Whenever cavalier handling of public funds comes to light in Mississippi, think of “Casablanca.”
It’s the scene where Capt. Renauld blows his shrill whistle and orders everybody out of Rick’s tavern. “How can you close me up?” Rick demands.
The officious Renauld responds, “I’m shocked — shocked — to find out that gambling is going on in here!”
The crucial part of the scene follows when a casino teller discretely slides Renault a wad of cash and says, “Here are your winnings, sir.” The captain takes his ill-gotten gains while chasing people out the door for engaging in the same behavior.
If there’s a remake of “Casablanca,” could it be set in Mississippi? This comes to mind because the Legislative PEER Committee outed the Mississippi Department of Education for what appears to be end runs of state contracting laws.
Yes, state Auditor Stacey Pickering showed up for the reporters and cameras to express appropriate shock and outrage and promise a thorough and full investigation, but it was the Legislature’s PEER Committee staff that dug through the records.
Here’s a hitch: The legislative watchdog committee, people should know, can only investigate what it’s told to investigate by committee members.
But first, one has to wonder where the Department of Audit was all along. There’s probably no state with more checks and balances and agencies to handle and monitor public funds than Mississippi. The Department of Audit works in one lane in the maze, and, like PEER, is also limited as to what can be audited.
Auditors are hamstrung as to how to initiate demands for repayment or prosecution and often must hand cases over to the discretion of the Attorney General. Abuses can continue for years unless or until someone has had enough.
Second, it’s no secret that the Department of Education is no jewel in the eyes of the Legislature. Many lawmakers see it a bottomless pit for funds they would much rather spend elsewhere. Every lawmaker may be “for education,” but few think the state is getting enough bang for its buck.
So did the Legislature sic its attack dog on the Department of Education knowing abuses would be found? Who knows? But abuses were there, were flagrant and certain to hurt whatever public confidence remains for public education.
The saga of former Commissioner of Corrections Chris Epps displayed a similar pattern. Epps served under three governors who expressed confidence in his management of budgets that rose to top $400 million during his tenure.
A federal — not state — investigation unraveled years of ripping off taxpayers, inmates and their families. In sentencing Epps to nearly 20 years in prison, U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate called the level of criminal conduct, “staggering,” yet two members of the Legislature had written to Wingate pleading for leniency.
In fairness, it must be said that an honest person doesn’t need rules and a crook will always find a way through or around.
Is it possible to break these cycles? Yes, and it should be a priority in a state as cash-strapped as Mississippi.
