Call to Arms
Seems to me if you swatted a fly with any newspaper these days, chances are that the winged creature’s last view before it departed the earth would be of an editorial railing against PAC-to-PAC transfers.
Candidates and deep-pocketed donors claim they don’t know whose money ended up in what campaign because of these PAC-to-PAC transfers allowed by Alabama’s loosey-goosey campaign laws. Editorials have been crackling lately.
Recent examples include:
- The Anniston Star today
- The Birmingham News yesterday
- The Press-Register Friday
- The Tuscaloosa News Thursday
- The Montgomery Advertiser Tuesday
Alabama bloggers are taking notice too: Red State Diaries, Between the Links, Politics in Alabama, and here of course, to cite a few.
Last year’s bill (sponsored by Rep. Jeff McLaughlin, D, Guntersville) passed the House 97-1 before it languished in Senate committee, and campaign season has only heightened awareness of the issue. Perhaps we have real hope of getting a bill through next year.
It takes action though. We blog, read, comment, and snark, but I wonder how many of us are actually making the contacts with the legislators to say this is an important issue. In the end, editorials and blog posts don’t get it done.
Here is a reminder of what we should already know: If an issue is important to you, you owe it to yourself and to Alabama to contact your legislators and tell them.
I’d love to hear in the comments about people’s experiences (or lack of experiences) contacting legislators.
But let them hear from you, whether it’s by phone, email, personal visit, carrier pigeon…
Update 8/11/06: The Associated Press reported in February that Jeff McLaughlin’s bill to ban PAC-to-PAC transfers passed the House by a 97-1 vote. In the last couple of days, I saw where Taylor Bright had reported in the Huntsville Times that two people voted against it. ALISON listed two ‘no’ votes for the bill, but ALISON clearly states that it is an unofficial record.
In a phone call, the Clerk of the House confirms that there were two ‘no’ votes: Greg Albritton (R - Excel) and Joseph Mitchell (D - Mobile). Perhaps not the most important clarification ever, but based on the AP story I had said 97-1 enough times that I felt the need to set the record straight. The vote was actually 97-2.
Passed the House. Supported by Gov. Riley. Languished in the Senate. Gee, who presides over the Senate?
Comment by Anonymous — August 7, 2006 @ 4:25 pm
Lowell Barron presides over the Senate. However, the bill never made it to the floor. I’ll refrain from saying off the top of my head who I recall bottling it up in case I am mis-remembering.
Comment by Danny — August 7, 2006 @ 5:40 pm
No, Lucy Baxley presides over the Senate.
Comment by Anonymous — August 7, 2006 @ 5:44 pm
Yep, you’re right. Thanks.
Baxley presides when she is there, and President Pro Tem Barron presides in her absence.
But as to the first Anonymous Commenter’s question, whoever it is that presides doesn’t bring bills to the floor.
I should get more sleep before I post. :)
Comment by Danny — August 7, 2006 @ 5:56 pm
My question is: who was the one House Member that voted against it?
Comment by Anonymous — August 7, 2006 @ 10:16 pm
I dunno Anonymous, but I bet he’s a Democrat.
Comment by dan — August 7, 2006 @ 11:17 pm
Rep. Greg Albritton (R - Excel) voted against it.
Dan, my question is… why did you bet that it was a Democrat that voted against it?
Comment by Danny — August 8, 2006 @ 1:23 am
What can be done to pass legislation to ban pac to pac transfers? We all need to rally together (both Democrats and Republicans, and those Independents, Libertarians, etc) TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. What is with this state in not addressing this? It’s in the best interest of the people, and a lot of major news media report on it. Let’s work hard to get this major issue of banning pac to pac transfers, PASSED!!
Comment by Debbie Murphree — August 8, 2006 @ 10:40 pm
Debbie: how come when Riley proposes a ban on Pac-to-pac transfers in the State of the State Address (like he’s done in his past 3 addresses) nobody rallies to make it happen? How come when the Baxley/Barron Senate doesn’t bring it up for debate, nobody rallies to make it happen? Why do you think they will now when history shows they never do?
Comment by Tim — August 9, 2006 @ 12:44 am
Tim, these things don’t come easy. People who care about this issue - like Debbie, like you (I hope), like me - will put a lot of effort into educating people and building support before it is passed.
I know people who worked for landlord-tenant legislation for thirteen years before it passed this year. People have worked on tax fairness even longer before we made progress this year. Keep telling the stories and eventually enough people will engage. I think it will happen on this issue.
And by the way, while Gov. Riley has supported a ban on PAC-to-PAC transfers, he did not propose a ban in his last State of the State Address.
Comment by Danny — August 9, 2006 @ 9:05 am
Danny, PLEASE give me hope this will happen before 13 years LOL. And I believe that Tim is with us on this issue :)
Comment by Debbie Murphree — August 9, 2006 @ 11:05 pm
The average citizen isn’t aware of the skullduggery that takes place in the legislature. Sure, the house voted overwhelmingly to stop Pac-to-Pac transfers, and some of the votes may have expressed the honest feelings of legislators, however many votes were just window dressing for the folks back home because those who cast them KNEW IN ADVANCE that the senate wouldn’t pass it. Things like that take place all the time.
Now, to answer the question of how we get this money laundering stopped, go to
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060806/NEWS/608060321/1028/EDITORIAL3 for the answer - we first have to obtain Initiative and Referendum (I&R) so voters can initiate the required legislation that will by-pass both the legislature and the governor and be placed on the ballot as a referendum for us to accept or reject.
I&R is the key required to unlock the door to REAL reform and accountability legislation that will give us better government, and that’s why I’ve spent thousands of hours over the last 2+ years in an attempt to help us obtain it.
That’s also why Dan (http://www.betweenthelinks.com/) and I, and other concerned citizens are contacting everyone we can who is a candidate for governor, lieutenant governor, and both houses of the legislature and asking
them to go on record as to their position on making Alabama the 25th I&R state, and reporting their responses, or lack thereof, on Dan’s blog @ http://www.betweenthelinks.com/iandr and my website @ http://www.doctoriq.com/report.htm.
We need hundreds, no, thousands, of voters throughout the state to be contacting those who wish to represent them in these offices and pressuring them to commit to making obtaining I&R an issue in their campaigns and to fight to obtain it if they are elected. Pressure such as that from a large segment of the grassroots is the only way we will get I&R and have a way to improve our government.
The opportunity we have NOW to bring about change will not come around again until the year 2010.
We have what those seeking office need – our vote. If we make them understand that in order to get it, they must be proponents of I&R our votes will have more power than all of the money they get through PACs, if we will just exercise our power, and if we don’t we deserve to continue to have business as usual on Goat Hill, and a sorry government as a result.
Comment by Don — August 10, 2006 @ 8:18 am