Archive for: December 2007

Here are my Top 10 Memorable Moments in Alabama Politics from 2007. Basically, these are the events I think people should remember in a decade.

1. Don Siegelman and Richard Scrushy sentenced to prison (June 28)
   

   Former Governor Siegelman was sentenced to 88 months and former Healthsouth CEO Scrushy to 82 months for various counts of bribery, mail fraud and conspiracy. The two were found guilty of a “campaign contribution for a board seat” scheme in 2006.

2. Alabama legislature hikes their pay (March 8 )
   

   With virtually no warning, the Alabama legislature raised their pay by an amazing 62% on an unrecorded voice vote. After the governor vetoed the pay raise, they overrode the veto. Many were angry at the secretive and suddenness of the vote more than the amount.

3. Bradley Byrne named chancellor of two-year system (May 10)
   

   When confirmed, Byrne was the fourth chancellor in 10 months of a system plagued by a variety of scandals. Byrne seems to be sticking around so far, and I don’t really have the space here to go over all the little details of the two-year scandals. However, the SBOE-approved ban on state legislators working for the two-year system is enough to ensure Byrne’s legacy.

4. Alabama gets Thyssenkrupp AG (May 11)
   

   The German steel manufacturer agreed to build a new plant in Mobile County after the state government offered an $810 million incentive package. The $3.7 billion dollar plant is expected to bring 2,700 jobs to south Alabama. That comes to a state investment of about $300,000 per job.

5. Charles Bishop punches Lowell Barron (June 7)
   

   Senator Bishop (R) punched fellow Senator Barron (D) on the senate floor after Bishop alleges Barron called him an SOB. Video of the incident ensured some national attention. Also of interest is the “fallout” of the event. Governor Riley seemed to indicate that violence is justified when insulted and the chairman of the Alabama GOP instigated a standing ovation for Bishop at a GOP fundraiser shortly afterward.

6. Jim Folsom breaks Senate stalemate (May 22)
   

   After weeks of stalling tactics by a coalition of Republicans and conservative Democrats in the Senate, Lieutenant Governor Jim Folsom, the presiding officer of that body, possibly ignores senate operating rules, state statute, and the Alabama constitution by “gaveling through” some procedural requirements used by the coalition to stall the body. Although many were understandably critical of this move, the senate did start voting on bills and were able to pass the state budgets in time to avoid a costly special session.

7. Larry Langford becomes mayor of Birmingham (October 9)
   

   Whether or not this is important statewide in a decade depends on the legacy that Langford leaves in Alabama’s largest city. Based on his previous political experience, however, I don’t think he will disappoint. Langford surprised many by defeating 9 candidates with over 50% of the vote, including the well-funded Patrick Cooper.

8. Arthur Bremer released (November 9)
   

   The man who shot George Wallace is released on parole after 35 years of incarceration in Maryland.

9. It’s a Thick Book premiers (March 9)
   

   Advocates for a new Constitution will appreciate this, and I think it’s hard to ignore the impact of Lewis Lehe’s documentary about the Constitution of 1901. I think it gave the reform folks a much-needed boost and a way for them to distribute their agenda in an entertaining way. It’s also memorable Lehe was just 18 when he started the project.

10. The Internet creates Sparksmania… maybe (March 26 - June 12)
    

    Whether or not this will be memorable in a decade probably depends on the future political career of Ron Sparks. Seemingly out of nowhere, national liberal blogs were pushing for Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks (D) to run against US Senator Jeff Sessions (R) in 2008. Although he eventually decided not to run, it created a short-lived buzz that appeared (to me) to find some traction outside of the blogosphere. I think I still have a “Sparksmania” bumper sticker lying around somewhere.

Lists like these are meant to be somewhat controversial — not to step on toes but to spark discussion.Anything you feel should have been included or left out?

I wrote an About Page (with pictures). It’s probably kinda long.

