Archive for: March 2008

The AEA’s survey group recently asked Alabamians about a convention. The question asked :

Would you want your legislator to vote for or against the following proposal? Allow Alabama citizens to vote on whether or not to have a constitutional convention of elected delegates to write a new constitution for Alabama.

Overall, it was 63.9% for and 24.4% against. The full breakdown of this and other issues can be found in this doc file.

So true:

From a very long view of the history of mankind - seen from, say, ten thousand years from now - there can be little doubt that the most significant event of the 19th century will be judged as Maxwell’s discovery of the laws of electrodynamics. The American Civil War will fade into provincial insignificance in comparison with this important scientific event of the same decade.

–Richard Feynman

According to Networkworld, Jon Penn is an 11-year old network administrator in a 60-computer Millbrook, Alabama school:

The first thing Jon found as he leapt into the role of network manager was that he had to map out the network to find out what was on it. He bought some tools for this at CompUSA and realized there was an ungodly amount of computer viruses and spam, so he pressed the school to invest in filtering and antivirus protection. ‘These computers are so old they don’t support all antivirus programs,’ Penn says. The school took advantage of a Microsoft effort called Fresh Start that offers free software upgrades for schools with donated computers, switching from Windows 98 to Windows 2000.”

I guess I’m around 65% Alabamian. “X” marks what applies to me. 

X1. You can properly pronounce Arab, Cahaba, Opelika , Sylacauga, Oneonta, and Eufaula.

X2. You think people who complain about the heat in their states are sissies.

X3. A tornado warning siren is your signal to go out in the yard and look for a funnel.

X4. You know that the true value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to the door, but by the availability of shade.

X5. Stores don’t have bags or shopping carts, they have sacks and buggies.

6. You’ve seen people wear bib overalls at funerals.

7. You think everyone from a bigger city has an accent.

X8. You measure distance in minutes. (It’s about 5 minutes down the road)

9. You go to the lake because you think it is like going to the ocean.

X10. You listen to the weather forecast before picking out an outfit.

11. You know cowpies are not made of beef.

X12. Someone you know has used a football schedule to plan their wedding date.

X13. You have known someone who has a belt buckle bigger than your fist. LOL!!

X14. You aren’t surprised to find movie rental, ammunition, beer, and bait all in the same store

15. A Mercedes Benz isn’t a status symbol. A Chevy Silverado Extended Bed Crew Cab is

16. You know everything goes better with Ranch Dressing.

17. You learned how to shoot a gun before you learned how to multiply.

X18. You get these jokes and are actually “fixin’ ” to send them to your friends

X19. You have used your heater and air-conditioner in the same day!

Finally, you are 100% Alabamian if you have ever had this conversation:

X20. “You wanna coke?” “Yeah.” “What kind?” “Dr Pepper”

• H/T Don via email

Who said it? No cheating.

The compelling issue to both conservatives and liberals is not whether it is legitimate for government to confiscate one’s property to give to another, the debate is over the disposition of the pillage.

• turnbow.net: Don Siegelmans a free man tonight

• Thomason Tracts: This is wonderful

• Thomason Tracts: Bonds now essentially IOUs written on used napkins

• Left In Alabama: Siegelman Media Strategy

• Left In Alabama: AL-05 Status

• Doc’s Political Parlor: Oden Passes on PSC, Eyes Treasurer Spot

• Doc’s Political Parlor: Scrushy Deemed a Flight Risk

• Birmingham Blues: Siegelman To Be Released on Bond

An interesting call for more home rule from The News Courier in Athens. Mayor Dan Williams also writes an opinion piece.

• H/T waltm 

Mike Ball for Congress?

Some dude named Drew Pritt has started a Wordpress blog attempting to draft Jim Folsom to run against Jeff Sessions. He sent me a press release about it.

“I have always admired Lt. Governor Folsom,” says Drew Pritt. “I guess itmay be a fit of fancy but I am finding people both in Alabama and nationally who think Folsom is an attractive potential candidate and would make Alabama proud in the U.S. Senate. Also, I never have believed in conceding any seat or race.”

Pritt acknowledges State Senator Vivian Figures is in the race but saysshe has not demonstrated either financial ability or grassroots ability todefeat Senator Jeff Sessions. Also, Pritt says Folsom has a personal reason to see that Sessions is defeated.

I was wondering who this Drew Pritt was, so I did some searching around. Apparently he has a Daily Kos account and a profile on Democrats.org. Of course, he’s not from Alabama.

