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Page 4A THE NORTHSIDE SUN, JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI Thursday, May 7, 2009 Editorials I’M USUALLY a pretty calm guy, Changing grading scale dumbs down education except when some big company is trying to screw me out of a few bucks. That’s when I get up on my moral high horse and tell them my brother-in-law is the biggest plaintiff’s attorney in Mississippi (not true, just a bluff). Not that the person on the other line cares. They’re just hired to answer the phone. Getting mad at them is like hitting the wall with your fist. Of course, you always have the option of not paying and taking a hit on your credit rating. A good credit rating is important. But a perfect credit rating is just a sign of wimpishness. Let’s face it. Sometimes you’re right not to pay. Here’s a classic scam. Afew months ago, I got a letter from a book publishing company offering to send me monthly books on personal health. “If you do not want to receive these monthly books, mail back this notification declining our special offer.” With a stamp costing 42 cents, there’s no way I was going to mail some company a letter declining something I never asked for in the first place. The books and bills starting coming every month. At this point, I have two options: Waste 30 minutes of my time on the phone or ignore the bills and take a credit hit. Where are the plaintiff’s attorneys when you need them? Or how about this one: I recently refinanced my house because my friend and mortgage banker extraordinaire Luke Grade inflation is a pernicious academic disease in this country, and it’s spreading throughout secondary education. Parents who are jockeying to get their children into exclusive colleges or secure scholarships pressure high school teachers to award nothing less than an “A.” Schools, trying to increase their graduation rates or keep some of their best athletes from being sidelined, will give failing students a passing mark. Awarding students higher grades than they deserve, however, only serves to condition them toward mediocrity. It also sets them up for a rude awakening when they learn from college entrance exams that they aren’t as smart as their high school report cards have led them to believe. In Mississippi, this dummying-down trend is manifesting itself in the steady shift among Mississippi public school districts toward a 10-point grading scale. Presently, 73 of the state’s 152 public school districts have adopted the 10-point scale and more are looking at it. From top to bottom, here are illustrations of the difference between the two grading systems. On the traditional scale, a student has to score 93 or better to make an A. On the 10-point scale, it’s 90 or better. On the traditional scale, a mark below 70 is an F. On the 10-point scale, it’s below 60. Those who argue for the change, including the Mississippi High School Activities Association, say that the 10-point scale has several motivational advantages, particularly for students who might otherwise drop out.They contend that it also helps higher achievers to qualify for academic scholarships and encourages them to take more difficult classes, such as Advanced Placement courses, since they will be less worried about the potential negative impact on their grade point average. The problem, though, is that lowering the bar never serves students or society well. If higher graduation rates were the sole end of education, why not make 50 the passing score? Or what about 30? The easier it is to get a high school diploma, the less value that diploma has for everyone who receives one. Mississippi’s Department of Education, which presently considers grade scales to be a local prerogative, should step in and set a statewide standard. If not, the more districts that adopt the less demanding 10-point scale, the more the rest will feel pressure to do likewise. The Department of Education has made it a top priority for Mississippi to toughen its testing standards so that what it means to pass in this state is more comparable to national marks. Letting school districts lower their grading scales runs completely counter to that goal. LETTERS Pave the Jackson roads and forget annexation Dear Editor: The city of Jackson has spent approximately two million dollars to annex Byram whose citizens do not want to be part of Jackson. That amount may not go very far for a city the size of Jackson, but it still would repair a lot of potholes. Let the people there think about it every time they drive over one. Do they like enriching a law firm trying to force this shotgun wedding? The time and effort of the city would be better spent making Jackson a better place to work and live. They should reverse the exodus of residents and business, especially to Rankin and Madison counties. Then the residents might accept annexation. Consider Gulfport, Biloxi and Hattiesburg as a contrast. John M. Gardner We Want Letters The Northside Sun encourages readers to write letters and guest columns. Letters of diverse