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Inside the Statehouse

The people want to vote

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE by Steve Flowers During the past couple of months everywhere I go people continually ask me why in the world the legislature could not simply put the issue of whether they could vote for or against a lottery on the November ballot. The fact that this inquiry has lingered for this long … Continued
February 1, 2017

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

Remembering Gov. Brewer

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE By Steve Flowers The passing of Governor Albert Brewer on January 2nd at 88 years old, marks the passing of an era in Alabama politics. Albert P. Brewer was a good man and a true public servant. Brewer was born in Tennessee, but his folks moved to Decatur when he was very … Continued
January 18, 2017

Who’s in or out in 2018 and Trump is good for Alabama

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE by Steve Flowers Alabama is going to fare wall under President Trump. There is an old adage that says, “Those that bake the pie get to eat it.” We truly baked the pie for Trump. We overwhelmingly supported him in the GOP primary and helped him secure the nomination. We then gave … Continued
January 11, 2017

Bentley should let Trump pick Sessions’ replacement

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE by Steve Flowers This past year in Alabama politics was surprisingly more interesting than was expected. The judicial inquiry commission removed Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore from the bench for telling the probate judges in the state to not perform marriage ceremonies for gay people. He said marriage should be between … Continued
January 4, 2017

Prison central item for upcoming session

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE by Steve Flowers While the presidential race played out this year, several things happened in Alabama politics that went under the radar. First, a federal appeals court upheld the legislature’s banning PAC to PAC transfers. The new Republican legislative majority that marched into the Statehouse in 2011 set out to destroy and … Continued
December 14, 2016

Ethics ruling risks charity fundraising

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE By Steve Flowers In a political season…giver beware!!! It is Christmas time, and since Alabama is one of the most charitable states in the nation, I would expect that many of us are in the giving mood and plan to help many worthy causes across our great state. Unfortunately, it appears that … Continued
December 7, 2016

Sessions a shoo-in

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE By Steve Flowers It is definite, our Junior Senator, Jeff Sessions, is going to be President Donald Trump’s Attorney General, as well as his closest advisor. Sessions will be confirmed by the Senate. He has been a respected member of the Senate for 20 years. He has an impeccably clean history of … Continued
November 30, 2016

Dewey didn’t win either

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE by Steve Flowers Donald J. Trump’s election to the presidency left the pollsters and pundits from every media outlet and news network with egg on their face. It also left them with their mouths ajar in shock. Every poll and every pundit had Hillary Clinton winning the presidency. It was assumed that … Continued
November 16, 2016

Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and the Electoral College

INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE by Steve Flowers You know the outcome of the election. Unfortunately I had to go to press with the column prior to Tuesday. We will analyze the results for you next week. There should be very few surprises. The Electoral College System of selecting our President favors a Democrat winning the White … Continued
November 9, 2016