Our Values

We believe education is a path to prosperity.

Education is our top priority, and we take seriously our commitment to the students in our Starkville-Oktibbeha County School District, as well as to our Mississippi State University student residents. We support fully funding public schools and removing barriers to higher education. In the words of Governor William Winter, the only road out of poverty runs through the schoolhouse door, and we do everything we can to support our local schools.

We believe in quality healthcare for everyone.

We believe accessible, affordable, high-quality health care is part of the American promise, that Mississippians should have the security that comes with good health care, and that people should not go broke because they get sick. By improving health care options, we ensure a healthier population and lower costs for Oktibbeha County residents.

We believe our mental health facilities should be funded and staffed appropriately. We support safeguards that protect our most vulnerable citizens from fraud and abuse and will work to make sure resources are available to help people recover and thrive.

We believe that voting is a right and that it should be easy for people to exercise that right.

We support the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act and oppose any repeal or expiration of these laws. We believe that voting is the right of all citizens and that nothing should prohibit the free exercise of the right to vote and the expansion to the right to vote. By working to provide all Oktibbeha County citizens easy voting access, we ensure a voice to the electorate.

We believe in the dignity and equality of all people.

We support equality for all regardless of race, color, class, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, immigrant status, disability, appearance, or any other protected status. We believe that all Mississippians deserve to be treated equally and fairly and free from harassment. That is why we oppose discriminatory laws that divide our communities in any way.

We are a nation of immigrants, and we will extend the promise of citizenship to those still struggling for freedom. Undocumented immigrants within our borders, who clear a background check, work hard, and pay taxes should have a path to earn full participation in the United States of America. Family reunification should continue to be the cornerstone of our legal immigration system, and we should offer more English-language and civic education courses, so immigrants can better assume the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

We respect women.

We support and promote policies that strengthen women’s economic security, including, but not limited to, support for family caregiving, access to affordable health care and child care, equal wages, stronger protection from domestic violence and sexual assault, affordable housing, and higher education. We support a woman’s right to privacy in making her own health care decisions.

We believe that government should be open, accessible, and transparent.

Oktibbeha County citizens and residents should have access to their elected officials and government offices. Government activities should be easy to understand and made viewable to the public in most circumstances. We support common-sense campaign finance reform that includes meaningful reporting requirements and closing loopholes to legalizing bribery.

We believe in a strong economy built on good jobs, living wages, and fair tax structures.

We believe good jobs build a strong economy. We support a fair and reasonable tax structure and incentives that help all businesses. We support a living wage that will lift Mississippians and Oktibbeha County residents out of poverty.

We support veterans.

We thank our veterans for their service to our country and state. All veterans have earned the respect and right of support from the community. Veterans should be provided the best no-cost medical services for life, housing assistance, education for retraining, and preference for hiring. These benefits go toward fulfilling our promises to our veterans in Oktibbeha County.

We believe in benefits to support quality of life for seniors.

We support efforts to strengthen our state’s retirement system, including the “13th check.” We support the expansion of Social Security benefits, not their reduction or privatization. We support the funding of home- and community-based services that allow seniors to live at home instead of assisted-living facilities.

We support efforts for improved infrastructure.

We believe good roads and bridges promote public safety, economic investment, and a better quality of life. That is why we support efforts to build our infrastructure and provide for regular maintenance of existing structures across Oktibbeha County and Mississippi.

We believe in responsible use of the earth’s bounty.

As responsible stewards of the earth, we must work to build a society that has the capacity to endure. This includes reducing the impact of human activity upon the earth’s ecosystem, responsible management of resource use, and sustainable agriculture practices. Together, our task is to build a civilization that can stand the test of time. Clean water is a human right, and climate change is real.

We support working people and organized labor unions.

We support organized labor efforts to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of wage earners, job seekers, and retirees in the state of Mississippi. We support improved working conditions, advanced opportunities for profitable employment, and assured work-related benefits and rights, including the right to organize.