GE Aviation to open new facility in Ellisville on Tuesday.

Congressman Steve Palazzo

Senator Roger Wicker

Gov. Phil Bryant will join GE Aviation President/CEO David Joyce on Tuesday for the grand opening of the company’s new 340,000-square-foot aviation components factory in Ellisville, Miss.

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker and U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo, both R-Miss., also are scheduled to attend the 11 a.m. ceremony in the Howard Technology Park.

The company, a unit of General Electric Co., expects to hire 250 workers within five years to make composite parts for aircraft engines and systems.

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Student Religious Liberty Act passes House 108-6.

The House voted 108-6 for final passage of (SB 2633) Wednesday without debate.

The measure would guarantee student rights to talk about faith in class and allow them to organize religious clubs. Sponsors, in legislative debate, have said teachers and school administrators are confused about what religious expression is legal, and that the state needs a law to keep schools from wrongly suppressing religion.

But the proposal, modeled in part on a law passed in Texas, would also create a path to allow students to pray at football games and graduations and during morning announcements.

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McDaniel: It is our responsibility to protect the Second Amendment.

BY: Chris McDaniel @senatormcdaniel

The political left has, once again, reignited a national debate over the Second Amendment’s application, reminding conservatives that they will never tire in attempting to erode the Constitutional rights of gun owners.

Gun-control advocates complain that the founding fathers never intended firearms to go unregulated, invoking arguments made by United States Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer — a dissenter in the 2008 case of District of Columbia v. Heller, a Supreme Court decision which overturned a Washington, D.C. handgun ban.  As part of his dissent in Heller, he argued that Madison only drafted the Second Amendment because some feared that Congress would call up the state militias and nationalize them. Madison only proposed the amendment, Breyer maintained, to appease skeptics and to “get this document ratified.”

Nevertheless, in a well-reasoned opinion drafted by Justice Antonin Scalia, the Heller majority expressly held that adult citizens, each of us individually, enjoy the right to keep and bear arms.  In so doing, it concluded decades of debate as to whether the Second Amendment protects the rights of all individuals (the individual rights theory) or only those who are members of a militia (the collective rights theory).

Two years later in the case of McDonald v. City of Chicago, the Supreme Court struck down Chicago’s ban on the private ownership of handguns, finding that the right to possess a handgun for self-defense is “fundamental from an American perspective and applies equally to the federal government and the states.”  The Court likewise recognized that the “central component” of the Second Amendment is individual self-defense, noting that “self-defense is a basic right, recognized by many legal systems from ancient times to the present.”

Clearly, controlling precedent repudiates Justice Breyer’s legal guesswork, while strengthening the rights of gun owners.

The Second Amendment’s language is not perplexing: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

And yet, activists propose that the addition of the amendment’s prefatory clause qualifies the rest of the wording by placing a limitation on the people’s right to bear arms.  Such an argument, however, ignores the fact that the amendment was designed to guarantee, not impart, the unalienable right of individuals to keep and bear arms.

Gun control proponents likewise fail to consider the textual certainties of Constitutional construction.  In all six other provisions of the Constitution that mention “the people” the phrase refers to all members of the political community, not merely an unspecified segment or collective.

Although the Second Amendment speaks to the historical need for a militia, its plain language demonstrates the function of the prefatory clause was not to qualify the right, but instead to show why it must be protected.  Recognizing this fact, the Court has held that the prefatory clause serves to clarify the operative clause, but neither limits nor expands its scope.

Contrary interpretations make little sense.  Why would the Constitution’s drafters place a collective right into the middle of the most noble listing of individual rights ever recognized?

Not only do the Court’s recent decisions benefit from textual support, there is no evidence from early common law that the right was intended to apply solely to active militia members.  To the contrary, historical evidence demonstrates the founders’ unyielding dedication to an armed citizenry.

In words and deeds, the Constitution’s contemporaries recognized the Second Amendment as an individual right essential to liberty.

But times have changed, regrettably; and there will be continued demands from the left to curtail our liberties, however incremental.

It is our responsibility to protect the Second Amendment, reminding bureaucrats that the government must not attempt to circumvent our rights with excessive firearm regulatory schemes.

About Chris: Chris is an attorney, conservative commentator and a Republican politician in the Mississippi Senate who has represented the 42nd District, which encompasses part of South Mississippi, since 2008. He resides with his family in Ellisville, Mississippi.

Plunkett: Serious discussion of state retirement must begin with Legislative Retirement Plan.

BY: B. Keith Plunkett @Keithplunkett

According to our Mississippi PEP 2013 Conservative State of the State survey of over 200 conservative Mississippians, there is great concern for how state officials will face down the growing problem of funding state retirement.

The Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) Board again raised the contribution levels on taxpayers last year to 15.75 percent, up from 12.93 percent from FY 2011. These increases not only occur in state government agencies and departments, but already cash strapped county and local governments are also squeezed. PERS Director Pat Robertson believes the increased rate, and the change to a fixed rate will put the system on track to achieve an 80 percent funded ratio by 2042.

Just ten years ago, Mississippi PERS had enough money to cover 88 percent of its long-term responsibilities. Now, it has enough money to cover only 62 percent.

Many in our survey–in fact, most–believe it is time for the employees themselves to pony up a little dough. 83 percent would like to see some action to require more enrollee contributions. 54 percent deem such a move to be “very important.”

Sign Up to receive your FREE copy of the 2013 Conservative State of the State Report HERE.

Robertson has said PERS has no plans to increase the amount state workers pay into the system. But, the Legislature can make that move. To do so would be responsible, but there are a few sticking points.

1. It would take guts. Senator Nancy Collins has introduced legislation that would implement many of the recommendations of a 2011 PERS Study Commission, including freezing the cost of living adjustment, or COLA, for three years. Word is that she is receiving heat at home in Tupelo from government retirees and those getting ready to retire. Therein lies a big problem. The minute anyone talks about touching this “third rail” of state government is the minute their future as an elected official begins to be called into question. Government is a big employer in Mississippi, and few state employees want to see the gravy train slow down.

2. It would take a serious discussion about SLURP. The Legislative Retirement Plan gives legislators an additional retirement at about one and half times that of state retirees in PERS. No serious discussion about funding state retirement can begin in the Legislature until this is addressed. SLURP is not in funding danger, but it’s hypocritical for state officials in the Legislature to even talk about increases or new restrictions on state employees until this perk is out of the way.

Senator Chris McDaniel has again introduced legislation to allow a provision for legislators to opt-out of the additional retirement program. Currently, legislators are required to participate. McDaniel has also introduced legislation to study how the program can be done away with entirely for new members, which is his stated preference.

68 percent of our survey participants–the majority of whom are in the private sector paying for the additional increases–listed SLURP as a major issue to be discussed when addressing state retirement.

It’s difficult to see how any discussion can be had in the Legislature about PERS without first discussing SLURP. The entire thing reeks of elitism. Legislators should show a good faith effort to have a serious discussion by starting in their own back yard.

If they have the intestinal fortitude to do such a thing.

About Keith: Keith Plunkett has worked on communications issues with a range of public officials from aldermen to Congressmen, and a variety of businesses, governmental agencies and non-profits. He serves or has served as a board member of several non-profit, civic and political organizations. Contact him by going to HorizonMediaMarketing.com or follow him on Twitter @Keithplunkett

Exclusive: Senator McDaniel discusses Mississippi’s efforts to halt enforcement of federal gun control.

BY: B. Keith Plunkett @Keithplunkett

Senator Chris McDaniel sat down with me at the state Capitol prior to Governor Phil Bryant’s State of the State Address. We discussed legislative efforts to halt enforcement of gun control in Mississippi following President Barack Obama issuing 23 Executive Orders.

McDaniel: Federal intervention in the free market is not working as advertised.

BY: Chris McDaniel @senatormcdaniel

There are two primary and interrelated reasons the government’s economic policies are so shockingly ineffective.

First, central-planners underestimated the psychological impact of excessive government influence.

Certainty is a friend to investment and business growth. But it cannot be found amid discussions of cap and trade, taxpayer-funded bailouts, nationalized healthcare, tax increases, uncontrolled spending and record debt. Congressional activity – by words and deeds – has heightened uncertainty about the economic future.

Contrary to common sense, the President’s economic theories are wrongly premised on the supposition that government spending will provide additional market demand, which would thereby lead to elevated prices and more private-sector hiring. It was the administration’s prognosis that government spending and public-works projects would help “prime the pump” and that deficit-inducing spending should continue unabated until “full employment” is attained.

But it has not worked; it will not work – the administration’s predictions cannot be realized because government manufactured uncertainty has clogged the so-called pump. Instability caused by government action has rendered private long-term planning speculative, so consumers feel compelled to reserve their cash and reduce investments necessary for nationwide economic growth.

Get Your FREE Copy of The Mississippi PEP 2013 Conservative State of the State Report–Release Date is January 28–SIGN UP HERE.

Second, micromanaging a large and diverse planned-state economy from a centrally planned government is clumsy, unfair, inefficient and dangerous.

