00:25:08,180 --> 00:25:12,621
don't want you, but it's not in this close confined unit.

282
00:25:12,662 --> 00:25:14,422
But we are doing, we're...

283
00:25:14,422 --> 00:25:20,102
We're moving forward and I'm proud to say that because for 18 years we weren't.

284
00:25:22,032 --> 00:25:22,752
Thank you for that.

285
00:25:22,752 --> 00:25:28,944
That's, that is good to know because, and it's good to know that they are being, number
one, they're being taken care of.

286
00:25:28,944 --> 00:25:33,355
Uh, they're, they are getting their meds that they need.

287
00:25:33,355 --> 00:25:38,196
They are not, you know, uh, on our streets.

288
00:25:38,197 --> 00:25:46,059
They are not, um, having attacks where they could possibly, um, become violent.

289
00:25:46,059 --> 00:25:50,440
And as you said, they are behind the gates, but it's, it's,

290
00:25:51,579 --> 00:26:06,979
It gives, I would guess that it also gives him a lot of, gives him a feeling of a little
bit of freedom and also a little bit of pride in themselves and what they're doing.

291
00:26:08,032 --> 00:26:23,785
So I don't know if you remember this, I'm going way back and, but during the Obama years,
Obama decided that everybody that was in a institution needed to be back home and have

292
00:26:23,785 --> 00:26:31,741
community services near their house, which is a wonderful thing to think of, but in rural
Mississippi, we don't have that.

293
00:26:31,802 --> 00:26:37,200
So when they emptied, they made us empty Whitfield and other places.

294
00:26:37,200 --> 00:26:50,117
And all of those patients went to, I can tell you, my experience was a lot of them went to
Smith Park and lived right by the Capitol, ah which was a disservice to everybody.

295
00:26:50,117 --> 00:26:52,298
You know, they didn't get their medicine.

296
00:26:52,298 --> 00:26:53,879
They can't make decisions.

297
00:26:53,879 --> 00:26:54,900
They can't pay rent.

298
00:26:54,900 --> 00:26:56,961
They can't feed themselves.

299
00:26:56,961 --> 00:26:59,382
And you'll see them walk on the street now.

300
00:26:59,382 --> 00:27:02,784
So the federal government is changing a little bit.

301
00:27:02,784 --> 00:27:06,856
You know, this was a way to have, in my nurse opinion,

302
00:27:06,942 --> 00:27:15,045
was a way to have when they were in Whitfield, it was kind of a nursing home for the
mentally ill who cannot take care of themselves.

303
00:27:15,065 --> 00:27:18,716
Why we would have ever stopped that, I don't know.

304
00:27:18,716 --> 00:27:30,846
And maybe we should have put some of them in communities that had, uh you know, care,
community care, but a lot of our communities, we don't have a red light.

305
00:27:30,846 --> 00:27:33,449
much less a mental health facility.

306
00:27:33,449 --> 00:27:41,478
So I think they did that in a broad scheme of big cities, but it didn't work well here in
America and Mississippi, excuse me.

307
00:27:41,651 --> 00:27:42,201
Gotcha.

308
00:27:42,201 --> 00:27:58,770
uh One other article that thought that in doing the research on you, uh you also made a
comment about, and this was also Mississippi Today, which I love, ah that you were, there

309
00:27:58,770 --> 00:28:06,374
was a situation with uh rape kits in our hospitals.

310
00:28:06,374 --> 00:28:10,896
Tell us a little bit about that and what are your thoughts about that?

311
00:28:11,190 --> 00:28:19,567
Well, I worked in the emergency room a long time as a nurse and I did unfortunately a lot
of rape kits and they're not hard to do.

312
00:28:19,567 --> 00:28:31,456
They take time because once you start one, you have to finish it because it's evidence and
you have to treat it as evidence and a lot of people, I don't know if they don't take

313
00:28:31,456 --> 00:28:40,333
things as seriously as I do, but you have to provide that care and it has to be a chain of
custody.

314
00:28:40,756 --> 00:28:41,886
so forth.

315
00:28:41,886 --> 00:28:47,888
But a lot of hospitals uh decided that they just weren't going to do rape kits.

316
00:28:47,908 --> 00:29:01,232
And we got reports in the legislature that a lot of people had gone to emergency rooms, uh
women, men, and children, and they were turned away at the door and said, you'll have to

317
00:29:01,232 --> 00:29:03,773
go 60 miles to this hospital.

318
00:29:03,773 --> 00:29:06,453
uh I think they do rape kits.

319
00:29:06,453 --> 00:29:09,054
Not ever calling anybody, not ever

320
00:29:09,394 --> 00:29:12,415
assisting the patient with anything.

321
00:29:12,415 --> 00:29:15,756
They were turned away and a lot of people just went home.

322
00:29:15,836 --> 00:29:21,694
And so that person that did that rape was out on the street again to do it again.

323
00:29:21,694 --> 00:29:31,300
And so we passed a law this year that says every emergency room will have up-to-date rape
kits and they will perform them.

324
00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:38,346
And you know this was to me just astonishing that anyone went for help.

325
00:29:38,346 --> 00:29:41,071
to an emergency room and didn't get it.

326
00:29:41,273 --> 00:29:48,326
So today they will get one and if anybody goes and they don't get it, I want to know about
it.

327
00:29:49,230 --> 00:29:55,345
I'm assuming they can refuse a rape kit if a patient could refuse.

328
00:29:55,345 --> 00:29:56,296
Okay.

329
00:29:56,296 --> 00:29:57,396
Gotcha.

330
00:29:59,999 --> 00:30:09,146
Now once those, and I know in, and I'm in Olive Branch, so I'm close to the Memphis area.

331
00:30:09,547 --> 00:30:16,692
And one of the issues that this way is there's so many rape kits.

332
00:30:17,180 --> 00:30:22,051
that are just there and they're not being looked at.

