May is National Foster Care Month; foster parents needed in Alabama
May is National Foster Care Month, a month set aside to acknowledge foster parents, family members and other members of the community who help children and youth in foster care find permanent homes and connections. In 2014, there were more than 400,000 children and youth in foster care in the U.S. That’s more than double the number of kids who were in the system in the mid-1980s. In Alabama alone there are approximately 5,450 children of all ages in foster care, all of whom cannot currently live with their birth families due to the risk of neglect, physical or sexual abuse. These children are in desperate need of a safe haven, a caring and loving environment. Foster care provides them just that until they can either return home, to relatives or achieve permanency through adoption. Nearly every community across the state is seeking more foster parents to meet the needs of children and youth of all ages. Foster homes allow displaced youth to live together with their siblings, remain in their own neighborhoods and stay in their same schools. Often times perspective foster parents have the desire to help, but worry about the financial costs associated with taking on a child. In the Yellowhammer State there are many programs designed to help make foster care more feasible for qualified parents. This begins with a monthly subsidy, or “board payment,” to go toward housing, utilities, clothing, food and extra-curricular activities. According to Alabama Foster and Adoptive Parent Association, the 2016 monthly board payment rate for the State of Alabama is below: Ages Beginning 1/1/16 0-2 $462.78 3-5 $476.69 6-12 $488.46 13+ $501.30 Additionally, all children who are in foster care receive Medicaid through the state. Meaning, you will not pay for health, vision, prescription or dental costs. Foster parents also have access to daycare for children under five years old while they’re at work, funded by the state’s Child Care Management Agencies (CMA). Of course there are some basic requirements for all foster parents. According to the Alabama Department of Human Resources website, you could be a foster parent if: You are at least 19 years of age; You can provide a safe, comfortable atmosphere for the child; Your home conforms to Alabama Minimum Standards for Foster Family Homes; Your home has enough space for the child and his or her belongings; All members of your family are willing to share their home with a child who needs care; All members of your family are in good health; All adults in the home are willing to undergo a thorough background check, including criminal history. Here are the steps to take if you’re interested in fostering a child: Check and make sure that your home meets Alabama Minimum Standards (link above). Download and complete the Application. Find the mailing address of your County DHR. A Social Worker should contact you within a week. If you do not hear from someone, call weekly to check in. Foster parenting is a rewarding opportunity that helps shape brighter futures for displaced children. But there is a variety of other meaningful ways for individuals, organizations and communities to get involved and make a lasting difference in the lives of young people in foster care. Call 1-866-4AL-Kids to get more information about becoming a foster parent or learn about other ways you can help.
Baldwin Commissioner Chris Elliott arrested for drunk driving in Fairhope
Following attendance at a charity event, a Baldwin county commissioner faced a DUI arrest late Monday night. Commissioner Chris Elliott was arrested for driving drunk after failing to stop at a flashing red light at an intersection in Fairhope, AL. Earlier that evening, the 35-year-old Republican pol from Spanish Fort was at a steak cook-off hosted by the local Rotary Club. “I inadvertently ran a flashing red traffic light near the event in downtown Fairhope,” Elliott said in a release that was sent from his office. “On the advice of counsel, I declined the breathalyzer requested which automatically resulted in the issuance of a citation for driving under the influence of alcohol,” continued Elliott. “There are consequences for my decisions and I will face these consequences. I apologize for my actions and regret any embarrassment that this may cause the County that I serve, the law enforcement officers that keep us safe and my family that I love dearly.” Elliott, who represents Baldwin County’s 2nd District, was appointed by Gov. Robert Bentley to the seat in 2014. According to AL.com, he joined fellow commissioners in warning against breaking traffic laws after a wave of headlines stirred concern over deadly traffic accidents. “When you fail to (obey the law), you run the very real risk of killing someone else,” said Elliott back in 2015.
