The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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The recently completed Regular Session of the Alabama legislature was a success. It began on a high note and ended positively. Why? There was plenty of money to spend. Both the General Fund Budget and the Education Budget had historic amounts of money. Most of the focus of the Session was on budgeting, as it should be, because that is the only constitutional mandate that the legislature is tasked with in the 105 day Regular Session. Gov. Kay Ivey laid out her agenda in her State of the State...
Sometimes overlooked and often unsung, Alabama’s community and technical colleges are on a roll. It is time they get the recognition they deserve as workhorses for the state’s economy. There are 24 community and technical colleges in the state, located on 50 different campuses with over 130 service locations. This means every Alabamian reading these words is close to incredible education and training opportunities. The colleges offer over 300 degrees and certifications, and award more than 30,...
Adam Smith, the anchor of that group of inquisitive Scotsmen who spawned the Scottish Enlightenment and significantly changed the world, was born 300 years ago this month. The era of his birth was still primarily agrarian with superstition superseding science. He would alter this status by observing his community, pursuing the life of a scholar, and questioning his experiences in the world around him. And...... he wrote his thoughts down. Scotland was ready to nurture the likes of Smith. With...
Four years ago, I wrote the first part of this Robservation. It doesn’t seem that long ago but it was. Not surprisingly, things have not even come close to changing. You might even say that things under the new administration are far worse. Why? Because they are. But I felt compelled to reiterate the first part of this and to add a couple of more items. The lie is still in force and like the Wizard of Oz, the alphabet networks are hellbent on not letting us look at the man behind the curtain. H...
After each census (last census in 2020), each state reconsiders its Federal Congressional voting districts. Alabama, by population has seven districts which will not change in at least the near future. Alabama at one time had as many as ten districts. The Voting Rights Act §2 was the focus of a Congressional bipartisan compromise wherein an effects test resulted but on the same hand it was determined that such section did not guarantee population proportional representation. Nineteen...
What does Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union), Adolf Hitler (Nazi), Mao Tse-tung (Communist Chinese Marxist) and Joe Biden have in common? They all have their opposition arrested, grossly abusing the power of government for political purposes. Trump’s record as President, earned him the respect and unbreakable loyalty among the masses. He has become a global threat on so many fronts to enumerate, why is this? President Trump, at every turn was stumbling across sacred cash cows, discovering c...
On June 8, 2023 SCotUS affirmed the federal District Court [Allen v. Milligan] finding Alabama's Congressional map likely violated the Voting Rights Act. I applaud this inferior decision, polluted by a century of unconstitutional mappings... driven by the arbitrary 435 limit concentrating power to HoR members. Sadly, SCotUS shows little resolve to follow the Constitution and make our House representative again, so I submit strong caveats on how to proceed with elections after redistricting for...
Strong Republican conservative Kenneth Paschal introduced and shepherded through the 2023 Alabama legislative session a very important bill that is sorely needed in today’s world dominated by far left leaning institutions. This bill which is now law does one thing. It protects parental rights. Every State needs to adopt a similar law if it has not. As we navigate the complex landscape of modern society, one fundamental principle remains unwavering: the significance and importance of parental r...
Those who think of something more than hotdogs or fireworks on the 4th of July, generally honor the day as a patriotic holiday, the birth of American independence. But if we believe the Bible to be the Word of God, we must ask whether the Declaration and the War for Independence which followed were consistent with the Bible. If not, can we truly celebrate Independence Day? Romans 13:1 commands, "Let every soul be subject to the higher powers," and I Peter 2:13 enjoins us to "Submit yourselves...
Following the suggestion of a fellow Alabama Gazette columnist, I read through “Let’s celebrate the real history of Jefferson Davis”, by Josh Moon. No surprise—it is just more “Righteous Cause” blather. The sub-title claims the South fought to “protect” slavery, yet the institution was constitutionally legal and Abe Lincoln and the Republicans stated ad nauseum that they had no intention or authority to interfere with slavery where it existed. A central reason for Republican opposition to s...
A debt ceiling crisis is a phenomenon that occurs on a regular basis in our crazy spendthrift Congress. Since its members are spending other people's money, the great majority of them relentlessly throw it around without any consideration about the consequences imposed upon our country's economy. Then later, when the bills come due, and they discover that they have already spent beyond their Constitutional limit, they plead for another increase in our national debt ceiling. And if they don't...
It all started with a simple question. I asked her what kind of toys she had played with when she was a kid growing up in Wilcox County. At least it seemed a simple question. The only reason it was on my mind at all was because…well, I am having a bit of the empty nest thing going on and in redoing bedrooms, one of them is decorated with vintage toys. I had shown her the room and some of the things I have recently added – a Gunsmoke puzzle, a Little Lulu tea set, and a Whitman version of Old...
What if I told you that you are probably missing a very important lesson from one of the most famous stories on the Bible? We have all know the story of Noah, who God told to build an ark to save the world from a global flood. “Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark and cover it inside and out with pitch.” Genesis 6:14 But do you know how long it took Noah to build the ark? It wasn’t a few days, weeks, months, or even a few years. Most biblical historians estimate that it to...