333
00:30:22,353 --> 00:30:26,852
What's the situation and how do we handle that in Mississippi with the rape kids?

334
00:30:26,852 --> 00:30:28,123
did put this in the bill.

335
00:30:28,123 --> 00:30:34,044
There are rape kits now with a barcode on them, just like Walmart.

336
00:30:34,904 --> 00:30:36,313
And so it's scanned.

337
00:30:36,313 --> 00:30:38,405
I'm gonna be honest with you about something.

338
00:30:38,405 --> 00:30:49,588
There were a lot of uh rape kits in the back, in the trunk of police cars, and they were
on shelves in an evidence room.

339
00:30:49,588 --> 00:30:55,630
They were not treated in the chain of custody, like I'm saying, that they were supposed to
be.

340
00:30:56,222 --> 00:31:09,208
this barcode will be scanned and the patient will be able to see where their rape kit is
by going in and looking and seeing where that scanned kit is now.

341
00:31:09,208 --> 00:31:17,752
Whether it's in a police department and nobody picked it up, you make sure that it ends up
in the oh crime lab.

342
00:31:17,752 --> 00:31:21,744
ah yet we addressed that as well in this bill.

343
00:31:22,792 --> 00:31:31,261
uh Thank you for your involvement in that and work to get that passed and get that to go
through.

344
00:31:31,261 --> 00:31:32,021
Let's

345
00:31:33,282 --> 00:31:40,985
One of the, I do want to ask your opinion and get your thoughts about something.

346
00:31:42,626 --> 00:32:00,945
The recent article in, about Rankin County and the goon squad and also the Rankin County
Sheriff using his, inmates to work on the chicken farm.

347
00:32:00,945 --> 00:32:10,905
What's, and you know, in newspapers we get a story and we may, okay.

348
00:32:10,975 --> 00:32:18,742
When I was watching the news last night, I want you to know that sheriff was on the news,
so he must be still working.

349
00:32:18,742 --> 00:32:20,963
And I was shocked to see that.

350
00:32:21,003 --> 00:32:25,487
I mean, how is he still a sheriff?

351
00:32:26,108 --> 00:32:27,269
I do not know.

352
00:32:27,269 --> 00:32:30,611
The goon squad made me sick at my stomach.

353
00:32:30,752 --> 00:32:35,453
And I hope they stay a long time.

354
00:32:35,453 --> 00:32:38,410
I've been through our prisons, they're not great.

355
00:32:38,410 --> 00:32:44,793
I hope they stay a long time, but I do not understand how this sheriff is still a sheriff.

356
00:32:45,243 --> 00:32:46,507
Yeah.

357
00:32:46,507 --> 00:32:47,432
um

358
00:32:47,432 --> 00:32:48,879
needs to do their job.

359
00:32:48,879 --> 00:32:52,803
I don't know who it is, but somebody needs to do it.

360
00:32:53,083 --> 00:32:53,393
Good.

361
00:32:53,393 --> 00:32:54,054
Thank you.

362
00:32:54,054 --> 00:32:56,215
Thank you for your thoughts.

363
00:32:56,876 --> 00:32:58,177
No, you're not.

364
00:32:59,018 --> 00:33:06,004
And oh that's what I admire about people.

365
00:33:06,004 --> 00:33:12,530
That's what I admire, especially oh with women.

366
00:33:13,531 --> 00:33:15,132
Women don't need to be shy.

367
00:33:15,132 --> 00:33:20,625
I married a very opinionated, as I said, she's a nurse.

368
00:33:20,625 --> 00:33:22,225
She has her own mind.

369
00:33:22,225 --> 00:33:24,025
I don't tell her what to think.

370
00:33:24,025 --> 00:33:26,185
I don't make any decisions for her.

371
00:33:26,185 --> 00:33:34,005
And at the same time, I'm also proud to know that we raised a daughter who is the same
way.

372
00:33:34,005 --> 00:33:35,443
So yes.

373
00:33:35,443 --> 00:33:42,629
I can tell you in this man's world in the legislature, you pretty much, if you're not
strong, you're gonna get run over.

374
00:33:42,629 --> 00:33:45,522
So that's just pretty much how it is.

375
00:33:45,522 --> 00:33:54,522
I could believe that and because if you can, my wife also graduated nursing school.

376
00:33:54,522 --> 00:34:00,202
She went to Baptist here in, well, not here in Memphis, but she went in Memphis.

377
00:34:00,202 --> 00:34:14,082
I also graduated in 79 and she was very mild and meek when she went, but after about a
year, she knew where she, I mean, you guys.

378
00:34:14,103 --> 00:34:17,931
nurses have to put the doctors in their place, right?

379
00:34:17,931 --> 00:34:19,751
this is where it came from.

380
00:34:19,751 --> 00:34:24,151
have 45 years of nursing.

381
00:34:25,751 --> 00:34:32,913
I learned a lot from doctors and I did not want to take anything away from them, but a lot
of them had some really bad personalities.

382
00:34:32,913 --> 00:34:34,334
Oh, yes.

383
00:34:34,334 --> 00:34:45,240
My wife has some stories and, and when her nurse and friends, you know, get together and
I'm in the room for a little bit, when they start getting going into detail and

384
00:34:45,240 --> 00:34:51,703
procedures, you know, like nurses like to do talk about the details and go, I'm out of
here.

385
00:34:52,064 --> 00:34:53,124
I don't want to know.

386
00:34:53,124 --> 00:34:54,085
I don't want to know that.

387
00:34:54,085 --> 00:35:02,689
Um, but I didn't mean to get off on that, but, let's now, if you, if you don't.

388
00:35:02,753 --> 00:35:07,066
mine, let's, let's kind of shift gears here for a little bit.

389
00:35:08,278 --> 00:35:11,160
and kind of talk about some other things.

390
00:35:11,160 --> 00:35:25,572
Uh, one of the things that we, that Jim and I talk about a lot, uh, you know, we talk
about, um, expanding Medicaid.