Robert Bentley vetoes bill requiring longer driver’s license office hours in Alabama
A widely passed bill requiring driver’s license offices across the state to be open a minimum of two days a week was pocket vetoed by Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley Monday, after the time during which he had to either veto or sign the bill expired. Because the pocket veto occurred after the Alabama Legislature had already concluded the session during which the bill was passed, the effort is dead for the year. The bill passed on the last day of the 2016 Regular Session, earning a vote of 24-3 in the Senate, and 99-1 in the House. The legislation was introduced during the budget fights of 2015’s multiple sessions after the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency decided to close down 31 of the state’s lowest-utilized driver’s license offices, including 10 in the already under-served agricultural “Black Belt” region. After a significant public outcry over the closures, many of the offices were reopened on a part-time basis, for as little as one day a month. Civil Rights activist Jesse Jackson even came to Alabama in October of last year to protest the bill, and have a conversation with the governor and other elected leaders in the state. The bill’s sponsor, Democratic Sen. Hank Sanders of Selma, says he is disappointed by the pocket veto, but plans on introducing the bill again in either a Special Session later this year or during 2017’s Regular Session. Supporters of the bill say they’d even be amenable to having the driver’s license offices open only one day a week, as was almost included in an amendment that was tabled due to timing concerns. “I’m not going to quit trying,” Sanders said. “I want every county to have a place where people can go on a weekly basis to get a driver’s license.” As of publishing time, the governor’s office had given no indication of why Bentley chose not to sign the bill into law.
Katherine Robertson: Alabama’s shrinking sovereignty
On Friday, the omnipotent U.S. Department of Education threatened to pull federal funding from public school districts that refuse to fall in line over transgender bathrooms. Many school districts will submit, knowing that they cannot afford to jeopardize their federal cash flow. Setting aside for a moment the broader social debate over the directive, it remains a glaring illustration of just how far federalism has fallen from the days of the Founders. While federal overreach has become commonplace, so has the voluntary surrender of the states’ constitutional authority over matters–something that is rarely acknowledged or discussed as states clamor for more and more federal dollars. Alabama landed at number three this year in a report ranking the federal dependency of the states. Largely blamed on the state’s poverty rates, Alabama’s dependency on the federal government has reached dangerously high levels. According to the PEW Charitable Trusts, Alabama’s share of federal funds accounts for roughly 30% of the state’s gross domestic product, 10 points higher than the national average. Estimates derived from Alabama’s Executive Budget Document and the comptroller’s 2014 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report show that the state received $8.5 billion in federal dollars in 2014. Only 10 years prior, Alabama received $5.6 billion. That means that our state is 50% more dependent on the federal government than it was in 2004. These dollars are dedicated to an array of services, the largest of which are Medicaid, education, and human services. From No Child Left Behind to the Affordable Care Act, thousands of laws have been passed by Congress to lure states into ceding their authority in exchange for federal funding. In addition to the concern that federal funds will deplete over time, Alabamians should be troubled by the fact that the state has given up meaningful control–typically, with little to no debate–over many of its own agencies and programs via the severe mandates and regulations that come with accepting federal dollars. In his book, Saving Congress from Itself, former U.S. Sen. James L. Buckley summarizes the problem: “Those governing our towns and states are no longer in control of a large proportion of the government activities that affect our lives.” “In too many respects,” Buckley notes, “our state officials now serve as administrators of programs designed in Washington by civil servants who are beyond our reach, immune to the discipline of the ballot box, and the least informed about our particular conditions and needs.” With Alabama’s own funding challenges to deal with, state agency heads and appropriators have little regard for the nation’s fiscal condition and often take a short-sighted approach to accepting federal dollars. In Montgomery, the common refrain is that we ought to take as much “free” federal money as we can get, never mind the mandates that come with it. In the short term, this “free” money means free political points; in other words, politicians can reap the rewards of the spending without making tough budgetary decisions or facing any real opposition. States officials take federal money for things they know taxpayers either cannot or will not pay for. Congress counts on exactly this mentality to push its own agenda down to the states. Sometimes, the federal government will merely “change the rules” after states have become reliant on the money. As the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office explains, “States and localities may be too deeply invested in particular activities to be able simply to forego federal dollars when new conditions are placed on existing programs and their associated funding streams.” Listening to debate in the State House, it is clear that Alabama is not well-situated to forfeit many federal dollars. As such, a substantial amount of state policymaking will continue to occur in Washington, far removed from what will best serve Alabamians. Will we continue to carelessly sell our sovereignty–and, with it, our values–to the federal government? Or will we begin to take seriously Chief Justice John Roberts’ admonishment when he said, writing for the majority of the Supreme Court: “In the typical case, we look to States to defend their prerogatives by adopting ‘the simple expedient of not yielding’ to federal blandishments when they do not want to embrace the federal policies as their own. The States are separate and independent sovereigns. Sometimes they have to act like it.” ••• Katherine Green Robertson is vice president of the Alabama Policy Institute (API). API is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit research and education organization dedicated to the preservation of free markets, limited government and strong families.
