The Empower Podcast

This week, we took the podcast on the road, recording in the beautiful Mississippi State Capitol. Host Grant Callen sat down with Mississippi’s 33rd Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann to discuss all things related to work and the Magnolia State’s economy. Historic low employment, record private capital investment, billions paid off in debt, and a fully-funded rainy day fund are all worthy of celebration. Yet, despite all this growth, too many Mississippians still aren’t working, as indicated by the nation’s lowest labor force participation rate. Hosemann shared his ideas on causes and potential policy solutions that ran the gamut from education, to criminal justice reforms, to tax policy changes and more. Tune in!

Show Notes:

The topic of “work” has been in the news a lot lately since Mississippi has record low unemployment and the lowest labor force participation rate in the nation. So, this week host, Grant Callen sat down with author, David Bahnsen, to discuss his most recent book “Full-Time: Work and the Meaning of Life.” David makes the case that America is in a crisis of despair and much of that malaise is rooted in the reality that vast swaths of able-bodied adults have left the workforce. Nationally, the workforce participation rate for prime-aged men (aged 25-54) this last decade is lower than it was during the Great Depression, and it’s even worse in Mississippi. The sad reality is that during the Great Depression it was largely a problem of finding jobs, while today the issue is finding workers. This fast-paced conversation covered the importance of productive work to human flourishing, the benefits of work on the worker, changing cultural attitudes towards work, public policy implications, potential solutions for increasing labor force participation, and much more. Tune in! 

Show notes:

“Why Aren’t more Mississippians Working?”

David Bahnsen’s Book “Full- Time: Work and the Meaning of Life”

For this episode of the Empower Podcast, host Grant Callen sat down with State Rep. Fred Shanks, Chairman of the Rules Committee, to discuss nearly a dozen legislative topics including: the ballot initiative, suffrage bills, the new education funding formula, police officer safety and training, the “Goon Squad” assaults, replacing the Mississippi statues in the U.S. Capitol, school choice, and tax reform. Fred talked about his childhood growing up in south Jackson, which fuels his passion today for creating a thriving capital city. Fred shared a few stories about his late father, Coach Doug Shanks, former Jackson City Commissioner, baseball coach, and FBI provocateur. Don’t miss this deep dive with one of the House’s key leaders and a rising political star.

Bay Springs, Mississippi is like a lot of communities around the state, it has desirable schools and less desirable schools, but no meaningful avenue for parents to exercise school choice. According to Jamie Holder, President and CEO of Hol-Mac Corporation, that employs over 900 people in Bay Springs, this reality has led to population decline within the city and made recruiting talent by the business community increasingly difficult. Jamie reached out to Empower and asked us to participate in a community forum with legislators, city officials, school leaders, and engaged citizens about the benefits of school choice for this community. Jamie is convinced that school choice is the most important reform the legislature could pass for the city of Bay Springs, local schools, employers, families, and most importantly, the children of this community. Before the forum, host Grant Callen and Jamie spent some time behind the microphones talking about the potential impact of choice on small towns across the state. Tune in for a fresh and fascinating conversation with one of Mississippi’s largest employers! 

It’s been a crazy few weeks in politics: an assassination attempt on a presidential candidate, Biden announced he is not running again, Trump picked his running mate, the RNC Convention occurred, and last week was Mississippi’s Giant House Party, the Neshoba County Fair, with all the accompanying political speeches. So, who better to break all this down and give us an analysis than the Founder & CEO of the Magnolia Tribune and former Empower team member, Russ Latino. We covered a range of topics including the public policy opportunities Russ sees on the horizon like tax reform, school choice, and addressing the fatherlessness epidemic. Don’t miss this fast-paced episode!

This week, host Grant Callen sat down with Dr. Kymyona Burk, formerly the State Literacy Director at the Mississippi Department of Education, who oversaw implementation of the Literacy-Based Promotion Act of 2013, a bill championed by then Governor Phil Bryant. Often when great policy gets enacted, the implementation of the law leaves a lot to be desired. But in this case, the implementation of the act is a big part of its success.

Between 2011 and 2019, Mississippi’s fourth grade reading scores on the NAEP exam, often referred to as the Nation’s Report Card, increased by 10 scale score points (the equivalent of a full grade level), the largest gain of any state in the nation during that time period. In 2022 and post-pandemic, Mississippi scored higher than the national average for the first time. As a result, Mississippi has improved from last to 21st in the nation in fourth grade reading achievement. The New York Times dubbed it the “Mississippi Miracle” and now Dr. Burk is helping other states that are trying to replicate Mississippi’s amazing gains in reading. Tune in!

Part two of the series with the party chairmen, host Grant Callen sat down with the recently elected chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party, Mike Hurst. A Newton County native, Mike discussed growing up in rural Mississippi, raising a large family, and the momentum Mississippi has. Grant read different sections of the GOP and Democratic party platforms and Mike shared his thoughts. As expected, Mike found plenty to disagree with the Democratic party platform, but also surprised himself by finding agreement with a few areas. If you want to understand the core differences between the two parties, this episode is for you. And stick around to the end of the episode to hear Mike’s bold prediction about who will be the Democratic nominee for President this year. Tune in! 

Show notes:  

Mississippi Republican Party Platform

Mississippi Democratic Party Platform

Part one of a two-part series with the party chairmen, host Grant Callen sat down with State Representative, Cheikh Taylor, newly reelected Chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party. The Starkville native, with his community in mind and the backing of his predecessor, Rep. Tyrone Ellis, ran in 2018 to represent the 38th district in the Mississippi House. Taylor hopes that through his public service he will leave Mississippi better for the next generation and a place where everyone is given the opportunity to achieve the American dream. Callen and Taylor discussed the ups and downs of the past legislative session, the bills he authored, voting rights for people convicted of nonviolent felonies, school choice, and the passage of the new education funding formula. Tune in!

Taking the Empower Podcast on the road, host Grant Callen traveled to Ocean Springs to sit down with Andy Taggart to discuss his forty years in Mississippi politics. Andy’s political career started as Political Director at the Mississippi Republican Party, then Executive Director of the party during the reelection campaign of President Ronald Reagan. Andy served as Chief of Staff to Governor Kirk Fordice, the first Republican to win the Governor’s Mansion since Reconstruction, served on the Madison County Board of Supervisors, and ran for Attorney General in 2019. And Andy was a key voice in the move to replace Mississippi’s state flag. In this episode, we discuss all this, Andy’s perspective on Trump, the changes within the national Republican Party and conservative movement, and his advice for young conservatives just starting out in politics. Don’t miss this episode.

Show notes:

Book: Mississippi Politics: The Struggle for Power, 1976-2006 by Jere Nash and Andy Taggart

Book: Mississippi Fried Politics: Tall Tales from the Back Rooms by Jere Nash and Andy Taggart

The 2024 Legislative Session has come to an end with the passage of some significant bills and some surprising defeats. Although, depending on who you ask, one person’s defeat is usually another person’s win. The legislative process is designed so that it’s a lot easier to kill bills than to pass them, and that’s a good thing. That dynamic certainly played out this year.

In this episode, host Grant Callen interviews Wil Ervin, Senior Vice President of Empower Mississippi, about the good, the bad, and the ugly from this session. We discussed the biggest headlines, including the new education funding formula, Medicaid expansion, PERS Reform, and the ballot initiative legislation. We also cover everything Empower worked on this session within our three areas of policy focus: education, work, and justice. Stick around to the end to hear Wil’s predictions about what issues are likely to come back in 2025.