Sanity in the South

So some semblance of sanity shines through. In North Carolina, a specially created immigration committee in the legislature decided after a number of hearings that the state will not pursue its own copycat legislation. Meanwhile, Mississippi's copycat legislation died in the senate.

This does not necessarily mean no such legislation will be pursued in the future. In the North Carolina case, there is a clear sense that it is a waste of time and money to push anything before the Supreme Court issues a ruling. Interestingly, though, in Mississippi it seemed the economic impact was more important than the Supreme Court, thus perhaps making it less likely it will pass in the future.

But Laura Hipp, a spokeswoman for Reeves, indicated that not all of the self-proclaimed conservatives in the state were on the same page. 

"Lt. Gov. Reeves believes we need to do something to rid our state of illegal immigrants, but he respects the fact that the chairman listened to concerns expressed by the Mississippi Economic Council, Farm Bureau, the Mississippi Poultry Assn., and local cities, counties, police chiefs and sheriffs, about the potential impact of this bill on taxpayers," Hipp said in a statement.

Either way, a little sanity is nice.