391
00:35:26,033 --> 00:35:31,377
So for right now, and because of your, your experience,

392
00:35:31,441 --> 00:35:38,181
as a healthcare provider and now as a legislator.

393
00:35:38,741 --> 00:35:55,601
Tell us your thoughts about the healthcare in Mississippi and possibly, what were your
thoughts about expanding or accepting federal aid for Medicare or Medicaid, excuse me,

394
00:35:55,601 --> 00:35:56,168
Medicaid.

395
00:35:56,168 --> 00:36:08,577
can tell you uh during Philip Gunn being the speaker uh for 12 years and uh when this
started, I always voted to expand Medicaid.

396
00:36:08,577 --> 00:36:20,086
ah Not the conservative, and I am a very conservative, I know you're not going to like
this, but I'm a MAGA through and through.

397
00:36:20,086 --> 00:36:22,075
ah But

398
00:36:22,075 --> 00:36:27,978
As I looked at our healthcare system and if you remember, our rural hospitals were about
to close.

399
00:36:27,978 --> 00:36:33,151
ah This was just uh a matter of life and death.

400
00:36:33,151 --> 00:36:42,006
I live in a small town and I need my hospital here because I'm gonna need it if something
happens to me or my family or my constituents.

401
00:36:42,006 --> 00:36:47,249
We need to stop there and be stabilized and then transferred to Jackson.

402
00:36:47,249 --> 00:36:51,211
ah So rural hospitals are important.

403
00:36:51,583 --> 00:36:53,765
and they were closing.

404
00:36:53,765 --> 00:36:56,286
So I was always for this.

405
00:36:56,567 --> 00:37:05,333
I do see people as a nurse, I had people that had to make a decision between medicine or
food to eat.

406
00:37:06,234 --> 00:37:08,175
We don't need to have that.

407
00:37:08,296 --> 00:37:12,099
And so I always voted for Medicaid expansion.

408
00:37:12,099 --> 00:37:18,263
The other reason, if you think about this, you know, there's only about 10 states that
haven't done it.

409
00:37:18,311 --> 00:37:23,293
So all of the federal dollars are going to California and New York.

410
00:37:23,293 --> 00:37:32,877
And we are the poorest, the most unhealthiest, the fattest, all the things that, you know,
unfortunately we are, because we have great food here.

411
00:37:32,877 --> 00:37:40,260
ah Why would we let our federal dollars go to anybody else but us?

412
00:37:40,440 --> 00:37:45,072
And, you know, we could have been doing this now for over 12 years.

413
00:37:45,072 --> 00:37:48,453
We'd let billions of dollars go.

414
00:37:48,703 --> 00:37:59,629
oh And when all I ever said was put in the bill, the day the federal government stops
paying, it's over because we can't afford it.

415
00:37:59,629 --> 00:38:01,530
But that's all you had to put in the bill.

416
00:38:01,530 --> 00:38:04,652
And then when it happens, you blame the federal government.

417
00:38:04,652 --> 00:38:06,893
We will not be able to pick it up.

418
00:38:06,893 --> 00:38:12,236
I mean, so it was not rocket science to me, but we have not done it.

419
00:38:12,236 --> 00:38:18,419
oh I will also tell you that other states that did expand Medicaid are getting

420
00:38:18,419 --> 00:38:25,301
federal dollars for their prison system, which would help me right now cure HIV and hep C.

421
00:38:26,341 --> 00:38:29,672
But we don't get any federal dollars for our prison system.

422
00:38:29,672 --> 00:38:40,145
So, oh but anyway, it was just a no brainer for me, but it was not a popular uh bill until
Philip Gunn left.

423
00:38:40,165 --> 00:38:44,716
And now our new speaker, Jason White, I actually saw it like I saw it.

424
00:38:44,716 --> 00:38:48,147
You know, we have just unfortunately,

425
00:38:48,157 --> 00:38:50,829
The federal government wanted to give us billions of dollars.

426
00:38:50,829 --> 00:38:56,992
And you know, while Philip Gunn was uh speaker, we got all that ARPA money.

427
00:38:56,992 --> 00:38:59,534
Do you remember all that money that came down?

428
00:38:59,534 --> 00:39:07,919
uh A billion, two dollars and we enjoyed it so much and people were scrambling for it.

429
00:39:07,919 --> 00:39:12,061
I want this in my district and I want this in my district.

430
00:39:12,061 --> 00:39:14,342
And we spent that money happily.

431
00:39:14,342 --> 00:39:15,763
But when it comes to

432
00:39:15,763 --> 00:39:19,625
them giving us billion dollars for healthcare, we didn't want any part of it.

433
00:39:19,625 --> 00:39:24,207
Now, tell me, explain that to me, because I just don't get it.

434
00:39:24,207 --> 00:39:26,229
So here we are.

435
00:39:26,229 --> 00:39:36,576
When Governor Reeves was in his last campaign, he changed the way hospitals were being
paid, which we could have done a long time ago.

436
00:39:36,576 --> 00:39:47,483
We would have never been in the position of necessarily needing expansion if we changed
only the way the hospitals were being paid.

437
00:39:47,483 --> 00:39:50,906
Now you don't hear anything about hospitals being closed now.

438
00:39:50,906 --> 00:39:51,826
You know why?

439
00:39:51,826 --> 00:39:56,189
Because we did Medicaid expansion just for that.

440
00:39:56,467 --> 00:39:57,155
Gotcha.

441
00:39:57,155 --> 00:40:06,568
hospitals and now they're getting paid a decent amount where they can stay open and we
just didn't do the complete expansion.

442
00:40:06,568 --> 00:40:08,968
So I'm so proud that he did that.

443
00:40:08,968 --> 00:40:10,799
I will be perfectly honest with you.

444
00:40:10,799 --> 00:40:13,269
We needed to have done it a long time ago.

445
00:40:13,310 --> 00:40:16,450
And so there we are on Medicaid expansion.