The end of the year, with Christmas and New Years, is a quiet time for almost everything. It’s particularly quiet for state government and politics. I thought about expanding discussion to some national and international drama, but that’s not what this website is really all about.

So it’s just going to be quiet around here for a little while. News is slow, traffic is slow, I’m sleeping in late. It’s just that time of year. I’ll post anything interesting, but I’m not going to go out of my way to post something.

Real Alabama Politics has me listed as a possible contender for State Auditor in 2010. I’ve confirmed with him that it is a possibility. I can guarantee a funny campaign at least.

I have to admit that if I run for office, however, I’d probably run as a Republican. I’m not a partisan person, and I’d be an independent Republican, but my political outlook is probably more suited to that party. Since the current officeholder is also a Republican (and seems to be doing a decent job at that do-nothing position) I couldn’t see trying to oust her in the primary.

Philadelphia - The Liberty Bell was rather anticlimactic. Independence Hall was a much better attraction, especially because the building where the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution were all signed is not protected behind 40 feet of glass and 15 guns. Although you obviously can’t go around and grab at George Washington’s chair, it is open air. Also, a cheese steak from Geno’s really is better than any other “Philly” cheesesteak I’ve ever had.

Atlantic City - I’ve never really been a gambler, but when in Rome… Sixteen black in a row at the roulette table, and here I am with my math saying, “It’s always about 50/50 odds regardless of the last 15 rolls so I should just keep betting on red.” I wasn’t trying to make money, but there’s less than a 0.0015% chance of having 16 blacks in a row in any given 16 spins. I hate casinos.

New York City - Yep. It’s really quite big. If you ever visit the Empire State Building, don’t waste your money to go to the 102nd floor. We spent about 3 minutes up there before heading back down to the 86th floor. It’s not much higher, it’s much smaller, it’s closed, and you can’t see through the windows very well. Also, the Rockettes rock my world.

We’re going to Philadelphia, PA to see the Liberty Bell. We’re also visiting New York, NY and Atlantic City. I’ve never been to any of those places and we both desperately need a vacation after this past semester.

Then there’s Christmas, so I may not be posting until after that.

Alabama Senator Hank Erwin (R-Cottondale), no stranger to controversy, has pre-filed a bill in the state legislature to let some college students carry firearms on campus. Mac Thomason calls Erwin an idiot and Kristopher independently came to the same conclusion. Brian supports the bill and lists some of the many editorials around the state that disagree with him.

Erwin says his bill is a response to the recent shooting at Virginia Tech. Many gun rights advocates observed that the killer was able to freely cause violence until he killed himself because no one else on the campus was armed. The argument against Erwin is that more guns would have meant more bullets flying in the air and thus more victims.

Although I’m a strong supporter of the right to bear arms, I simply can’t get excited about this bill. First of all, it’s a completely reactionary piece of legislation and that always makes me caution. Just because tragedy happened in Virginia doesn’t mean we have to all freak out and pass laws. To me, it’s little different than the move to put metal detectors in all schools in the 1990s.

More than that, though, I just don’t like the way the bill goes about it. Erwin’s bill only lets ROTC students carry a firearm on campus and only after they’ve passed a course on gun safety (of course they have to be properly licensed). I don’t really like the idea that some people have more rights than others, and ROTC students are certainly not the first group of students I would privilege with carrying a firearm.

Despite Brian’s claim that the future military officers currently in college are magically more able to handle a Virginia Tech massacre, they’re not. Let’s be honest here. I’m not in ROTC (I also don’t own a gun), and I can guarantee you I’m more capable of handling a weapon than most of the pimple-faced ROTC guys I see on campus. I wish them all the luck in their future commission and respect what they’re doing with the lives. But the summer military training and drill doesn’t make them more highly qualified to carry a gun than any other law-abiding citizen.

