Wicker: Responding to “…Conservative fighter”
Note: The following is an op-ed response to a recent item which appeared on this website and is linked in the body of the story. Op-ed material on this website represents the opinion of the writer. Chad Wicker is a Hernando alderman representing the city’s Ward 4.
By Chad Wicker
After reading a recent article on Desotocountynews.com, I felt compelled to respond to its biased political posturing and inaccurate portrayal of facts. The author begins by using a clichéd phrase about fighting the establishment, which lacks any substance. While the writer and I both agree that Mississippi deserves effective leadership, the current “establishment” has delivered results.
The writer lists various issues that they believe require attention, but they have already been accomplished. For instance, the “Gestational Age Act” was passed in 2018, resulting in the landmark Dodd decision by the United States Supreme Court, effectively ending abortion in most of the country, including Mississippi. Mississippi’s pro-second amendment majority in the State Senate and House of Representatives has repeatedly earned the state top rankings for gun ownership.
Additionally, Mississippi is in the best financial shape it has ever been, with a near billion-dollar surplus in the state’s general fund. The evidence proves that conservative leadership is beneficial for our state. Despite the writer’s emphasis on “protecting the people,” Mississippi’s law enforcement is mostly managed at the local level, with the exception of the Mississippi Highway Patrol. The “establishment leadership” has allocated additional resources to the Department of Public Safety, enabling the hiring of more troopers for Mississippi highways, speeding up crime lab processing times, and hiring more medical examiners for autopsies.
The writer’s attempt to gain political points by using national hot-button topics is not convincing. If they were running for the United States House of Representatives, these issues might be more relevant, but that is not the case. Going to Jackson, Mississippi, will not change Washington, D.C. What concerns me more is what the writer did not mention, such as working with party leadership to secure funding for infrastructure projects, including widening Interstate 55, building a new interchange at Interstate 55 and Commerce Street, or widening Highway 51 from Church Road to Hernando. The writer also did not mention advocating for fair pay for our teachers, providing mental health treatment to our citizens in need, or reducing regulations in our state to create a better business environment. These are the issues that matter to the people of House District 28. Let’s move beyond settled issues such as abortion and elect a representative who will fight for Mississippi’s continued progress and who has a genuine concern for the citizens of District 28, rather than a dated radical agenda that accomplishes nothing.
Chad Wicker
