Ala. Secretary of State John Merrill campaigns for Mike Huckabee in Iowa
Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill has been on the campaign trail in Iowa with Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, where he has been giving a play-by-play via his Twitter feed. Merrill arrived in Iowa on Sunday and has since spoken at eight of Huckabee’s 10 campaign stops across the state as all of the Republican candidates are making their last pitch before the Iowa caucuses. Merrill will be in attendance at tomorrow night’s Republican debate before making the trip home Friday evening. “The crowds have been good but, more importantly, they’ve been energized,” Merrill said. “That’s what we need right now. I wouldn’t come out here if it wasn’t for someone I believe in.” On the road in the great state of Iowa w/ @GovMikeHuckabee as we travel the nation’s heartland working toward Monday pic.twitter.com/cRbgLefJOT — John Merrill (@JohnHMerrill) January 27, 2016
Senior Jeff Sessions staffer joins Donald Trump’s presidential campaign; Session says US needs “strong negotiator”
The communication director for Sen. Jeff Sessions, Stephen Miller, has joined the presidential campaign of Donald Trump as a senior policy advisor, deepening the already well-worn ties between Alabama’s junior senator and Trump’s 2016 bid for the White House. The same day Miller moved to the campaign, his erstwhile boss again spoke out in support of Trump, touting their common opposition to the Obama administrations Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal. Sessions, briefly donning one of Trump’s signature red “Make American Great Again” caps, told Republicans set to vote in Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses on February 1 that Trump has fought admirably against Obama on trade policy, though he stopped short of formally endorsing him “We need to negotiate better,” Sessions said. “So, what I’d say to the people in Iowa: ‘This is a matter of supreme importance that neither party should nominate a candidate who does not oppose this agreement. You can be for trade, you can be for negotiating agreements with countries around the world but not this way and not creating these kinds of transnational commissions that only hamper the United States as we go forward in the decades.’” Miller’s move was lauded by conservative pundit Ann Coulter, who Tweeted upon reading news of the personnel shift: “I’M IN HEAVEN! Trump hires Sen. Sessions’ brain trust, Stephen Miller. He’s not backing down on immigration.” Both Trump and Sessions have nearly in lock-step when it comes to immigration, with both men taking a hard line against accepting refugees from war-torn Syria and in favor of deporting undocumented immigrants.
Alabama among 28 states calling on US Supreme Court to stay EPA’s clean power plan
Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange said Tuesday that the state has joined 27 other states to demand the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the Environmental Protection Agency‘s (EPA) Clean Power Plan, according to a news release. The states involved in the petition are a bipartisan conglomerate asking for a halt to the “unlawful and job-killing” plan, which sets a national limit on carbon pollution created by power plants. “Once again, President Obama has attempted to radically expand the power of the federal government by adopting policies through executive action that Congress has refused to enact,” Strange said. “But the scope of President Obama’s job-killing Clean Power Plan is unprecedented. If this new EPA rule is allowed to go into effect, it will shutter coal-fired power plants around the country, resulting in higher electricity costs and fewer jobs. The United States Supreme Court should act to immediately stay this rule until the lower courts can address the serious concerns the states have raised about its legality.” The states involved in the coalition, which challenged the new EPA rule on the day it was published last year, include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming, along with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, Mississippi Public Service Commission, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. The petition, addressed to SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts, claims that “the power plan’s central premise that states may be required to meet emission reductions based on the shifting of electricity generation away from coal-fired and fossil fuel-fired plants is unprecedented and unlawful.” The petition further states that the “EPA’s invasion of the states’ historic powers is unsupported by the required clear statement of congressional intent” and “the power plan unconstitutionally commandeers and coerces states and their officials into carrying out federal energy policy,” among other assertions.
