Source: FacebookJACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
The governor of North Carolina took a swipe at Mississippi Friday morning, and it didn't take long for Mississippi's governor and lieutenant governor to respond.
North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue told NBC affiliate WITN Friday morning, "Folks are saying, 'What in the world is going on with North Carolina?' We look like Mississippi."
Perdue was reacting to her state's passage of an amendment that bans same-sex marriages.
Later in the day, Governor Phil Bryant told WLBT News in Jackson that he was disappointed in Perdue's comments.
"Apparently the governor is not as in touch with the family values that would be exemplified here in Mississippi as well as her constituents are," Bryant said, referring the Perdue. "I think North Carolina passed that referendum by a pretty good margin, and to have the governor somehow disparage that popular vote by associating them with Mississippi is very disappointing."
Bryant said he intended to send Perdue a letter outlining his thoughts.
Mississippi Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves issued the following statement to what he called "Perdue's disparaging comments":
"Governor Perdue should know that her administration has a lot of work to do to make her state's business climate ‘look like Mississippi.' We are creating an environment which encourages the private sector to invest capital in Mississippi, and I would invite any North Carolina-based company wanting to move to a lower-taxed, less-regulated state to look at our business-friendly opportunities."
"In fact, the Tax Foundation ranks Mississippi as the 17th best in the country in its latest State Business Tax Climate Index, while Governor Perdue's policies have dropped her state among the six worst in America. The business-friendly policies enacted in Mississippi have reduced our unemployment rate to 9 percent, according to the latest numbers released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Meanwhile, Governor Perdue's home state's unemployment rate remained significantly higher than Mississippi's at nearly 10 percent."
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