The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Our great state of Alabama is loaded with all types of hunting and fishing opportunities that we all can truly appreciate. Right now we have turkey season in full swing with birds strutting and gobbling and the action is wide open. There is no doubt this is my favorite time of the year when it comes to the hunting action. There is one downside to being a dedicated turkey hunter - you miss the best time to wet a hook. Alabama has water in every direction that you can travel. Lakes, ponds, rivers...
March 18, 2015: Alabama may be in the lower tier of the country in some categories but not when it comes to providing health insurance for children. In that one category we excel. Brian Lyman with the Montgomery Advertiser provided an excellent study revealing that Alabama leads the south in taking care of its young people when it comes to giving them health coverage. A recent Georgetown University study showed that Alabama leads the south when it comes to healthcare for children. Remarkably we...
Now, if you've been listening to me for any bit of time, you've probably guessed what my favorite hunting season is; turkey hunting! Starting March 14th for everyone, and March 7th and 8th for youth season, turkey season is just around the corner. This year, the season's starting a bit earlier than we're used to, but that suits me just fine! Since we're pretty darned close to the start of the season, make sure your shotgun or bow is in great working condition. Keep up with your ammo, gear, and...
February 18, 2015: The legislature and the governor are preparing for the first Regular Session of the quadrennium. The Session will begin March 3. Legislators need to arrive in Montgomery with their lunch pails and sleeves rolled up ready to go to work because the proverbial chickens have come home to roost. They are facing a gargantuan budget crisis in the State General Fund. They cannot spend this four years cussing Obama Care and passing unconstitutional and meaningless bills dealing with...
Ladies and gents, the end of deer season is nigh upon us. We're in the home stretch of what's been an up and down season, with weather changing nearly every day. I've seen just about every season of weather Alabama's got in the past couple of months, and let me tell you, we've had a feast or famine hunting season to go with it. But don't you worry about the end of deer season, for our friends in the northern zone. While the rest of us lucky sons of guns in the southern zone get our 10 day...
During the 2010 Governor’s Race, I continuously made the statement that whomever won the 2010 Governor’s Race would be a one-term governor. My prophecy was based on the fact that the state was flat broke and it would take a lot of tough decisions and probably tax increases to fix the mess. Former Gov. Bob Riley was not helping his successor any either in a concerted mission to spend every cent in an already barren cupboard. There was nothing in the state rainy day funds and all the federal stimu...
I was recently reading an article in the advertiser one morning and came upon some very interesting information that shows that we Alabamians are very giving. The article stated that Alabamians donate a larger slice of their income than those in almost any other state and the typical Alabama donation is bigger. Alabama ranks number 3 in highest percentage of donated income the study found. Only Mississippi and Utah ranked ahead of us. The National Financial Advisory site WalletHub.com also...
Mike Hubbard is the political story of the year because our 2014 state elections were so mundane. The October indictment of the Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives overshadows all other political events in the state, even the reelection of Gov. Robert Bentley, which was a foregone conclusion. In fact, if Hubbard had not been indicted, it would have been the political story of the year. Speculation had been rampant for well over a year that the very powerful leader of the House would...
As I type up this article, we're counting down the days, hours, and minutes till the start of gun season! With bow and muzzleloader seasons underway, there's already been plenty of action for the avid outdoorsman, and the best part is still yet to come! I've had a few folks hunting with me during muzzleloader season, and they're seeing deer everywhere! Average field count is almost 40 deer a hunt! Between the cold weather, the lack of pressure, and a great crop of acorns this year, we should hav...
The 2014 General Election is Tuesday. It is set to be uneventful. I predicted over a year ago that this election year was going to be dull and, folks, my prognostication has come to fruition. This year has been a yawner from the get go. Even the GOP and Democratic primaries in June were void of any drama. As the results trickled in from the summer primaries, there were absolutely no surprises or upsets. Even in the face of historic low voter turnout, every favorite or incumbent prevailed and...
Well folks, it's finally November, which is when gun season for deer hunting kicks off! With both Northern and Southern zones starting on the 22nd of November, all of us are dusting off those orange caps and vests, sighting in the old rifle, and scouting around for the best spot to bring home a buck. You've got muzzleloader season starting on the 17th, and youth seasons starts on the 14th! In the Southern Zone, there's also a period from December 1st through 10th where gun hunting is out, and...
