April 04, 2007
Our 1901 Alabama Constitution is criticized as being outdated and in need of overhaul. Proponents have longed for and worked for a constitutional convention to enact a new basic document for decades. More people would agree with them if they only knew the history of how our original Constitution was written and approved.
March 28, 2007
At the beginning of every quadrennium and the first regular legislative session year there goes out a hue and cry to revamp or rewrite our antiquated 1901 Constitution. Most proponents of a new state constitution want a constitutional convention to create a new state charter.
Governor Riley has not addressed this issue in his first four years in office and it is doubtful that he will propose any action during his second term. It will again be swept under the rug to be addressed maybe in the next quadrennium.
March 21, 2007
As we begin the 2007 Regular Session of the Legislature the perennial issues, such as the need for a new Constitution, campaign reform, and prison overcrowding, may rise to the surface. Usually if any tough issue is addressed it is tackled in the first year of the quadrennium. These issues have been swept under the rug continuously for years and may never be handled until a major crisis erupts.
March 14, 2007
The bell has run and the gavel has sounded and the first regular legislative session of the quadrennium has begun. There are monumental issues facing the new legislature. These are not new issues and as usual there are not many new faces. Incumbency retention has set up in the Alabama Statehouse almost to the same degree as on the national level. Most campaign special interest money is placed on incumbents. Therefore, it is very difficult to defeat a sitting House member or Senator.
March 07, 2007
The Governor’s Special Session called last week to pass incentives to attract a major industry to our state was very successful. It went smoothly with a minimum five-day session that resulted in the necessary legislation to place us in a position to land one of the largest industrial prospects in the world.
February 28, 2007
Alabama’s move to have our Presidential Primary early next year, in order to give us a voice in the nominating process, may be overshadowed. It was a good idea but it is obviously not novel. A good many states have the same idea and most of them are a lot bigger and more important. California, Florida, Illinois, and New Jersey are joining the bandwagon to move their preference primary to February 5, 2008. However, we may be able to compete with South Carolina as a Deep South bellwether barometer.
February 21, 2007
Last week’s column, which chronicled the prowess of our Senior Senator Richard Shelby and his success at garnering extra federal funds for his pet Alabama projects, evoked numerous comments and inquiries from many of you. Some of you were curious whether Shelby would choose to retire when his term ends in 2010 because he is no longer Chairman of Senate Appropriations and his power has been greatly diminished since the Democrats became the majority party in the Senate as well as the House last year. My belief is that indeed Shelby’s power has been deterred but hope springs eternal in politicians. They usually see the glass half full rather than half empty.
February 14, 2007
There has been a lot of Sunday morning quarterbacking among political pundits at to the reasons behind the national Democratic tidal wave that hit Washington in November’s mid-term Congressional elections. The most obvious explanation is the backlash against George Bush’s war in Iraq.
February 07, 2007
Gov. Bob Riley’s second inauguration went off smoothly. It was truly a family affair. His son Rob Riley, a Birmingham lawyer, swore his father in for his second term. Riley’s wife Patsy looked elegant in a stunning red dress adorned with a matching hat. They were surrounded by their daughters and grandchildren. They are a handsome and obviously close family. Many politicians espouse family values, the Governor and his family live them.
January 31, 2007
Alabama has never really played much of a role in selecting the candidates that are the Democratic or Republican Party’s nominees for President. We have historically pretty much taken a backseat when it comes to Presidential politics.