viewpoints are welcome. Just because a letter appears in the Sun does not imply a Northside Sun endorsement. In the interest of freedom of the press, we run many letters with which we strongly disagree. You can send letters to the Northside Sun, P.O. Box 16709, Jackson MS 39236. Or email letters to wyatt@northsidesun.com. Please email or mail a photo if you can. All letters must be signed and we reserve the right to edit them. northsidesun the weekly USPS 598 760 Wyatt Emmerich, Publisher Jimmye Sweat, Editor -NEWS- Anthony Warren, Staff Writer Beth Buckley, Photographer Published weekly on Thursday by Sunland Publishing Co., Inc. Offices at 246 Briarwood, Jackson, MS, 39206. Mailing address is P.O. Box 16709, Jackson, MS, 39236. Phone is 601-957-1122. Subscription price in Hinds, Madison and Rankin counties, $16 per year. Long distance rates vary slightly higher. Single copy price is 50 cents. Issues over a month old are 75 cents. Periodical postage paid at Jackson, MS. The Sun accepts no responsibility for unsolicited stories, artwork or photographs. Photos are filed according to the week they appear. Usually those that are not published are not kept on file. If a stamped, self-addressed envelope is enclosed, we will try to return such photos, if possible. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Northside Sun, P.O. Box 16709, Jackson, MS, 39236. E-mail: sun@northside sun.com It can be hard to avoid all the scams IN THIS IMPORTANT race for mayor of Jackson, I support Marshand Crisler. We need a mayor who can bring people together and who can create bridges between the wealthy and those in need. We also need a mayor who is serious about his job and who will chart a new and better course for our city. On the City Council, I worked closely with Marshand Crisler. He has demonstrated an understanding of the issues critical to Jackson's Northsiders, our families and our businesses. He has supported the council's efforts to 'open up the books' so that the citizens can make sure their tax dollars are spent wisely and accounted for. He supports a performance review of all city departments by the state auditor to guarantee that city workers are performing as required. As a former prosecutor I recognize the importance of electing a mayor who is intimately familiar with the criminal justice system in Jackson. On the issue of crime, Marshand Crisler has special qualifica- PUBLISHER By WYATT EMMERICH Billman negotiated a killer rate for me. Then I started getting all these letters with Luke’s company, Homefirst Mortgage, on the envelope. These letters come from scammers pretending to be associated with your mortgage company. They get the information from the public records at the courthouse when your new mortgage is filed. Many times, unaware consumers buy insurance products because they falsely believe it’s required by their new mortgage. I’ve gotten about five of these fake letters. There outta be a law. OR HOW ABOUT the weekly offers I get from my credit card companies. “Write yourself a check and use the money for anything you want. Pay no interest for a year.” What a great way to lower my credit card tions. He recently retired as a Marine Corps major after 21 years of service, part of that spent as a military policeman. Crisler has served from dispatcher to chief of police in Utica. He will be tough on crime and has the experience to do it the right way. As mayor, Marshand Crisler will work to INCREASE the number of police officers interest rate, I naively thought. Borrow money at no interest and pay down my high-interest credit card debt. After paying a $300 fee per check, I was informed that these checks cannot be used to pay down your own credit card debt. “But it says ‘Use the money for anything you want!’ ” I screamed at the poor Indian fellow sitting in Bangladesh. “Anything means anything.” Well, read the fine print. Talk about false advertising! Last month I turned in my wife’s leased vehicle and got a new one from the same company. Later, I got a bill for $1,000, including the last two months on the old lease which the dealer said they would take care of. When I tried to explain, the lady on the telephone said, “We’re the leasing company. We have nothing to do with the dealership. That’s another company.” Right, even though the two companies bear the same name and the dealer handled everything pertaining to my lease. Then there was the $400 extra charge for a “scratch” on my bumper. I dug out the lease agreement. Sure enough, scratches on the bumper are exempt from “excessive wear and tear charges.” As I read the lease language, I realized I was talking to the wall. The company made me a “goodwill” offer to cut the fee in half, obviously standard operating procedure. On principle, I refused. “That’s no problem, Mr. Emmerich,” the pleasant lady said. “We’ll just report it to the credit bureau.” There ought to be a law. City bonds should be openly bid THE JACKSON CITY Council (in a motion proposed by Marshand Crisler) voted recently to refinance the 2002 and 2004 public works bond