government

Stupid is as stupid does

I hate new years. Not because it’s another year. That’s going to happen, regardless of what we might want. The calendar days end, and the new calendar days begin. We can’t stop it. I hate new years because of the silly expectations. We expect the new year to encourage us to exercise more, or to … Continued

Joey Kennedy

January 3, 2019

Jones: Trump’s threat to shut down the government over a wall is a “political ploy”

A government shut down this weekend became more probable Thursday after President Donald Trump told GOP lawmakers that he would not sign a bill to fund the government because it doesn’t include money for his border wall, a campaign promise that he has yet to fulfill. The threats blew a gaping hole in the budget … Continued

Chip Brownlee

December 21, 2018

Opinion

The problem with a supermajority

There is a downside to supermajority control in government. Inevitably, no matter how many times you force through your agenda and ignore the cries from the other side of the aisle, the supermajority will eventually be unable to accomplish necessary, hard things. Because the necessary, hard things that need to be accomplished will be things … Continued

Josh Moon

December 18, 2018

Opinion

Want to fight public corruption? Start with the Alabama Ethics Commission

What can I do? That question has come to me more than a few times since I wrote Monday that the last line of defense between the public and political corruption are the people — an informed, active, engaged people. To be fair, it’s awful easy to sit behind a keyboard and say everyone should … Continued

Josh Moon

December 12, 2018

Opinion

No one has a right to a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court

The events unfolding around the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court represent a turning point for one branch of our government. I pray we do not follow a course that does terrible damage to the reputation of the court while ignoring the pain of victims of sexual assault. The most immediate impact … Continued

Danner Kline

October 5, 2018

Alabama voter priorities: Jobs and the economy rank high

Last year, the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama surveyed Alabama voters to gauge their priorities heading into this year’s statewide elections. That report showed broad agreement among voters about key issues facing the state. First among the issues were Pre-K–12 education, health care and government ethics and corruption. Further down the list was jobs, … Continued

Chip Brownlee

September 10, 2018

Opinion

Time for an ethics champion to step forward

A majority of Alabama voters are “very concerned” about government corruption and ethics, however, Republicans who once championed strong ethics laws have retrenched or given up the fight altogether. Our state needs a champion who will lead the battle to keep the state’s ethics laws strong: a singular individual with the courage to do what … Continued

Bill Britt

September 5, 2018

Opinion

Meeting the demands of our growing workforce

Last month’s jobs report showed that job openings are at a record high, confirming our country’s continued positive economic progress. For the first time since the year 2000, the number of job openings is larger than the number of people unemployed. Our country’s gross domestic product also grew at a 4.1 percent pace in the … Continued

Martha Roby

July 30, 2018

Opinion

House takes steps to rebuild our military

Over the last year and a half, our unified government has taken big steps to unleash our economy and foster growth here in the United States. Because of this work, our economy is strong today. In fact, since the enactment of our historic tax overhaul six months ago, more than one million new jobs have … Continued

Martha Roby

July 2, 2018

Alabama voters’ priorities: Education, healthcare and government ethics

A new report shows there is broad agreement among Alabama voters about what issues are important to them as the state nears a statewide election in November. The report, published by the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, is the result of a survey the group conducted, polling Alabama voters to determine their thoughts about … Continued

Chip Brownlee

June 18, 2018