The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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More than 28 million adult Americans continue to be cigarette smokers, including more than 618,000 Alabamians. This habit not only hurts their personal health, but it also exposes others to toxic smoke and drives up health care costs. Fortunately, new legislation in the Alabama legislature could help put these smokers and the state on a better path. Throughout my professional and personal life, I have seen firsthand how cigarettes damage the body and shorten lives. I've treated patients as a...
In the heart of Alabama, a crisis looms—a silent predator stealing the promise and potential of our youth. Fentanyl, a lethal synthetic opioid, is wreaking havoc across the nation, and Alabama is no exception. The time to act is now, and the Alabama Senate and sponsor Jay Hovey (R) Auburn have the ball in their court. They must pass House Bill 280, also known as the Price Hornsby Act, to protect our children from the deadly grasp of this drug. Representative Joe Lovvorn, inspired by the s...
Those of you who live in the new 2nd congressional district have runoffs this coming Tuesday, April 16. This is the most interesting and entertaining political contest in Alabama this year. This new seat is comprised of all of Montgomery County, as well as most of the more rural counties surrounding Montgomery, including Macon, Lowndes, Bullock, Pike, Butler, Crenshaw, Barbour, and Russell. It continues through rural Black Belt counties like an arrow towards Mobile and gathers most of the Black...
We Americans are going to the polls in five months, to elect the next President of the United States. Election day is November 5. We are getting set for a rematch between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden. Americans are not too enthused to see this replay. I have never seen two candidates with as high negative polling numbers in my lifetime. The old political truism that more people vote against someone than for someone will definitely come into play in this presidential race. If...
This country has witnessed numerous political schisms since the beginning of the republic. We are presently bombarded with diverse and often intense political views--some real and some superficial. A distinct difference in political philosophy existed in the mid-1800s, mainly in the form of Jeffersonian vs. Hamiltonian principles. Reflecting his identification with the old protectionist Whigs, Lincoln, who idolized Henry Clay, supported Alexander Hamilton’s program of central banking, i...
Fifty years ago, Americans were so distracted by Watergate that they failed to notice the unmasking of one of the most consequential spies during the Cold War. Even today, few will remember the name Günter Guillaume; but most will remember a spy precipitating the fall of the West German Chancellor, Willy Brandt. While it is hard to quantify exactly what state secrets Guillaume disclosed to his East German handlers, it is even more difficult to connect his espionage with any specific action...
Here’s a tax reduction proposal everyone should love: · No tax at all on your first $95,000 income ($125,000 if filing jointly) · 1% tax on income above $95,000 (or $125,000 if filing jointly) · An extra 1% super-tax for those making more than $600,000 per year · The super-tax increases to 6% for those making $16 million per year. Too good to be true? Maybe it is -- today. But that’s the tax we had in 1913, the year the 16th Amendment was adopted. The first IRS Form 1040 exempted all income...
In the final scene in the classic movie, The Bridge on the River Kwai, British officer, Major Clipton, looks over the carnage of the destroyed train and the dead bodies lying about and utters the immortal line, “Madness. Madness.” Well, it looks like we too are approaching the closing scene in our own movie. I look at many of the things going on around this country and all I can utter is, “Madness.” Let’s look at some of the things that should cause each of us to pause and think about who we el...
In December 2020, a patient of Mobile (AL) Infirmary managed to gain access through an unsecure entry to the cyrogenic nursery at the Center for Reproductive Health (Center). The patient picked up some embryos belonging to at least three couples which had been fertilized between 2013 and 2016. Because the embryos were frozen and stored in the nursery when they were a few days old, the subzero temperature caused a burning of the patient’s hands and they dropped the embryos to the floor. Though s...
We’ve endured another state of our [soviet] union address; fewer DC politburo ‘stand and clap’ durations which conjure youthful recollection of Brezhnev’s heinous addresses. As I recall, Moscow ‘clapping episodes’ also attenuated for Gorbachev as the looming collapse of their [Russian] hegemonic union unfolded during the Soviet bloc’s closing years. Biden bit off more than our Republic of States can afford or we can possibly sustain for our posterity. Witnessing all the proposed spending incr...
In a world filled with transient values and fleeting allegiances, the integrity and steadfastness of certain rare individuals stand as beacons of light, guiding others toward paths of righteousness and communal unity. At the top of the list is Coach Bruce Pearl, whose life and career embody principles that resonate deeply with the values we all should cherish. It is not merely his remarkable success as a coach that merits acclaim but, more profoundly, his unwavering dedication to his faith, his...
Nearly everybody knows that Elon Musk does not like unions—just like he does not like oppressive big government and other violators of free markets and individual liberty. Although purported to be enforcers of fair wages and safe working environments, unions tend to be invasive, coercive, and sometimes criminal. The United Auto Workers is one of them. There is no question that the UAW is lusting to get its meat hooks onto America’s newest, greatest, most prosperous, and most valuable aut...
