Author

Craig Ford

Craig Ford is the owner of Ford Insurance and the Gadsden Messenger. He represented Etowah County in the Alabama House of Representatives for 18 years.

Slush fund for congressmen included in coronavirus relief bill

Having served in the State House of Representatives, as opposed to the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., I usually limit my editorials to state politics rather than national politics. But I cannot stay silent about the most recent piece of legislation to come out of the national Congress. Most of what’s in that bill … Continued

Craig Ford

April 1, 2020

Opinion

Coronavirus will stretch Alabama hospitals and healthcare facilities to the breaking point

With cases of the coronavirus now being reported in Alabama, healthcare – especially in rural parts of our state – has become more important than ever. Several years ago, our state had the opportunity to expand Medicaid at almost no new cost to Alabama taxpayers. The federal government would have funded over 90 percent of … Continued

Craig Ford

March 17, 2020

Opinion

Vote no on Amendment One

Whether you vote in the Democratic or Republican Primary Election on Tuesday, all voters will get the chance to vote on Amendment 1. This is an extremely important amendment, and I encourage every voter to vote NO on this amendment. Alabama currently elects our representatives to the State Board of Education. Each member of the … Continued

Craig Ford

March 2, 2020

Opinion

Every school should have a mental health counselor

In her State of the State Address, Gov. Ivey said that mental health would be a priority for both education and our prison system. Then she set a goal of having a mental health counselor in every school system. While I applaud the governor for recognizing the challenges our schools are facing when it comes … Continued

Craig Ford

February 21, 2020

Opinion

You get what you pay for

State lawmakers will return to Montgomery on Tuesday, February 4th and education will be one of the primary issues they will be taking on. Lawmakers expect an increase in both the Education and General Fund budgets for the coming year, and that means more resources available to address the issues facing our public schools. One … Continued

Craig Ford

January 23, 2020

Opinion

A New Year’s resolution for Alabama

Many people like to make a New Year’s resolution. As we start this new year and new decade, I think our state leadership needs to make a resolution: To improve our storm warning systems. Alabama is no stranger to deadly storms. Twenty-three people died in the tornado that struck Lee County earlier this year. More … Continued

Craig Ford

January 3, 2020

Opinion

In solving surprise billing, Congress should take the side of patients

For patients in Alabama and throughout the nation, the high costs of health care can often create needless emotional and financial stress. Surprise medical billing—in which patients receive outrageous bills in the mail weeks or months after inadvertently receiving out-of-network care—only adds insult to injury. No one should have to worry about getting hit with … Continued

Craig Ford

December 10, 2019

Opinion

Building new prisons is not the answer

Alabama should be building better schools, not better prisons. It’s as simple as that. And the truth is if we had done that from the beginning we probably wouldn’t have the overcrowded prisons we have today. It’s a statistical fact that if a child can’t read at a third-grade level by the time they graduate … Continued

Craig Ford

December 6, 2019

Opinion

It is good to honor our veterans, but it is better to take action

The word “sacrifice” gets used a lot, but it can be difficult to truly appreciate the full meaning of that word. For one group of people, “sacrifice” takes on a special meaning. This weekend we honor our nation’s veterans. While Memorial Day is set aside to remember those who died in military service, Veteran’s Day … Continued

Craig Ford

November 8, 2019

Opinion

Cities are only as strong as their local schools

In the military we have a saying: A platoon is only as strong as its weakest soldier. That concept applies to a lot of things in life, and especially to how we as a society treat our public schools. Public schools are the backbone of any city or town. They train our future workers. They … Continued

Craig Ford

September 13, 2019