We all have wish lists for Christmas. I wish for readers of this column a joyous day.

To his wife, Sharon, their immediate family and Bulldogs everywhere, I pray that God’s love will continue to give you comfort in the loss of Mississippi State University football coach Mike Leach. Coach was a giant of the profession. This great man’s last contribution to this world was as an organ giver.

I wish Mississippi would expand the Medicaid program to award our most vulnerable fellow citizens the gift of healthcare security. Such a move also would help save our rural hospitals, several of which are on the brink of closure. The reason it hasn’t happened is politics. How sad!

Mississippi’s best Christmas gift for its people would be a new crop of honest politicians. This is not to say all of those we have now are dishonest, but let’s admit that this is America’s most corrupt state – surpassing even Louisiana, which takes work – as judged by many sources. Mississippi is too poor to let this mess go on.

State Auditor Shad White, I wish you some rest during the holiday season. You’ve been mighty busy ferreting out corruption in state government, but your work isn’t done. For example, it’s time to wrap up the state Department of Human Services investigation over misspent funds. A few more indictments, if warranted, would be nice.

For playoff-dreaming Ole Miss football fans, a competent red zone offense would be sweet music. The Rebels missed on adding points many times this season while operating near the opponent’s goal line. I wish for the analytics to vanish and let’s take the points next year.

I hope Southern Mississippi gives head coach Will Hall time, time and more time to build a solid program. Do that and I am convinced Hall will deliver many victories over future seasons for USM fans.

I hope that Coach Prime will come back and visit often. Coach Sanders, Mississippi loves you for getting Jackson State back on track, but we weren’t ready to say goodbye.

I’m an independent voter --- I voted for candidates from both parties in the November elections --- but I wish Republicans would seek out better candidates for high office than the Georgia GOP did in selecting Herschel Walker to run for the U.S. Senate this year.

I – and, apparently, thousands of Republicans, not to mention the Dems – wish former President Donald Trump would depart the political scene and reverse his decision to run in 2024. Bon voyage!

I wish the Legislature would scale back the $525 million state income tax cut they passed in 2021. A future Legislature will need those dollars and likely not long from now.

A really nice Christmas gift for thousands of Mississippians arrived on Dec. 16 when the University Medical Center and Blue Cross-Blue Shield agreed on a new contract. The brouhaha between the insurance company and hospitals concerned reimbursements for network providers. No doubt, Mississippi In-surance Commissioner Mike Chaney brokered the deal. Thanks, Mr. Chaney.

The entire Mississippi cultural arts community needs your support as it rebounds from the pandemic. Resolve in 2023 to attend concerts, arts and crafts festivals, visual arts and literary exhibitions, local theater productions and dance recitals. Encourage your school system to add arts education to its curriculum. Mississippi is known for the creative arts. Let’s keep it that way.

In that regard, I hope the Counts and the Delaware Horns of McComb, Charlie and Libby Hewitt of Brookhaven and Richie Burnett and the Fabulous Doo Vays of Clarksdale keep on singing and rocking.
Merry Christmas to all!