The World Around You

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

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

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