Jim Zeigler: Enjoy the fruits of the labor of working Americans
Labor Day, celebrated the first Monday in September, is dedicated to the achievements of American workers. The yearly national tribute recognizes the contributions workers have made to the strength and prosperity ok America. Labor Day was first celebrated in 1882 in New York City, and in 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed into law the national holiday. Considered the unofficial end of summer, Labor Day is when stores have big sales, families take their last vacation of the summer season, and many workers have a day off. Typically, people gather at a nearby lake or beach or have backyard barbecues. Of course, COVID-19 somewhat changed those plans this year and last. As we celebrate American workers this year, we recognize their contributions to the fabric of our nation. During COVID-19, we have certainly realized the importance of medical personnel and numerous other front-line workers. Many employees have adjusted to working from home, and we have seen remarkable adaptability and ingenuity in our nation’s people since the world changed in March. Labor Day is a time to reflect on the value Americans place on good old-fashioned hard work. As we look toward the future of our great country, reflect on the words of the poet Maya Angelou: “Nothing will work unless you do.” Enjoy your Labor Day weekend. Enjoy the fruits of the labor of working Americans. Jim Zeigler has been the state auditor for Alabama since 2015.
Jim Zeigler: Enjoy the fruits of the labor of all working Americans
Labor Day, celebrated the first Monday in September, is dedicated to the achievements of American workers. The yearly national tribute recognizes the contributions workers have made to the strength and prosperity of America. Labor Day was first celebrated in 1882 in New York City, and in 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed into law the national holiday. Considered the unofficial end of summer, Labor Day is when stores have big sales, families take their last vacation of the summer season, and many workers have a day off. Typically, people gather at a nearby lake or beach or have backyard barbecues. Of course, COVID-19 has somewhat changed those plans this year. As we celebrate American workers this year, we recognize their contributions to the fabric of our nation. During COVID-19, we have certainly realized the importance of medical personnel and numerous other front-line workers. Many employees have adjusted to working from home, and we have seen remarkable adaptability and ingenuity in our nation’s people since the world changed in March. Labor Day is a time to reflect on the value Americans place on good old-fashioned hard work. As we look toward the future of our great country, reflect on the words of the poet Maya Angelou: “Nothing will work unless you do.” Enjoy your Labor Day celebration. Enjoy the fruits of the labor of all working Americans. By Jim Zeigler, Alabama State Auditor
ALEA offers Labor Day weekend safety tips
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) will be out in force this Labor Day weekend, on the lookout for those breaking the law and putting others in danger, as Alabamians head outside for summer’s unofficial grand finale. The ALEA is anticipating a surge of late-summer travel over the long weekend with heavier-than-usual traffic on Alabama’s roadways and waterways. “Safety is one of our top priorities throughout the year, but it’s especially important during extended holiday weekends, when so many want to enjoy one last seasonal road trip to the lake, beach or other warm-weather attraction,” Alabama’s Secretary of Law Enforcement Hal Taylor said in a statement. During Labor Day weekend, which runs from 12:01 a.m. Friday, Sept. 1, to midnight Monday, Sept. 4, Troopers in ALEA’s Highway Patrol and Marine Patrol Divisions will step up patrol and enforcement efforts across the state to promote safety and work to prevent crashes, injuries and deaths. Troopers will conduct sobriety checks throughout the weekend, in an effort to remove impaired individuals from behind the wheels of vehicles and boats, as part of the state’s participation in the national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” safety campaign. Taylor has offered five tips he’s dubbed, “Five to Stay Alive,” for all traveling through Alabama this Labor Day weekend: Avoid driving and/or boating under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If you are impaired, do not drive or operate a boat. Designate a sober driver in advance, call a cab, use public transportation or call a sober friend or family member to get you home safely. Simply obey the law. Avoid speeding, following too closely and other dangerous – sometimes deadly – behavior on Alabama’s roadways and waterways. Buckle up – no matter how short your trip. Ensure all of the vehicle’s occupants are buckled up (or using a child restraint system) and those on your boat are using or have access to personal flotation device (PFDs are required at all times for ages 8 and younger.) Avoid the water during inclement weather, particularly when it includes thunder and lightning. Be even more cautious when traveling through construction zones.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton turn to battleground states in the South
