After the first transition team meeting at City Hall, I met two gentlemen (about my age) who had an enticing proposition. They figured me the type who would enjoy attending another public forum, one with a little more discussion. There was a regular public forum, they told me, held at Koinonia Coffee House. I did not really get how to spell this when he said it, and i did not get how to pronounce it when i saw it. But that is not important, as it is big, yellow, and from Jackson Metro Parkway, it looks like this:
Every friday morning at Koinonia Coffee House there is a public forum. Dr. Cooley, the facilitator of the transition team public meeting appears to be behind this somewhat, as rumor had it that he was picking up our coffee tab. While I am on the topic, I will give a word about Koinonia Coffee House. It is big, it is yellow, it is a house, they sell coffee. Those are the important details. It is just off the Metro Parkway, details on website. I had a reasonably priced double Espresso, $1.50. The beans were not the freshest, and were midway between being sweet and bitter. The flavor was rich and refreshing. I couldn’t complain as they didn’t ask me for money. This is not the usual case, or else they would not really do well as a business; Dr. Cooley was paying for everyone at the forum. Considering that it is not easy to get truly fresh coffee, I wouldn’t have complained even if they charged a bit more and I paid for it (I ended up tipping $2, about 133%). It looks like they have a fairly comprehensive coffee place menu, pretty much covering expected coffee based drinks. They had a slightly sad batch of muffins out, but some deliciously huge cookies as well. As I stood listening to the speaker, I saw a number of people enjoying excellent looking toasted croissants with ham and melted cheese. The sitting area itself was lovely. Freshly done, in a colorful yet minimal style. High ceilings and bright windows lent a pleasant open ambiance to the room, even the burglar bars were a bit artsy and nice. Thats just the front room, i didn’t even explore! Its not the type of place to go for a questionable coffee, but a nice light meal and smoothie would fit well. If they expand the breakfast selection (add some fruit or granola or yogurts) it would be absolutely delightful on a sunny morning. Unfortunately, their food menu is limited to bread based foods that are traditionally found alongside coffee.
Now, seriously. The forum. I arrived a few minutes late and was pleased to see Mr. Anderson leaning against the back wall. I sidled up to the till and got myself some coffee before settling in leant against the back wall. George Flaggs Jr., state representative from Warren county, was speaking at the front. As I did not have any note taking utensils with me at the time, what follows is a rough sketch of the flow of conversation.
Representative Flaggs was talking about a recent Medicaid bill In the Mississippi State House of Representatives. He had the bill read out, because people were complaining that it was a long bill, over 80 pages, and they did not have enough time to read it. He said to us that the length of bills was just because the issues were complex. People complaining about the length needed to appreciate the complexity of the issue at hand. This reminded me of a similar note in a recent post on the economist dot com which I mysteriously cannot find again! It is important that bills be understandable, easy to read. They do not have to be short to be readable; they do not have to be difficult to read when covering a complex issue. At least provide some complete, accurate simple english summary of the bill.
Education, Rep. Flaggs believed, was key to economic growth. Take care of people and educate them, and htey will prosper. Education should provide people with the tools to make it on their own. I have to agree with Flaggs on this one. Education is one of the most important aspects of economic development that the government can work on. Noting the large amount of predatory lending in the area, he mentioned that he hoped to integrate more financial education into our school system. Giving children the financial (and other!) skills to succeed in life is important. Right now, people don’t understand the uses of debt, how to use credit wisely or what all of the consequences of various financial dealings are until they are trapped in a paycheck to paycheck debt repayment cycle.
I had a few ideas on this topic, and many ideas were bounced around at the forum. People addressed the extortionate rates of paycheck loans, and the lack of availability of other financial instruments in many communities. Providing more data on such lending, not only terms of the loans themselves, but where this lending is taking place, would be important in getting people out of crippling debt. Financial education in schools could include providing children with savings accounts, and help taking a role in family budgeting. The City could encourage small affordable loans, and guarantee some of the capital based upon the borrowers completion of City sponsored financial education classes.
A local restauranteur encouraged people to support local businesses, emphasizing that local businesses can invest more in local communities than out of town operations. Pastors were urged to get more involved in the community. Energizing congregations and leading them in revitalizing their communities. Churches could provide education, financial and otherwise, helping people get out of debt or providing mentors for local schools.
A Dr. Perkins ended the discussion with a well thought out statement about how some senators support businesses in their districts, while some only support social programs. He lamented the fact that some people are only taught to act as victims, while some people are encouraged and supported in entrepreneurial endeavors. People should be taught and encouraged to stand on their on feet instead of leaning on state support. Certainly this is an area which can be helped by education as well…
In all, the forum at Koinonia Coffee House was excellent. Representative Flaggs was clearly a passionate man who truly cared about health care, education and the Capitol city. The discussion was informed and informative. I did not try to contribute anything to the discussion, but i will certainly be in attendance in the future. So remember, 9 am, every friday at Koinonia Coffee House off Metro Parkway. Be there.