446
00:40:16,450 --> 00:40:18,481
I'm not against it.

447
00:40:18,481 --> 00:40:22,192
Our country is in $36 trillion in debt.

448
00:40:22,192 --> 00:40:26,623
ah If the little bit that Mississippi was going to get out of that.

449
00:40:26,657 --> 00:40:30,005
will help us get out of debt, so be it.

450
00:40:30,448 --> 00:40:32,733
I just felt like it was the wrong move.

451
00:40:32,863 --> 00:40:33,663
Okay.

452
00:40:33,663 --> 00:40:34,843
Well, thank you for that.

453
00:40:34,843 --> 00:40:39,903
And you mentioned that you are a MAGA and no, I'm not.

454
00:40:40,043 --> 00:40:48,623
that, and I respect that and, I'm not, and I know that, but that's okay.

455
00:40:48,663 --> 00:40:50,443
That's good.

456
00:40:50,463 --> 00:41:02,295
And that's, seeing, seeing you talking to you and knowing your thoughts of that, it also,
um,

457
00:41:03,089 --> 00:41:14,082
My guess is, and I didn't look at the vote and anything like that, but my guess is there's
a lot more people, MAGA, like you.

458
00:41:14,579 --> 00:41:28,846
And it's so important that we look at, we as Americans, oh we look at the things that
we've got in common, the things that we share, instead of the things that draw us apart.

459
00:41:28,846 --> 00:41:31,613
So thank you so much for those comments.

460
00:41:31,613 --> 00:41:35,515
stop talking, communicating.

461
00:41:35,515 --> 00:41:48,720
If we communicate and listen to each other, you can come out with good legislation or I
believe that this is America and you have every right to believe what you want to and I

462
00:41:48,720 --> 00:41:59,205
have every right to believe what I want to and I respect you for your opinions and I don't
think that everything that you believe is bad and I hope you don't believe everything that

463
00:41:59,205 --> 00:42:00,605
I believe is bad.

464
00:42:00,671 --> 00:42:02,131
Not at all.

465
00:42:02,311 --> 00:42:04,331
I'm with you 100 % on that.

466
00:42:04,331 --> 00:42:06,151
Well, let's do something else.

467
00:42:06,151 --> 00:42:15,051
Let's talk about, because we've had different people come on and got their opinion.

468
00:42:15,051 --> 00:42:17,410
We've talked to Kyra Roby.

469
00:42:17,431 --> 00:42:25,791
She was a political analyst, and she wrote an article also in Mississippi Today about the
elimination of the state income tax.

470
00:42:26,371 --> 00:42:29,571
We've talked to, as I said, Justice

471
00:42:29,644 --> 00:42:38,517
We've talked to Senator Robert Johnson and we've talked to former governor Ronnie
Musgrove.

472
00:42:38,517 --> 00:42:42,743
uh

473
00:42:44,553 --> 00:42:46,174
you had to point that out, didn't you?

474
00:42:46,174 --> 00:42:49,326
Thank you, Representative Currie.

475
00:42:49,326 --> 00:42:52,978
But we want, we want Republicans in here.

476
00:42:52,978 --> 00:43:02,254
We want to hear, just like in talk with you, we found something in common and that's,
we're talking.

477
00:43:02,254 --> 00:43:09,418
We're talking and you and I gonna, you know, you and I will be friends when we hang up and
we'll, it'll all be good.

478
00:43:09,498 --> 00:43:11,799
And, uh, but, uh,

479
00:43:12,483 --> 00:43:17,765
But yes, I have asked several Republicans to join us.

480
00:43:17,765 --> 00:43:24,486
And if you could persuade them, let them know that I didn't, we didn't beat you up and
anything like that.

481
00:43:24,486 --> 00:43:27,967
You know, we were cordial and we had a lot of fun.

482
00:43:27,967 --> 00:43:32,489
ah But yes, I'd love to talk to uh Shad White.

483
00:43:32,489 --> 00:43:36,990
You know, I would love uh to talk to, as I said, Josh Harkins.

484
00:43:36,990 --> 00:43:41,841
We would love to talk to, and I've sent a letter, an email.

485
00:43:41,994 --> 00:43:45,487
to all of them, to everyone.

486
00:43:45,487 --> 00:43:53,293
And we haven't heard back from anybody, but yes, we would love to talk because this is
what it's about.

487
00:43:53,313 --> 00:43:54,935
So let's do this.

488
00:43:54,935 --> 00:44:00,680
oh Let's talk about the elimination of the state income tax.

489
00:44:00,680 --> 00:44:07,185
I've heard pretty much one side of it that oppose it.

490
00:44:07,185 --> 00:44:10,047
ah And I'd like to hear.

491
00:44:10,971 --> 00:44:12,533
from a Republican.

492
00:44:14,159 --> 00:44:16,413
So what are your thoughts?

493
00:44:16,691 --> 00:44:33,107
Well, you know, I'm going back to Philip Gundays when he started oh this and he got a good
ways in and his legislation started with hardworking people that weren't making a lot of

494
00:44:33,107 --> 00:44:39,660
money and I'm not good on tax laws so I have to give it to you the regular human way.

495
00:44:39,660 --> 00:44:42,951
oh So we started with

496
00:44:43,449 --> 00:44:44,139
4%.

497
00:44:44,139 --> 00:44:54,419
And it was if you were a hardworking Mississippian, we began with you, which, know, I hate
to tell you that was, you're only going to feel that this year.

498
00:44:54,419 --> 00:45:00,463
You know, we work into plans, you know, slowly ah because we do have a lot of bills to
pay.

499
00:45:00,463 --> 00:45:06,068
ah But we are doing well as a state and it was time to start giving people's money back to
them.

500
00:45:06,068 --> 00:45:12,365
ah Now, you know, I hope I'm not in the legislature when they have to reverse this because
we're not doing well.

501
00:45:12,365 --> 00:45:14,967
ah But here we go.