issues as Finance Director Rick Hill claimed this will save money and pay $10 million to the city. (Think of a cash-out refinance on a home.) The refinancings are based on the use of a derivative called an "interest rate swap." In layman's terms, the refinancings are based on adjustable rates which can move up or down depending on market conditions. Interest rate swap derivatives have pummeled cities such as Houston and Erie while bankrupting Jefferson County, Ala. When these bonds were first issued, the fees associated with their issue were a combined $1.5 million. The total amount refinanced will be $95.2 million and the fees will be $4.071 million. The fees are: Deutsche Bank (the main counterparty), $2,380,000; Rice Financial Products (the minority counterparty), $975,000; Sterne Agee (the council's bond "advisor"), $476,000; Sarah O'Reilly-Evans (City attorney), $60,000; Baker Donelson (Outside counsel), $120,000; Anthony Simon, LLC (private attorney employed by city), $60,000. Jackson will spend $4 million dollars to get $10 million. The original transactions in 2002 and 2004 generated much lower fees for the involved parties even though the amount of bonds issued was $128 million. The 2002 bond series ($50 million) had fees of $415,733 and the 2004 series ($78 million) had fees of $929,064. These services were not opened up to competitive bidding but were privately negotiated. One of the dirty little secrets of the municipal bond business is too often bonds are not bid out but instead awarded to the fat cats who are in bed with the politicians. A party who can provide better and cheaper service usually has no chance of competing for such contracts unless he plays the game. Bloomberg reported such a lack of bidding usually costs governments substantially more money: "Competitive bidding is vanishing from public finance, raising costs to taxpayers, as underwriters such as Zurich-based UBS AG and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. of New York increasingly gain exclusive rights to handle bond sales, data compiled by Bloomberg shows.... “No-bid sales, known as negotiated underwriting, have grown to 81 percent of public finance in 2004, up from 27 percent of public finance in 1974, according to Bloomberg and Thomson Financial data. No-bid sales are more expensive for taxpayers, six academic studies have shown...." Mississippi law does not require competitive bidding for bond sales. Such an omission should surprise no one as bond sales are probably one of the most lucrative forms of government business and the least scruti- POLITICS Weill urges voters to support Crisler THE VOTE By JAMES HENDRIX nized. There is no law preventing "pay to play" when it comes to Mississippi bonds. However some cities such as Los Angeles and Charlotte use competitive bidding and Jefferson County, Ala., found out it overpaid JP Morgan Chase $100 million dollars in fees for a bond deal that bankrupted the county as the fees were "privately negotiated." Blinded by visions of 10 million dollars, Rick Hill and the City Council are hitching Jackson's bonds to derivatives using adjustable rates. Such rates have destroyed local government finances across the city. Bloomberg reported Houston is in trouble as its interest rates on these derivatives skyrocketed to 15 percent. See if any of this doesn't sound familiar: "Houston’s deputy controller, James Moncur, figured last May the fourth-largest U.S. city escaped the unraveling credit markets by refinancing some of its $1.8 billion of auction-rate bonds. “Instead, Houston wound up paying 15 percent interest on the new securities, not the money-market rates city officials had anticipated. The so-called variable-rate demand notes backfired when investors fled the market in October, forcing the bank that had guaranteed the bonds, Brussels-based Dexia SA, to buy them... The $479 billion market for the securities, whose rates are typically reset by banks every day or week, is turning into a quagmire for local officials who embraced a financing strategy they didn’t fully understand....” QUESTIONS THAT SHOULD be asked of Melton, Hill, Crisler, Bluntson, and Tillman: 1. Why weren't the services which were awarded to Sterne Agee, Baker Donelson, and Anthony Simon opened up to competitive bidding? 2. Why doesn't Jackson have a board or commission similar to the zoning board where true experts are appointed who can examine these proposals better than city employees and politicians who too often are pigeons for these schemes? 3. What services were provided by the parties who were paid on this deal? By JEFF WEILL 4. What is Jackson's liability when (notice I didn't say "if") interest rates move the wrong way? 5. As of today under the terms of the refinancings, what would the interest rates be? 6. What would it cost Jackson to break or refinance this contract after it's finalized? 7. Can you guarantee Jackson will not wind up like Houston or Jefferson County if market conditions worsen? 