With Labor Day behind them, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are pushing ahead in top presidential battlegrounds in the South. Trump, the Republican nominee, is set to campaign in Virginia and North Carolina on Tuesday, two critical states in his path to the presidency. Clinton, the Democrat, is campaigning in Florida in search of an advantage in the nation’s largest swing state. A Clinton victory in Florida would make it virtually impossible for Trump to overcome her advantage in the race for 270 electoral votes. The day before in swing state Ohio, Trump softened his stance on immigration while Clinton blasted Russia for suspected tampering in the U.S. electoral process. In a rare news conference aboard her new campaign plane, Clinton said she is concerned about “credible reports about Russian government interference in our elections.” “We are going to have to take those threats and attacks seriously,” Clinton told reporters traveling with her from Ohio to Illinois. Clinton’s comments follow reports that the Russian government may have been involved in the hacking of Democratic National Committee emails just days before the party’s national convention. The emails, later revealed by WikiLeaks, showed some DNC officials favoring Clinton over her primary opponent, Bernie Sanders — who has since endorsed Clinton for president. She said Russian President Vladimir Putin appears “quite satisfied with himself” and said Trump “has generally parroted what is a Putin-Kremlin line.” Meanwhile, Trump extended a rare invitation to journalists to accompany him on his private plane from Cleveland to Youngstown, Ohio. The billionaire businessman appeared to shy away from his hard-line vow to block “amnesty” for immigrants in the country illegally. Any immigrants who want full citizenship must return to their countries of origin and get in line, he told reporters — but he would not rule out a pathway to legal status for the millions living in the U.S. illegally, as he did in a long-awaited policy speech last week. “We’re going to make that decision into the future,” Trump said. Clinton powered through a coughing fit at a Labor Day festival at a Cleveland park, sharply criticizing Trump’s recent trip to Mexico as “an embarrassing international incident.” Unwilling to allow Trump to modify his immigration stances, she said his address later that night in Arizona amounted to a “doubling down on his absurd plan to send a deportation force to round up 16 million people.” “He can try to fool voters into thinking somehow he’s not as harsh and inhumane as he seems, but it’s too late,” Clinton said. The former secretary of state flatly said “No,” when asked in an ABC News interview whether she’d be willing to accept the Mexican president’s invitation to visit the country, as Trump did last week. “I’m going to continue to focus on what we’re doing to create jobs here at home,” Clinton said. Earlier in the day, Trump attacked Clinton’s energy level, noting she hasn’t followed his aggressive traveling schedule and questioning whether she had the stamina to help bring jobs back to America. “She doesn’t have the energy to bring ’em back. You need energy, man,” Trump told reporters. He added, “She didn’t have the energy to go to Louisiana. And she didn’t have the energy to go to Mexico.” Clinton’s 25-minute question-and-answer session was her first extensive availability with reporters since early December. Beyond Russia, she answered questions about the ongoing controversy surrounding her use of a private email server while secretary of state, which Trump has used to cast doubt over her ability to protect classified information. “I take classification seriously,” she said. While Labor Day has traditionally been the kickoff to the fall campaign, both Clinton and Trump have been locked in an intense back-and-forth throughout the summer. The start of full-fledged campaigning opens a pivotal month, culminating in the first presidential debate Sept. 26 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Polls show Trump trailing Clinton in a series of must-win battleground states, meaning the debates could be his best chance at reorienting the race. Trump told reporters he does plan to take part in all three presidential debates, joking that only a “hurricane” or “natural disaster” would prevent him from attending. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
What’s on Hillary Clinton’s to-do list before Election Day?
Hillary Clinton will celebrate Labor Day with an edge over rival Donald Trump in any number of the most competitive states, even as she struggles with the challenge of sealing the deal with large groups of voters who consider her dishonest and untrustworthy. Clinton’s experience as secretary of state and her handle on domestic policy make her the favorite in three presidential debates beginning later this month. She has appeared in more than 30 as a presidential candidate in 2008 and 2016. But she still has work to do. A look at Clinton’s Labor Day to Election Day to-do list: DOMINATE THE DEBATES Millions of voters will watch the debates, which offer her an opportunity and a challenge. She needs to prepare for a candidate who’s the most unpredictable nominee in decades. She also needs to prevent Trump from using the televised forums to present himself as a plausible commander in chief, and from turning them into referendums on President Barack Obama’s two terms and Clinton’s decades in politics. Clinton acknowledges that the debates could be pivotal. She told donors last weekend, “Somebody said to me, ‘Well, remember, there’ll be a lot of people watching.’ One hundred million people watching. And 60 million will be paying attention to the campaign for the first time.” CHART A PATH TO 270 Clinton has an edge in most of the highly contested states, the roughly dozen or so where the election will be decided. Her campaign is trying to keep open as many paths as possible through those states to reach the decisive 270 electoral votes needed to win. She enters the fall with a decided advantage, both in terms of history and in this year’s campaign. If Clinton can hold onto the set of states that every Democratic presidential nominee has won since 2000, she starts with 242 electoral votes. Beyond those states, preference polls show her ahead in Virginia and Colorado, and competing in close contests in North Carolina, Florida and Ohio. Applying pressure on Trump, Clinton is advertising in GOP-leaning Arizona and in an Omaha, Nebraska, congressional district. If Clinton can keep open as many routes to victory, she will make it difficult for Trump to chart a way to 270. That will make it hard for him to convince fellow Republicans who are worried about maintaining their congressional majorities that he can win. