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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
Note that any opinions expressed in legacy Jackson Free Press stories do not reflect a position of the Mississippi Free Press or necessarily of its staff and board members.

Dem to Republican: Good job!

Commissioner Mike Chaney and the members of the health insurance exchange advisory board deserve credit for their work in establishing an online insurance marketplace for Mississippi families.  This exchange will serve an important function in helping Mississippians obtain insurance coverage where such coverage is not available through an employer, Medicare or Medicaid. While Commissioner Chaney and I have not always seen eye to eye on the specific terms of an exchange, we agree that a plan drafted by Mississippians and tailored to the specific health care needs of Mississippians is far better than a one-size-fits-all federal plan.

Brandon Jones, Madison, Executive Director, Mississippi Democratic Trust

Another Embarrassment

The “fracas” that occurred at my beloved University of Mississippi was not all one way, and you reported it as such. This incident is another embarrassment (funny how “ass” is in the middle of that word) to Ole Miss and The Great State of Mississippi. I believe Mississippians, black and white, have learned to not only coexist but to get along, even prosper. We do have to remember these are basically kids away from home for the first time in their lives. I did a good bit of pretty stupid things when I was younger. 

What we have here, really, is a microcosm of American society. It is what it is. I’m no Obama fan, but that has nothing to do with his race. Clinton, Carter, Johnson, FDR—I disagreed with them all. The country needs to get past race and focus on the future of this great nation. It’s sad that things like (the Ole Miss fracas) still occur, especially in Mississippi. I sincerely hope Obama can do something to right the ship; he is our president, and we should pray that he gets our country going in the right direction. 

Michael J. Culver, Ridgeland

Mississippi native Donna Ladd and partner Todd Stauffer founded the Jackson Free Press in 2002 in the capital city. The heavily awarded local newspaper did many investigations heralded across the state and nation and served as a paper of record due to its diversity, inclusion, in-depth reporting and deep connection to readers and dedication to narrative change in and about Mississippi. In 2022, the nonprofit Mississippi Free Press, founded by Ladd and JFP Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin in 2020, purchased the journalism assets and archives of the Jackson Free Press. A Google grant through AAN Publishers enabled Newspack's integration of the JFP archives into the Mississippi Free Press website to become part of a more searchable archive of recent Mississippi history and essential journalism.