Meet the updated ALISON, the Legislature’s recently redesigned website
The 2016 Session of the Alabama Legislature begins next week and, according to Secretary of the Senate Pat Harris, inquisitive residents should have no problem following all of the action from the Legislature’s newly updated website, Alabama Legislative Information System Online, also known as ALISON. The website was built in-house by the Legislature’s tech staff, and Harris says that’s what makes the site “one of the best in the country.” “The website that had been there for so long just needed to be updated,” Harris said. “There’s so much more of a demand for information today.” Work began on the website just before the start of the 2015 Legislative Session but, because last year’s Session took so many unexpected turns, Harris and his staff didn’t have the time required to complete the upgrades to the site. The new website has an increased bandwidth and number of servers in order to cater to the large number of people interested in downloading bills and other documents and watching the Legislative Sessions live, as well as those using the ALISON WiFi while visiting the statehouse. The site has also been updated to cater to various mobile devices, such as phones and tablets. “We’re constantly working on it,” Harris said. “We’ve pretty much ironed our way through most it. I’m pleased.”
Trussville City Council President Anthony Montalto seeks to oust 20-year incumbent
Trussville Mayor Eugene (Gene) Melton has served for 20 years, five full terms to date. While he hasn’t formally announced he is running for re-election he has stiff completion if or when he does. Anthony Montalto, now City Council president, has decided it’s time for a change, and formally launched his campaign this week. “I’ve lived in the city of Trussville for more than 28 years. Over the past decade, it’s been exciting to see Trussville cultivate into one of the fastest growing cities in the state,” said Montalto. “I have decided to run for Mayor because I believe the next four to eight years are crucial for our city. We are at a pivotal crossroads, and this is especially true in relation to strategic planning.” Montalto’s background is in education. He works for the Jefferson County School system as director of Student Services. Prior to that he was principal and assistant principal aqt several local schools including Hewitt-Trussville High School and Hewitt-Trussville Middle School. According to his campaign kick-off announcement Montalto would focus on three sustainability measures if elected mayor: Create and execute a Strategic Plan for the City, including a detailed vision for economic development. Work with the leaders of the Trussville City School system to ensure high education standards are maintained in a safe, nurturing environment. Build more lines of communication with Trussville residents including holding more town hall meetings and utilizing social media channels to voice concerns and ideas. Montalto has stated that he plans to roll out more specific details about his platform over the next six months and will host “Ask Anthony” sessions at the Parish Seafood & Oyster House every first Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m., beginning in February. According the Trussville Tribune, an ordinance passed in 2014 means that beginning with the August 2016 election the mayor will see an increase yearly salary from $60,000 to $75,600.
William J. Canary: Observing National School Choice Week
More than 1,000 students, parents, educators, and legislative and business leaders, observed National School Choice Week at the Alabama Capitol on Tuesday. People from across Alabama assembled to support school choice that gives parents the opportunity to benefit their children and communities. School choice is a tool not only for parents and their children but also for business because today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders and employees. The Business Council of Alabama supported the Alabama School Choice Coalition rally and supports scholarships, fully funded volunteer pre-kindergarten for all Alabama 4-year-olds, and charter schools. Alabama’s school choice opportunities began in 2013 with passage of the Alabama Accountability Act that includes giving children who attend under-performing schools the opportunity to attend schools of their choice. The Parent Refundable Tax Credit program gives parents whose child is zoned to a failing school the opportunity to receive a tax credit to transfer their child to a nonfailing public or private school. The Tax Credits for Contributions to Scholarship Granting Organizations program allows low-income students who are zoned to failing public schools to receive scholarship to attend schools of their choice. Last year’s School Choice and Opportunity Act created an application process for local school boards to establish up to 10 new or conversion public charter schools. This year we support efforts to take a fresh look at teaching and ways to reward our valuable teachers. We in the business community continue to pledge to be partners with education because we all have a stake in the future. • • • William J. Canary is president and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama
Email insights: Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio campaigns make fundraising pitches before first votes
