The World Around You

This is something that should be getting a lot more attention than it is. We are spending an incredible amount of money to buy equipment for tiny rural communities that will simply sit gathering dust. It will never be used. The way these funds have been distributed is predictable, but dead wrong. There’s no hope of it changing anytime soon, but the more often it can be brought up, the better.

The talk of a special session is one again swirling around Goat Hill. Now that the Governor’s blue ribbon taskforce on healthcare has made its recommendations, the Governor is eager to see them enacted into law. The general consensus has been that the recommended changes are reasonable reforms and have wide support. Of course, this is no guarantee when you’re dealing with the Alabama legislature, as the Governor well knows.

Senate President Pro Tem Lowell Barron said Gov. Bob Riley called him last week to discuss bringing legislators back early to work on health insurance issues. Barron said Riley mentioned Nov. 8 as a possible day to begin a five-day special session.

“The governor has spoken to me about this two or three times, and I’m willing to do it and help the governor if that’s his choice,” Barron said.

According to Riley’s office, the Republican governor hasn’t made a final decision on whether he’ll call a special session.

“He has been talking to legislators, of course,” said Riley spokesman John Matson.

Democratic House member Alvin Holmes of Montgomery said leaving the gay marriage issue out of a special session is one key to success.

“If they put that bill in, the session is dead because we’re going to filibuster the session,” Holmes said, referring to the Legislative Black Caucus and its opposition to a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

I am certain the Governor will not include gay marriage in the call, especially considering that even if it passed now it wouldn’t go to a vote of the people until next November, so what’s the rush? However, this is just one of the issues that could throw a wrench into the works of changes in public employee healthcare plans.

**Crossposted at Polstate.com