http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1146216332162180.xml&coll=2 – DOT late payments to Jefferson County transit programs results in threatened shutdown, County Commission commits $800,000 to keep service going.

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1146216364162180.xml&coll=2 – Judge refuses to dismiss prison overcrowding case, refers to governor’s legal counsel’s arguments as “bizarre.”

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1146215894162180.xml&coll=2 – Governor signs bill moving 2008 presidential primary to February date. 

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1146215901162180.xml&coll=2 – Suit filed to halt payments under new Community Service Grants measure.

http://www.al.com/opinion/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1146215937162180.xml&coll=2 – Editorial criticizes the low productivity of Justice Tom Parker, candidate for Supreme Court Chief Justice.

http://www.al.com/opinion/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1146215834162140.xml&coll=1 – Editorial praises recently enacted child restraint law as “a step forward.”

http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/opinion/editorials/060428b.shtml - Editorial calls for adequate health care plan for uninsured.

FROM TODAY’S ANNISTON STAR:

Riley signs bill to pardon Parks, hundreds of others

Associated Press

04-28-2006

MONTGOMERY — Gov. Bob Riley has signed into law legislation that sets up a process to pardon civil rights icon Rosa Parks and hundreds of others arrested for violating segregation-era laws.

Riley signed the bill April 21, without making an official announcement, Jeff Emerson, the governor’s communications director, said Thursday.

Those arrested or family members of those deceased would have to request the pardons under the bill, which passed April 17, during the final hours of the 2006 regular session.

The bill names the new law “The Rosa Parks Act.” It could lead to pardons for Parks, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King and hundreds of others convicted of violating laws aimed at keeping the races separate.

“This bill is a step in the right direction in reconciling the plight of so many Alabamians whose rights and freedoms were compromised over the last century,” said Rep. Thad McClammy, D-Montgomery, sponsor of the legislation in the House.

The bill was amended to allow museums such as The Rosa Parks Library and Museum in Montgomery to continue to display records of the arrests.

Parks was arrested 50 years ago for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery city bus, an event that sparked the historic Montgomery bus boycott.

Editorials

Have a happy (sales tax) holiday

In our opinion

04-28-2006

Legislatively speaking, this has been a very good year for Alabama families.

A tax cut was passed for folks on the lower end of the income scale, where families need help the most. A landlord-tenant bill became law, which should ease the worries of the many families who rent their homes. More money was allocated for education, a direct benefit to families with children. And, thanks to money from outside sources, children’s services came out of the session well funded.

All of these, by the way, passed with bipartisan support.

However, the most important piece of legislation, both in symbol and in substance, may well be the bill that created a sales tax holiday during the first weekend in August, a time when families can purchase a host of different school-related items and not pay a state sales tax. With a few restrictions, clothes, computers, school supplies and books will be exempt from the levy.

And like the other family-oriented legislation, the bill declaring the sales tax holiday passed with the support of both Republicans and Democrats.

Creatively addressing the loss of revenue that results from the holiday, the Legislature approved a bill that requires companies that do business with the state to add state sales tax to what they sell to Alabama consumers — a law that will have a considerable impact on citizens who purchase computer equipment on the Internet.

Where the sales tax holiday will cost the state (and save shoppers) around $3.3 million annually, the tax on Internet sales will make up some of that. More will be recovered when people shopping for school items also buy things that are not on the exempted list. And of course, all this activity will add retail sales jobs for that weekend, putting more money into the economy.

In signing the bill, Gov. Bob Riley urged cities and counties to take part by creating “tax-free zones” for families buying for their children. That sounds like a good idea. We urge officials in surrounding counties, cities and towns to follow the state’s lead and declare their own tax holiday to coincide with what the Legislature authorized.

And we urge citizens to show how much they appreciate this by going out and buying.

Op-Ed Columns

Tax change is a good first step

By James L. Evans

04-28-2006

The old “Hee Haw” television series featured a comic routine that revolved around Archie Campbell as the local barber telling his customer about the good news and bad news events in his life. Well, we’ve got a similar routine working here in Alabama; unfortunately it’s not all that funny.

The good news really is good news. After nearly two decades of effort, the Alabama state Legislature has finally changed our income tax system. Alabama has had the unenviable distinction of being the only state in the union that imposes income taxes on citizens earning less than $10,000 — in fact, considerably less. Up until this session of the Legislature, a family of four earning $4,600 was subject to state income tax.

But with the combined efforts of Rep. John Knight, D-Montgomery, a longtime outspoken critic of Alabama’s tax system, and Gov. Bob Riley, who from the beginning of his term has been talking about changing Alabama’s tax structure, a dialogue began that led to a compromise that finally resulted in significant and positive change.

Beginning in 2007, Alabama will no longer tax families earning as little as $4,600. That threshold will now begin at $12,600 for a family of four.

That’s the good news. Now for the bad news.

The bad news is, in Alabama we begin imposing income tax on a family of four earning as little as $12,600. No, we are no longer at the bottom in terms of taxing the poor. Now there are three states below us who impose income tax on families earning even less than $12,000. But that is hardly a distinction of merit.

Our income tax structure, while better now, is still grossly unfair to the working poor. Even with the changes to the income tax, the lower 20 percent of wage earners in Alabama continue to pay a higher percentage of their earnings in state and local taxes than do the highest earning 5 percent.

If we must have an income tax, then it must be fair. It is not fair, and it never will be fair for those who earn the most to pay the least.

Even with the changes — as important and welcome as they are — our tax system in Alabama continues to punish the poor while rewarding the wealthy. To continue to allow such a situation to exist is cruel from any point of view, and particularly cruel from a Judean-Christian point of view. The Scriptures are consistent in their call for the wider community to love kindness and to do justice for the least of these in our midst.

I know the risk here is to sound like the glass is half empty, but it took 18 years to finally raise the level of awareness among Alabamians that our tax system was punishing the poor. Without a doubt, $12,600 is much better than $4,600. But the fact remains that no one who earns such a small salary, especially with a family, should owe any income tax.

We have taken an important first step. Let us pray now that we will have the courage and resolve to take the additional steps needed to ensure that our tax structure is fair to everyone it affects.

James L. Evans is pastor of Auburn First Baptist Church. He can be reached at faithmatters@mindspring.com.