This entry was posted on Saturday, July 11th, 2009 at 11:36 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Dr. Cooley buys me coffee
After the first transition team meeting at City Hall, I met two gentlemen (about my age) who had an enticing proposition. They figured me the type who would enjoy attending another public forum, one with a little more discussion. There was a regular public forum, they told me, held at Koinonia Coffee House. I did not really get how to spell this when he said it, and i did not get how to pronounce it when i saw it. But that is not important, as it is big, yellow, and from Jackson Metro Parkway, it looks like this:
Every friday morning at Koinonia Coffee House there is a public forum. Dr. Cooley, the facilitator of the transition team public meeting appears to be behind this somewhat, as rumor had it that he was picking up our coffee tab. While I am on the topic, I will give a word about Koinonia Coffee House. It is big, it is yellow, it is a house, they sell coffee. Those are the important details. It is just off the Metro Parkway, details on website. I had a reasonably priced double Espresso, $1.50. The beans were not the freshest, and were midway between being sweet and bitter. The flavor was rich and refreshing. I couldn’t complain as they didn’t ask me for money. This is not the usual case, or else they would not really do well as a business; Dr. Cooley was paying for everyone at the forum. Considering that it is not easy to get truly fresh coffee, I wouldn’t have complained even if they charged a bit more and I paid for it (I ended up tipping $2, about 133%). It looks like they have a fairly comprehensive coffee place menu, pretty much covering expected coffee based drinks. They had a slightly sad batch of muffins out, but some deliciously huge cookies as well. As I stood listening to the speaker, I saw a number of people enjoying excellent looking toasted croissants with ham and melted cheese. The sitting area itself was lovely. Freshly done, in a colorful yet minimal style. High ceilings and bright windows lent a pleasant open ambiance to the room, even the burglar bars were a bit artsy and nice. Thats just the front room, i didn’t even explore! Its not the type of place to go for a questionable coffee, but a nice light meal and smoothie would fit well. If they expand the breakfast selection (add some fruit or granola or yogurts) it would be absolutely delightful on a sunny morning. Unfortunately, their food menu is limited to bread based foods that are traditionally found alongside coffee.
Now, seriously. The forum. I arrived a few minutes late and was pleased to see Mr. Anderson leaning against the back wall. I sidled up to the till and got myself some coffee before settling in leant against the back wall. George Flaggs Jr., state representative from Warren county, was speaking at the front. As I did not have any note taking utensils with me at the time, what follows is a rough sketch of the flow of conversation.
Representative Flaggs was talking about a recent Medicaid bill In the Mississippi State House of Representatives. He had the bill read out, because people were complaining that it was a long bill, over 80 pages, and they did not have enough time to read it. He said to us that the length of bills was just because the issues were complex. People complaining about the length needed to appreciate the complexity of the issue at hand. This reminded me of a similar note in a recent post on the economist dot com which I mysteriously cannot find again! It is important that bills be understandable, easy to read. They do not have to be short to be readable; they do not have to be difficult to read when covering a complex issue. At least provide some complete, accurate simple english summary of the bill.
Education, Rep. Flaggs believed, was key to economic growth. Take care of people and educate them, and htey will prosper. Education should provide people with the tools to make it on their own. I have to agree with Flaggs on this one. Education is one of the most important aspects of economic development that the government can work on. Noting the large amount of predatory lending in the area, he mentioned that he hoped to integrate more financial education into our school system. Giving children the financial (and other!) skills to succeed in life is important. Right now, people don’t understand the uses of debt, how to use credit wisely or what all of the consequences of various financial dealings are until they are trapped in a paycheck to paycheck debt repayment cycle.
I had a few ideas on this topic, and many ideas were bounced around at the forum. People addressed the extortionate rates of paycheck loans, and the lack of availability of other financial instruments in many communities. Providing more data on such lending, not only terms of the loans themselves, but where this lending is taking place, would be important in getting people out of crippling debt. Financial education in schools could include providing children with savings accounts, and help taking a role in family budgeting. The City could encourage small affordable loans, and guarantee some of the capital based upon the borrowers completion of City sponsored financial education classes.
A local restauranteur encouraged people to support local businesses, emphasizing that local businesses can invest more in local communities than out of town operations. Pastors were urged to get more involved in the community. Energizing congregations and leading them in revitalizing their communities. Churches could provide education, financial and otherwise, helping people get out of debt or providing mentors for local schools.
A Dr. Perkins ended the discussion with a well thought out statement about how some senators support businesses in their districts, while some only support social programs. He lamented the fact that some people are only taught to act as victims, while some people are encouraged and supported in entrepreneurial endeavors. People should be taught and encouraged to stand on their on feet instead of leaning on state support. Certainly this is an area which can be helped by education as well…
In all, the forum at Koinonia Coffee House was excellent. Representative Flaggs was clearly a passionate man who truly cared about health care, education and the Capitol city. The discussion was informed and informative. I did not try to contribute anything to the discussion, but i will certainly be in attendance in the future. So remember, 9 am, every friday at Koinonia Coffee House off Metro Parkway. Be there.
This entry was posted on Saturday, July 11th, 2009 at 11:36 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.