Survey rates DeKalb as best Alabama city for living on fixed income
A new survey lists DeKalb, AL as the best city in the Yellowhammer State for older Americans living on Social Security. The financial services firm SmartAsset on Monday released the results of its second annual study of where Social Security checks go furthest, based on purchasing power, state SSA rules and local taxes. DeKalb scored an 80.25 on the firm’s index, where 100 represents stretching Social Security funds the furthest. Rounding out the top 10 were Morgan (78.61), Shelby (77.98), Lauderdale (77.55), Etowah (76.12), Baldwin (75.42), Washington (74.26), Chilton (73.91), Henry (73.64), and Bibb (73.59). The firm’s methodology took the average Social Security payment amount in each city, factored in what retirees would typically pay on that income based on the state tax rules, and subtracted based on local cost of living and municipal taxes. Unlike many other states, Alabamians pay no taxes on Social Security income in all 67 counties. The cities of DeKalb and Etowah were among the most affordable places in the country to live on a fixed income, No. 75 and No. 239 respectively. They are the only cities were the average SSA benefit levels are higher than the projected cost of living. A typical DeKalb resident on Social Security receives $17,069 while it costs some $16,337 to live annually. In Etowah, those figures are $16,724 and $16,626.
Jury selection set for Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard
The speaker of the Alabama House is going on trial on felony ethics charges that could result in his removal from office. Jury selection is set to begin Monday for state Rep. Mike Hubbard of Auburn. He’s facing 23 counts of using his office and past position as chairman of the Alabama GOP for personal gain. Hubbard says he didn’t do anything illegal. A jury pulled from as many as 140 prospective jurors will decide his fate in a trial that officials say could last three weeks. Hubbard’s trial comes as two other top Alabama officials are also at risk of losing their jobs. Gov. Robert Bentley faces an impeachment move amid a sex-tinged scandal. Chief Justice Roy Moore is suspended after being accused of violating judicial ethics. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Presidential Primary Brief: 175 days until Election Day
175 days until Election Day Convention Dates: Republican July 18-21 2016, Democratic July 25-28 2016 Weekly Headlines: Pelosi still withholding Clinton endorsement Georgia poll shows tight presidential race Trump racks up endorsements from House chairs Press Clips: America’s Speed Date with Bernie Sanders (Washington Post 5/15/16) When Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont announced his candidacy last spring, he trailed Hillary Clinton by 56 points in national polling. He had the support of less than 6 percent of Democrats. How many of those Democrats were residents of Vermont is hard to say, but it’s pretty safe to assume that part of Sanders’s low poll numbers were the fact that, to most Americans, he was one of the vast majority of the United States of whom they’d never heard. That changed. Quickly. Gallup conducts regular polling on how Americans view presidential candidates, asking respondents whether they view politicians favorably or unfavorably. There’s a third option, too; people can tell Gallup whether they’ve never heard of the candidate. And using that metric, we can get a good sense for how quickly (or slowly) awareness of presidential candidates spread across the country. State GOP leaders crush ‘Never Trump’ rebellions (Politico 5/14/16) Republican activists chose party unity over “never Trump” resistance Saturday, with party leaders in one state after another pressuring their members to fall in line behind the presumptive nominee — and even punishing those who refused. Eleven states held annual Republican conventions or party leadership meetings Saturday, offering a platform for those who still object to Donald Trump as their party’s standard-bearer a prime opportunity