Recent editorials from Mississippi newspapers:
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April 21
The Dispatch on reducing furloughs:
During a work session on April 17, the Starkville board of aldermen discussed possible cuts to its operating expenses in anticipation of a projected $1.3 loss in sales tax revenue attributed to COVID-19.
The aldermen have earmarked $737,000 in savings through all city departments. A significant percentage of those savings come from furloughing 47 employees, which is a little more than 15 percent of the city’s workforce.
It is likely that most of those employees furloughed will be low-wage earners under the theory that pay is commiserate to relative value. That means the people most dependent on that pay, those most likely to live paycheck-to-paycheck, are the most likely to be furloughed.
The mayor and aldermen, sensitive to the economic hardship it is certain to create for those employees, have suggested their pay be reduced by 20 percent as long as the furloughs are in effect. Mayor Lynn Spruill, a full-time city employee will forfeit $1,250 monthly from her annual $75,000 salary. The city’s seven aldermen, who are each paid a $20,000 annual stipend and are essentially part-time employees, would forfeit $333 monthly.
Combined, that 20-percent cut would save the city $3,581 monthly which is roughly equivalent to the pay of two entry-level city employees.
The proposed sacrifices of the mayor and board are meaningful. They show the city leaders are willing to suffer alongside city employees. We humbly believe the elected leaders could do more, though.
If the aldermen really want to make a sacrifice, one that reflects the severity those furloughs represent, they should consider forfeiting the entirety of their pay until the furlough has ended.
If you’re doing the math, that would save the city $11,666 monthly, enough to cover the salary of about five entry-level employees.
Remember, the aldermen are essentially part-time employees, and all have other primary sources of income.
If the aldermen wish to share the suffering of those soon-to-be furloughed workers in the most meaningful way, forfeiting their $1,666 in monthly pay would make the strongest possible case.
We understand it’s easy for us to make this suggestion when we have no skin in the game. Because of that, we’re offering this only as a proposal to consider when the topic comes up for discussion in tonight’s board meeting.
But we do believe the move would be a real and symbolic gesture. It would be an heroic one as well.
This could be their finest hour, one that city employees and citizens (voters) aren’t likely to forget.
Online: https://www.vicksburgpost.com
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April 18
The Greenwood Commonwealth on the effects of cuts to oil production on Mississippi workers:
Oilfield workers in South Mississippi received some good news this past week that the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Russia and other countries have agreed to cut how much oil they produce.
The oil industry in this state and neighboring Louisiana, and the many workers who rely on it to support their families, has been slammed by two unrelated catastrophes at the same time.
Just when global demand plummeted because the world shut down to stop the spread of the coronavirus, Saudi Arabia and Russia fell into a dispute and both began flooding the market to spite one another.
Rising supply and falling demand brewed the classic recipe for a price drop. West Texas Intermediate crude, one of the two major worldwide gauges of the price of oil, fell from $53.88 on Feb. 20 to $20.09 on March 30.
A price of $30 a barrel is often considered the bare minimum that U.S. producers can pump oil and still meet their costs, so layoffs and huge cuts by oil companies were inevitable.
President Trump stepped in to try and settle the dispute between Saudi Arabia and Russia and did an admirable job getting it done. The international deal, though, hasn’t helped much so far. After a slight rebound earlier in the week, the barrel price by April 17 had sunk again, down to almost $18.
Multiple factors point to oil prices remaining low for the foreseeable future.
First, the problem with cartels - where multiple sellers agree to hold back how much they sell so as to boost the price - is that there is always incentive to cheat. If everyone else is withholding supply and the price goes up, one nation or company can start selling like crazy and enjoy the high price without paying the cost of selling less. Then everyone jumps back in, the cartel disintegrates and the price goes back down.
It’s unlikely that this coalition will stick together for long. It involves many competing interests plus private companies, such as in the U.S. and Canada, that aren’t bound to comply.
Second, demand is not going to go back up as long as people are sheltering at home and not driving or building or doing any of the other economic activities that use oil and gas. Until authorities scale back the anti-coronavirus measures, there’s just not much of a market for fossil fuels.
Online: https://www.gwcommonwealth.com
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April 17
The Vicksburg Post on improving reporting of state coronavirus-related data:
Since March 11, it has been the same thing every day. In some demented version of a telethon, county officials, local medical officials, media members and residents log on to the Mississippi State Department of Health’s website looking for new numbers.
We wait to see how many new confirmed cases of COVID-19 are being reported statewide and in particular counties. We wait to see how many more virus-related deaths are being reported. And, we hope and pray, the number of new confirmed cases and virus-related deaths slow.
But, while the state has been routine in their reporting, and while they have provided some valuable information, they have failed to begin reporting the number of people who have recovered from the illness, and they have failed to report the number of tests that have been performed in each county or at each medical facility.
The have reported such things as “outbreaks” in long-term care facilities, but that statistic has done nothing else than spark fear and concern in some areas, since an “outbreak” is at least one case in a hospital, nursing home or assisted living facility.
The state does not report how many are involved in a so-called “outbreak” and does not list which facility it is.
For all the numbers and statistics the state is reporting, they are providing far fewer details and far fewer figures than other states - including Louisiana and Alabama.
We should be better.
And while the reporting is sluggish, so too is the time it has taken for the results to be released - not just to the public, but to the individuals who the tests were performed on. There is no reason that a person who is sick enough to qualify for testing must wait more than a week to find out the results.
We deserve beer.
Not only should the public have beer data to make decisions for themselves and their families, but our elected officials - from the state level to the city level - need beer, quicker data to make beer, more timely decisions.
We have learned plenty of lessons from the onslaught of the virus, including yet again that we as a state we are behind others and behind the times.
Online: https://www.vicksburgpost.com
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