The ROTC requirement falsely assumes that the military trains individuals for the type of situation that Virginia Tech students saw themselves in. Let me tell you all a big secret. The military and the police are very different institutions. I was a Marine for five years, and I was hardly expected to be in anything resembling the Virginia Tech situation. A policeman can handle a situation where you have a single target, innocent American bystanders, and possible hostages. Marines? We kill people and destroy property. That’s our goal in life. If a Marine rifle squad was going after a gunman-target in a combat zone, rounds would immediately be flying toward the target and devastating air strikes might be called in. The safety of bystanders are not the primary concern. They can’t be. We’re not policemen, we’re Marines. We execute war, we don’t facilitate public safety. (This could easily lead into a debate about the current use of Marines in Iraq, but let’s not go there).

This isn’t to say that the ROTC shouldn’t be trusted with guns. I’m just saying that their status as cadets doesn’t qualify them any more than my status as a veteran or Brian’s status as a law-abiding citizen.

Finally, although I am a proponent of the right to bear arms, I’m also a proponent of the ability for institutions and people to regulate their own property. When it comes to college campuses, I would support a bill which would allow the university president or the board of directors the ability to make this decision.

During the 2007 session of the legislature, I introduced HB510, which required state elected officials to report details of any state contracts and employment to the Secretary of State, who would then post the information online. I was motivated to propose this legislation after learning of some of the questionable employment practices and contracts within the 2-year college system. My intention was not political one-upsmanship or to pour salt in the wounds of those who have received negative publicity. I proposed this legislation in the spirit of Justice Louis Brandeis’ comment, “Sunshine is the best antiseptic”. Political one-upsmanship creates wounds, but an antiseptic enables healing.

With that thought in mind, I have pre-filed the new and improved version for 2008, HB20. This bill requires all state, county, and municipal elected officials, candidates and their spouses to report all state, county, and municipal employment and contracts to the Ethics Commission. The report would include details of compensation, job description, and dates of the employment/contract. Being required to report a government contract or employment does not imply one is doing anything wrong, it just puts it out in the open where it belongs. Government service is not a shameful thing. I’ve had the honor of serving in the Marine Corps, the State Troopers, and the Alabama Bureau of Investigation. When I ran for the legislature, I put it in my campaign material.

The tranparency debate is a separate issue from a “double-dipping”ban. Those who oppose efforts to ban double-dipping in the two-year college system have used the argument, “Let the voters decide” and I believe in the sovereignty of the voters in our political system. But are they really deciding anything if this information is not available and easily accessible? I believe the greatest value of this bill is potential for deterrence of improper personal gain by those empowered by the electorate to oversee their state, county, and local governments.

I am convinced this bill will receive bi-partisan support, including support from legislators who would be required to file a report under the provisions of the bill. If the leadership of the House and the Senate support this bill, it will pass and it’s antiseptic properties will work.

One thing for sure: it ain’t going away. If it dies this year, I expect that I will behave like the north end of a southbound mule. I’ll introduce it every session and yap about it until it passes or my constituents send me home.

Ron Paul is poised to top his November 5th online fundraising record today. Grassroots organizers have set today, the 234th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, for another online fundraising blitz. So far the campaign has raised about $2.5 million since midnight. At the end of the day on November 5th, they had raised over $4 million.

Today’s drive has also brought Paul above his 4th quarter fundraising goal of $12 million. I’m going to be honest with you. I didn’t think he would make it, and I’m a big fan.

The Alabama Democrats finished their qualifying for Presidential delegates on December 12, and they seem a lot more polarized than their Republican counterparts in the state. While the Republicans had 6 candidates with a full list of delegates (Giuliani, Huckabee, McCain, Paul, Romney and Thompson), the Democrats are mainly polarized to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Here are some numbers from their website (which is not official) and some of the delegate candidates I recognized.