The lessons of baseball and life begin in spring – play by the rules, try your best, and the sun will still come up again if you lose. Farmers keep pace with the changing seasons. The American food grower knows to bend with these changes, but they are sustained by the promises of spring. If there is another spring, there will be another chance. Not bound by the set dates on the calendar, the remnants of winter are sometimes slow to go, but soon the sun’s warmth will grow stronger every day. Fres...
International automakers play a pivotal role in Alabama's economy, contributing significantly to job creation, economic growth, and community development. These employers provide $72 billion annually in federal, state, and local tax revenue hat helps pay for essential public services. These companies, like Hyundai provide good-paying jobs with benefits that on average cover 90% of health care premiums for workers without unions. The downstream effects of these quality jobs have contributed...
In the high-stakes Republican primary runoff for Alabama's 2nd Congressional District, there is one clear cut choice Dick Brewbaker. Make no bones about it, the winner in November may well determine which party controls the US House of Representatives. As someone who's navigated the choppy waters of Alabama politics alongside Dick, I'm here to throw my full support behind him. This isn't just about backing a friend but a leader who has always practiced what he preached; it's about recognizing...
Anyone who follows the Legislative Session each year in Montgomery, knows that it is never short of controversy. The House has its priorities, the Senate has its own, and governors have theirs. And it is fair to say that those priorities are not always the same. You can take gaming this session as an example. However, in this session there is one major push that has brought all our state’s top elected leaders together – an ambitious workforce, economic and community development package called, ...
There's a battle at the statehouse for the 3rd year in a row and it's a battle for small vape store owners to save their livelihood. It's not a battle with China, it's a battle with "little vape and big vape, also known as big tobacco partners. In 2021, big tobacco companies came to lawmakers with an idea to duplicate the FDA premarket tobacco application process at the state level, with one goal in mind- and that was to eliminate any competition and to gain control over the adult clientele of...
When the stakes are high and the dangers are real, America expects its President to stand firm, to assert power, not to whisper timidly. Yet, in what could only be described as the most limp-wristed attempt at deterrence in history by an American President, Joe Biden issued a one-word warning to a hostile Iran: “Don’t.” This single utterance was supposed to prevent retaliation against Israel following the airstrike that eliminated an Iranian general. Predictably, it failed spectacularly. Late...
There’s an inspiring story of innovation taking place right here in Alabama. It is a story of personal responsibility, powered by the engines of free enterprise in a discipline that rarely sees fresh innovative ideas. At the center of this renaissance is ReentryCenters.com, an organization that has brilliantly harnessed the power of the marketplace to address one of America’s most persistent challenges: reintegrating former offenders into mainstream society as taxpaying citizens. Ree...
On the heels of Alabama's ballot harvesting ban, I am turning my attention towards the next step in ensuring Alabama elections are the most secure elections in the country: the outlawing of ranked-choice voting. SB 186 sponsored by Senator Arthur Orr and HB 423 sponsored by Representative Mark Shirey prohibit the use of ranked choice voting in Alabama's elections, with an exception for electors who vote by absentee ballot pursuant to the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. This...
Unfortunately, a recent tragic murder in Chicago should raise red flags right here in Alabama. One day after being released on parole from an Illinois prison, a violent felon has been accused of stabbing his ex-girlfriend and murdering her 11-year old son. Soon thereafter two members of the Illinois Parole Board, one of whom was the Chair, resigned after what the Illinois Governor described as a lack of careful consideration of the evidence related to the domestic violence threats of the felon....
When I became Commerce Secretary, Governor Kay Ivey gave me some marching orders - lead a team effort to create a new economic development strategic plan that will drive growth in Alabama well into the 2030s. I'm pleased to report that we're making progress. Days ago, Governor Ivey announced that global consulting firm McKinsey & Company has been selected to perform a key research role in the development of this plan. In addition, Troy University and Alabama A&M University will also be important...
I hope you all voted in the primaries yesterday. You have an advantage on me in that I have to go to press with my column before Wednesday, my publication date. Therefore, you know the results. However, I doubt there are any surprises. We do not have any good state races this year. We have four open seats on our State Supreme Court. However, three of the four are held by popular incumbents, none of which received even token opposition from either Republicans or Democrats. Justices Will Sellers,...
Four hundred years ago, King James I of England convened his last parliament, the most significant and enduring legacy of which was the “Statute of Monopolies.” This act was both a restriction on royal prerogative and the beginning of legal protection for patents and intellectual property. Prior to this act, the crown arbitrarily granted monopolies to bestow royal favor and also to receive a fee for the privilege. The grant of monopolies had become an end-run around parliament to indirectly rai...
Our great republic is on track to be doomed. At a minimum, if we do not pull our collective heads out of the hole, we are doomed. There was a time when people prided themselves on common sense. Today, not so much. It seems the more stupid, ignorant and blind to reality people are, the happy the world seems to be to them. No matter what people want to think or believe, in this world there are still obvious rights and wrongs. Shades of gray exist for sure but I hate (not really) to burst some...