MS and Louisiana has several Earth elements and natural products. 20 miles off their coast is crude oil and I believe MS has coal deposits as well as Emeralds(?). The Feds are not paying for the development and industrialization of this land. Taxes are not being levied appropriately in these areas. Many of the people relied on old companies long forgotten with infrastructure left to decay. Moreover, an entire ecosystem is fouled up due to lack of clean up of industrial waste in the Mississippi River. These actions were done before ANY OF US who are alive today! I think it occurred during "reconstruction" after the civil war. That is the thorn in A LOT of Southerner's sides. Basically, they got "gaffled" after this war.
If the monies were paid to Louisiana and Mississippi what was their "due" for economic development by the Feds, the projected number was estimated to be $20 trillion dollars with current rates on inflation. That is more than what each of these states have in their coffers combined! The Feds have NEVER paid for it. The Congress has been corrupted and I doubt the president cares because it is not Texas... For some reason Texas GETS its owed taxes to do business.
Poor people who gamble on casino boats will not put enough money into the system to make a dent... The funds these two states require to clean up--well, NOLA is getting Californian, Las Vegas, NV and Hawaiian support simply because of the "Hollywoodizing" of the "Big Easy" and the food...
And most folks do not revere Mississippi as a state that much because of the negative history associated with it. I think folks in Alabama and Georgia support them with tourists before houses were blown away by Hurricane Katrina... I think they still do.
But, when I lived in Atlanta and drove to visit NOLA, folks always said do not stop ANYWHERE in the state of Mississippi...
Given some craziness that I have just been informed of occurring in Jena, LA we ALL still have problems.
I think folks who are Mississippian should speak for themselves. However, it is my OPINION that between Louisiana and Mississippi, they are getting forgotten like they have been before.