Artur Davis Truly Understands Amendment 2
Representative Artur Davis spoke to the Citizens for Constitutional Reform and summed up the controversy over the issue as succinctly as I have seen it:
He told the reform group that Amendment 582 of the state constitution, which voters approved in 1996, and the constitution’s separation of powers, which gives taxing power to the Legislature and not the courts, would block attempts to raise taxes by court order.
“You have to wonder if people on the other side simply do not know that, which is disturbing, since one of them is running to be a justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, or if they know it and they’re simply deciding to raise the issue for whatever divisive purpose,” Davis said.
I would not underestimate the first explanation. There are a lot of things Roy Moore and Tom Parker don’t know, this would just add one more item to the list. However, I suspect we’re looking at another time where these two men have seized on something that will get them just a little bit more of the media spotlight. It will be yet another sad day if Amendment 2 does not pass.