Kay Ivey is Alabama's second female governor. Lurleen Wallace was the first. Ironically, Kay Ivey's idol and impetus for striving to be governor was Lurleen Wallace. Kay's first involvement in state politics was as a campaign worker for Governor Lurleen's 1966 race for governor when Kay Ivey was a student at Auburn. It was 55 year ago in May 1968 that our first female governor, Lurleen Wallace, passed away. She was a genuinely humble person. Lurleen Wallace was very popular. The state fell in...
Two hundred and fifty years ago, the British Parliament stumbled into what can only be described as a textbook case of how to alienate friends and lose loyal subjects. When the Tea Act was passed in 1773, British conventional wisdom was that decreasing the tax on tea would be well received. And even though the science of economics had not fully developed, reducing the cost of a household staple would arguably increase consumption to the applause of merchants and consumers. Little could anyone...
As I write this, today is the 8th anniversary of my father’s passing. Sad day for my super small family. My feeling matches the overcast skies here in Montgomery. Miss you, dad. What I wanted to write about today was the Durham Report. There is so much there and I cannot believe our prisons are not filled up with lawless politicians and alleged protectors of our democratic republic. What I have seen thus far is frightening. But before I write about the report, I want to read the whole 300+ pages...
One case that I recently saw reported in the news involved a copyrighted photograph early in the career of the artist Prince and silk screens by Andy Warhol using that copyrighted photograph to create the images. Warhol was famous for his silk screen images of commercial items but often changed the commercial item to reflect a varied new work, possibly with outlandish colors or maybe an absurd wording. Professional photographer, Lynn Goldsmith photographed Prince Rogers Nelson in 1981 as an up a...
Every night at 7 pm central, I join 3.5 million plus Tucker Carlson viewers looking at the lava lamp saying, so what do we do now? Many of us have abandoned Fox, because of this gross, misguided judgment of firing a stellar example of pure journalism. Why would a publicly traded company who lives and dies by the value of their stock, fire the highest rated news show with target rich demographics. His base is coveted by advertisers with 490,000 viewers between the ages of 25-54. Many of my...
Oppressed Birmingham citizens may appreciate LPA [Libertarian Party of Alabama] efforts for greater access to their ballots. Their Executive Committee recently approved a resolution introduced by District Representative Patrick Merritt [Region 3] to support Birmingham citizens using I&R, see Article 3.15(b) link: https://www.birminghamal.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/mayorcouncilact.pdf to restore some of their cherished liberty. I&R enables citizens to place measures on their respective...
Right here in the Heart of Dixie, amidst our rich traditions and enduring values, a somber shadow is being cast over our beloved Alabama. This specter is not of an external invader or a natural calamity, but a silent, insidious crisis sweeping through our communities, threatening our most precious resource - our youth. The teenage drug overdose statistics are not just alarming, they are a stark warning, a call to immediate action. Our bright, promising torchbearers of tomorrow are falling prey t...
In 2011, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas decried "an Establishment Clause jurisprudence in shambles." Unable to come to a consensus, the Court has shifted from one theory to another, with confusing, conflicting, and sometimes bizarre results. Over the past several decades the Court has struck down school prayer (1962) and Bible reading (1963) but allowed prayer at town board meetings (2014), prohibited (1948) but later allowed (1952) released-time programs whereby children could be release...
Jefferson Davis not only received verbal criticism, he was also subjected to physical abuse when he was held in a Union prison awaiting a trial that never happened; however, he never backed down from his belief in the sovereignty of the States. In 1846, Davis described the only source of the Federal Government’s powers: “I answer, it is the creature of the States; as such it could have no inherent power, all it possesses was delegated by the States.” Many Northerners agreed that the Union is vo...
Before you even read any farther, take a look at this short video. It is absolutely FRIGHTENING. https://www.facebook.com/InsiderNews/videos/760507585303195/ This is a new mega-prison in El Salvador, especially designed to house and punish the country's vicious drug gangs. Look at them—handcuffed, leg shackled, and herded like cattle. Think about it. Would you want anything like this in YOUR state, in YOUR county, or anywhere NEAR where you live? Even when locked in prison, could you feel s...
My friend Shirley was telling me about her first car the other day. She is in the market for a new car is what had the subject on her mind. I assure you cars are not our usual topic of conversation. Typically, we gossip. She said she paid $200 for her first car – a blue and white, two-door Thunderbird. It ran, it had a radio, and it had plenty of ashtrays, but it was missing a window. This did not hamper her or kill her enthusiasm in any way though. She said she designed a replacement window u...
We all deal with storms in our lives. Whether financial problems, health scares, or relationship issues, no one’s life is free of challenges. And we often don’t get to choose which storms pass through our life. The only choice we usually have is how we respond to those storms. A dear friend recently shares with me a great metaphor looking at the different reactions between a herd of cows and a herd of buffalos when a storm approaches. The cows make what might seem the logical choice. They try to...