Joe Biden - 1 delegate candidate

Hillary Clinton - 104 delegate candidates, including

• Lynda Malone, retired Clarke County school board member
• James E. Buskey, state representative from Mobile
• Bill Clark, former state representative from Prichard
• Peggy Mobley, president of Alabama Education Association
• Joe Reed, chairman of Alabama Democratic Conference
• Barbara Bobo, 2006 Congressional candidate
• Melissa Folsom Boyen, Little Jim’s sister
• Tanya Guin, wife of Representative Ken Guin of Carbon Hill
• Roger Bedford, state representative from Russellville
• Jim Spearman, former Executive Director of ADP
• Jennifer Clark, board member of Equality Alabama
• Patricia Todd, state representative from Birmingham
• Howard Bayless, member of the Birmingham Board of Education
• Linda Coleman, state senator from Birmingham
• Priscilla Dunn, state representative from Bessemer
• Sheila Smoot, Jefferson County commission
• Earl F. Hilliard, former Congressman from Birmingham
• Eric Major, former state representative from Birmingham
• E.B. McClain, state senator from Birmingham

Chris Dodd - 1 delegate candidate

John Edwards - 30 delegate candidates, including

• Steve Segrest, 2006 candidate for State Treasurer
• Marcel Black, state representative from Tuscambia
• Randy Hinshaw, state representative from Meridianville
• Trent Thompson, online Democratic activist

Barack Obama - 183 delegate candidates

• Thomas E. Jackson, state representative from Thomasville
• Barbara Boyd, state representative from Anniston
• Quinton Ross, state senator from Montgomery
• Roge Bedford, UA sophomore and son of Roger Bedford
• Laura Hall, state representative from Huntsville
• Merika Coleman, state representative from Birmingham
• Gaynell Hedricks, former candidate for state representative
• Chris England, state representative from Tuscaloosa
• A.J. McCampbell, state representative from Demopolis
• Yusuf Abdus Salaam, state representative from Selma
• Bobby Singleton, state senator from Greensboro

Bill Richardson - 10 delegate candidates

I’m sure I missed some people that I should recognize and I’m sure there are many that I don’t recognize but are otherwise well-known.

The essence of F.A. Hayek’s first few chapters is that socialism begets fascism. There are, obviously, many enlightening conclusions in this seminal work of libertarianism. I’m actually just reading it for the first time, and it is this assertion — that benevolent collectivism lays the road to servitude — that currently has my gears turning. Written in 1944, much of the terminology used in The Road to Serfdom appears to anchor Hayek’s work to the World War II era, but I think an intelligent reader can see that slight editing could make this book very relevant today.

It should be obvious that Hayek’s “socialists” are today’s liberal Democrats and that his “fascists” are today’s neocon Republicans. That isn’t to say that Democrats have much in common with Marx or that Republicans have much in common with Hitler. You have to understand that the terms used by Hayek were his contemporary realities that he used to label more timeless concepts. His socialists were the collectivists, the central planners, and his fascists were the authoritarian regimes, the serfdoms. His “liberals” were the individualists (not to be confused with modern liberalism).

I think it’s fair to assume that Hayek, if he were to take his theoretical discussion to the level of partisan politics, would label today’s neocon Republicans as the autocrats, demanding obedience to the state at the expense of the individual. Democrats, on the other hand, are the central planners, who believe that freedom can be enhanced through state economic control. The classic liberals of Hayek could be best stereotyped in today’s Libertarian Party, which is a sad, sad state of affairs indeed. I think that party currently holds one single elected office in all the levels of government throughout America. More honestly, Hayek’s liberals exist to varying degrees in both parties (look at Ron Paul)

If we make these assumptions, then the evolution of events over the last 50 years from a Hayekian perspective should be obvious. This is probably a somewhat trite realization among most libertarians, and I’ve actually considered something along these lines in this blog previously. But Hayek’s book has given me a defined model where previously I only had a barely conscious idea.

This evolution is best understood through the evolution of the word “freedom” over the last several decades. Originally, the meaning was obvious. Freedom is individualistic. You are free from coercion, free from the arbitrary power of others, free from mandatory obedience to a superior. The problem is that a free society, while possibly better than an enslaved society, still has people who find themselves with little real choice. Poverty and the old evils of racism and class will always leave people in a free society with little real freedom. The need to eat and be warm will always limit what freedom a person can reasonably exercise.