There’s one week until the first nominating contest of 2016, and candidates are doubling down on their campaign efforts in Iowa and New Hampshire. Marco Rubio began the week in the Hawkeye State, scheduling seven events in two days, and is planning to spend the entire week leading up to the Iowa caucuses barnstorming through the state. He isn’t alone: Jeb Bush, his friend and fellow GOP hopeful, is also campaigning in Iowa, holding events there to rally support by Monday’s caucus. He’s also campaigning hard in New Hampshire, where he’s hoping to stage a comeback when voters head to the polls on Feb. 9. Boots on the ground, though, aren’t the only way political hopefuls are hoping to drum up support. In recent days, candidates have been contacting supporters to ask for money to help with the final stretch. On Wednesday, the Bush campaign sent an email to supporters touting an Emerson College Polling Society survey that has the former Florida governor in second place in New Hampshire. “Friend — first the good new: A new poll released last night has Jeb in second place, surging past the nearest competition,” the email reads. “The bad news: This is only going to increase the amount everyone else will spend against us, and we’re seriously close to missing our $250,000 goal for the month. Unless you step up now, we won’t be able to combat the attacks that are coming, and we’ll lose.” The email asks supporters “rush a contribution of just $1” to help the campaign get on track. Bush raised more than $24.8 million as of Sept. 30; while Right to Rise, a super PAC backing Bush, has raised more than $103.2 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Bush isn’t alone in sending a fundraising plea to supporters as the first nominating contest nears. On Wednesday, the Rubio camp sent an email encouraging supporters to chip in. “No matter the size of your donation, it will make a huge impact and ensure we are able to succeed in the Iowa caucuses next week and ultimately win the Republican nomination,” the email read. According to Center for Responsive Politics, Rubio raised more than $15.1 million as of Sept. 30, while Conservative Solutions PAC, the super PAC backing Rubio, raised more than $16.1 million. The Iowa caucuses are Monday, and the New Hampshire primary is one week later on Feb. 9.
Donald Trump not backing down from Fox debate boycott
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wasn’t backing down Wednesday from his threat to boycott this week’s GOP debate, where candidates have the opportunity to make their closing arguments before voting begins in Monday’s Iowa caucuses. Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said in a pair of television interviews Wednesday that Trump, a billionaire businessman, “knows when to walk away from a bad deal.” “They think they can toy with Mr. Trump,” Lewandowski said of Fox News on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “Mr. Trump doesn’t play games.” The decision comes after a showdown between the network and GOP candidate over who should moderate Thursday night’s debate. Trump has been in a feud with Fox News host and scheduled debate moderator Megyn Kelly since the first Republican primary debate, when Kelly took Trump to task over derogatory statements he’d made in the past aimed at women. While Trump has threatened to skip debates in the past and not gone through with the threat, a sarcastic statement from Fox appeared to push him over the edge. That statement said the leaders of Iran and Russia “both intend to treat Donald Trump unfairly when they meet with him if he becomes president” and that “Trump has his own secret plan to replace the Cabinet with his Twitter followers to see if he should even go to those meetings.” Trump, who has called Kelly a “lightweight” and biased, told reporters at an Iowa press conference Wednesday night that he would be holding a fundraising event in Iowa at the same time as the debate to benefit veterans and wounded soldiers instead. While Fox questioned how “Iowans are going to feel about him walking away from them at the last minute,” Lewandowski said the decision shows Trump is a leader who “understands when a bad deal is in front of him and is ready to walk away from a bad deal, something that this country should be able to do.” “At the end of the day,” he added on MSNBC, “Mr. Trump is going to have the last laugh.” Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Martha Roby picks up key endorsement from Alabama manufacturers
Manufacture Alabama — the state’s only trade association dedicated to the competitive, legislative, regulatory and operational interests and needs of manufacturers and their partner industries and businesses — has endorsed U.S. Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL) in her re-election campaign in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. The group cited the Congresswoman’s experience and reputation for the association’s endorsement over challenger, Wetumpka Tea Party founder Becky Gerritson. “Congresswoman Roby is a proven and solid leader for our state,” said Manufacture Alabama’s President, George Clark. “She has an established pro-manufacturing record and has continuously supported the energy, workforce development and regulatory issues critical to the livelihood of manufacturing.” “Congresswoman Roby is passionate about public service and is committed to serving the people of Alabama’s Second Congressional District,” Clark concluded. The primary election is set for March 1.
