The bayonets have been drawn between the popular former Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore and Gov. Haley Barbour over funding for the non-profit Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi.
After Moore led the nationwide effort to sue the tobacco industry for billions of dollars after they misled the public about the dangers of tobacco, Moore successfully got a court order to divert $20 million a year to the partnership.
This blatant disregard for the law was achieved by using a tactic that successful lawyers have mastered: finding favorable court venues.
What county was the decision rendered in? Jackson County, the area where Moore previously served as district attorney. Many should have seen this action as appalling considering that the chief lawyer for the state intentionally disregarded the age-old constitutional principle of “separation of powers” and bypassed the Mississippi Legislature to secure funds for his otherwise well deserving pet project.
If you have never heard of the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi, you are one of a few. This highly successful program focuses on tobacco prevention in Mississippi kids as a measure to save the state millions in health care cost.
Moore, the Partnership chairman, has intentionally or unintentionally created one of Mississippi’s most powerful grassroots organizations, so much so that it helped catapult his protg, current Attorney General Jim Hood, into office.
However, we can promote “Reject All Tobacco” and follow the state constitution at the same time. The Mississippi Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review Committee came to the decision that Moore exceeded his power in getting a court order to divert $20 million a year to the group. Even more, the state has no authority to regulate the organization, which receives money that a court ordered to be paid to the state treasury. They only have to answer to their board of directors.
This lack of oversight is what led the organization to spend the much-publicized $19,000 on an ad praising Moore after he received a prestigious award from Harvard University.
Organization leaders sometimes make bad judgments; this was a forgivable one. The deeper issue is, “What are our priorities?”
One young lady approached me last semester and explained how she believed Haley Barbour hates the poor and wants to kick deserving people off Medicaid. We have a Medicaid crisis and the Partnership should be willing to give some of its money back to the state.
Barbour seems to be frying on one of Mississippi’s third rails of politics-tobacco use prevention. He wants to end the Partnership’s unregulated party by probably using the money to help fund the cash strapped Medicaid.
Tobacco related sickness cost the state millions of dollars in health care. The need to fund Medicaid should be placed above prevention.
The Partnership has been very successful in preventing smoking. But do they need $20 million a year to be successful?
Gov. Barbour, don’t end the Partnership. It is a vital program, by which many school-aged kids have been affected.
Partnership, make do with five or $10 million a year. Just cut some of your TV ads and luxuries that aren’t really helping the prevention cause. The vast majority of non-profit organizations make do with a lot less. Many of your advocates are the same people complaining about poor people being kicked off Medicaid.
Edward Sanders is a junior political science major. He can be reached at [email protected].