Enter the Democrats from the 1940s to today. This is a generalization of the Democratic Party, but modern liberals promised a new type of freedom — perhaps even a better type of freedom. The new freedom is freedom from want and freedom from unfair circumstance. Of course the history of Communism and common sense has taught us not to be that ridiculous. You can’t be free from all want and circumstance, but the Democratic Party has accepted that a model can be developed to significantly decrease want and circumstance. Through “reasonable” economic control and central planning, Democrats believe that a “social safety net” and a “level playing field” can be built to limit the effect that want and circumstance have on real freedom.

This type of freedom, however, requires authority. Social security and a minimum wage can’t be voluntary. That any “freedom” requires “authority” should have been a red flag as the two concepts are completely at odds with each other. But this contradiction is often glossed over because this is “benevolent authority.”

So it began. Americans were first taught to submit to state authority for the greater good. It was generally accepted. Social security seemed so wonderful after the Great Depression, and it doesn’t seem like anyone should be paying less than $5.15 an hour for an honest day’s work. (Obviously there are many more issues here than FICA and the minimum wage, but we’re simplifying). After the decades of debate, the new freedom is almost universally accepted today.

Enter the neoconservative Republicans. Democrats reading this will probably scoff at the idea that their policies are currently leading to the exact opposite of their intentions, but I think it is. By the time George W. Bush assumed office, Washington, D.C. exerted an enormous amount of control over the individual. The state told you how much money you could be paid for an hour’s work, it administered the sole retirement plan of millions of Americans, it controlled almost everyone’s academic education, and it told you what substances you were allowed to put into your body. The people were generally happy with the system. Crazy people like me were dismissed as idealistic and heartless.

If present trends continue, future generations will mark the beginning of the road from the new freedom to fascism with one event. Nineteen foreign Muslim fundamentalists hijacked three planes on September 11, 2001 and created their horror. Neoconservative Republicans suddenly had justification and the president became a convert. With so much power already assumed in Washington, it was an almost seamless transition. In only six years, we have seen that the state can wiretap it’s subjects with minimal (if any) oversight or judicial authorization. Habeas corpus is ignored. Aggressive wars are fought. Instead of judicially approved warrants, the state’s executive can now issue warrants. Once those warrants are issued, you are not allowed to talk about them even with your spouse or attorney. Political adversaries are personally and professionally attacked. Torture is reintroduced as a reasonable method of interrogation.

In all of this, Democrats are shocked. They certainly don’t see their policies as having led to the current administration’s abuse of power. But the centralized, collectivist society they have worked for is exactly what has allowed the current abuse. Democrats have seen that everyone’s financial data can be reviewed by government for income tax administration. Democrats have developed a regulatory potential so that telephone companies and other industries are more than happy to comply with government requests (or demands). Democrats insisted that nearly all educational institutions fall under the coercion (or funding) of the federal government. I know I’m simplifying all this. Many Republican Presidents actually called for these developments, but today these are mainly Democratic positions.

The reasoning is simple enough. In order for the state to provide new freedom, the state needs a great deal of authority. It needs authority to tell people what to pay you, it needs authority to heavily tax you, and it even needs the people’s acceptance of the idea of collectivism so that some people can be taxed, not for the benefit of all (roads, military, etc.), but for the benefit of some others (Medicaid, HUD, etc.). It is this state authority and collectivist attitude that has been exploited for purposes which Democrats never intended.

So at this point the word “freedom” has yet another meaning. It means simply “obedience.” This is a new technique and was not explicitly predicted by Hayek, but it’s obvious. The prevalence of this new definition is most clearly shown in the latest call to criminalize the burning of the American flag under the guise of “protecting the symbols of freedom.” Obviously I am again simplifying as laws to “protect the flag” were in place several decades ago.