502
00:45:14,967 --> 00:45:24,354
ah So Speaker White wanted to continue that and get to where one day we don't have state
income tax.

503
00:45:24,354 --> 00:45:26,555
ah I agree with that.

504
00:45:26,555 --> 00:45:28,136
I love that idea.

505
00:45:28,136 --> 00:45:38,564
We have a lot of people around us, Tennessee, a lot of uh states around us that do not
have the state income tax, and we lose projects.

506
00:45:38,564 --> 00:45:39,524
We lose big...

507
00:45:39,524 --> 00:45:40,805
ah

508
00:45:41,357 --> 00:45:46,101
projects manufacturing to states with the no income tax.

509
00:45:46,101 --> 00:45:47,842
So we wanted to get there.

510
00:45:47,842 --> 00:45:56,430
ah Some of the, I'm going to be honest with you, some of the bill I liked, some of the
bill I didn't like.

511
00:45:56,430 --> 00:46:00,913
But the whole goal was to get to elimination of income tax.

512
00:46:00,913 --> 00:46:10,889
ah My idea during Philip Gundry and Jason White was to eliminate the grocery tax, ah
especially

513
00:46:10,889 --> 00:46:16,550
especially during Biden's reign where groceries became so expensive.

514
00:46:16,591 --> 00:46:19,692
So I wanted that to happen.

515
00:46:19,692 --> 00:46:21,532
We did that a little bit.

516
00:46:21,532 --> 00:46:28,894
To me, we didn't do it enough, but I was going to vote for any that I could help people
with.

517
00:46:29,174 --> 00:46:35,256
In my career, I always said I would never vote for a gas tax, ever.

518
00:46:36,236 --> 00:46:38,497
But what happened to me?

519
00:46:39,137 --> 00:46:47,945
was I had elimination of the income tax, of the gross or reduction of the grocery tax.

520
00:46:48,287 --> 00:46:52,250
And sometimes you have to hold your nose and vote for something else in it.

521
00:46:52,250 --> 00:46:54,683
uh

522
00:46:54,683 --> 00:46:58,483
heard that a lot and I have used that and I will continue to use it again.

523
00:46:58,483 --> 00:46:59,884
But go ahead, thank you.

524
00:46:59,884 --> 00:47:03,285
So, you know, was it a perfect bill?

525
00:47:03,285 --> 00:47:03,865
No.

526
00:47:03,865 --> 00:47:11,165
Will it help Mississippi in the long run with economic development and jobs?

527
00:47:11,265 --> 00:47:14,205
And I believe absolutely.

528
00:47:14,925 --> 00:47:23,243
you know, it was, I'm going to tell you, they just went through the big, beautiful bill in
D.C.

529
00:47:23,243 --> 00:47:28,576
And I can tell you that there were some things they liked in it and some things they
didn't and they held their nose to.

530
00:47:28,576 --> 00:47:36,080
ah But you have to look for the future and you have to say what's going to be best in the
long run for Mississippi.

531
00:47:36,080 --> 00:47:40,983
And I believe that both of these bills will be for the country and for Mississippi.

532
00:47:40,983 --> 00:47:44,665
So that's where I stood on eliminating income tax.

533
00:47:44,665 --> 00:47:50,028
And time will tell because it's going to take so many years before it to actually happen.

534
00:47:50,028 --> 00:47:51,889
But I will say this.

535
00:47:52,237 --> 00:48:04,597
since I did hold my nose and vote for a gas tax, they better get every pothole filled and
they better, I'm gonna tell you something, I don't even need them to build another new

536
00:48:04,597 --> 00:48:07,717
road until they do all of state aid roads.

537
00:48:07,837 --> 00:48:17,751
There's a lot of counties that there's a lot of state aid roads and I know somebody, a lot
of people aren't gonna know what I'm talking about, but they have.

538
00:48:17,751 --> 00:48:30,735
put state aid roads that are right in every county on the back burner while they do all
these crazy things and cut trees down in the middle of the highway and plant sod and put

539
00:48:30,735 --> 00:48:36,046
this wire thing up that I think ah doesn't save a life out there.

540
00:48:36,126 --> 00:48:45,409
There's so many things that get done that let's just work on the necessities for a few
years, get our roads and bridges up to snuff.

541
00:48:45,466 --> 00:48:49,285
and I will feel much better about pushing that button.

542
00:48:49,353 --> 00:48:51,184
Gotcha, gotcha.

543
00:48:51,184 --> 00:48:55,165
And I totally agree with you on the grocery tax.

544
00:48:55,366 --> 00:49:00,228
And I understand your position of holding your nose.

545
00:49:00,228 --> 00:49:08,511
ah The thing about the grocery, excuse me, the grocery tax, that affects everybody.

546
00:49:08,612 --> 00:49:11,853
The gasoline tax, that's an increase.

547
00:49:12,574 --> 00:49:14,394
Yes, it affects everybody.

548
00:49:14,394 --> 00:49:16,215
ah

549
00:49:16,905 --> 00:49:28,605
But my concern is with the gas tax that it affects the ones who cannot afford it the most.

550
00:49:28,605 --> 00:49:35,862
uh That's my concern with the increase in the gasoline tax.

551
00:49:35,862 --> 00:49:38,934
And yes, and in this area, we're very fortunate.

552
00:49:39,029 --> 00:49:43,472
You have a remarkable area where you live.

553
00:49:43,472 --> 00:49:46,074
ah They are really on top of things.

554
00:49:46,074 --> 00:49:51,417
And look, my folks are too with what they have to work with.

555
00:49:51,417 --> 00:49:53,798
ah So that's what I'm saying.

556
00:49:53,798 --> 00:50:04,727
If we're going to send MDOT a whole lot more money every year that gas tax goes up, ah I
want them to be on the ball and doing the right thing.

557
00:50:04,727 --> 00:50:05,408
Gotcha.

