Alabama Politics in
Doc’s Political Parlor
& Home of Lawn Mower Repair

I want to thank Doc’s Political Parlor for the opportunity to communicate to a group of citizens that represent the future. I believe that, through this medium, we can bypass the corporate media and present information and viewpoints to the public without their edits or biases. These words are mine and mine alone. They represent my viewpoints. The readers can draw their own conclusions.

Now, just a few comments on the Governor Riley’s State of the State address: This is the fifth State of the State that I have heard from the Governor. As always, his speeches are very well delivered; his words are carefully chosen. I especially was moved by his comments on the Enterprise tornado tragedy. The Enterprise area is fortunate to have Terry Spicer representing them in the House. He is already working to get relief for the area.

The Governor’s speech focused on things, quite frankly, that many of us Democrats have championed in the past.

As for tax cuts, Representative John Knight, along with the Democratic Caucus, championed cutting taxes for the poorest Alabamians for seven years. After the Governor’s proposed tax increase of 2003 was defeated, he helped us pass a tax cut into law in 2006…just in time for re-election. The Governor proposed many tax cuts and tax breaks we will have to study. I prefer eliminating the sales tax on food, while closing special interest loopholes

In Alabama, the Constitution requires us to balance the budget. We can’t—unlike they do in Washington—spend money, then borrow money to make up the difference. We are not allowed to run a deficit. Every tax cut we make comes out of the Education Budget. We cannot afford diverting education dollars. We rank 44^th in education spending in Alabama. Our focus during these prosperous times should be to build schools, reward our teachers and prepare for a “rainy day”.

The Governor also addressed campaign finance reform. Representative Jeff McLaughlin and I have proposed a ban on PAC-to-PAC transfers and a bill requiring full disclosure, respectively. In fact, we in the House have passed these bills at least six times, only to have them die in the senate. In the 2005 regular session, it was due to a filibuster by the Governor’s coalition.

Yes, that is correct; we were one vote away in the Senate from passing a combined version of both, only to fall one vote short of cutting off the filibuster and voting on the bill.

I support campaign finance reform and lobbying reform and I believe that if the governor actively engages the Senate that we will pass these bills.

I was a little disappointed the way the Governor discussed Iraq. He began his speech by talking about being bipartisan and ended with a congressional issue. There is no question that Alabama’s elected officials support the troops. So, sadly, I think the Governor just fired the first salvo of a 2008 presidential campaign.

As for what’s coming up: As Chairman of the House Constitution and Elections Committee, I have scheduled a vote on Representative Jeff McLaughlin’s PAC-to-PAC ban and my electioneering communications bill (otherwise known as the Disclosure Bill) for Wednesday.

I plan on having votes on Initiative and Referendum and a Constitutional Convention Referendum in the future … Although, as of yet, I have not seen an I & R bill introduced.

I am sure there will be plenty to do and many issues to comment on this session. I look forward to blogging on the session here at Doc’s Political Parlor.

Share This