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Gov. Kirk Fordice should welcome the spotlight of this year's Mississippi gubernatorial election, given the state's robust economic growth and fiscal health.
On the other hand, his challenger, Democratic Secretary of State Dick Molpus, views the recent revenue boom as a by-product of gaming and national trends that sets no precedent for long-term development.
If elected, the Republican and the Democrat both propose to cut taxes, fund education programs, get tough on crime, and break welfare dependency in the state. Although Fordice and Molpus disagree on the methods required to achieve these goals, bond-financed programs fare well with both campaigns.
Despite its image elsewhere in the country as a poor state, Mississippi finished fiscal 1995 with a $120 million general fund surplus, and a recent study showed its economic growth rate at double the national average.
Fordice, 61, said infrastructure is needed to advance economic growth, and that he would continue to support state-backed bond programs that provide capital to smaller cities looking to lure big business. Specifically, he cited projects that aid the agricultural and...