Today is Mississippi’s day! Tickets can be purchased at a retailer that is certified near you. Bryant posted last month on social networking, “Please play responsibly.” Reeves added, “First day Mississippi lottery!” The next step in our special sessions efforts is to invest $80million every year into our roads, bridges, and other infrastructure. Play responsibly and purchase your lottery tickets from a licensed retailer near you. “Best of luck Mississippi,” Reeves was referring to that the $80 million in lottery revenue the state received in the 2018 special session approved by the legislature to legalize the lottery goes to transportation, and the rest to education. Both of these politicians opposed the lottery at one time. Bryant stated that “It sends the wrong message to schoolchildren to claim education funding is dependent upon a game of chance.” Bryant made this statement as late as 2016. Reeves also doubted the wisdom of the lottery. He said that while casino gambling creates jobs for Mississippians and the lottery doesn’t. Both are now advertising for the Mississippi lotto. Reeves is the incoming governor and has an interest in Mississippians purchasing lottery tickets. To avoid having to increase taxes in order to fix the state’s crumbling infrastructure, the lottery was passed. Reeves strongly opposes tax increases. Together with House Speaker Philip Gunn and Reeves, Bryant have led dramatic changes in laws regarding so-called vices. Since the 1980s, Republicans have held control of both the Governor’s Mansion as well as both chambers in the Legislature. During this time, numerous laws have been passed that make it easier to buy lottery tickets, drink alcohol, or wager on sporting events. Although Republicans are socially conservative, they have not stopped relaxing gambling and alcohol laws. Bryant, Reeves, and Gunn changed the law in the first year they were elected to power to make it easier for local laws to allow the sale of alcohol. The old law required that any vote to allow alcohol sales be taken by all counties. The legislature passed and the governor signed a bill that allowed only city residents to vote in 2012. After the countywide referendums rejected alcohol sales, multiple votes were held in municipal elections since that law was passed. According to the Department of Revenue website, there are only nine counties where one cannot legally purchase alcohol and seven where it is illegal. Only four counties ban both beer and liquor: Walthall, Webster, Choctaw, and Walthall. Booneville voters approved liquor and beer sales in Prentiss County. The 2017 language was inserted into a bill, but it did not allow for sports betting. This was after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the federal government could not prohibit states from allowing betting. In 2018, the Court made this ruling. The Court made that ruling in 2018. The Republican leadership would argue that their socially conservative credentials stem from their opposition to abortion, gay marriage and anti-gun legislation. It is true that over the past eight years, there have been many attempts to restrict abortions and expand gun rights, as well as to stop gay marriage opponents from providing same sex couples services. These issues all boil down to individual choices that are based on one’s faith or beliefs. Noah “Soggy,” Sweat was perhaps the best to say it in his “whiskey speech.” He said that the evil drink that “topples the Christian man or woman from the pinnacle of righteousness, gracious living, into the bottomless pit of decay and despair, shame, helplessness, helplessness and helplessness and helplessness and hopelessness and helplessness and defeat and shame, then certainly you are for it.” This is my position. It is my stand. “I will not compromise.”