I’m not sure this new definition of freedom could have developed anywhere else besides the United States. The word “freedom” simply can’t be separated from the nation. It’s almost synonymous with the United States of America in the minds of most citizens. In order for freedom to be eliminated in this country, therefore, the elimination itself had to be called “freedom.” This is how it’s possible for it to be said that we are protecting freedom by submitting to warrantless searches and the associated gag order.

Thankfully, it currently seems that the people aren’t willing to fully accept the transition from new freedom to the newer freedom (also known as serfdom). The Democrats recaptured Congress in 2006 and seem poised to take the Presidency in 2008. However, as long as we are still in the mode of new freedom, we’re only one step away from serfdom. The Democrats show no sign of brining us back to real freedom. The state will likely remain the powerful, central planning force it is. Assuming the Democrats will not bring us to serfdom themselves (a broad assumption), another Republican Congress or President will certainly come eventually.

No society has ever been socialist without turning authoritarian for very long. Even if we manage to undo the detrimental policies of the current administration, there is little reason to hope if the socialization of America continues.

As I suspected, the phrase “etymological quandary” was enough to bring the reading level of this blog to College Undergrad.

I imagine this isn’t a well-known etymological quandary outside the state.

As I’ve slowly come to learn over the years, when an Alabamian refers to “LA,” it isn’t immediately clear if they mean the city of Los Angeles, California, the state of Louisiana, or the part of the Florida panhandle directly below Alabama (”Lower Alabama”).

It’s generally a matter of context. If the person is talking about the liberal elite, they’re usually referring to the city. If it’s a conversation about corruption and sin, it’s generally Louisiana. LA typically means Lower Alabama if you’re talking about your beach vacation.

I bring this up because I think I just figured this all out this weekend — lots of years where I didn’t understand what Panama City Beach had to do with the west coast or New Orleans. Has anyone else had problems with this or am I just culturally challenged?

I haven’t done this in a while. Guess in comments. No cheating.

There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.

No hints.

I just took my last final for Fall ‘07 yesterday, so I’m going to be taking it easy for a little while. I’ll probably be back posting tomorrow.

This may actually be a few weeks old, but I just got a look at the press release from the Free the Hops boards (link added by me).

Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company Becomes Mississippi’s First Bottling Microbrewery Since Prohibition. Among the many things Mississippi has to be proud of in 2007, perhaps the grandest of them all is the release of Mississippi-brewed and bottled beer, brought to you by the state’s first and only packaging microbrewery, Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company of Kiln, MS.

This most recent news from Lazy Magnolia caps off a highly successful year of accolades, new additions and exciting newsworthy events. Having successfully expanded distribution into Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, Lazy Magnolia has taken another step toward its goal of becoming the Great Southern Brewery, and has its sights focused on other states throughout the South in 2008.

Their Southern Pecan is my personal favorite. We got a small keg of it for a public tasting in Tuscaloosa recently and it was a crowd favorite as well, even though most people there had probably never drank anything more exotic than a Corona.

So Alabama ranks 49th for antitobacco programs for kids. Actually, that’s not quite accurate. We rank 49th in spending taxpayer money on antitobacco programs for kids. That doesn’t quite hit it either. We rank 49th in how much money we spend when compared to what the Centers for Disease Control thinks we should spend.

Alabama currently spends $767,000 on these programs. The CDC would like for us to spend $26.7 million. Kristopher thinks this is shameful, although I assume he has no knowledge of the effectiveness of these types of programs per dollar and probably hasn’t considered whether or not the state should really be involved in this type of social engineering at all.

I don’t think kids should smoke, but I’ll need a lot more than a low ranking before I sign on to the state spending $26 million on some programs in an effort to prevent it.

Do people realize this is real money we’re talking about when we speak of the state budget? This is real money earned by real people, taken by the state in a manner similar to the racketeering employed by Anthony Soprano. I realize we need a government for some services and that it takes money, but could you please use the money you make me pay you for something other than telling a kid that cigarettes are bad? There’s a freaking pothole in the highway near my house half the size of my car.

At least according to one news outlet.