to make mischief. But at almost every turn, they slammed into state leaders who closed ranks around a candidate who many once said they’d never support. A GOP senator just compared the 2016 election with 9/11 (The Week 5/15/16) Speaking at the Wisconsin Republican Party Convention on Saturday, Sen. Ron Johnson likened the 2016 presidential election to Sept. 11’s Flight 93, which crashed after the passengers decided to fight the hijackers and keep the plane from hitting its target. “We’re going to be encouraging our fellow citizens to take a vote,” said Johnson, who has endorsed Donald Trump. “It may not be life and death, like the vote the passengers on United Flight 93 took, but boy is it consequential.” If it ends up Trump vs. Clinton, over 25% of born-again Christians are ready to skip voting (Christian Today 5/15/16) An ongoing interactive “polling explorer” by Reuters news agency indicated that as of Friday, May 13, 25.9 percent of “born again Christians” will neither vote for Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton, and will vote for a third candidate or abstain from voting instead. With the “born-again Christian” filter applied for the May 13 Reuters polling, Trump was favored by 43 percent of 422 respondents while Clinton registered 30.8 percent. However, without any filter, the polling results showed Clinton getting the vote of 38.1 percent of the respondents while Trump had 34 percent. The “Other/wouldn’t vote/refused” sector registered 27.9 percent. Poll predictor Nate Silver gives Trump 25% chance of beating Clinton in November (Washington Times 5/15/16) Political prognosticator Nate Silver said Sunday that he gives Republican Donald Trump a 25 percent chance of winning the 2016 presidential election, while noting that he has been wrong before. Mr. Silver admitted that he initially gave Mr. Trump only a 5 percent chance of capturing the Republican nomination, saying he would peak early and “flame out” like 2012 presidential contender Herman Cain. “This is one of the crazier things we’ve seen in politics for a long time. I think it was fair for us to be skeptical early on about the odds this could occur,” Mr. Silver told CNN’s “Reliable Sources.”
U.S. Supreme Court punts on Obamacare contraception case, sends back to lower courts
In a surprise Monday move the U.S. Supreme Court announced it will punt the latest challenge brought by religiously affiliated nonprofit groups to the Affordable Care Act’s birth-control mandate, by sending the case back to lower courts. The challenge, known as Zubik v. Burwell, was a consolidation of cases brought by religious nonprofits, including the Little Sisters of the Poor, a Catholic charity of nuns, who on religious grounds objected having to pay for — or indirectly allow, such as the case for the nuns may be — birth control and other reproductive coverage in their health plans. According to the unanimous ruling, the justices wrote they were not deciding the case on the merits but instead sent the case back down to the lower courts for opposing parties to work out a compromise as both the government and the petitioners confirmed in supplemental briefings that doing so is “feasible.” “The Court expresses no view on the merits of the cases,” the decision said. “In particular, the Court does not decide whether petitioners’ religious exercise has been substantially burdened, whether the Government has a compelling interest, or whether the current regulations are the least restrictive means of serving that interest.” For now, the decision punts a high-profile dispute over the so-called ‘contraceptive mandate’ at the height of a tumultuous election year as the court is dealing with a vacancy following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. This was the fourth time SCOTUS has heard a challenge to President Barack Obama‘s signature legislation, and the second case challenging the contraception mandate. In 2014, the Court ruled 5-4 in favor of for-profit companies like Hobby Lobby that objected to providing certain contraceptives to their employees.
