Thank you Jason White for boosting my fading hopes that good government conservatives might one day lift Mississippi out of the abyss.
If you haven't already read the speaker's April 8 interview with Mississippi Today writers Taylor Vance and Geoff Pender, you should. In it, White, a conservative Republican, reveals his good government conservatism as he explains his rationale for supporting Medicaid expansion. Here are some examples.
“My Republican colleagues think it's a smart, common sense, pro-business move,” White said, explaining that the first four years of the expansion would be fully funded with federal funds. “I'll admit this. Most of my Republicans aren't getting there out of compassion. They get there by looking at the dollars and cents.”
Running an efficient and frugal government like a business is a core tenet of good government conservatism.
White went on to point out feedback from employers, hospitals and doctors that “there are unhealthy people who are not covered[by insurance].” “I'm convinced, and the medical professionals have convinced me, that this population, this is the way to cover these people. Nothing else really makes sense.”
Effective government is another central tenet of good government conservatism.
“Now, if you're here for the savings and you're staying for the compassion, I think it's better to give these people the opportunity to get proper medical care, regular preventive care.” said White. It's to prevent some of the problems we end up paying for. ”
Moral government is the third core doctrine.
“I've never been obsessed with names or terminology,” White said of the political bashing of Medicaid expansion over the past decade.
Basing decisions on facts and research, rather than controversy, also constitutes a key feature of good government conservatism.
Background: During his gubernatorial campaigns in the 1970s, Gil Carmichael advocated good government conservatism, a restrained government run efficiently and effectively like business and moral government. , provided good education and economic opportunities for its people, as well as a fiscally responsible safety net for the poor and elderly.
Years later, Haley Barbour implemented a pragmatic version of Gill's good government conservatism during her two terms as governor. Related to his speaker's comments, Haley said in his 2004 inaugural address to the Legislature that “when any region or group of people is left behind, it holds back the rest of the state.” “It will be.” (For more on this topic, see my upcoming book, “Republican Lament: Mississippi Needs Good Government Conservatives,” to be published by the University of Mississippi Press.)
“Of this I am sure, I will see the mercy of the Lord in the land of the living.” – Psalm 27:13.
Bill Crawford is a syndicated columnist from Jackson.