8. What are Deutsche Bank and Rice's profits from these transactions? Jackson is about to make a huge mistake as it will surely get burned when the interest rates for these swaps change, and they always change. We have not been told why these parties were chosen. We don't know if Jackson could have received more money than the 10 million dollars because we didn't solicit bids from other parties. One of the leading experts on these municipal derivatives told me if Jackson receives 10 million dollars, Deutsche Bank was probably going to repackage and sell these or obtain a hedge from the markets shortly afterward and make a great deal more money. He also made it clear Hill was probably approached by Deutsche Bank and Rice Financial Products as most finance directors are not investment gurus. The banks track these bonds, crunch the numbers, and then approach the cities with their sales pitches. The government officials don't understand how these things work or how the banks can screw them on these deals so they bite at the offers only to find out later the fruit was poisonous. What probably happened is the following scenario: Hill is responsible for submitting a budget to the city council. Tax revenue is down. He probably had this proposal (and possibly others) on his desk and saw a way to get some money to bail him out of this mess. The rates are low, he probably won't be working for Jackson next year, so if he can fix the problem now, it's someone else's problem after this summer. However, Jackson will be left holding the bag when everything hits the fan one day and Deutsche Bank and Rice come calling for their juice. While we worry about paying the vig to these loan sharks, O'Reilly-Evans, Sterne, Baker, and Simon are laughing all the way to the bank. Jackson should say no to these swaps. Just as millions of homeowners gambled with adjustable rate mortgages and lost their homes, so will Jackson fare if it uses these "variable" rate swaps. There should be a committee of true experts who can structure the best deal for Jackson, as these poobahs have no clue what they are doing when it comes to finance. If these companies can not provide true disclosures, including profit estimates, then Jackson should not make any agreements with them. It's about time we started holding these companies and politicians responsible for what they are doing with our money. James Hendrix is a Northsider. to protect us and make sure those officers are well paid and properly equipped, while at the same time working to REDUCE excess civilian employees in the Jackson police department. Marshand Crisler is the best qualified candidate in the race for mayor. His long history of public service in law enforcement as a deputy sheriff and narcotics officer, his military service in both the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force, and his eight years on the City Council where he has served as council president and budget chairman have all shaped this dynamic family man, married for more than 22 years, into a leader of the first caliber. With a unique ability to work with people without regard to race, class or economic status, Marshand Crisler will make an excellent mayor and I encourage Northsiders to go to the polls and support him. Jeff Weill Ward 1 City Councilman
Jackson Crime The Jackson Police Department received the following reports for: Beasley Road, 400 block east, auto burglary, April 21; Beechwood Drive, 4400 block, house burglary, April 26; Belhaven Street, 700 block, auto burglary, April 24; Bellevue Place, 1100 block, house burglary, April 26; Belvedere Drive, 1900 block, house burglary, April 22; Benning Road, 700 block, house burglary, April 24; Berkley Drive, 3900 block, larceny, April 25; Breckinridge Road, 2200 block, house burglary, April 24; Briarwood Drive, 100 block, house burglary, April 26; Briarwood Drive, 300 block, business burglary, April 24; Briarwood Drive, 400 block, auto burglary, April 21; Cedarhurst Road, 700 block, house burglary, April 26; County Cork Road, 5700 block, house burglary, April 22; County Line Road, 700 block west, auto burglary, April 25; Edgewood Terrace Drive, 200 block, April 21; Edgewood Terrace Drive, 200 block, house burglary, April 26; Edgewood Terrace Drive, 200 block, robbery - individual, April 23; Heatherwood Drive, 500 block, auto theft, April 25; I-55, 4600 block north, larceny, April 25; I-55, 4900 block north, larceny, April 23; I-55, 5400 block north, auto theft, April 27; I-55, 5700 block north, larceny, April 24; I-55, 6300 block north, larceny, April 24; Keele Street, 5600 block, auto theft, April 24; Launcelot Road, 700 block, house burglary, April 26; Lawrence Road, 400 block, house burglary, April 24; Lawrence Road, 700 block, house burglary, April 24; Lockwood Circle, 100 block, auto burglary, April 22; Lynwood Drive, 1200 block, auto burglary, April 26; Manhattan Road, 5200 block, house burglary, April 23; Manhattan Road, 5200 block, stolen license plate, April 25; McWillie Circle, 4900 block, robbery - carjacking, April 26; Meadowbrook Road, 1900 block, auto theft, April 24; Morningside, 900 block, auto burglary, two