558
00:50:05,408 --> 00:50:13,318
You had mentioned uh the state and the state aid roads.

559
00:50:13,519 --> 00:50:15,540
that state aid?

560
00:50:16,242 --> 00:50:17,373
What is that?

561
00:50:17,898 --> 00:50:30,289
back in history again, they, I'm not even sure how it happened, but like we have several
big roads out in our country, okay?

562
00:50:30,289 --> 00:50:31,400
We call it out in the country.

563
00:50:31,400 --> 00:50:35,213
We're a small town, but we still have out in the country, okay?

564
00:50:35,213 --> 00:50:40,225
uh So a lot of them,

565
00:50:40,225 --> 00:50:47,287
Deemed in the 80s and 90s, they were deemed state-aid roads that the state is responsible
for.

566
00:50:47,287 --> 00:50:53,199
So the supervisors sit around waiting for them to come fix these state-aid roads.

567
00:50:53,199 --> 00:50:59,090
And I have some that I want you to know are almost not drivable.

568
00:50:59,090 --> 00:51:00,771
You will ruin your tires.

569
00:51:00,771 --> 00:51:07,533
uh So we increased the amount to the state-aid roads, but I'm really serious.

570
00:51:08,437 --> 00:51:21,446
We can't give you all this money and you keep neglecting oh towns like Brookhaven where I
live ah because you want the coast to be pristine and you want Rankin County to be

571
00:51:21,446 --> 00:51:28,811
pristine and you want Olive Branch and DeSoto County because those are the three counties
you have to have to win an election.

572
00:51:28,852 --> 00:51:34,215
But you forget all the rest of us and I'm gonna tell you I'm quite frankly tired of it.

573
00:51:39,421 --> 00:51:53,527
I'm not even gonna go there and I'm not even gonna attempt to disagree with you because
you're kinda right.

574
00:51:53,527 --> 00:51:59,249
So I'm not gonna disagree with you at all.

575
00:51:59,249 --> 00:52:03,430
One last thing that...

576
00:52:03,430 --> 00:52:05,271
ah

577
00:52:06,668 --> 00:52:16,003
And I think this is where you and I will probably see things differently, but that's why
it's so important that I see where you're coming from.

578
00:52:16,003 --> 00:52:18,647
oh

579
00:52:20,561 --> 00:52:25,523
Let's talk about, I know that you support school choice.

580
00:52:25,846 --> 00:52:29,935
Tell me about school choice and your thoughts on that.

581
00:52:30,593 --> 00:52:37,697
Well, school choice has been one of those things and always simmers, but it doesn't go
anywhere.

582
00:52:38,157 --> 00:52:44,381
And I have uh supported a few different things with oh special needs children.

583
00:52:44,381 --> 00:52:47,582
You know, we have where you can take the money with you.

584
00:52:47,582 --> 00:52:53,866
If your child needs something from another school, you're not getting in your public
school and their special needs.

585
00:52:53,866 --> 00:52:59,849
I want them to get, if the parent's willing to drive, you know, once again, I,

586
00:52:59,849 --> 00:53:10,032
serve district 92, our schools are doing great, a good job, but if you want some kind of
specialty for your child, you're going to have to drive to Jackson or Hattiesburg.

587
00:53:10,032 --> 00:53:17,074
And if you are willing to take your child there so they can get the best opportunities
they can get, I'm all for you doing that.

588
00:53:17,074 --> 00:53:28,377
oh I am all for um children who need to go to another school because of their bullied or
they're not doing well.

589
00:53:28,377 --> 00:53:30,739
at their school.

590
00:53:31,660 --> 00:53:41,548
I do believe the parents should be in charge of their oh child's uh education, not anybody
else.

591
00:53:41,548 --> 00:53:54,639
What I do want to say to most people is that when you vote for school choice, ah there's
only, and I'm sorry, we call it butts in the seat, and I know that may not sound very nice

592
00:53:54,639 --> 00:53:57,773
or appropriate, but that's what we call it, okay?

593
00:53:57,773 --> 00:54:02,196
There's only so many butts in the seats that you can provide, okay?

594
00:54:02,196 --> 00:54:06,238
So it's not going to make...

595
00:54:08,099 --> 00:54:09,490
Right, I mean, I don't know.

596
00:54:09,490 --> 00:54:10,440
That's what it's set.

597
00:54:10,440 --> 00:54:12,231
We call it that at the legislature.

598
00:54:12,231 --> 00:54:16,324
So there's only so many that are going to change to start with.

599
00:54:16,324 --> 00:54:25,739
ah I have a terrible time with there being a ah failing school.

600
00:54:25,857 --> 00:54:31,079
that that child is not going to get out of that school district with a good education.

601
00:54:31,079 --> 00:54:34,779
But because of where you live, that's where you have to go.

602
00:54:34,779 --> 00:54:36,241
You have no other choice.

603
00:54:36,241 --> 00:54:38,092
That's why I voted for charter schools.

604
00:54:38,092 --> 00:54:41,283
And they're doing better, but they've been struggling as well.

605
00:54:41,283 --> 00:54:44,985
But, you know, what is the answer?

606
00:54:44,985 --> 00:54:47,497
I'd love for somebody to tell me what the answer.

607
00:54:47,497 --> 00:54:51,868
I want you to know I am a big public school supporter.

608
00:54:51,868 --> 00:54:55,347
I graduated from public school and I think I've done okay.

609
00:54:55,347 --> 00:54:59,560
And I just, what is going to be the answer?

610
00:54:59,560 --> 00:55:08,006
I want the failing schools and is it competition that's gonna make them become a better
school?

611
00:55:08,006 --> 00:55:10,307
I don't know the answer to that.

612
00:55:10,308 --> 00:55:17,793
I want, you know, I think that this is where the room for sit down and discussion is.

613
00:55:18,153 --> 00:55:23,897
Between Republicans and Democrats, I think that we all need to sit down and say,

614
00:55:24,389 --> 00:55:26,370
What is it we need to do?

