failure Archives • Alabama Political Reporter

2019 Legislative Session deserves a solid C-

After the closing of the 2019 Legislative Session, both House Speaker Mac McCutcheon and Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh gave the session high marks. When judging the success-failure of a legislative session, it is elementary to understand a few key factors. Never confuse activity with accomplishments. Never judge legislation by its intentions. Never believe … Continued

June 10, 2019

Education and state retirees also deserve a pay raise

Sometimes I feel like a broken record, but here we are once again. Another year, another budget, and another failure to provide our retirees with a cost-of-living pay raise. It’s becoming a disturbing tradition that every year I have to write about our State Legislature’s failure to treat our retirees with the respect they deserve. … Continued

May 17, 2019

Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals fails

The shocking failure of the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals to rule on former Speaker Mike Hubbard’s felony conviction is a travesty of justice. Here, the legal maxim “Justice delayed is justice denied” applies to the people of Alabama. When Hubbard was indicted, convicted and sentenced to prison, these acts were carried out in the … Continued

July 31, 2018

Shouldn’t we hope Bellefonte, Haney succeed?

Maybe Franklin Haney really can get the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant up and running, putting thousands to work in one of Alabama’s poorest counties and creating a success story out of a perpetual failure. Maybe. Or maybe he can’t. Maybe the facility continues to sit like an eyesore along Hwy 72 in Hollywood — just the … Continued

July 31, 2018

Cobb’s pledge sets a trap for rivals; Very Trumpian

Democrat gubernatorial candidate Sue Bell Cobb, last week, put forward a campaign pledge as cover for her failure to vet a field director who is a registered sex offender. Rather than admitting her mistake and firing the sex offender and the staff member who hired him, she tried to change the subject by blaming the … Continued

May 17, 2018

Is it time for another female governor?

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE by Steve Flowers Hillary Clinton’s failure to break the proverbial glass ceiling in American politics came up a little short. More than 100 men have been nominated for president by the nation’s political parties over the past 220 years. She was the first female to be the nominee of one of the … Continued

January 25, 2017

More Money, Time and Stress Due to STAARS Failure

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter Fiscal Year 2017, begins with rejected payroll journal vouchers, a mountain of unpaid bills and the federally required Consolidated Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for 2015, has still not been filed. These and many more problems continue because of the failure of the statewide audit system known as STARRS. In … Continued

October 10, 2016

Who Will Be McCutcheon’s Wise Counsel?

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter Last week, intense debate over the lottery bill roiled the Senate Chamber. The State House, especially on the fifth floor, seemed to exude a new confidence; a possibility of change. Speaker Mac McCutcheon set the tone when he said, “the days of the Imperial Speakership are over” and pledged … Continued

August 22, 2016

No Bid Prisons, Questions Unanswered

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—Recent turmoil and violence at the Holman Prison has brought sharp focus on the boiling caldron that is the State’s Department of Corrections. Gov. Robert Bentley has championed the Alabama Prison Transformation Initiative Act as a potential solution to prison overcrowding and other ills……but at what cost? On the … Continued

March 16, 2016