This is not just a coast calamity. All the way up in the state, there's terrific damage, |
This is the worst natural disaster in the history of this country. Nobody's ever done this before. Every day we try to make a little progress. We are going to make mistakes along the way, realize things we should have done, things we shouldn't have done and things we should have done differently. We are out there in uncharted water. |
This storm is going to have a statewide effect. This is not a coastal storm, ... we are talking about a 30 foot wall of water. Take this seriously. |
Those are the kinds of things that will be discussed, |
Those people on the coast ... I'm begging you to evacuate, |
Those who want to play politics (can) do whatever they want to, |
Those who want to play politics (can) do whatever they want to, but the state could not act until we know what the federal government will do. Otherwise, we risk hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. |
Thousands of people have been rescued, ... Thousands of people have been found and returned to some place where they could pick up their lives ... We don't know how many fatalities there are. The official count is really meaningless. If you see the devastation, you wonder why it didn't kill a million people. |
To me looting is about the equivalent of grave robbing, ... We're not going to stand for it. |
To that end I am proposing an agenda that can be summed up by three words: Momentum, UpGrade and Streamline. We must continue our Momentum in job creation and economic growth, UpGrade education in this tough budget period and Streamline that budget back into structural balance. |
Today, I saw reporters cry, ... And mayors. And deputy sheriffs. |
We believe the damage in Mississippi the federal government should help pay for is less than $50 billion, ... It may even be in the 30s. |
We cannot tax or cut enough in three and a half months to cover a $268 million deficit - that is not a political statement it is a mathematical fact. The longer the Legislature waits the more dire the circumstances become for Mississippi's Medicaid recipients. |
We do need the federal government's help. We need them to be a good partner, but we don't need a takeover, |
We don't know how many fatalities there are. The official count is really meaningless. |