Government central planning is less efficient than free capitalism in terms of development and resource allocation. Since vast national economies are so complex, government agencies cannot easily correct an ailing economy, since to control prices and flow of money from the private sector to the public sector is virtually impossible without significant limitations on freedom.

The historic success of Western Civilization, generally speaking, was based on the transfer of power from the state to the individual, but with government centralizing more and more authority in an attempt to manage the impossibly complex process of economic planning, development and control, its involvement – by necessity – will negatively affect individual liberty.

Though central planners – best described as well-meaning idealists – promise utopia, they often fall short of their intended objectives. The more planners improvise to avoid the inevitable failure of their plans, the greater the disruptions are to prosperity. And as their plans fail with predictability, one intervention will inevitably lead to another, creating economic distortions which require further interventions to correct them. It is an unwelcome cycle of government action that robs citizens of their wealth and basic freedoms, undermining economic recoveries.

Naturally, a lessening of freedom and prosperity results in additional uncertainty, perpetuating a feeling of unease. Fear then acts to alter human behavior on a large scale, removing investment capital from the private sector and diminishing confidence in financial markets.

Instead of a much-needed revival of private spending and investment, increased public intervention eventually becomes the norm as central planners seek to stimulate a sinking economy by spending more and more of the taxpayers’ money, ignoring the incontrovertible fact that not all spending is equally productive.

However, for an economic recovery to be successful, government policies must aim to stimulate private investment, not frighten it into submission.

It must first be explained how an economy can work correctly before we can begin to meaningfully ask ourselves what could go wrong.

About Chris: Chris is an attorney, conservative commentator and a Republican politician in the Mississippi Senate who has represented the 42nd District, which encompasses part of South Mississippi, since 2008. He resides with his family in Ellisville, Mississippi.

McDaniel: 71 years after Pearl Harbor attack let us remember that sacrifice is the seed of liberty.

BY: Chris McDaniel @senatormcdaniel

In December of 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt made his famous speech to Congress, requesting a declaration of war against Japan.

One of the defining moments in history, it was seventy-one years ago this week when Pearl Harbor was ruthlessly bombarded by the Imperial Japanese.

Such aggression came as a surprise to the American Army and Navy, resulting in 2,403 American dead, 188 destroyed planes and a crippled United States Pacific Fleet. More than 1000 servicemen were injured, eight battleships were damaged, with five sunk in the lagoon. Three light cruisers, three destroyers and three smaller vessels were also lost in the battle.

Japanese leaders had hoped that a successful offensive would prevent the United States from increasing its influence in the Pacific, but they underestimated American courage, spirit and resolve.

The day after, our nation declared war on Japan, entering World War II. Germany, along with other members of the Tripartite Pact, then foolishly responded by declaring war on the United States.

The loss of American life came as a shock to the people, and anger filled patriots’ hearts. Domestic support for neutrality, which had been widespread, quickly dissolved with Germany’s declaration of war, and our republic entered into an active military alliance in the European Theater.

Though the assault on Pearl Harbor was a tactical victory for the Japanese, it derived an unintended consequence – by destroying much of the Pacific Fleet, they had also destroyed American division over the war. It unified our resolve and became a “day of infamy” that abruptly brought the United States into war as a full combatant.

Heeding the call of those brave souls who suffered and died in the “Water of Pearl,” millions joined their friends and neighbors in marching off to war. Brothers, sons and fathers were called upon to fight against an imperialist empire across a great expanse of unfriendly waters known as the South Pacific. They likewise sailed to Europe to confront Nazi atrocities.

With God as their ally in that great cause of freedom, they chose to fight against tyranny in a massive undertaking unparalleled in history.

The United States military deployed quickly to Europe, beginning with the strategic bombing of Nazi Germany and leading up to the invasions of occupied North Africa in 1942, Sicily and Italy in 1943, France in 1944, and the invasion of Germany in 1945.

Hundreds of miles away, the Pacific witnessed the largest naval conflict in history. From Wake Island to Midway, from Iwo Jima to the Battle of Okinawa, the two most powerful navies in the world struggled for superiority.

Less than four years after American intervention, on April 30, 1945, Hitler put a pistol to his head, pulled the trigger and effectively ended his evil Third Reich.

Japan’s surrender came soon thereafter. Just 44 months after the first bomb dropped at Pearl Harbor, the so-called empire had been destroyed.

But our nation’s wartime success was not without a high cost. Approximately 16 million Americans served in World War II, and more than 400,000 were killed.

With so costly a sacrifice placed upon the the alter of freedom, the conflict ended in victory. Liberating champions returned home to waiting families and a thankful nation.

Sixty-seven winters have passed since their return.

