Citizens

If the Albritton lottery bill is so popular, why all of the lies?

Del Marsh and Greg Albritton seem to have a serious problem with the truth. Basically, the two Republican senators don’t know what it is. In the ongoing debate over bills that would allow Alabamians to vote on lottery games, Marsh and Albritton have told some real doozies in their efforts to push through a bill … Continued

April 22, 2019

Survey shows majority of Alabamians support prison rehabilitation programs

According to the 2019 edition of the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama’s Public Opinion Survey, a large majority of Alabamians support expanding rehabilitation programs for those being released from prison. The study found that 86 percent of the state’s citizens support expanding rehabilitation and re-entry programs for people in prison and 83 percent support … Continued

April 11, 2019

How Alabama’s civil forfeiture laws left a couple living in a storage shed

Teresa and Greg Almond are living in a storage shed. In their 50s, business owners and upstanding citizens, they live in a storage shed, are warmed by a propane heater and use solar panels to get a smidge of energy to power a small TV at night. They didn’t get there by personal mistakes. It … Continued

April 4, 2019

ADEM: where corporations regulate themselves … maybe

Imagine, if you will, that your home is burglarized and you happen to catch the break-in on your surveillance video. You take it to the cops. They quickly ID the perpetrators of the crime. But instead of arresting the burglars, the cops tell you that they’re going to allow the burglars to go back to … Continued

March 29, 2019

One voice can create a ripple

Think about being 18 and having to fight in a war you had no say in because you were too young to vote. Think about not being able to have a say in government because of your skin color or sex. Voting is a fundamental right, but it has not always been that way. People … Continued

March 28, 2019

Nothing matters more than the desperate politician

Del Marsh is having himself quite a week. And by that, I mean that Del Marsh is doing dumb things in the hopes that some of you will please remember that he exists when it comes time to vote for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Doug Jones. Apparently, the way to win the … Continued

March 22, 2019

For dogs: Breaking the glass window

Spring in Alabama can be wonderful. Temperatures warm, but it’s usually not too hot yet. Spring also can be violent. Already this year, even before spring officially started, we’ve seen deadly tornadoes wreak havoc across the state, taking many lives. One fact about Alabama’s spring, though, is that it won’t be long before we see … Continued

March 21, 2019

Sir, here are your winnings: Let the people vote

When the Legislature returns to Montgomery on Tuesday to resume its regular session, State Sen. Dr. Jim McClendon, R-Springville, is expected to file a constitutional amendment to allow the people to vote on a lottery. Polling shows that a plurality of Alabamians want an opportunity to vote on a lottery. Further polling finds that an … Continued

March 18, 2019

Alabama advocates hope to reintroduce legislation reforming civil asset forfeiture

Innocent until proven guilty is heralded as a rightful standard in the United States criminal justice system, but when it comes to civil asset forfeiture, the standard seemingly flips to the opposite. Under Alabama’s civil asset forfeiture policies, police are able to seize personal property from citizens without a criminal charge or conviction if they … Continued

March 8, 2019

A time for lions, not sheep

Every four years, Alabama lawmakers have an opportunity to do bold things that are usually politically impossible in other years of the legislative quadrennium. A few big ideas on the table for 2019 are passing a fuel tax to revamp and expand the state’s infrastructure and offering citizens an opportunity to vote on a gaming … Continued

March 4, 2019