We can do better than this.

Mississippi is a great state and a proud state, but it has been lagging behind peers since the end of the recession in terms of growth and opportunity. Too many young people are leaving the state for jobs elsewhere after getting an education and too many companies are choosing to grow in other locations.

As a result, Mississippi is sluggish overall. Sure, some areas like Oxford, Madison, south of Memphis and the Gulf Coast are growing. But we are all impacted by the state’s health and welfare from top to bottom and, while it could be worse, it isn’t as good as it could be.

Typically, the government shouldn’t be the solution, but considering Mississippi needs a solid jumpstart there’s no denying that legislative leaders should help move us in the right direction. We need to better market Mississippi’s attributes. We need to do a better job of educating our workforce. We need to give businesses a good environment to grow from.

The list goes on and on.

We need a plan to put Mississippi first, or at least get Mississippi off the bottom. To plan and execute ideas and policies that help Mississippians instead of lobbyists and big corporations. And, we need leaders to execute that plan.

Our state is too rich and fertile and full of opportunity to suffer population decline and sluggish economic growth.