With World War II veterans dying daily, each year there are fewer of them to bear witness to the day Pearl Harbor changed them from children of the Depression to the Greatest Generation.

This week, as we remember Pearl Harbor Day, let us not mourn for those who have died or grieve those who are aging, but rather let us be glad that such outstanding people have lived.

And in so doing, may we recall a remarkable generation of men and women, reminding ourselves to never forget that their sacrifice was the seed of liberty’s tree.

To you heroes, both living and dead, humanity owes you eternal gratitude.

About Chris: Chris is an attorney, conservative commentator and a Republican politician in the Mississippi Senate who has represented the 42nd District, which encompasses part of South Mississippi, since 2008. He resides with his family in Ellisville, Mississippi.

McDaniel: Whenever bended knees meet the cold, hard ground.

BY: Chris McDaniel @senatormcdaniel

In the winter of 1777, General George Washington’s army was suffering from bitter cold, a lack of supplies and the superiority of British forces.

Many of his soldiers were in agony from severe frostbite, with feet and legs often frozen until they became black. Mandatory amputation was widespread, disease was rampant and troop morale was low.

With his men under distress, General Washington sought divine assistance.

In the ice at Valley Forge, hidden away in a grove of trees, his bended knees met the cold, hard ground.

A Quaker, Isaac Potts, was riding in the forest when he came upon Washington in deep conversation with God, interceding for his beloved country.

Potts later revealed the experience to his pastor, a Presbyterian minister named Nathaniel Snowden, who then recorded the eyewitness account in his diary.

With detail, he described the scene: “In that woods pointing to a close in view, I heard a plaintive sound as, of a man at prayer. I tied my horse to a sapling and went quietly into the woods and to my astonishment I saw the great George Washington on his knees alone, with his sword on one side and his cocked hat on the other. He was at Prayer to the God of the Armies, beseeching to interpose with his Divine aid, as it was ye Crisis, and the cause of the country, of humanity and of the world.”

“Such a prayer I never heard from the lips of man. I left him alone praying,” reported an awestricken Potts.

In time, it became apparent that God had answered General Washington’s prayer, coming to our country’s assistance in the form of a defender of liberty – the nation of France.

Emboldened after a Colonial victory at the Battle of Saratoga in October of 1777, the French formally entered the war against the British, becoming the first country to officially recognize our nation’s independence.

It was then, on May 6, 1778, after hearing of French intervention, that Washington called a day of thanksgiving for his beleaguered army, announcing to his troops, “It having pleased the Almighty Ruler of the universe to defend the cause of the United American States, and finally to raise up a powerful friend among the princes of earth, to establish our liberty and independence upon a lasting foundation, it becomes us to set apart a day for gratefully acknowledging the divine goodness, and celebrating the important event, which we owe to His divine interposition.”

The rest, as they say, is history.

Twelve years after despair led him to kneel in prayer at Valley Forge, President Washington proclaimed November 26, 1789, as Thanksgiving Day.

He had not forgotten the hopelessness he once felt, the courageous struggles of his men or the answered prayers of an earlier time.

In his Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, he asked the people of the United States to observe “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer” so that they might acknowledge “with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.” He likewise reminded the country that “it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.”

Despite great uncertainty, Washington, like the majority of our founders, held strongly to his religious faith, with prayer representing an essential part of his distinguished life.

He had a clear understanding whence his strength arose, giving thanks to an almighty God for his continued blessings of liberty.

During this season, may our struggling republic recall the lesson he imparted: when it seems despair has triumphed over hope and darkness has smothered the soul, a heavenly answer is always waiting to be found, whenever bended knees meet the cold, hard ground.

About Chris: Chris is an attorney, conservative commentator and a Republican politician in the Mississippi Senate who has represented the 42nd District, which encompasses part of South Mississippi, since 2008. He resides with his family in Ellisville, Mississippi.

McDaniel: Is “free” now more important than “freedom”?

BY: Chris McDaniel @senatormcdaniel

Not so long ago, it was a different time; we were a different people.

During the inauguration to his first term of office, Ronald Reagan declared, “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time we’ve been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else?”

It has been more than three decades, and yet many still remain indifferent to the profound truth behind his statement. Not only do most remain content in ignoring self-rule, our people have inched closer to realizing the creation of a nightmare scenario, a bourgeoning reality few have fought to alter – that politically speaking, our nation is lurching leftward toward socialism.

Naturally, some are distressed that we may have reached a national tipping point where a storied 51% of voters will forever guarantee a dependent populace demanding submission to big government. Because bureaucracy and liberty seldom coexist in the same sphere of influence, there exists a valid concern in conservative circles that our republic might be exchanging its birthright of liberty for the comforts, however delusory, of serfdom.