When Guy Hunt won the Governor’s race over Bill Baxley in 1986 it was well publicized that he was a part-time Primitive Baptist preacher. He was also billed as a part-time Amway salesman. These common man vocations appealed to the average Alabama voter. It was Hunt’s calling as a Baptist preacher that resonated warmly with his constituency. Alabamians are very religious and very Baptist. Hunt had done surprisingly well as governor for four years and turned back Paul Hubbert’s Democratic challeng...
Hello everyone, my name is Steve Long, and I'm a life-long outdoorsman with a soft spot for turkey hunting! I enjoy just about every kind of hunting and fishing there is, especially with my four boys. I've even managed to get my wife of 29 years, Renee, to go along once or twice! They say do what you love, and that's exactly where I'm at. I own a couple of small businesses in Montgomery, I do guided hunts at Great Southern Outdoors, and I even co-host a hunting and fishing radio show, Cast &...
The 1978 Governor’s race between the three heavyweights, former Governor Albert Brewer, Attorney General Bill Baxley, and Lt. Governor Jere Beasley, was expected to be titanic. All three men had last names beginning with the letter “B.” The press coined the phrase “the three B’s.” The Republicans were relegated to insignificance on the gubernatorial stage. The winner of the Democratic Primary would be governor. Meanwhile, over in east Alabama, a little known former Auburn halfback named Fob Jame...
If race was a major issue in 1958, being the racist candidate in 1962 was the only way to be elected governor. With this issue in hand and Wallace’s love for campaigning and remembering names, he would have beaten anybody that year. Big Jim was really no match for Wallace because Big Jim had always been soft on the race issue. He was a true progressive liberal who would not succumb to racial demagoging, but Big Jim had succumbed to alcohol. Leading up to the Governor’s race in 1962, while Wallac...
A recent Fortune magazine article ranks Alabama as one of the top ten states when it comes to corruption. We were ranked number six. The rankings were determined by a study of convictions of public officials for violations of federal corruption laws between 1976 and 2008. A good many of our sister southern states also made the list. Not surprisingly Louisiana came in at number two. They are a perennial corruption leader. It is part of their culture. They are proud of their status as one of the...
You know the results of Tuesday’s primary elections. However, my column had to go to press prior to Tuesday’s vote. Therefore, we will discuss and analyze the outcome next week. It is doubtful that there were any surprises. Gov. Robert Bentley more than likely waltzed to the GOP nomination. He will probably face Parker Griffith in this fall’s General Election. Ironically, both Griffith and Bentley are 72-year-old retired physicians. It is not likely that matchup has ever occurred in an Alaba...
Early on it appeared that the best political races of the year would be for legislative seats. Indeed, with this being a lackluster year for statewide contests there are some good senate races throughout the state to watch. Most of these hotly contested battles will be intraparty GOP squabbles. Senate District 11, which is composed primarily of St. Clair and Talladega Counties, may be the best race to watch. Incumbent State Sen. Jerry Fielding is being challenged by State Rep. Jim McClendon. Fie...
January 8, 2014 The 2014 Legislative Session begins next week. The session starts early in the fourth year of the quadrennium because it is an election year. Legislators want to come in and get out early so that they can go home and campaign. Usually legislatures do not do much other than pass the budgets in a campaign year session. They especially do not try to tackle any controversial issues that could stir up any ire with voters. However, this current group of legislators will tackle...
Believe it or not we are approaching the fourth year of this legislative quadrennium. The legislature will meet early next year because it is an election year. All 140 seats in the House and Senate are up for election in 2014. These legislators were elected in 2010. Most of them are Republicans. The GOP owns a two to one super majority in both the House and Senate. These folks are not just Republicans in name only, sometimes referred to as “RINOs.” They are real Republicans. They are con...
October 30, 2013 - Steve Flowers The greatest partisan change in American political history has occurred during my lifetime. The transformation of Alabama and our sister Deep South states from an all Democratic region to an all Republican territory has been remarkable and historic. Exactly 50 years ago today Alabama’s entire delegation in Washington was Democratic. Democrats held all seven constitutional offices. Every member of the Supreme Court ran as a Democrat. Sixty-six out of 67 s...
During the summer Alabama had a rash of major political figures step down from office in the middle of their elected terms. The first to go was 1st District Congressman Jo Bonner. Beth Chapman also quit her job as Secretary of State as did State Representative Jay Love of Montgomery, who chaired the powerful House Ways and Means Education Budget Committee. Love’s counterpart, Rep. Jim Barton of Mobile, who chaired the House General Fund Committee, quit his House seat. Elmore County Rep. Barry Ma...