615
00:55:26,370 --> 00:55:29,791
Because more money hasn't been the answer.

616
00:55:29,791 --> 00:55:38,333
I hate to tell everybody, we've given a ton of money that you don't even hear them
complaining about money anymore.

617
00:55:38,333 --> 00:55:42,294
So, okay, then what is the answer?

618
00:55:42,514 --> 00:55:46,175
And I wish I had that magic bullet.

619
00:55:46,175 --> 00:55:54,217
ah I'm open to any suggestions, but I just have this huge problem of saying,

620
00:55:54,702 --> 00:56:04,634
to this child who lives in a poor area and has a poor failing school system, I'm sorry
you're just never going to have a chance because of where you live.

621
00:56:04,915 --> 00:56:10,181
So, you know, maybe school choice isn't it, but what is it?

622
00:56:12,511 --> 00:56:19,235
Do you, is it, that's okay, that's okay.

623
00:56:19,235 --> 00:56:20,075
I love it.

624
00:56:20,075 --> 00:56:20,716
I love it.

625
00:56:20,716 --> 00:56:25,618
Yes, you have me thinking and that's what it's all about.

626
00:56:25,878 --> 00:56:28,659
That's absolutely, that's what we're supposed to do.

627
00:56:28,659 --> 00:56:42,267
Now there are some people that feel that money that's earmarked, that's dedicated, that's
supposed to go to public education.

628
00:56:42,757 --> 00:56:50,610
is being, and I'll use the term, funneled to school choice, to charter schools, and to
private schools.

629
00:56:51,893 --> 00:56:54,464
Okay, is that your question to me?

630
00:56:55,985 --> 00:57:03,588
Okay, I will tell you this, that in our constitution, we're not supposed to send money to
private schools.

631
00:57:03,988 --> 00:57:06,449
And you're welcome.

632
00:57:06,689 --> 00:57:08,910
And I have not been for that.

633
00:57:08,910 --> 00:57:18,214
uh I will tell you that uh I don't, if they vote to change that, that'll be a different
subject.

634
00:57:18,214 --> 00:57:19,235
I have one vote.

635
00:57:19,235 --> 00:57:20,417
uh

636
00:57:20,417 --> 00:57:28,712
But right now, that's what our constitution says, but yet we seem to be getting away with
doing that, or some people are.

637
00:57:28,712 --> 00:57:32,533
not, I just believe everybody needs to follow the rules.

638
00:57:32,594 --> 00:57:36,436
And if they want the rules changed, then we need to bring it to a vote.

639
00:57:36,436 --> 00:57:39,818
ah Change the rules.

640
00:57:39,818 --> 00:57:43,199
And I'm not gonna ah vote.

641
00:57:43,199 --> 00:57:45,640
As you can tell, I love rules.

642
00:57:45,781 --> 00:57:47,481
I just love them.

643
00:57:48,502 --> 00:57:50,083
And I don't like breaking them.

644
00:57:50,083 --> 00:57:52,305
ah I guess that's the nurse in me.

645
00:57:52,305 --> 00:57:54,706
This is the rule and this is what we're going to follow.

646
00:57:54,706 --> 00:57:58,249
ah I just, that's how I feel about it.

647
00:57:58,249 --> 00:58:07,216
know, if you have the means to send your child to a private school, that's wonderful and
good for you.

648
00:58:07,216 --> 00:58:12,299
I want to see our public schools make it because they are the backbone of our society.

649
00:58:12,299 --> 00:58:17,643
ah But if they aren't going to make it, what are we going to do?

650
00:58:18,143 --> 00:58:19,975
And I guess that's where I am.

651
00:58:19,975 --> 00:58:22,638
And I haven't heard anybody.

652
00:58:22,638 --> 00:58:24,470
I'm not asking you for an answer.

653
00:58:24,470 --> 00:58:26,993
I haven't heard anybody with that answer yet.

654
00:58:26,993 --> 00:58:29,016
So I'm still waiting.

655
00:58:29,016 --> 00:58:31,538
And that's not my expertise.

656
00:58:31,859 --> 00:58:35,342
I'm on education committee, but that one's not mine.

657
00:58:35,767 --> 00:58:51,997
of the interesting things that I heard, and I'd like your thoughts on this, and we have
interviewed Nancy Loom and we have with the Parents Campaign, we have interviewed Erica

658
00:58:51,997 --> 00:58:58,760
Jones with the Mississippi Association of Educators and gotten their take.

659
00:58:58,760 --> 00:59:00,301
uh

660
00:59:00,889 --> 00:59:17,879
One of the things that I hear uh is that there's different rules and regulations within
the public school system.

661
00:59:18,360 --> 00:59:27,605
You know, the state dictates and tells them what they have to teach in the rules and
regulations.

662
00:59:28,072 --> 00:59:39,345
Whereas on a charter school or private school, they get to pick and choose the students
that they want or don't want.

663
00:59:39,345 --> 00:59:42,845
And you mentioned special needs students.

664
00:59:43,846 --> 00:59:50,828
You know, I would think that a lot of the private schools would not want say an autistic
child.

665
00:59:50,828 --> 00:59:55,549
I'm not saying they do or not, but I would think that that would be a distraction.

666
00:59:55,549 --> 00:59:57,229
uh

667
00:59:57,577 --> 01:00:13,331
But it seems that uh charter schools, private schools, they have their own rules and
regulations and they don't seem to care about what other schools are teaching.

668
01:00:13,331 --> 01:00:16,153
Is that a fair statement or not?

669
01:00:16,255 --> 01:00:18,976
It is not for charter schools.

670
01:00:18,976 --> 01:00:33,540
They follow the same curriculum that our state, they are a state school and they're run,
yeah, charter schools are not, but private schools, of course, they don't, uh they can do

671
01:00:33,540 --> 01:00:35,020
whatever they want to, they're private.