counts, April 24; Morningside, 900 block, auto theft, April 27; Morningside, 900 block, house burglary, April 22; Normandy Drive, 4600 block, house burglary, April 24; Northside Drive, 1000 block east, auto theft, April 23; Northside Drive, 2900 block west, auto theft, April 23; Northside Drive, 300 block west, auto theft, April 28; Poplar Boulevard, 900 block, larceny, April 21; Ridgewood Road, 4200 block, house burglary, April 26; Ridgewood Road, 5800 block, larceny, April 25; Ridgewood Road, 5800 block, robbery - business, April 25; St. Ann Street, 1000 block, auto theft, April 23; State Street, 2800 block north, larceny, April 25; State Street, 3000 block north, business burglary, April 28; State Street, 4100 block north, larceny, April 25; State Street, 4300 block north, larceny, April 21; Woodland Circle, 100 block, auto theft, April 27; Ridgeland Crime The Ridgeland Police Department received the following reports for: Adcock Street, 800 block, petit larceny, April 15; Boardwalk Boulevard, 500 block, grand larceny, April 21; County Line Road, 1000 block, auto burglary, April 13; County Line Road, 1200 block, credit card fraud, April 20; County Line Road, 600 block, sexual battery, April 13; County Line Road, armed robbery, April 24; Harbor Drive, 100 block, aggravated assault with weapon, April 26; Highway 51, 500 block, burglary - commercial building, April 18; Highway 51, 500 block, petit larceny, April 10; I-55, 6000 block north, auto burglary, April 5; I-55, 6000 block north, auto burglary, March 15; I-55, 6000 block north, auto burglary, March 16; Lake Harbour, 500 block, auto burglary, April 13; Lake Harbour, 500 block, auto burglary, April 14; Lake Harbour, 500 block, motor vehicle theft, April 13; Lake Harbour, 700 block, credit card fraud, April 22; Lake Harbour, 700 block, identity theft, April 21; Lake Harbour, 800 block, auto burglary, March 25; Lake Harbour, 800 block, motor vehicle theft, March 26; Lake Harbour, 800 block, petit larceny, April 11; Lake Harbour, 900 block, petit larceny, April 24; Madison Landing Circle, auto burglary, April 5; Oakhurst Trail, 100 block, grand larceny, April 1; Old Canton Road, 6000 block, grand larceny, March 26; Pear Orchard Road, 500 block, aggravated assault with weapon, April 18; Pear Orchard Road, 500 block, auto burglary, April 11; Pear Orchard Road, 500 block, petit larceny, two counts, March 22; Pear Orchard Road, 600 block, auto burglary, March 13; Pear Orchard Road, 600 block, petit larceny, March 25; Pine Knoll Drive, 100 block, assault on an officer, March 14; Pine Knoll Drive, 100 block, burglary - dwelling, April 11; Pine Knoll Drive, 100 block, burglary - dwelling, March 14; Planters Grove, 300 block, grand larceny, March 29; Red Eagle Circle, 300 block, grand larceny, April 15; Rice Road, 700 block, burglary - commercial, March 29; Rice Road, 700 block, grand larceny, March 13; Rice Road, 700 block, grand larceny, March 9; Rice Road, 700 block, motor vehicle theft, March 13; Rice Road, 700 block, petit larceny, April 9; Rice Road, 800 block, auto burglary, March 10; Rice Road, 800 block, rape, March 24; Sunnybrook Road, 300 block, auto burglary, March 11; Sussez Street, 800 block, burglary - dwelling, April 21; Trace Ridge Drive, 100 block, credit card fraud, March 19; Walnut Ridge, 200 block, petit larceny, April 2. Come see the specials we have for you in May on... shirts trousers shorts shirts shoes cufflinks northside facts sports coats BARONI’S BODY SHOP If you have been missing the best! BARONI’S DOORS ARE OPEN! 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. 57 Riverbend Brandon, MS (601) 825-8111 4450 I-55 North, Jackson • 601.362.6383 • www.therogue.com Thursday, May 7, 2009 THE NORTHSIDE SUN, JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI Page 5A Maywood Mart Shopping Center Northeast Jackson 601-366-8486 English Village Belhaven 904 E. Fortification 601-355-9668 Woodland Hills Shopping Center Fondren Arts District 601-366-5273 Westland Plaza 526 Robinson Rd. 601-353-0089 Patrick Michaelson Branch Manager 601.420.8000 Kevin Spann 601.624.9510 Michael Ueltschey Sales Manager 601.720.0907 Nicholas Snapka 601.540.6907 TREAT SWEET mom cards • candy • flowers • cakes choice seafood, produce & meats
Page 1 and 2: $20 For A Year. Call 957-1122 north
Page 3: Owen receives foundation’s highes
Page 7 and 8: Plan (Continued from Page One) crea
Page 9 and 10: Classifieds Get Results! Reach 11,1
Page 11 and 12: Dr. Sam Jones, the Rev. Shannon Rog
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Page 15 and 16: Katherine Barbour Virginia Parsons
Page 17 and 18: Tri-Delta alumni host party Luke Ab
Page 19 and 20: Barbie’s birthday Tant d’Amis L
Page 21 and 22: Claudia Clark Berry Services were h
Page 23 and 24: Thursday, May 7, 2009 THE NORTHSIDE
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Page 27 and 28: Scout trip Members of Troop 860 tha
Page 29 and 30: Essay contest Jackson Prep junior R
Page 31 and 32: Powerlifters During the ‘09 seaso

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