• Loretta Nall: Don Siegleman to be released from Prison
• Flashpoint: Obama’s tax returns
• Thomason Tracts: St. Roy lives!
• Thomason Tracts: A radical plan

The Alabama Democrats have a press release about Don Siegelman’s release.

Executive Director Jim Spearman stated, “This is the correct step that should have been taken many months ago by Judge Fuller. Fortunately the 11th Circuit is righting this wrong.”

Loretta Nall says the news is superb. Mooncat at Left in Alabama is happy. Danny is objective, as usual. The Alabama GOP also issued a press release:

The Alabama Republican Party is disappointed in today’s ruling by the 11^th Circuit Court and their decision to release former Governor Don Siegelman pending his appeal of the 6 counts of bribery and the 1 count of obstruction for which he was convicted.

Representative Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn), Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party stated “the former Governor’s release pending appeal does not change the conviction by a jury of his peers. It would be premature to turn this development into anything other than a formality.”

I pick great days to slack off from reading the news.

A federal appeals court approved the release of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman on bond Thursday while he appeals his convictions in a corruption case.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the former governor had raised “substantial questions of fact and law” in challenging his conviction, which Siegelman claims was politically motivated.

To make up for it, here is a copy of the 11th Circuit’s order.

The Alabama Poverty Project has a database up for their The Picture of Poverty project. The database is fun and the whole website is pretty informative.

I just wanted to point out that State Auditor Samantha Shaw has issued a single press release since being elected. That press release was mainly property loss.

“When property which is owned by the taxpayers of Alabama is lost and needs to be replaced”, asserts State Auditor Sam Shaw, “it must be replaced using more taxpayer dollars. My job is to do what the people of Alabama elected me to do which is to be accountable for the over $1.7 billion worth of state property they own and make certain it does not need to be replaced unnecessarily.”

Why is this position elected? I don’t fault Shaw for issuing a single press release — there’s just not that much to report.

I’m sure she’s a nice person and does a wonderful job. But the State Auditor shouldn’t be elected for the same reason the clerk of the House of Representatives shouldn’t be elected — it’s a job. I’m sure it’s an important job, but I could really care less about the political sensibilities of Samantha Shaw.

Even before we get around to eliminating the election of the Auditor, however, I’d like to see us remove the state-wide requirement that we elect all circuit clerks in the state. The circuit clerks’ elections are mandated by Amendment 328 to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901. I follow state and local politics fairly closely, but I couldn’t tell you the name of the current clerk of Tuscaloosa County’s circuit, nor any of his or her opponents in 2006. It’s just really not anything I care about.

Despite having the public backing of Lieutenant Governor Jim Folsom (D), Senator Jabo Waggoner (R), Representative Mike Hubbard (R), and Speaker of the House Representative Seth Hammett (D), Governor Riley’s proposed $40 million tax “re-structuring” of natural gas was turned down by the House Government Appropriations Committee by a vote of 4-11.

I think that’s the longest sentence I’ve ever posted.

I first want to make it clear that Senator Erwin didn’t really care about this bill. He put it up and got his name in the paper and all, but he wasn’t actually trying to get this bill passed. He didn’t even bring anyone to speak on behalf of the bill.

A state Senate committee has blocked bills to let professors and some students carry guns on Alabama’s college campuses.

The Senate Education Committee voted down three bills sponsored by Republican Sen. Hank Erwin of Montevallo on Wednesday. The votes came after Alabama university officials said they would make campuses unsafe.

I still say it should just be up to the individual universities.

Not sure why my link roundup posts haven’t been working for the last couple days. Sorry for the inconvenience.

There’s a crazy practice in Alabama that I first learned from Danny a couple years ago.

Alabama sheriffs may pocket leftover food money after feeding inmates at the county jails, the Alabama attorney general has ruled.

The opinion issued March 17 offered guidance on the controversial practice of sheriff’s keeping whatever is left over from the $1.75 a day per inmate the state pays sheriffs to provide food in the jails.

Troy King’s office has issued an AG Opinion that this practice is legal. The opinion isn’t yet available online, but according to statute:

All fees, commissions, percentages, allowances, charges and court costs heretofore collectible for the use of the sheriff and his deputies, excluding the allowances and amounts received for feeding prisoners, which the various sheriffs of the various counties shall be entitled to keep and retain… (Ala Code 36-22-17)

County official had asked for the opinion because they wanted King’s office to say that “entitled to keep and retain” meant that the sheriff could use it for official purposes, but not personal income. On part of the Opinion explains:

The phrase “keep and retain” has been interpreted in other fee-for-service situations to mean that “the officials retain the fee as personal income,” the opinion read.

This sounds like a really bad law.