The World Around You

Not a big surprise on either front in this poll, but still good to have numbers to put with the belief that more Alabamians believe that it is time to bring the troops home.

Alabamians overwhelmingly are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country - 67.6 percent to 21.8 percent - but satisfied - 53.5 percent to 39.7 percent - with the ways things are going in Alabama, the polling data shows.

“There is a little disconnect going on here, for sure,” said Gerald Johnson, director of the poll. “We’re seeing almost half of respondents now saying the war was a mistake, but the one candidate out of the three who is saying the war is not a mistake is easily ahead.”

That’s not a disconnect, that’s LOGIC (at least in Alabama). We continually vote for candidates who run exactly opposite to what we say we believe…now try and explain to me why.

Alabamians overwhelmingly back McCain, but 45% want to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq- al.com

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…has the potential to destroy the Obama candidacy. Why he chose now to come out and publicly stand by some of his more incendiary statements is beyond me. Even if Senator Obama manages to get the nomination of the Democratic Party, surrogates for his opponent in the general election will pummel him to death with Rev. Wright’s statements.

As much as it may pain Senator Obama and his family, they have to distance themselves even further from Rev. Wright, or he will be Dukakis Part 2…

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The ten point threshold was a fair standard to put out there, and yes Obama overcame a much larger lead, but the campaign pumped lots of resources into Pennsylvania and weren’t able to come any closer. It doesn’t mean Obama won’t win the nomination, it does mean he once again could not close the deal.

Indiana becomes all important now. We lost Ohio. We lost Pennsylvania. If we can’t win Indiana…the doubts will linger… I encourage all Obama supporters to do everything they can to ensure that Indiana delivers a victory to Obama, and that paired with a big win in North Carolina, we can close the book on this primary season.

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Alright, the headline made me laugh…but the explanation had me rolling on the floor…

Rev. Adelir Antonio de Carli lifted off from the port city of Paranagua on Sunday afternoon, wearing a helmet, thermal suit and a parachute.

He was reported missing about eight hours later after losing contact with port authority officials, according to the treasurer of his Sao Cristovao parish, Denise Gallas.

Gallas said by telephone that the priest wanted to break a 19-hour record for the most hours flying with balloons to raise money for a spiritual rest-stop for truckers in Paranagua, Brazil’s second-largest port for agricultural products.

Nation & World | Brazil priest vanishes on balloon flight | Seattle Times Newspaper

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This is the kind of story that gets me upset. It’s a feel good story about money that was restored for one program because parents lobbied for it.

We shouldn’t have to lobby for every important social service in this state. If the legislators don’t understand what is being cut when you slash a program’s funding, they better get to understand it before they try to cripple it…

It’s upsetting that there are services being slashed that no one has been able to organize a lobby for…it’s sad that is the way ALL business is done in Montgomery. If you don’t have lobbyists (paid or volunteer), you don’t exist.

State’s Early Intervention program gets some late help- al.com

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This had to be an inside job…

The stolen computers were delivered to the county in 2006 as part of a new comprehensive election system ordered from a Nebraska company that was supposed to include 60 electronic poll books. Instead it delivered 60 laptops, said Trey Granger, Montgomery County elections director.

“We immediately put this company on notice that they sent us the wrong equipment, refusing delivery of the laptops and told them to make the order right and pick up their property,” Granger said.

He said the company — Electronic Systems & Software (ES & S) — asked the county to store them until the company could arrange to have them picked up, promising to make the order right.

That was two years ago.

Granger said the county stored the boxed computers in a locked and secure room on the second floor of the Montgomery County Election Center at 125 Washington Avenue.

“We never paid for the laptops because they aren’t even close to what we specified in our order and we have pleaded with this company to pick up their property constantly since 2006, all to no avail,” Granger said Monday.

He said the loss of the laptops would not affect any of the upcoming elections scheduled in the county for this year.Within the last month, E S & S finally responded to the county’s request to pick up the laptops and both parties agreed the computers would be sent back to Nebraska on April 22.