Alarm is justified, since generally speaking, Americans have always been independent and self-reliant. Whether realizing manifest destiny or defending our unalienable God given rights, there has always been a touch of nonconformity and rebellious independence in the American spirit. With painful lessons of revolution from Great Britain recollecting the abuses of monarchy, early patriots purposely fashioned a Constitution limiting the federal government’s authority to only delegated areas and dispersed public authority among three branches in the hope that each would resist unconstitutional aggression by the others.

It was their skepticism of government, not its embrace, which made them historically unique.

Building on their principle of self-rule, we have always understood the need for balance between freedom and order; and we built our hopes on a society based on individual liberty, free market economics and limited government. But now, citizens seemingly stand on the edge of a precipice, embracing and adoring the weight of federal authority in a fashion never envisioned by preceding generations.

Making matters worse, our politicians are guilty of encouraging the growth of government by demanding that it sustain and shelter us cradle-to-grave, while universally neglecting families, religious organizations, community charities and others that are better able to perform needed services. Producing a guardian society, they have abandoned historic precepts found in the Constitution, and “the people” have followed suit. Instead of encouraging independence, we have placed protectors in office who have suggested countless feel-good programs, using our desires of security to fuel their ambitious careers.

Whether the spirit-crushing consequences of Lyndon Johnson’s great society or President Obama’s delivery of government funded nationalized healthcare, irresponsible power seekers have advanced their careers by promising a little more on this and a little more on that; and a sizeable minority of Americans are now dependent on the federal government for their income, education, retirement and other amenities of life. Programs that once were focused only on the impoverished now extend across a broad economic spectrum, even as the number of people paying taxes continues to decrease.

Not only does the present system counteract the individual fruits of our labor, a shift toward dependency has wreaked havoc on our national essence, as the people have once again elected a radical president, one whose positions are more analogous to socialism than to traditional Democratic thought.

President Obama promises government solutions and racially transcendent salvation. Some even believe that he will save us from ourselves, promoting him as the people’s chief protector. Yet by supporting “change” that forces more of our citizenry closer to government addiction, his proponents are protracting the recapture of liberty and the restoration of our constitutional system.

With his re-election pushing our republic closer to the tipping point, it would appear that “free” is more important than “freedom” to a self-entitled generation of Americans.

About Chris: Chris is an attorney, conservative commentator and a Republican politician in the Mississippi Senate who has represented the 42nd District, which encompasses part of South Mississippi, since 2008. He resides with his family in Ellisville, Mississippi.

Senator Chris McDaniel to dedicate Mississippi monument at the historic Alamo in San Antonio on Friday.

Mississippi State Senator Chris McDaniel will take part in the dedication of a Mississippi Monument in San Antonio, Texas at the historic Alamo on Friday October 26 to honor Mississippians who gave their lives there for the cause of freedom. Joining him will be Mississippi resident Reid Guy, event coordinator and co-initiator of the project.

McDaniel was author of the Senate Concurrent Resolution 623 during the 2012 Session of the Mississippi Legislature supporting the creation of the monument. The project was fully funded through private donations. A replica of the monument will be presented to Governor Phil Bryant for placement at the state capitol in a ceremony to be scheduled in the coming weeks.

“I am honored to have this incredible opportunity to pay tribute to these men who sacrificed themselves that all may live a life of freedom,” says McDaniel. “Mississippians who visit this historic site will see and know that the tradition of freedom has a long and proud place in our states history. They will know that generations of Mississippi’s sons and daughters have always been willing to fight tirelessly for those rights wherever they were challenged. I believe it is important for us to remember. It is important for people to see this monument and to be inspired that the fight for freedom is worth continuing for generations to come.”

Mississippians won’t have to travel to Texas to see the monument. McDaniel will present a replica to the state in a ceremony in the coming weeks. Event Coordinator Reid Guy initiated work on the memorial in March, and has worked with Alamo Museum educators to coordinate events in Texas. He says that the replica at the state capitol will be a good resource for parents and teachers who want to teach of Mississippi’s place in history.

“Student visits to the state capitol will now have another important piece of history to discuss,” says Guy. “We simply can’t allow future generations to forget how closely we have been, nor how closely we can come today to losing the freedoms we enjoy. Our society needs citizens participation in events to honor and remember these important sacrifices, and to illustrate how we must always be vigilant and ready to face down threats.”

Participants and attendants to the October 26 ceremony will meet in Alamo Hall at 10:00 AM followed by the dedication and unveiling of the monument at 11:40 AM.