Bradley Byrne: What I’m hearing in southwest Alabama
“What are you hearing?” That is probably the most common question I get whether I’m visiting a local business or just stopping by the grocery store. People want to know what my constituents and their neighbors are worried about. One of the best ways I hear the concerns of my constituents is by holding town hall meetings. These meetings aren’t formal events, and they certainly don’t include long speeches. In fact, I don’t even make opening comments. I simply get right into taking questions and listening to concerns from my constituents. Over the last two year years, I have held over 60 of these town hall style meetings. From Gulf Shores to Chatom to Monroeville, I’ve held meetings in every corner of the First Congressional District. I’ve also held town hall meetings on Facebook and over the phone in order to connect with people who may not be able to stop by in person. Just last week, I held town hall meetings in Tillman’s Corner and Magnolia Springs. We had really great turnout for each of the meetings, so I thought I would share some of the top concerns I heard. The number one topic at both meetings was issues with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Our area is home to over 52,000 veterans, and far too many of them are being left behind by the VA’s bureaucracy. These concerns just further motivate me to take power away from the VA and instead allow veterans to receive care from doctors and hospitals in their local community. If you or someone you know is having problems with the VA, my office may be able to help. Please contact my Mobile office by phone at (251) 690-2811 or send me an email online at Byrne.House.Gov. My staff and I work for you. Last week, I also heard from a large number of people who are frustrated with President Obama’s decision to bring 10,000 Syrian refugees into the United States. This plan is severely flawed and puts the American people at great risk. That’s why I have introduced a bill that would stop the Syrian refugee program altogether by defunding it. Border security and illegal immigration was another hot topic. People are simply outraged that our nation’s immigration laws are not being enforced, and I am just as frustrated as everyone else. We need to boost border security and start enforcing our immigration laws. People need to know that there are clear consequences to entering our nation illegally. I also received a lot of questions about the rising costs of healthcare. I hear far too often from individuals who had their health care plans cancelled or have seen their deductibles rise due to Obamacare. This is why I am leading the charge in Congress to repeal Obamacare once and for all. The law is clearly not working because it is actually making health care more expensive. It must go. As with most of my town hall meetings, I heard a number of concerns about federal spending. We are on a dangerous path if we don’t reform our nation’s spending priorities. We must reform our nation’s welfare programs to cut down on fraud and abuse in the system. The goal of our welfare programs should be to help bring people out of poverty, not to incentivize them to stay there. So that’s what I’m hearing. A lot of people are simply frustrated with the direction our country is headed. I don’t blame them because I am too. We must restore people’s confidence in America again, and we do that by first listening to their concerns. That has always been and always will be my top priority. • • • Bradley Byrne is a member of the U.S. Congress representing Alabama’s 1st Congressional District.
