Recent editorials from Mississippi newspapers:
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April 17
The Commercial Dispatch on the state’s Department of Transportation cutting funding for a summer work program:
Mississippians have long understood the importance of a strong work ethic and believe that, like all skills, it is something that can and should be taught at an early age.
For more than 20 years, the city of Columbus has provided such opportunities for students, many of them from low-income families, to learn these life and work skills through its summer jobs program.
Summer jobs in the private sector are competitive and over the years, this program - which until last year had been funded through a grant from the Mississippi Department of Transportation - has enabled about 25 high school and college-age students to work for the city, mostly in its public works department under the supervision of city director of planning and community development George Irby.
But last year, MDOT, citing budget cuts, declined to provide the $35,000 in funding the program needed just weeks before the application process was set to begin. An appeal to the public to provide those funds succeeded, thanks to the generosity of single donor, who provided the funds anonymously.
Again this year - and likely for the foreseeable future - MDOT will not fund the summer jobs program. So, again, it is now up to the citizens to determine whether the program will continue this year and in the future.
As noted, last year’s program was spared by a single donor. That was considered a one-time offer, so any effort to keep the program will require numerous contributions. Ideally, a large group of citizens and business owners will make the summer jobs program a part of their annual efforts to give back to the community.
The more who contribute, the lighter the burden for all.
Throughout the program’s history, students have not only been given the chance to turn idle time into productive work and earn some much-needed money, but have been taught the basic skills they’ll need to learn about the working world. Indeed, while the job may last only as long as the summer break, the lessons they learn will follow them into their adult working lives.
Irby said $20,000 would provide a scaled-back version of the program. Ideally, the program would be fully funded at $35,000, which would provide jobs for 25 students.
We believe that the program’s success over the years is worthy of the public support.
Online: http://www.cdispatch.com
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April 17
The Greenwood Commonwealth says the idea to require Medicaid recipients to work needs safeguards:
Mississippi’s request to require some Medicaid recipients to work for their benefits is sounding alarm bells. Some are legitimate, while others are not.
A report last week said researchers believe that in the next five years, up to 20,000 low-income parents in the state would lose their government healthcare coverage if the request is approved. This is because they would earn too much money working 20 hours a week to qualify for Medicare in Mississippi.
“Too much money” actually is the wrong term. Twenty hours a week at minimum wage would produce gross pay of just $7,540 in a year’s time. But in some cases, the state’s income cutoff to qualify for Medicaid is lower than that.
Gov. Phil Bryant supports the idea of working for Medicaid. His hope is that forcing more people to find a job will, over time, lead to better training and pay, and the possibility of private medical insurance from an employer.
Mississippi’s proposal would exempt from the work requirement the mentally ill and primary caregivers of people who can’t take care of themselves. There may need, however, to be more safeguards to prevent people from being hurt unfairly. But who can honestly argue that healthy, working-age residents who receive an expensive government benefit should not have to work part time, or at least try to find a job?
It’s poor policy, however, to require Medicaid recipients to work if one possible result of their paycheck is losing their Medicaid coverage. That is not an incentive for the poor and untrained to better themselves; in fact, recent decades have shown that too many low-income Mississippians have calculated they are better off financially with their government benefits and no job.
If we want to change this calculation - and it would take years to do it - the state ought to guarantee Medicaid benefits for people who work the 20 hours per week, making sure there is no “coverage gap.” Or Mississippi can just do what it should have done several years ago and expand Medicaid to the “working poor” - including those already with jobs - by raising the income limits overall.
Groups including the Children’s Defense Fund and the American Academy of Pediatrics oppose Mississippi’s proposal to add a work requirement to Medicaid benefits. One concern is that the requirement will unfairly affect people in small towns and rural areas, such as the Delta.
It’s a good point: In some rural areas, are there really enough minimum-wage jobs for current non-working Medicaid recipients? It is fair to wonder how many low-income people, many of whom have few work skills, would be able to find employment and keep it.
To its credit, the state Division of Medicaid wants to get more of its clients into workforce training programs. And this idea is not a whole lot different than the welfare bargain that President Clinton and congressional Republicans struck in the 1990s. But if this Medicaid request gets approved, the state does need to be careful about executing its plan.
It’s easy to see how it could hurt people who try to meet the work requirement, and that is no way to encourage more Medicaid recipients to enter the labor force.
Online: http://www.gwcommonwealth.com
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April 15
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal says Mississippi needs to dispel the stigma surrounding skilled jobs:
When it comes to skilled trade jobs, Mississippi has a culture problem.
It’s a problem that many states across the country are dealing with, but one that, if solved, could significantly move the needle forward in the Magnolia State.
That was the principal message delivered at a gathering of business and community leaders in Jackson this week at the 69th-annual meeting of the Mississippi Economic Council.
Speaking to the group gathered at the Jackson Convention Complex, Peyton Holland, executive director of North Carolina-based Skills USA, said that a shift must occur to get students to realize that obtaining a job skill is just as important as obtaining a four-year or graduate degree.
That’s not to say the obtainment of a more traditional higher education degree is not valuable. However, the stigma attached to the training and certification required for skilled jobs must vanish in order for Mississippi to move forward. The notion that one is more valuable than the other is what drives a narrative that’s leaving opportunities and paychecks open throughout our state.
Data shows there are about 40,000 jobs available throughout Mississippi that require skills training. And these jobs pay above average wages. High-demand skill-based positions in Mississippi average more than $60,000 - almost twice what an entry level private sector job might earn someone.
The MEC, which is the state’s chamber of commerce, stressed the importance of developing workforce training and technology skills to close the so-called skills gap. Various studies point out that there are not enough trained workers for various jobs that require specialized skills, as reported by the Daily Journal’s Bobby Harrison. Holland said part of the problem is that there is not enough value placed on those professions, such as electricians and welders, that provide a better pay than many jobs where four-year degrees are required.
He said in addition, about half of the college graduates each year end up working in professions where they do not need their four-year degree.
This is obviously not a problem that has one golden solution. Continued investment in workforce development programs and greater communication of what jobs are available are all pieces of this puzzle that need to be examined equally.
But there’s one step that must happen first in order for the rest to be successful. We, as Mississippians, must dispel the notion that receiving skills training or working in an industry setting is somehow a lesser achievement. In many cases, these jobs will require work around some of the most sophisticated technology in the country and world. Combine that with a high-end salary, and you can start to see how these positions are truly advanced.
By working to change the culture around technical training, Mississippi has an opportunity to instill in current and future generations the true opportunity available throughout our state.
Online: http://www.djournal.com
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