On more than one issue, Republican Donald Trump sounds like a Democrat
As he tries to charm Republicans still skeptical of his presidential candidacy, Donald Trump has a challenge: On several key issues, he sounds an awful lot like a Democrat. And on some points of policy, such as trade and national defense, the billionaire businessman could even find himself running to the left of Hillary Clinton, his likely Democratic rival in the general election. Trump is a classic Republican in many ways. He rails against environmental and corporate regulations, proposes dramatically lower tax rates and holds firm on opposing abortion rights. But the presumptive GOP nominee doesn’t fit neatly into a traditional ideological box. “I think I’m running on common sense,” he said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. “I think I’m running on what’s right. I don’t think in terms of labels.” Perhaps Trump’s clearest break with Republican orthodoxy is on trade, which the party’s 2012 platform said was “crucial for our economy” and a path to “more American jobs, higher wages, and a better standard of living.” Trump says his views on trade are “not really different” from the rest of his party’s, yet he pledges to rip up existing deals negotiated by “stupid leaders” who failed to put American workers first. He regularly slams the North American Free Trade Agreement involving the U.S, Mexico and Canada, and opposes a pending Asia-Pacific pact, positions shared by Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders. “The problem is the ideologues, the very conservative group, would say everything has to be totally free trade,” Trump said. “But you can’t have free trade if the deals are going to be bad. And that’s what we have.” Trump long has maintained that he has no plans to scale back Social Security benefits or raise its qualifying retirement age. The position puts him in line with Clinton. She has said she would “defend and expand” Social Security, has ruled out a higher retirement age and opposes reductions in cost-of-living adjustments or other benefits. “There is tremendous waste, fraud and abuse, but I’m leaving it the way it is,” Trump recently told Fox Business Network. It’s a stance at odds with the country’s top-ranked elected Republican, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, who has advocated fundamental changes to Social Security and other entitlement programs. But it’s also one that Trump argues keeps him in line with the wishes of most voters. “Remember the wheelchair being pushed over the cliff when you had Ryan chosen as your vice president?” Trump told South Carolina voters this year, referring to then-vice presidential candidate Ryan’s budget plan. “That was the end of that campaign.” Ryan was Mitt Romney‘s running mate in 2012. Complicating the efforts to define Trump is his penchant for offering contradictory ideas about policy. He also has taken recently to saying that all of his plans are merely suggestions, open to later negotiation. Trump’s tax plan, for instance, released last fall, called for lowering the rate paid by the wealthiest people in the United States from 39.6 percent to 25 percent and slashing the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 15 percent. Trump described it as a massive boon for the middle class. Outside experts concluded it disproportionately benefited the rich and would balloon the federal deficit. Close to clinching the nomination, Trump now appears to be pulling away from his own proposal. While he still wants to lower taxes for the wealthy and businesses, he now says his plan was just a starting point for discussions and he would like to see the middle class benefit more from whatever changes he seeks in tax law. “We have to go to Congress, we have to go to the Senate, we have to go to our congressmen and women and we have to negotiate a deal,” Trump said recently. “So it really is a proposal, but it’s a very steep proposal.” Trump has a similar take on the minimum wage. Trump said at a GOP primary debate that wages are too high, and later made clear that he does not support a federal minimum wage. Yet when speaking about the issue, he says he recognizes the difficulty of surviving on the current minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. “I am open to doing something with it,” he told CNN this month. On foreign policy, Trump already appears working to paint Clinton as a national security hawk who would too easily lead the country into conflict. “On foreign policy, Hillary is trigger happy,” Trump said at a recent rally, He listed the countries where the U.S. had intervened militarily during her tenure as secretary of state and pointed to her vote to authorize the Iraq war while she was in the Senate. Trump’s own “America First” approach appears to lean more toward isolationism. One of his foreign policy advisers, Walid Phares, recently