CONSERVATIVE? NOT MISSISSIPPI

Conservative was the watchword of this just-finished election season.
Ronnie Musgrove said he was "independent and conservative" in his ads.
Haley Barbour couldn't say the word "leadership" without putting
"conservative" in front of it. Every would-be state legislator, black or
white, male or female, included "conservative Mississippi values" in their
talking points.

Funny thing is, Mississippi may be the least conservative state in the nation.

What defines a conservative? A preference for small government and an
appreciation of personal responsibility are two major tenets. The word
itself is a condensed way of describing a government who uses its power
conservatively.

Don't confuse this with being a Republican. Both political parties throw
ideology out the window when it gets in the way of partisan advantage.

For most Mississippians, the ideal government is one that stays out of
people's lives.

Except we don't really believe it. How many times did Haley Barbour tell
cheering crowds about his friends George W. Bush and Dick Cheney and hint
that he would bring federal tax dollars to Mississippi?

I believe Barbour when he says he is on good terms with the president.
Frankly, I wonder how he could bring any more federal dollars to the state.

Mississippi is already the welfare queen of the nation in terms of federal
largesse. We get $1.86 back for every dollar we send to Washington,
according to the Tax Foundation, a nonprofit tax-policy watchdog group.

Each member of our congressional delegation has staked his career on
bringing home the pork. Only one of the six-Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson
of Bolton-describes himself as a liberal.

The non-conservatism extends across all issues and elections.

Candidates liked to say they would be tough on crimes, especially drug
dealers. Both attorney general candidates, Jim Hood (D) and Scott Newton
(R) talked a lot about "getting tough" on drug trafficking. Every candidate
for county sheriff also repeated this mantra.

One can only assume "getting tough" means more laws. More laws, of course,
make the government bigger. Prisons don't build themselves and police
officers are not paid by magic.

Bigger government, though, is not necessarily a bad thing. The trick is to
strike a balance between what society would like to have and what it needs
to have.

Unfortunately, that idea doesn't sell well on the stump. Nobody votes for a
politician who tells them that he or she can't solve all their problems
with government.

The reason drugs are a problem has to do with the huge demand for them. The
black market may account for as much as 10 percent of the American economy,
according to Eric Schlosser, author of "Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs and
Cheap Labor in the American Black Market."

But we don't want to think about those among us who use drugs. That might
involve some measure of personal involvement and, gasp, responsibility.
We'd rather focus on the abstract-those evil drug pushers.

Solving the drug problem, though, has little do with mandatory sentencing
and keeping prisoners locked up for 85 percent of their term. One of the
first things I learned in economics was if someone can make a lot of money
doing something illegal, they will do it and hope they don't get caught.

The solution that involves personal responsibility-and is cheaper than
locking people up-would be treating the addicts. Rush Limbaugh could
testify to this. It's the only way of helping people take control of their
lives. Or, if you prefer, taking responsibility for themselves.

Jailing people for several years may make some people feel better but it
doesn't solve the problem. Reducing demand is the place to start.

Perhaps the political world has reached a point where words don't mean
anything. Perhaps everything that I've written to this point has been
gibberish and you wish I wrote about something that matters, like who the
next football coach will be.

But words in policies matter. Real people will be affected by what these
new leaders do. Gov.-elect Barbour and company have a $300 million
shortfall to deal with in January. The state constitution mandates a
balanced budget. Either taxes will be raised or spending will be slashed.

It will require politicians to actually be conservative. Mississippians
won't be happy about it, though.

Wilson Boyd is a senior economics major.