The World Around You

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

…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

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