Email Insights: Rainy Day Patriots’ to host open candidate forum Thursday 7/21
Birmginham area residents are invited to an open candidate forum at the Red Lobster in Vestavia Hills Thursday night hosted by the Rainy Day Patriots (RDP) tea party group. Run by Birmingham RDP leader Dawn Ray, the forum will feature candidates from the upcoming municipal elections for mayor and council, and is open to the local candidates, RDP members as well as guests. The upcoming election will be held Aug. 23, and a runoff, if necessary, will be held Oct. 4. View the invitation below: Dear Friends: To: Local Candidates, RDP Members, and Guests What: Rainy Day Patriots’ Open Candidate Forum Where: Red Lobster, 1030 Montgomery Hwy, Vestvia Hills 35216 Date: Thursday, July 21st Time: Meeting begins at 6 p.m. Feel free to come earlier to eat. RSVP: Not required. Time allotted for candidates determined by number candidates who show up.
Auditor Jim Zeigler says state parks closures “bad management”
State Auditor Jim Zeigler again denounced the nature of budget cuts which have resulted from budget negotiations between Gov. Robert Bentley and a Legislature which is increasingly hostile to him. Zeigler – who started a public campaign last month to prevent deep cuts to his own office – said closures of five state parks slated to stem from the current budget are unnecessary despite a budget shortfall patched up by lawmakers this month after nearly six months of fits and starts in Montgomery. Barring drastic administrative changes, five state parks will close their gates October 15: Bladon Springs, Chickasaw, Paul Grist, Roland Cooper and Florala. Zeigler said in a statement over the weekend the closures are not primarily fiscal in nature, but rather due to poor choices state government officials have made. “Just in the past five years, $15 million made by the parks has been stolen from them and used to prop up other state programs. If this money had been left within the park system, there would be no closures,” Zeigler said. Zeigler says the parks generate “85-90 percent” of the money they need to operate from tickets, gift shop sales and fees. While Democratic U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell has focused her efforts on mobile driver’s license facilities which will shutter due to budget cuts – an issue she has said pose a threat to the civil rights of rural Alabamians – Zeigler has largely focused on the state parks issue. “The Bentley administration is hinting at more closures of more parks next year. We need better management and a long-term plan to keep the parks open. The simple thing to do is to stop taking money earned by the parks and let them keep it.” said Zeigler, a statewide elected official who occupies an unusual ombudsman or comptroller-like position. “With a few changes, the parks can be self-sustaining and not rely on taxpayer funds,” Zeigler said. “Nobody in Montgomery is taking a lead role in getting this done.” Zeigler will address the future of state parks on the day of the closures. Zeigler is set to speak this Thursday, Oct. 15 in Hoover at the 5:45 p.m. meeting of Rainy Day Patriots, a Tea Party-inspired political group. The open-press event will be held at Hoover Tactical Firearms, 1561 Montgomery Highway in Hoover.
Conservative group calls on governor to reject federal Ex-Im Bank
In a letter circulated by Rainy Day Patriots, executive director Zan Green and state co-chair Ann Eubank chided Gov. Robert Bentley for his support for the 71-year old Export-Import bank, a trade credit agency created by Congress to facilitate international commerce. The group called the institution “a fund for corporate welfare,” and echoed sentiments from President Barack Obama who has opposed the extension of the bank’s charter. The group also praised Alabama U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer for opposing the bank as well, saying it is a relic of the past that no longer serves a legitimate public purpose, and instead has become a piggy bank for governmental financial adventures. “The bank largely benefits large corporations that shell out millions for multitudes of lobbyists to descend upon the lawmakers and bureaucrats in DC to secure funding for their exports — something that most small business owners cannot afford to do,” Green and Eubanks wrote. “For example, the bank loaned nearly half a billion dollars to First Solar — to sell solar panels to itself. It is past time for the bank to expire.” The group also criticized the other members of Alabama’s congressional delegation, linking to an item on the website for the conservative Heritage Foundation’s Action for America organization that lists 83 House members who have publicly voiced their opposition to the bank’s continued existence. The Rainy Day Patriots likened their efforts to that of the state Senate, which roundly rejected Bentley’s support for expanding Medicaid in the state to draw down federal healthcare dollars, a deeply unpopular position among state Republicans. “Our Alabama congressmen should reject Governor Bentley’s advice on the Ex-Im Bank, just as our State Senate resoundingly rejected Governor Bentley’s desire to expand Medicaid. Congressman Palmer deserves our gratitude, and it’s time for the rest of Alabama’s congressmen to join him,” the letter concluded.
Tea Party group calls on Speaker Mike Hubbard to resign
A conservative political activist group called the Rainy Day Patriots are calling on House Speaker Mike Hubbard to resign his office, citing concerns about the Republican lawmaker’s ability to operate independently of influence stemming from his business interests and influential friends. Among other challenges to his ethics record, Hubbard was indicted back in October 14 on 23 counts of using his public office for personal gain. So far, no charges have been filed. But that fact was clearly cold comfort to the Tea Party-oriented organization, who called for Hubbard to step down “effective immediately.” “…It is obvious that Speaker Hubbard has shown a long-term pattern of operating the Alabama House of Representatives for his own benefit. It is clear by his own admissions that he used or attempted to use, his speakership for the benefit of hisprivate business interests, the Business Council of Alabama and other associates,” an announcement issued on March 2 reads. The announcement referred to charges brought against Hubbard by prosecuting attorneys W. Van Morris and Matt Hart – appointed by the state attorney’s office to investigate the matter – who point to email conversations between Hubbard’s office and political allies seeking to do office business with the State of Alabama. “With the legislative session only days away it is imperative that the residents of Alabama have confidence in the leadership of the House of Representatives,” the release continued. “It would be impossible for any reasonable person to read the exhibits presented as supporting evidence in the indictments and to conclude that Speaker Hubbard should continue to hold his leadership position.” An article in the Montgomery Advertiser also mentions that during his time as chair of the Alabama GOP Hubbard wielded his influence in order to secure printing contracts for an Auburn-based firm called Craftmasters, in which Hubbard has a direct financial stake.