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED Clinton’s campaign is bracing itself for some type of ‘October surprise” — an unexpected event that requires the nominee to adjust in the pressure-cooker of the campaign’s final days. Clinton must be able to deftly deal with such a development, and there are plenty of contenders on the horizon. The State Department is expected to release some of the 15,000 emails from Clinton’s time there that have yet to be made publicly available. WikiLeaks has threatened to release more damaging information before the end of the election. She’ll need to make sure any new revelations don’t further damage the public’s view of Clinton, which isn’t particularly strong for a candidate seen as ahead on Labor Day. TURNOUT, TURNOUT, TURNOUT Clinton’s campaign needs to maximize voter turnout among members of the “Obama coalition” — the legions of black, Latino, unmarried women and young voters who powered him to two decisive victories. Trump has sought in recent days to turn around his dismal standing among minorities. But the negative tone of the campaign could dampen turnout and make Clinton’s task more difficult. Clinton also aims to make the most of early voting in a number of critical states, replicating a strategy that worked well for Obama. She will have plenty of help: Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are hitting the road on her behalf and she can also rely on her husband, former President Bill Clinton. TRUSTWORTHINESS Questions about Clinton’s honesty and trustworthiness have dogged her throughout the campaign and she can ill afford to have more voters view her in a negative way. Her saving grace during the campaign has been Trump’s high negative ratings, untrustworthiness and penchant for saying provocative things that have turned off many voters. But more revelations about her private email server or the Clinton Foundation could reinforce the perception that she’s not trustworthy. On Friday, the FBI released notes from its investigation of her email use as secretary of state. It’s the kind of day Clinton needs to avoid. Even if she wins in November, this is a problem could haunt Clinton in the White House. That’s why she needs to start chipping away at her trust deficit now, so that if elected, she will have some public goodwill as she tries to lead the nation and work with Congress. Clinton could find it difficult to enact her agenda if questions about her honesty linger as president. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Greg Lein: Celebrate Alabama State Parks Heritage
Labor Day weekend in Alabama marks two major events for citizens of our state: the unofficial end of summer and the official start of college football season. As the leaves eventually begin to change and fall temperatures start to prevail, many Alabamians will spend their Saturdays over the next few months focused on their favorite team and tracking their fantasy leagues. Alabamians’ love for parks extends much further than the Saturdays spent at the ballpark. Parks of all kinds are important to our communities; national and state parks provide dozens of options for people to go unwind. As you prepare for your Labor Day adventure and officially kick off fall, I encourage you to get outside and experience some of the amazing opportunities in Alabama’s State Parks as well as the thousands of attractions that can be found in city, county, and National Parks. Last week the National Park Service (NPS) celebrated 100 years of service and stewardship. Alabama’s State Parks are celebrating their 77th year of service. These incredible public lands are much more than simply protected lands; they are outlets for cultural, historical and environmental education. Parks also give citizens countless opportunities for recreation and help provide an exceptional quality of life with scores of recreational options. The Alabama State Parks system protects more than 47,000 acres of land across the state and offers dozens of recreational options. Within Alabama’s State Parks you’ll find hundreds of miles of trails, golf courses, mountain top views, serene beachfront, luxury resorts, ziplines, archery courses and museums that tell the story of Native Alabamians and early pioneers. These parks are as diverse and distinct as the guests that visit them each year. Parks provide opportunities for people of all backgrounds. Regardless of socioeconomic background, education, and physical ability, there’s something for everyone to enjoy at the parks. Our leaders had the choice generations ago of whether to keep these lands available to citizens. They made the right decision to keep our parks available to future generations. We hope all these amazing public lands will still be available to all Americans in the next century. The citizens of Alabama are faced with a decision this November about whether they want their State Parks preserved for future generations. A “yes” vote on Amendment 2 on the November 8 ballot is a vote to help ensure our incredible State Parks will remain available and thriving for future generations. The proposed Constitutional Amendment would protect the State Park system’s money, keeping it within the parks and preventing it from being taken and used elsewhere. Since almost all of the money in the State Parks’ budget comes from Parks’ users, it is only right for those funds to remain in the Parks. Let’s continue to celebrate our “Parks Heritage” during this centennial year and let us come together to ensure the future of our State Parks by voting “Yes” on Amendment 2 – and encourage all your friends and neighbors to do likewise. ••• Greg Lein is the Director of Alabama’s State Parks.
Marco Rubio brings campaign back to South Carolina on Labor Day
Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio on Monday is returning to campaign in South Carolina. He last visited Aug. 28 when he delivered a speech outlining his policy toward China. The Florida senator will attend an early evening Labor Day town hall meeting hosted by Republican Sen. Tim Scott at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center. The latest polls show Rubio is in the middle of the pack in a large field of GOP rivals, but the primary is not until late February. His campaign team has plenty of experience in the Palmetto State. Rubio was the first 2016 candidate to officially file for the state’s GOP presidential primary. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