Daniel Sutter: How to overcrowd prisons
Alabama’s prisons house 24,000 inmates, but were designed to hold 13,000. The legislature’s 2015 sentencing reforms should reduce this overcrowding some, but a federal takeover of our prisons remains possible. Chronic overcrowding plagues both state and federal prisons. The problem results from how our political process makes laws and prosecutes offenders. Overcrowding puts both prisoners and corrections officers at risk. Prisoners should serve their sentences, but do not deserve to be terrorized and brutalized by other inmates, which overcrowding makes more likely. Overcrowding has been judged to constitute cruel and unusual punishment, violating inmates’ Eighth Amendment rights. Under a federal “takeover,” a federal judge makes decisions about a state’s prisons. Consequences could include prisoner releases and the construction of prisons at state expense. I do not like to prognosticate, so I will not speculate whether last year’s reforms have vanquished this threat. Overcrowding is not a consequence of America failing to build new prisons. Quite the opposite: between 1984 and 2005, the number of state prisons increased by 70 percent. Yet the new prisons offered only temporary respite. National attitudes toward incarcerating drug users significantly affect the prison population. Half of all federal prisoners are serving time for drug offenses, while two thirds of Alabama’s prisoners were convicted of either drug or property offenses. De-escalation of the War on Drugs, the wisdom of which is a topic for another day, would significantly reduce our prison population. Chronic prison overcrowding emerges from how we make political decisions about incarceration. Florida State economist Bruce Benson has convincingly argued that our system treats prisons as a common pool resource. Common pool resources can be used by many people without paying. Consequently too many people use the resource, and no one has an incentive to invest in conservation. Other common pool resources include fisheries (including whales), aquifers, and highways. Garrett Hardin coined the term “The Tragedy of the Commons” to describe the too frequent overuse of these resources: plummeting catches in the world’s international fisheries, rapidly falling water levels in major aquifers, and rush hour traffic jams. Overuse occurs because many people can use the resource without paying. Lawmakers, prosecutors and judges all “use” our prisons without paying. Yes, lawmakers must fund the Department of Corrections to operate and build prisons. But lawmakers, prosecutors and judges separately make decisions boosting the prison population. The Tragedy of the Commons ensures constantly overcrowded prisons. Let’s consider this in more detail, starting with lawmakers. Every year the news media reports on new, dire threats to our health and happiness, like the current heroin epidemic in the Northeast. Human trafficking is another current scourge. Past threats included crack cocaine, methamphetamine, and electronic cigarettes. Our elected officials compete to protect us from these threats, or at least appear to do so, because this wins elections. State legislators though do not walk a beat, investigate crimes, or prosecute the accused. So they do what they do: pass laws – laws criminalizing actions associated with the harms, or laws increasing penalties. When passing these laws, lawmakers do not have to pay for the extra prison space needed for the new prisoners and longer sentences. They can assume that the extra inmates will be housed somewhere. Prosecutors and judges (generally) must run for office, and seek to protect us from these same threats. Prosecutors and judges aggressively charge the accused and hand down lengthy sentences for the guilty to show how tough they are on (fill in the blank). If they don’t, a challenger in the next election will accuse them of neglecting this ill. Prosecutors or judges do not have to provide or pay for extra space when they hand out longer sentences. The common pool problem underlying prison overcrowding does not admit easy solutions. It emerges from how we structure decisions in the public sector. But correctly identifying a problem’s cause is usually a necessary precondition for devising a genuine solution. • • • Daniel Sutter is the Charles G. Koch Professor of Economics with the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy at Troy University and host of Econversations on TrojanVision. Respond to him at dsutter@troy.edu.
Google to launch “candidate cards” feature during Thursday GOP debate
Google is testing a new feature that provides users with unique content from presidential campaigns. As reported by USA TODAY, Google launches “candidate cards” Thursday, an experimental feature that allows both parties to deliver content through a particular window appearing on the result page of searches for related content. Content will include images, text and video in an eight-card carousel controlled by the campaigns. Newer cards will replace older ones on a rotating basis. Cards will offer everything from text snippets to YouTube videos and GIFs, which Google says will load “natively” on a search page – meaning users do not have to click a link to access the content, although there will be embedded links available. “We believe that what a candidate has to say is just as important as what others say about them,” Google product manager Joe Bose told USA TODAY. “This new, experimental feature will now allow searchers to hear directly from presidential candidates right in Google search results — whether it’s their thoughts on an issue, photos from a recent debate or their latest stump speech.” Candidate cards is still in the testing phase, with a possibility of expansion to include content beyond political campaigns. Carousels will be introduced during Thursday evening’s GOP debate, in what Google calls a “parallel debate” cosponsored by Fox News. USA TODAY reporter Paul Singer writes that searches related to the on-stage discussion will automatically get a window featuring cards from candidates, updated in real time both during the undercard and main debate to reflect active questions and answers.
