May 15, 2014
In 1967 when Lurleen Wallace became governor, one of her first missions was a trip to Bryce Mental Hospital in her native Tuscaloosa. The conditions she saw at Alabama’s primary mental health facility were beyond deplorable. It was a heart wrenching and Damascus road experience for the demure and soft-spoken lady. However, she roared like a lion with determination to remedy this blight on the state. She implored her husband’s legislature to appropriate significant increases in the Mental Health Budget and she passed bond issues to relieve overcrowding.
Our current Governor, Robert Bentley, also a Tuscaloosan, may have had a similar conversion experience a few months ago. Our state prisons are in a crisis situation. The ghastly horror stories that have come out this year surrounding our largest women’s prison facility have reverberated around the nation. We are teetering on the federal courts taking over our prisons. The population is well beyond what the courts view as basic human rights. The revelation at Julia Tutwiler Prison further exacerbated the crisis.Read more
May 08, 2014
The 2014 Regular Legislative Session, which ended last month, was the last of the quadrennium. It ended on the same note it began on four years ago. This group of super majority Republican legislators has placed an indelible conservative stamp on Alabama state government.
There has been no benchmark right wing social issue that has failed to be addressed. They began in the first year with what they proclaimed was the most pervasive anti illegal immigrant legislation in the country. It was quickly cast aside in a cursory federal court opinion as unconstitutional.
Then came a far-reaching pro gun bill that was designed for the 1890’s Wild West. This year they passed an anti abortion bill, which the sponsors as well as any sixth grade civics student, should know is unconstitutional. It is not even close to being in line with Roe v. Wade.Read more
May 01, 2014
Early on it appeared that the best political races of the year would be for legislative seats. Indeed, with this being a lackluster year for statewide contests there are some good senate races throughout the state to watch. Most of these hotly contested battles will be intraparty GOP squabbles.
Senate District 11, which is composed primarily of St. Clair and Talladega Counties, may be the best race to watch. Incumbent State Sen. Jerry Fielding is being challenged by State Rep. Jim McClendon. Fielding is a former Talladega County Circuit Judge who retired from the bench after earning his judicial retirement and won this senate seat in 2010.
Dr. Jim McClendon is a retired optometrist from Springville in St. Clair County. Dr. McClendon is a veteran House member who chairs the House Health Committee. However, more importantly, he chaired the Reapportionment Committee last year. By having the pencil that drew Senate lines he enhanced St. Clair County’s opportunity to have a senator. Both men will have ample campaign funds.Read more
April 24, 2014
A good many of you found last week’s historical column interesting. You seemed fascinated about the vast diversity regarding the folks who settled in South Alabama versus those who homesteaded North Alabama at the state’s origination.
You found it even more interesting how close the secession from the Union vote was in 1861 with the vote falling in line with regional sentiment with South Alabamians for and North Alabamians against secession. However, the most enthralling passage was my brief mention of Winston County and its legendary stand to secede from Alabama when Alabama seceded from the union. This bold anomaly really piqued your interest. Therefore, this week I will expound on the in-depth details of the story of the “Free State of Winston.”
Winston County is a quiet rural county of about 24,000 people. It is about 75 miles northwest of Birmingham. Its closest neighboring cities of any size are Jasper and Florence. It is nestled into the heart of Northwest Alabama. In fact the county newspaper in Haleyville is named the Northwest Alabamian.Read more
April 17, 2014
When Alabama was being settled in the early 1800’s our first settlers were diverse in their origins. Our river regions were the most desirable lands. Indeed this is where the Indians lived. They realized the importance of water and the abundant fishing for their sustenance besides the natural advantage offered by these waters. The river basins also offered the most fertile soil for cultivation.
