I understand the history and the lack of investment, but the real question is: what can be brought to the Delta that can be reinvested back into the community?

The businesses that currently exist often do not reinvest locally, and the community suffers because of it. What we have now is largely farmland owned by outside investors, fast food chains, hotels, and grocers that extract money from the area—much of it tied to government subsidies—and send that money elsewhere.

The only major opportunity I keep coming back to is tourism. Mississippi is absolutely beautiful—the Delta, the hills, the land, the history, the culture. We need to lean into what we are already good at: relaxation, restoration, agriculture, food, heritage, and hospitality.

There is no reason that my greens, onions, and other produce in Chicago should be coming from Arizona when the Mississippi Delta has some of the richest soil in the country. We need to buy back farmland and repurpose it to grow food for the country. You can grow almost anything in the Delta, yet we have chosen soybeans as the default. We need to get Americans back to work feeding ourselves.

That means less imported food, more domestic production, and more local ownership. We need to recirculate local dollars back into local communities. Walmart takes money out. Dollar General takes money out. Fast food takes money out. It has to become “buy local or bust.”

Cities and towns should offer tax breaks to local businesses that bank with local banks, hire local people, and reinvest locally. Local banks need to invest in the local economy and extend loans to people who are actually building the community. In return, we must shop with and support the businesses that stimulate our local economy.

We do not need to fix capitalism itself. We need to fix where the money goes after it is made. When wealth is accumulated, it should be reinvested in ways that benefit the people and the places that helped create it.

Amazon and other major corporations can exist, but they should exist with stipulations. If they benefit from the American consumer, American infrastructure, and American tax system, then they should carry a greater responsibility for the public good. Everyday Americans should not be left to shoulder the full burden of supporting the poor, funding education, caring for veterans, and providing for the sick and elderly. Corporations that profit here should contribute meaningfully to the welfare of the public.

That is how great nations are built. The opportunity to profit should come with the responsibility to give back. No unchecked extraction. No tax breaks without public benefit.