672
01:00:35,020 --> 01:00:45,507
ah But let me also say, I don't believe private schools won't state money because then
they would be told what to do from the state and

673
01:00:45,507 --> 01:00:49,127
Honestly, the people I've talked to, they don't want it.

674
01:00:49,127 --> 01:00:58,627
They want to be able to have prayer in school and all of the things that state schools you
may not be able to have.

675
01:00:58,707 --> 01:01:04,807
So I don't know of one right now in my district that won't state money.

676
01:01:05,127 --> 01:01:08,487
we'll, you know, I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

677
01:01:08,487 --> 01:01:12,007
But, you know, my concern is not picking it.

678
01:01:12,007 --> 01:01:14,861
I don't know anybody that would want to send their

679
01:01:14,861 --> 01:01:18,992
their child to private school that has no resources for them.

680
01:01:19,073 --> 01:01:30,417
You can get physical therapy and speech therapy and all the therapies that you need for
your autistic or special needs child at public school.

681
01:01:30,417 --> 01:01:32,278
You're not gonna get that at private school.

682
01:01:32,278 --> 01:01:34,199
So I don't see that happening.

683
01:01:34,199 --> 01:01:41,722
What I do see happening is you're, uh well, they got a good quarterback over there at this
school.

684
01:01:45,540 --> 01:01:48,303
And I believe that's what's going to be the problem.

685
01:01:48,303 --> 01:01:54,365
Absolutely, do you are in the state of Mississippi and Friday night Friday night lights?

686
01:01:54,365 --> 01:01:59,487
uh Representative Currie.

687
01:01:59,907 --> 01:02:00,988
Thank you so much.

688
01:02:00,988 --> 01:02:03,559
ah This has been a blast.

689
01:02:03,559 --> 01:02:05,089
It's been a lot of fun.

690
01:02:05,089 --> 01:02:08,841
ah I admire your tenacity.

691
01:02:08,841 --> 01:02:11,952
I remind I admire your uh compassion.

692
01:02:11,952 --> 01:02:14,025
uh And.

693
01:02:14,025 --> 01:02:16,749
This is, this has been a lot of fun.

694
01:02:16,749 --> 01:02:27,501
Let me ask you this as we close, is there anything that you want our viewers, our
subscribers to do?

695
01:02:27,762 --> 01:02:28,844
What do you need from us?

696
01:02:28,844 --> 01:02:30,425
What do you need from the public?

697
01:02:31,019 --> 01:02:43,246
I need the public's help on making sure that ah when I tell you that people are dying in
prison, no matter how you feel about them, it's the Christian thing to do to help me make

698
01:02:43,246 --> 01:02:45,167
sure that they get treated.

699
01:02:46,908 --> 01:02:49,149
They are our brothers and sisters.

700
01:02:49,149 --> 01:02:50,830
They are humans.

701
01:02:50,830 --> 01:02:54,912
And ah it's just me alone right now.

702
01:02:55,233 --> 01:02:58,074
And I do need the public's help.

703
01:02:58,074 --> 01:02:59,935
You know who I hear from the most?

704
01:02:59,935 --> 01:03:00,876
is the parents.

705
01:03:00,876 --> 01:03:06,381
ah And it doesn't affect anybody till you have someone there.

706
01:03:06,381 --> 01:03:12,346
But I believe that there are good people out there and I believe they understand we're
already paying for it.

707
01:03:12,346 --> 01:03:15,889
Just help me make sure that we get the right thing done.

708
01:03:15,889 --> 01:03:21,413
Call your legislators, call your governor, call your lieutenant governor, call your
attorney general.

709
01:03:21,413 --> 01:03:28,587
ah I do need your help because as you can tell, I'm not shy.

710
01:03:28,587 --> 01:03:30,049
And they all know how I feel.

711
01:03:30,049 --> 01:03:35,674
ah But I think they probably need to hear from somebody but just me.

712
01:03:36,479 --> 01:03:37,309
Yeah.

713
01:03:38,130 --> 01:03:38,800
Well, thank you.

714
01:03:38,800 --> 01:03:49,313
will, if you don't mind, we will put your uh email on the screen and that way that they
can get in touch with you on that.

715
01:03:49,313 --> 01:03:51,693
We'll put your house email on that.

716
01:03:51,693 --> 01:03:56,475
ah Well, Becky, as I said, this has just been great.

717
01:03:56,475 --> 01:03:59,185
uh It's good to hear from you.

718
01:03:59,185 --> 01:04:03,957
It's good to hear from a Republican.

719
01:04:04,289 --> 01:04:10,216
Hey, look, we can say that a Republican and a Democrat got along well today, right?

720
01:04:10,216 --> 01:04:12,433
uh

721
01:04:12,433 --> 01:04:12,653
did.

722
01:04:12,653 --> 01:04:22,673
We had a good conversation and we found out there's a lot more that we have in common than
divides us.

723
01:04:22,873 --> 01:04:30,173
So once again, we thank you and we want to thank you, our viewer, our listener, our
subscriber.

724
01:04:31,153 --> 01:04:34,313
We appreciate your continued support.

725
01:04:34,673 --> 01:04:39,330
If you have any questions, comments, please drop us a line at

726
01:04:39,330 --> 01:04:42,772
mshappeningsthenumber1.gmail.com.

727
01:04:42,772 --> 01:04:47,374
That's mshappeningsthenumber1.gmail.com.

728
01:04:47,374 --> 01:04:48,805
We do appreciate all of you.

729
01:04:48,805 --> 01:04:49,765
Thank you for listening.

730
01:04:49,765 --> 01:04:51,106
Thank you for being here.

731
01:04:51,106 --> 01:04:54,178
Please subscribe, tell your friends.

732
01:04:54,178 --> 01:05:01,602
ah This will allow us to get more Republicans on the episode.

733
01:05:01,602 --> 01:05:05,948
oh remember, may we never become

734
01:05:05,948 --> 01:05:08,427
indifferent to the suffering of