Among these river basins is a swath of land across the middle of the state that extends from Georgia to Mississippi. This area is known as the Black Belt. This region of our state is called the Black Belt because of the rich, black, luminous soil found there. This rich black soil is perfect for growing cotton. The people who settled the Black Belt were looking for new cotton lands. They had burned up their soil in the east coast of Virginia by planting the cash crop cotton continuously year after year. The soil they found in the Black Belt was much better than their worn out soil in the tidelands. Therefore, the people who settled in the Black Belt were primarily planters from Virginia and Georgia.Read more
April 10, 2014
Alabama has seen its share of industrial recruitment coups in the past few years. In fact, 20 years ago the landing of Mercedes was the impetus that has catapulted us to the top of the nation in automobile manufacturing. Mercedes, Honda, Hyundai and the peripheral support manufacturing companies have placed us in the top three states in America when it comes to automobile manufacturing jobs.
The announcement of the mammoth Airbus plant in Mobile will create over 1,000 jobs for the state. We will now build the largest airplanes in the world in the Heart of Dixie.
However, when all is said and done, Alabama’s most important industry is still agriculture. The economic impact of Alabama’s agriculture, forestry and related industries is staggering. The total output and employment impact of agriculture and related industries was over $70 billion last year and accounts for over 580,000 jobs. Folks, that's not just whistlin' Dixie.Read more
April 03, 2014
The Gallup poll has come out with their ranking of the most conservative and most liberal states in America.
Last year we were ranked as the most conservative in the country. We lost that mantle to Wyoming this year. In fact, we fell dramatically to number ten. In past years either Alabama or one of our sister southern Bible Belt states took home the title. This year the Western states made inroads into our group in the top ten rankings.
The most conservative states are always located in the South and West, while the most liberal states are found on the East and West coasts. Thus the label that we like to bestow on Californians is that both they and their philosophy are from the left coast.
Following number one Wyoming in order of conservatism are Mississippi, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Arkansas, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and number ten Alabama.Read more
March 27, 2014
There is a cadre of politicos in Birmingham who are approaching their 60’s that have been a close knit group of true blue Republicans since the get go. They have probably never been or needed to run as Democrats. More than likely, they were Goldwater Republicans when they were little boys. Most certainly they were Nixon and Reagan Republicans in their youth.
This group is close knit and numbers about 12. The face cards are former legislator, State DHR Director, Hoover Mayor and now Jefferson County Administrator Tony Petelos, former State Representatives and now lobbyists Mark Gaines and Allen Sanderson, and current State Representative and former Jefferson County Tax Collector Jack Williams.Read more
March 20, 2014
A while back I wrote a column entitled “The State Legislature Is A Good Training Ground For Governor, But Not A Good Stepping Stone To Governor.” The essence of my hypothesis was being one of the 105 members of the House of Representatives or even one of the 35 members of the State Senate does not lend itself to building name identification, which is essential to election to statewide office.
The perfect example in support of this argument occurred several years ago when Covington County State Representative Seth Hammett was Speaker of the House. Seth contemplated a race for governor. The position of Speaker of the House of Representatives is probably the second most powerful position in state government. Seth had served 20 years in the House and had garnered unfathomable knowledge of the machinations of state government. He was immensely popular and universally known in his home district.
One of the first steps when seeking a major statewide office is to conduct what is called a benchmark poll. This poll measures how well you are known statewide. Seth’s name identification was only 3%. If the Speaker of the House has 3% name identification, what do you think a backbencher from Wedowee’s would register? Seth decided against making the race.Read more
March 13, 2014
Last week we highlighted and handicapped the statewide races for the top five constitutional offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer and agriculture commissioner. All of these offices are held by incumbent Republicans. Therefore, it would be an upset if any of them went down to defeat.
In fact, currently there are 31 statewide elected offices in Alabama and all 31 are held by Republicans. However, the Democrats have fielded a respectable slate of candidates. We will see if indeed winning the GOP primary is tantamount to election in the Heart of Dixie.
The scene is set for there to be donnybrooks for the two low profile secondary statewide offices of secretary of state and state auditor. There are three gentlemen seeking the GOP nomination for secretary of state. Whoever wins the Republican primary will waltz to election in November.Read more