On Monday, Elizabeth Abston and Julian Rankin of the Mississippi Museum of Art, unfurled Mississippi’s bi-centennial flag during the Hazard Lecture Series at Heritage Academy Elementary School.
The state is celebrating the 200th anniversary of statehood and the flag was designed to acknowledge that milestone, It is a simple design, three horizontal red, white and blue stripes with the state seal on the middle and the dates 1817 and 2017 printed on either side of the seal.
The flag was first unveiled during last year’s Mississippi Economic Council “Hobnob” event, which brings in the state’s top elected officials to speak to the membership.
The flag has been well-received everywhere it’s been displayed, and the response Monday at Heritage Elementary was no exception. Certainly, no one present was offended by the flag, which is far more than can be said of our official state flag.
There is some belief the bicentennial flag could serve another purpose. Remove the dates and you have a alternative to the current state flag, which has been a source of frustration and embarrassment by virtue of its prominent Confederate imagery.
On Wednesday, the MEC held its Hobnob again and Gov. Phil Bryant reaffirmed his preference to send the issue of the state flag directly to the voters next fall. He also said that a proposal to increase the state’s gasoline tax to provide funds for road/bridge infrastructure repairs is something voters also should decide.
“I’ve always been a fan of direct democracy,” Bryant said.
Fine. He should think about moving to a country where that form of government exists.
Ours is a representative democracy. Our use of the direct democracy Bryant, et al, suddenly favor is confined to amending our state and federal constitutions and the selection of those who will represent us. As the people’s representatives, it is the job of Bryant and others to act on our behalf. That’s how a representative democracy works.
We rely on their understanding of the issues, their vision and, yes, their political courage and statesmanship, to make the laws we consent to be governed by.
It’s their job.
The decision about what to do with our state flag is not a matter to be determined by popular opinion, which is often clouded by emotion. We expect our elected officials to have the wisdom and vision to see the issue clearly and to act in the best interest of all citizens, even if that decision is not popular.
The suggestion that the gas-tax proposal should be left to the voters is an even greater dereliction of duty.
Managing state finances has always been a function of our elected officials. Legislators never have issues when it comes to cutting taxes, of course. But when confronted with the unpleasant reality of raising taxes, our elected officials run for cover, abdicating the responsibilities that come with the job. Nobody wants to get their hands dirty.
Elected officials generally howl when there is a move to take authority from them by appealing directly to the voters. They consider these efforts as an attempt to usurp their power.
But when hot topics like raising taxes or changing the flag come along, the governor and Legislature are all too happy to pass the buck.
If Bryant and the current state leadership really do believe in direct democracy, let’s have it. The governor should resign and the Legislature dissolved. We’ll have a vote about once a month to determine how our government will operate.
That would be consistent, at least.
It would also be idiotic, but only slightly more idiotic that putting the flag and tax issue before to voters.
The governor and Legislature should do their jobs, even when it’s not easy. In fact, especially when it’s not easy.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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