Bill Crawford, The Greenwood Commonwealth Journalist Profile

Articles

Lincoln’s 1838 warning relevant today - Meridian Star

3 weeks ago | meridianstar.com | Bill Crawford |Thomas Howard

Published 1:00 am Sunday, March 30, 2025 By Bill Crawford No matter your political alignment, the methods of President Donald Trump’s administration should give you some angst – executive orders abrogating laws passed by Congress, court orders flouted, judges attacked, longtime allies disparaged, masked ICE agents ambushing non-violent legal immigrants, DOGE firing then unfiring thousands, reckless security breaches….
New conflictive norms embrace disparagement - Meridian Star

1 month ago | meridianstar.com | Bill Crawford |Thomas Howard

Published 1:00 am Sunday, March 23, 2025 By Bill Crawford Perhaps you have noticed the new conflictive norms being thrust upon us. You know, norms, the standards of behavior that guide our interactions. Elon Musk is one of the champions of these new norms, i.e., touting free speech then disparaging some of those who use it. “I acquired X in order to preserve free speech in America,” Musk posted on X.
Tariffs and DOGE make case for caution in cutting state taxes - Meridian Star

1 month ago | meridianstar.com | Bill Crawford |Thomas Howard

Published 1:07 am Sunday, March 9, 2025 By Bill Crawford What impact will President Donald Trump’s tariffs and Elon Musk’s DOGE layoffs and contract cancellations have on Mississippi? It’s too soon to tell, but the risks of major impacts are high. Trump imposed stiff tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China last week, then backed off some. All three countries announced retaliatory tariffs. A trade war risks upsetting critical supply chains and disrupting vital food markets.
Musk and House spending cuts need higher debt ceiling? - Meridian Star

1 month ago | meridianstar.com | Bill Crawford |Thomas Howard

Published 1:01 am Sunday, March 2, 2025 By Bill Crawford Are they auditioning in Washington for a Saturday Night Live skit? The sketch could start with President Donald Trump’s promise to wipe out the $36 trillion national debt. “We’re going to pay it off,” he said on the campaign trail. “We’re going to get it done fast too.”Enter efficiency expert, billionaire Elon Musk, Trump’s choice to guide his Department of Government Efficiency, with a chainsaw.
Mild spats dominate state politics for now - Meridian Star

2 months ago | meridianstar.com | Bill Crawford |Thomas Howard

Published 1:00 am Sunday, February 23, 2025 By Bill Crawford As the dragon and his beast wreak havoc at the national and international levels, political spats in Mississippi seem mild. Interestingly, the ones making news are all Republican on Republican. Gov. Tate Reeves recently lashed out at Republican Sen. Jeremy England for passing an early voting bill through his committee. “Congratulations to Senator England,” Reeves posted on Facebook.
Communities of excellent learning should be encouraged - Meridian Star

2 months ago | meridianstar.com | Bill Crawford |Thomas Howard

Published 1:01 am Sunday, February 16, 2025 By Bill Crawford As politicians focus on, complain about and try to dictate college curriculum, more should tune into the depth and breadth that college instruction provides. Pradnya Jagdale (she encourages people to call her Sunny which matches her disposition) invited me to the recent 2025 Honors Conference at Millsaps College. Pradnya, from India, had been a summer intern at the non-profit I founded in Meridian.
Few expected Trump’s sudden onslaught of disruption - Meridian Star

2 months ago | meridianstar.com | Bill Crawford |Thomas Howard

Published 1:01 am Sunday, February 9, 2025 By Bill Crawford “Double, double toil and trouble.”Not sure why the sudden troubling and unconstrained disruption engendered by President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Russ Vought, and team remind me of that line from Macbeth, but it does.
Perplexing (and crafty?) Shad White shows temper - Meridian Star

2 months ago | meridianstar.com | Bill Crawford |Thomas Howard

Published 1:01 am Sunday, February 2, 2025 By Bill Crawford “Shad White is one perplexing politician,” wrote Greenwood Commonwealth Editor and Publisher Tim Kalich on January 17th. “He is smart and capable. He appears to be honest and dedicated to public service. But he sometimes lets his temper get the best of him.”That temper emerged on Jan. 29, when White, testifying before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, exclaimed “you’re a liar” to Sen.
House tax cut plan raises taxes and revives tax on tax - Meridian Star

Jan 19, 2025 | meridianstar.com | Bill Crawford |Thomas Howard

Published 9:00 am Sunday, January 19, 2025 by Bill Crawford The tax train zoomed through the Mississippi House of Representatives. What Ways and Means Committee chair Trey Lamar calls “one of the most transformational pieces of legislation that this state has ever seen” got referred to his committee on Friday, Jan. 10, and passed out of the House the next Thursday.
Path for taxpayer relief getting more clouded - Meridian Star

Jan 12, 2025 | meridianstar.com | Bill Crawford |Thomas Howard

Published 1:00 am Sunday, January 12, 2025 by Bill Crawford The math for tax cuts gets a “bit tricky,” wrote the Magnolia Tribune in an article about cutting the sales tax on groceries. “Add in another likely attempt to fully eliminate the state income tax, and the path for more taxpayer relief is clouded at best.”The growth in state tax revenues has slowed considerably, further darkening the cloud.