Granger discovered the crime Friday after he told an intern at the elections office to move each boxed laptop to his first-floor office in preparation for E S & S to pick them up Tuesday.

“At 1:30 p.m., I inspected the boxes to make sure everything was in order before the vendor took possession of them on Tuesday,” Granger said.

“When I picked up one of the boxed-up laptops, it felt unusually light, so I cut the tape, opened the box, and it was empty with no computer in it at all,” Granger said.

He then continued to open every box.

“We tore through each and every box and while they were all perfectly sealed and taped shut, none of the boxes had its computer inside of it,” Granger said.

“The biggest irony of this crime is the laptops were stolen in a room next door to the sheriff’s criminal investigation office,” he said.

This was not just some petty thief, this was someone who knew the story on these laptops, and probably took one or two a day out of the building for two months…and who knows how long ago that was?

montgomeryadvertiser.com | Stolen Laptops Point of Dispute

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All of the polls I’ve seen have Hillary up over the weekend between 6 and 10 points. Like most Obama supporters I desperately hope he can win this, because by Hillary’s own statements it’s a must win for her. However, not only is it a must win, it’s a must win by at least double digits. If Senator Obama can keep the margin closer to 5 than 10, it’s a very positive sign for him and we move on with Senator Clinton having missed another huge opportunity.

Senator Obama will be the nominee, the path to ending this is much murkier…

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Most of the precious few days our legislature meets are frittered away on ridiculous nonsense…and it’s happened again this year. The Senate has done almost nothing…

No more than eight meeting days remain in this session of the Legislature, and senators say the impasse could keep them from passing state budgets for next year.

“There’s a chance that a lot of important pieces of legislation will go down the tubes,” said Sen. Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills.

The budgets must be passed, the clean indoor air act is a deep desire of mine, and there are many other pieces of legislation waiting for consideration.

Gambling bill causing logjam in Alabama Senate- al.com

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I give Senator McCain credit for bringing attention to the Black Belt of Alabama today with his visit. I don’t think it’s anything more than a PR campaign, but he may win himself some votes today…granted in a state that is very likely to vote for him regardless.

montgomeryadvertiser.com | McCain Tours Black Belt Today

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I didn’t watch the debate, but I trust Marc Ambinder’s assessment…it doesn’t sound good. He’s right that it may boomerang back on Hillary and that Obama will raise significant dollars, but the timing is just horrid.

A win in Pennsylvania was going to be a slog before, it looks impossible now. I think the best he can hope for next week is a close result that does not cause any major change in the delegate count, but there is no question he needs to rebound from last night quickly and find his footing again.

Marc Ambinder (April 16, 2008) - The Score Card

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…that our legislators actually cast their own votes? Apparently it is.

At least four House members who were not present Wednesday were recorded voting “yes,” including Rep. DuWayne Bridges, R-Valley, and Rep. Richard Laird, D-Roanoke, who are in Korea on an industry hunting trip. Bridges is a conservative Republican who other GOP members say they expect would have voted against the measure. Laird is a Democrat who often votes with Republicans on social and tax issues.

Also voting “yes” on the bill were Rep. Thad McClammy, D-Montgomery, who was in a hospital Tuesday, and Rep. Jeff McLaughlin, D-Guntersville, who said he was with his family on a spring break trip to the beach and had given a Democratic colleague permission to vote his machine.

House Minority Leader Rep. Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn, said he saw one Democrat, Rep. Randy Hinshaw of Meridianville, vote the electronic machines of Bridges and Laird, without receiving their permission.

“You can’t be courteous here anymore. They (Democrats) are going to cheat to get what they want,” Hubbard said.

Fraud might be a better word then cheating, but until we get the definitive answer from the legislators in question, we don’t know whether or not the votes on their machines were authorized or not.

GOP: Democrats cast votes for absent House members - NewsFlash - al.com

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It’s a very misleading headline, but the truth is that the judge was right…and maybe the Governor and the legislature will finally have to face the fact that you can’t keep patching together a budget without some increased revenue somewhere.

