Thomas Scovill

News

Are Alabama US House GOP Talking Large and Voting Small?

by Thomas Scovill [email protected] When it comes to fiscal responsibility, are Representatives Martha Roby (R, AL2) and Spencer Bachus (R, AL6) saying on thing and doing something else? If so, they seem to have lots of company in the Alabama House delegation. Representative Bachus has said “the number one priority of the new Congress must … Continued

January 23, 2013

Federal Deficit Reduction Made Easy

By Thomas Scovill Madison, Alabama If I were Speaker John Boehner, I would immediately have the US House of Representatives pass a bill to raise the debt ceiling from the current $16.394 trillion to $17.061 trillion – then I would go home and enjoy the holidays and await the president’s fiscal year 2014 budget request … Continued

December 5, 2012

SB13 and ATF Payback Hand Waving

By Thomas Scovill Alabama Political Reporter SB13 is one of several draft bills which have been prefiled for the Alabama legislature to consider during the upcoming 2013 session which begins in February. It purports to require the legislature to pay back the $438 million that voters just approved transferring over the next three years from the Alabama … Continued

November 19, 2012

Is Bragging on Job Creation Warranted?

By Thomas Scovill Madison, Alabama In urging voters to support more bond money for economic incentives for business to locate or expand in Alabama, Governor Bentley has bragged that he has created over 26,000 jobs since taking office in January 2011. This is a laudable accomplishment, but how does it compare to the job growth … Continued

November 9, 2012

Voter Persuasion in Limestone County

By Thomas Scovill On September 18 voters approved tapping the Alabama Trust Fund for $437 million over three years to support the General Fund. Many of the voters were government education workers and many of those were encouraged to vote yes by their bosses. Some of that encouragement may have been impermissible. For example, Limestone … Continued

October 24, 2012

Vote NO on Constitutional Amendment 2, Say No to More Debt

By Thomas Scovill On November 6, voters will decide whether to turn a bond measure approved by voters in the year 2000 into a perpetual line of credit of $750 million. In 2000, voters approved Amendment 666 and gave the state authority to borrow up to $750 million to provide incentives for businesses to move … Continued

October 23, 2012

Is Daniel Boman Trying to Make Troy Smithwick Something Less of a Rare Bird?

By Thomas Scovill Madison—Troy Smithwick of Talladega was a losing candidate in the 2008 primary for the state school board. In 2011 he was convicted of two violations of Alabama’s Fair Campaign Practices Act. He failed to file the annual campaign finance report required for 2008 and he misreported the name of The Real Democrat … Continued

October 22, 2012