The Next 250 Years: A Vision for Mississippi's Future

Agendas of the presidential administration, the Congress and myriad public policy groups have been launched as America looks toward the nation's next 250 years. States have gotten into the act, too. Mississippi celebrated its position as the U.S.'s 20th state in 2017-200 years after statehood.

Now, the state's elected officials, colleges, universities and economic and social development agencies must chart a future far beyond the horizon. Usually, I wonder what tomorrow will bring. Now I'm pondering the next 250 years of U.S. and Mississippi history.

I wish that Gov. Tate Reeves would reconsider expanding Medicaid before he leaves office in January 2028. Thousands of citizens have little or no access to healthcare and numerous rural hospitals are in dire need of more patients and more cash.

Expanding Medicaid to include another 200,000 vulnerable Mississippians would be a vital infusion of hope for the state. Please rethink your position, Mr. Governor.

Mississippi's economic development scene beams brightly with several data centers planning to locate here. While other commonwealths like prosperous Georgia are having mixed reactions to this new age, Mississippi is throwing open its incentives checkbook for the AI community. Proper funding and maintenance of Mississippi's K-12 public schools, community colleges and university system must be enhanced year by year.

That should be lawmakers' top priority for now and the future. Mississippi K-12 education has been on the incline of late. We are drawing as much applause nationally for academics as we've received for athletics, and that's substantial.

Please, lawmakers, don't let down your guard against the forces that would send public money to private institutions. That would be a major mistake, and you've been prudent in refusing to do it. There's a big push in the K-12 arena to consolidate public school districts.

Many states have done that for myriad reasons, including financial. Perhaps we should. Congratulations to our two-year colleges and four-year universities, which are well-kept secret success stories for this state.

Maybe they need a major U.S. promotional tour. I've talked for years about one aspect of Mississippi life. I'm not so sure that even our own citizens realize where Mississippi stands nationally in the cultural arts--way up there.

America's music? Mississippi gave birth to practically all of it. Writing?

No other commonwealth even stands close to this state's production of celebrated writers, headed by Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner. Actors? Morgan Freeman, James Earl Jones, Sela Ward, Diane Ladd, Stella Stevens, Dana Andrews and Eddie Hodges are a few.

Puppeteer and moviemaker Jim Henson of Leland created Kermit the Frog and the Muppets. Lampton Enochs' film "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 2012.

Get this, movie fans: Will Price of McComb taught northern actors how to speak southern in "Gone with the Wind." We've also generated dozens of amazing artistic painters and potters. Since around the 1940s, Mississippi has rightly treated and honored its Native Americans who've contributed mightily to our culture. We have more churches per-capita than any state.

We properly celebrate our farmers and their industry. We've weathered some of the worst natural disasters ever. Our contribution to the nation's space program is significant.

We've experienced horrible crimes of violence. Our cost of living is comparatively low to elsewhere. Mississippi grandmothers perfected the frying of chicken, catfish, okra and eggplant, so we've eaten well.

Didn't they also invent the tomato sandwich? Racial disharmony has forever been the nation's and the state's bete' noire. Let's pray over that and help America solve it.

Better yet, Mississippi, let's lead the way. ---Mac Gordon is a native of McComb. He is a retired newspaperman. He can be reached at macmarygordon@gmail.com.