described it as a “third way.” “This doesn’t fit any of the boxes,” Phares said. Clinton has advocated using “smart power,” a combination of diplomatic, legal, economic, political and cultural tools to expand American influence. She believes the U.S. has a unique ability to rally the world to defeat international threats. She argues the country must be an active participant on the world stage, particularly as part of international alliances such as NATO. Trump has criticized the military alliance, questioning a structure that sees the U.S. pay for most of its costs. “The best thing about Donald Trump today is he’s not Hillary Clinton, but he’s certainly not a conservative, either,” said GOP Rep. Tim Huelskamp, a member of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus and a Ted Cruz supporter in the 2016 race, in an interview with “Fox News Sunday.” Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Bradley Byrne: Reflections on China
China is the largest country in the world with a population of approximately 1.4 billion people, and I recently had the opportunity to travel there with some of my congressional colleagues. I want to share a few of my takeaways with you. We must realize that the key to a successful relationship with China is the proper mix of cooperation and a firm assertion of America’s priorities. This mix is particularly important in matters of the economy and trade, as well as with security issues. The United States and China are now the number one and number two countries in the world economically. Over the last 20 years, the Chinese economy has grown at a rate over 10%. Even in the recent economic slowdown, they have seen growth of nearly 7%. Our two countries are competitors, and at the same time, beneficiaries when it comes to trade. We are China’s number one export market while China is a major importer of U.S. goods and services. As more people in China enter the middle class, demand will increase for higher-end products that the United States can and does provide. In addition, we receive more affordable consumer goods from China, which helps keep inflation low. We have a number of local ties to China. China depends on the United States for a number of agricultural imports, and many of those products are produced at Alabama farms. Also, Continental Motors, which has an operation at Brookley Aeroplex in Mobile, is a U.S. subsidiary of a Chinese company, and they employ several hundred people right in our backyard. Unfortunately, the Chinese have shown they will do anything to win, including spying and cheating. China has a track record of being a bad actor when it comes to trade, especially as it relates to currency manipulation and dumping products into the international market. These issues are especially harmful to the steel industry, which is important to our local economy in Southwest Alabama. We must have a more aggressive and pro-American strategy to address these issues relating to trade and the economy. At the end of the day, no trade is preferable to unfair trade that negatively impacts American workers. The relationship with China is also important from a security standpoint. Over the last decade, China has significantly expanded its military capabilities, and this is going to only increase as time goes on. China is a nuclear country, and it is becoming a more traditional military force, especially when it comes to its navy, air force, and missile capability. One of the reasons I have pushed so hard for the United States to expand our own naval fleet, including the Mobile-built Littoral Combat Ship, is that we must project American force in the western Pacific in response to Chinese naval, air, and missile build-up. Over five trillion dollars in goods move through sea lanes in the South China Sea, and now China is trying to exert control over the region by claiming islands that are also claimed by other nations. While the sovereignty and ownership is being decided in international tribunals, we cannot let China simply exert rights and control over this important area. Clarity and predictability in our policy and our rules of engagement are critical when it comes to interacting with the Chinese in this important maritime environment. On the other hand, China can prove to be an important ally in both the fight against terrorism and in blocking North Korea’s threats to use nuclear and other weapons against South Korea, Japan, and even the western part of the United States. Ultimately, the key to the relationship between our two countries is balance. The United States must continue to engage with the nation and search for areas where we can work together, but we should always stand our ground when it is in our best interest. • • • Bradley Byrne is a member of U.S. Congress representing Alabama’s 1st Congressional District.
Will Lochamy: This bathroom nonsense is nonsense. Stop It.
