March 18, 2009

For several years there has been an outcry to pass legislation to stop PAC to PAC transfers. This is something that should be addressed because this deceptive practice has rendered Alabama’s campaign finance laws useless. We may as well do away with the law that requires PACs and candidates to report contributions if we do not close this glaring loophole.
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March 11, 2009

Slings and arrows have been hurled at Russellville State Senator Roger Bedford for over a decade because of his legendary ability to get extra state dollars for his northwest Alabama district. As Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee he has had immense power appropriating and distributing taxpayers’ money to his constituents. It is because of the largesse of political bacon brought home to his area that he has been dubbed by the state media as the Pork King of Goat Hill.
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March 04, 2009

The Legislative Session is a month old. One third of the legislative days have been spent. The national economic recession has had a devastating effect on the state’s two budgets. It has cast an ominous cloud over everything legislators try to undertake. They are wrestling with the crafting of an Education Budget that is currently under 12.6% proration and facing a $300 million shortfall in the next fiscal year. However, the legislature may be saved by the federal stimulus spending package. There may be as much as $3 billion of one time money coming to Alabama in the deal. Santa Claus may have come early in the form of one Uncle Sam.
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February 25, 2009

In last year’s U.S. Senate investigations surrounding the convictions of the infamous duo Jack Abramoff and Michael Scanlon, it was revealed that Bob Riley’s 2002 Election Campaign received at least $600,000, and probably close to $2.5 million, in contributions from out of state gambling interests. This is a lot of money, even in today’s political environment. It would easily be the largest contribution to Riley’s campaign, if not the largest to any campaign in Alabama history.
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February 18, 2009

The most effective and powerful governor in the last sixty years, and probably Alabama history, would be Gov. George Wallace. This was especially true when it came to getting his programs through the legislature. However, when you look at the other governors he was competing with over the last sixty years, there were not very many because Wallace was governor for practically one third of those sixty years. So you might say he was successful because he had a lot of experience being governor and dealing with the legislature. Although that is true, Wallace’s success went deeper. He worked hard at it.
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February 11, 2009

Last year’s announcement by Volkswagen to locate their American plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, rather than Alabama, was a disappointment. Although a lot of Alabamians who live in the Tennessee Valley will land good paying jobs in the plant, which will be just over the state line. In addition, there will be satellite component plants that will locate in our state to supply the major facility. This same scenario holds true for the Kia plant being built on the Georgia/Alabama border near Valley. The Kia plant will employ almost as many Alabamians as Georgians.
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February 04, 2009

The 2009 Regular Legislative Session begins this week under the most ominous economic cloud ever seen in our lifetimes. As legislators gather for their annual conclave, the budget is their priority. They are facing an Armageddon scenario. Many Goat Hill observers, who have been around the Legislature for a while, say it is the worst situation they have ever seen.
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January 28, 2009

As the 2009 Regular Legislative Session approaches, hopefully it will not be a three-peat. The last two years have been horrendous. The partisan acrimony in the State Senate is so pronounced that they do not even speak to each other, much less pass any legislation. They have basically done nothing for two years. However, they did manage to put their partisanship aside long enough to pas a 62% pay increase for themselves even though they failed to pass the education budget last year.
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January 21, 2009

During my time in the Legislature, we were always wrestling with the money eating monster that is Medicaid. We were constantly robbing Peter to pay Paul and using stopgap band aid solutions to fund this burgeoning agency. It is still growing like kudzu and causing horrific nightmares for the Ways and Means and Finance Committees of the House and Senate.
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January 14, 2009

Last week’s discussion about the looming 2010 Governor’s race spurred interest in the other statewide races next year.

The Lt. Governor’s race hinges on which major players answer the bell in the Governor’s race. The scenario, as it sits right now, is that Bob Riley cannot run again. Therefore the office is wide open. There are probably six serious GOP aspirants who enter the race and give their all to win. Whoever emerges from this family brawl will be broke and beaten up.
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