Alabama judge creates $63 million hole in state budget - NewsFlash - al.com

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Yesterday was a very proud day in the Alabama House. I am so pleased that they approved the elimination of the state sales tax on groceries, now we move on to the state senate…always a challenge.

montgomeryadvertiser.com | Alabama House Approves Bill to Remove Grocery Tax

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Barack Obama is running the same kind of campaign Bill Clinton ran in 1992. To believe that because he was Governor of Arkansas he was somehow more “tested” or “proven” as a leader is simply ridiculous.

The Clintons should be ashamed of themselves to believe that the man who has run as good a campaign as anyone in recent memory couldn’t run the country just as well.

NPR: Report: Clinton Truly Believes Obama “Disaster-in-Waiting”

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Joshua Segall is off to a great start in his congressional campaign. Let’s hope he can keep it up. I offered to volunteer on his campaign, but have gotten no response…not sure what’s going on with that…

Segall Raises Quarter Million>>Doc’s Political Parlor

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Danny has the story from the Enterprise Ledger on a slate of debates that are upcoming for the candidates for Congress in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. They should be good times…

CD-2 Debates Scheduled » Doc’s Political Parlor

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My take on the hits Senator Obama took yesterday for calling small town Pennsylvanians “bitter” is that he (and any one else) walks in dangerous territory when you start talking in “theys”. They believe this or they think that are not the discussions we need to be having.

The Obama campaign is all about the “we” and if he can keep the focus there, we will be fine. I think his point is well-taken, but was made in a less than articulate way. Nuance does not transfer well in our current soundbite obsessed culture, and when he has tried to deliver nuance it has hurt him. I don’t believe that means he should stop trying, but I would understand if he did start being more careful with his choice of words.

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Foster parents are so underappreciated in Alabama already…no one needs this couple to be dragging the rest of the dedicated foster parents down.

A Butler County man honored statewide and nationally for helping foster children has been charged with whipping an adopted teen-age daughter with a belt and slamming her head into a desk.

montgomeryadvertiser.com | Foster parents accused of child abuse

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I don’t know enough, and there isn’t enough reporting here to say who is in the right, but I’m always skeptical of anything Troy “the Boy” does. This makes it sound like he may be in the right this time and that the DOI may be overstepping.

Federal law allows federally recognized Indian tribes to conduct any type of gambling that is legal in a state, which in Alabama includes paper and electronic bingo.

State governors and Indian tribes can reach a compact allowing Indians to conduct other types of gambling. The Poarch Creek Indians first sought to negotiate with Gov. Guy Hunt in 1991, but those talks broke down. No governor since has agreed to a compact to expand the Creek’s gambling to casino-style games.

Alabama AG sues Interior Department over Indian gambling - NewsFlash - al.com

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The Baptists can be upset…that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have a wine trail to help draw tourists to the state.

The Associated Press: Ala. Baptists Sniff Noses at Wine Trail

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Considering how poor the “poorest of the poor” are in Alabama…this isn’t surprising, but it’s still shameful. We need to do more to help alleviate the poverty in our state. There are plenty of organizations trying to get the attention of legislators and the public at-large. We must recognize the drain that this separation puts on our state and the steps we can take to change our circumstance.

The poorest one-fifth of Alabama families averaged a yearly income of $13,280 after federal taxes in the years 2004 through 2006, the lowest in the nation during that time. The national average was $18,116.

After adjusting for inflation, average incomes for the poorest fraction fell 21 percent from 1998-2000, when they averaged $16,070 in 2005 dollars.

The richest one-fifth of state families averaged earnings of $112,804 after federal taxes in 2004-2006, making 8.5 times the average of people in the bottom fraction.

Like Alabama, some other states characterized by high income inequality were in the South and Southwest, where the poorest were very poor.

State’s rich/poor gap 2nd-widest in U.S.- al.com

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