I like being comfortable. You like being comfortable. All God’s children like being comfortable. Lately, we’re concentrating a lot on that first sentence. Over a million people have signed an American Family Association boycott pledge against Target’s bathroom policy. It’s pretty much everyone’s bathroom policy and always has been, but Target happened to come right out and say it. They decided to clarify that people can and should use the bathroom that coincides with the gender they identify with. Clarity is causing all of this hysteria, yet actual clarity on this issue continues to elude so many. Let me clarify… Gender Dysphoria is a real thing. It’s not a punchline, so stop joking around. This is the formal diagnosis for people (Homo Sapiens just like you) that experience significant distress with the gender they were assigned at birth. Only 0.3% of Americans suffer from this, so it’s understandable that you probably haven’t personally dealt with such a person. I have. My God-fearing parents, to whom I owe (almost) everything, allowed me to leave a struggling collegiate effort and tour the country in a band with a famous homosexual female. Can you believe that? I wouldn’t have either, except I only knew my parents as loving, understanding, accepting people. On the road I earned a full education and then some. Not only did I see 48 of our 50 beautiful states… I met people. Oh, the people I met. Straight people, gay people, young people, old people, and a few transgender people. Two in particular stood out (again, we’re only talking about 0.3% of the total population). Their stories were different (one transitioned from boy to girl, and the other was in the process of girl to boy), but both intrigued me. I asked questions ad nauseam. They answered and I began to understand. This was a real thing and these people weren’t deciding on this path. It was clearly a sad, problematic, and burdensome path they had no choice but to hike. These discriminatory laws do the opposite of what you want. In your fear, you’re now demanding that fully transitioned people that have beards, big muscles, tattoos, and male genitalia must go into the restroom with your daughter. At the same time, you want fully transitioned people with high heels, breast, and female genitalia to go into the restroom with your husband. Remember, you’re insisting they have to use the restroom aligned with the gender listed on their birth certificate. More importantly (since male transgender people look like men), you’re giving a FREE PASS for any man to walk into a women’s restroom. After all, that’s where you insist that transgender men should be going. People are making a mountain where there’s not even a molehill to begin with. Why has this been brought up? Was someone spied on or touched by a transgender person in a public bathroom? Not that I can find. When has this bothered you? Honestly, you know this has been going on since the invention of public restrooms, right? Are you inspecting people in the public bathroom and if so, when have you seen a transgender person that you felt like was about to harm your babies? You haven’t. There is a serious child sexual abuse problem, and this idiotic boycott and time wasting laws are abetting it. 90% of children who are sexually abused know their abuser. To my knowledge, I’ve known one pedophile. He was a white, heterosexual choir teacher that befriended me and all of my other prepubescent friends. He wore slacks and a collared shirt as he went into the restroom with all of us. This nonsense legislation wouldn’t have protected my friends from him. He raped them. It’s these situations we need to be vigilant about, not an irrational fear about transgender people (who, in reality, pose no threat–at least not according to the evidence). American Family Association is the least aptly named association I can think of. I’m a father with a beautiful (in my humble opinion) family. I openly talk to my children about loving and accepting people. We discuss people that are different and try to understand them. It’s the same way I was raised. It literally makes my head hurt thinking that the American Family Association decides to focus on judging, condemning, and persecuting people, rather than helping and accepting them. Is this what we want the “American family” to be? This is no family of mine. Stop. Just stop it. Politicians are the worst and this debate is proving that point. Mike Huckabee jokes he should’ve “felt like a woman” and taken showers with girls in high school, while publicly defending admitted child molester Josh Duggar. Gross on all counts. I understand that things that are different and hard to understand can be scary. Heck, I’ll never understand Florida Georgia Line. But guys, we need to focus on things that are important. This is a political, media-driven issue that does zero good and all kinds of harm. There are real predators where you go to church, where your kids go to school, and sometimes in a trusted family member’s home. Start looking there and stop peeking over the stall. ••• Will Lochamy is co-host of the radio show, “Oh Brother Radio” on Birmingham Mountain Radio (107.3FM).
