When it comes to the Mississippi Legislature, sometimes we’releft shaking our heads in disbelief.

With this year’s session winding down, lawmakers are stilltrying to hammer out a bill to fund — whether fully or not –Mississippi’s schools.

What a difference a year, or more specifically an election year,can make.

Remember the 2003 session, when education was funded by thelegislature before anything else? Lawmakers went from the Capitolto the campaign trail, touting their action.

The latest legislative lunacy is the failure to raise the statecigarette tax. While we don’t generally support tax increases, wedo think this one has its merits. Here’s why:

* The state desperately needs the money to fund the operationsof eight mental health crisis centers, including one in LincolnCounty.

* Until those crisis centers are funded, mentally illindividuals are placed in jails — along with criminals — until aplace at a treatment facility is found.

* Mississippi is woefully behind the times on cigarette taxes.The state tax is 18 cents per pack, the fourth lowest in thenation. The national average is 74 cents a pack.

* This is a tax that does not affect the general population ofthe state, only those individuals who choose to use tobacco.

Chances for the cigarette tax appear all but doomed for thislegislative session although there was an effort Friday to reviveit.

Saddest of all to us, the issue of the cigarette tax has nowbecome a partisan political issue. Most in the GOP are followingRepublican Gov. Haley Barbour’s “no raising taxes” edict. Anexception is Lincoln County’s Dr. Jim Barnett, who supports thecigarette tax, along with our other local lawmakers.

The governor is sticking to his campaign promise, but to us, atthis point that seems to be ‘penny wise and pound foolish.’

New taxes? Nobody wants to see taxes raised on anything — ever.In tough times, tough decisions must be made. Now is one of thosetimes for Mississippi.

We hope the legislature will increase the cigarette tax to fullyfund and operate the mental health crisis centers. We hope theywill do the right thing.

But, we’re not holding our breath.