What Kay Ivey has right and wrong about Amendment 1
I’ve held a strong opinion about Amendment 1 since the first day I heard about it. Let’s make no mistake about what this is – a power grab. This amendment would take away the voters right to elect their own member to the state board of education and instead make each commissioner a gubernatorial appointment. Now the language is nice, fluffy and misleading as hell as it doesn’t come out and say that’s what they’re doing. They sell it as a way to get better-diversified representation, add term-limits, and rename the board, but truly I’m going to say it again. This my friends is a what? Oh yeah, a power grab. The vote should truly be a no brainer for everyone. The answer is no. I mean, not just no, but heck no. What in the world are you people thinking? NO. Are you kidding me? For real? NO. What are you trying to say? Your constituents are too stupid to pick a good candidate themselves? Still, NO. I’ll come back to that though. We, the voters, may be partially to blame for our state’s education problems, but that’s not quite the end of the story. The buck doesn’t stop there. Imagine my surprise when during the State of the State speech last night Governor Kay Ivey made this point for me. Thanks, gov. No really. Thank you. Here’s the line from her speech: Ask yourself this question: Is there any high school in Alabama, much less any college or university, that would continue to keep a head coach who produced teams that were consistently dead last? Would Auburn or Alabama? Well no, Governor. I don’t believe they would. We love our football like we love our, wait for it, kids. Which is why we should get rid of the “head coach” of the Alabama Board of Education. Let’s see, who that would be? Wait, I have an image from their website. Looking at the titles, looking at the titles, wait, who’s “President?” Oh, yeah. Hmm. So about that head coach analogy, it doesn’t really work the way you intended it to, does it, Ivey? After all, there’s no way you would have called us voters, your constituents, the proverbial head coach or insinuated that we needed to be fired. No! You would not have dared to put it that way. Would you? But the more I think about it, it seems clear that’s exactly you’re saying there. So allow me to address that. What the governor and the legislators who support this amendment have said, repeatedly, is that it’s necessary to pass Amendment 1 because we have failed. In her state of the union, Ivey all but blamed us voters for the failures of our current education system and to some extent she’s right. They’re right. Let me explain. To be honest, up until the time this amendment came up in the last six years I’ve lived in Alabama, I haven’t spent a lot of time worrying about the SBOE. I was guilty of not recognizing the importance of the board. I think it’s because my three children are still so young, only one is of grade school age and she attends a private school. The reason for that is because the school we are zoned for is failing. Not only is it failing academically, but it is also failing in every other imaginable way, including failing in providing a safe, nurturing and engaging environment and there is no continuity in administration. So, yeah, that’s a no go. No one should be forced to send their child to a school like I’m zoned for, which is why we need school choice but I digress. I wasn’t paying attention to the system quite yet because I was overwhelmed by it’s failing results in my own world. Let’s take a second to read what the governor had to say in her speech: But first, I want to, once again, level with you, the Members of the Legislature, and perhaps more importantly, with the people of Alabama. During last year’s session, the Legislature gave the voters of Alabama an opportunity to help move our education system in a bold, new direction, by having an opportunity to vote on AMENDMENT ONE, which will be on the March 3rd primary ballot. Unfortunately, we’ve gotten all-too-complacent to being at or near the bottom of national education rankings. Ask yourself this question: Is there any high school in Alabama, much less any college or university, that would continue to keep a head coach who produced teams that were consistently dead last? Would Auburn or Alabama? Sadly, too many of our third graders are not proficient in reading. In fact, according to the Nation’s Report Card, we are 49th in the nation in reading and we are 52nd in the nation in math! And it only gets worse as they get older… too many of our high school graduates simply aren’t ready for college or a career. Let me be abundantly clear… this isn’t the fault of our hard-working teachers, principals or local superintendents…Folks, it starts at the top. Alabama is one of only six states that still has an elected state school board and this board has selected 5 State Superintendents in the past 5 years. Very simply, Amendment One will create term limits for the State Board and no member will serve more than two six-year terms, thus bringing fresh new ideas to the commission every few years. Equally important, the newly constituted board will reflect the racial, gender and geographic diversity to reflect the make-up of students in our public school system. There’s no other way to say it but our current system isn’t working. Page 5 of 10 For us to prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s opportunities, it is time we get serious: It’s time for creativity. It’s time for accountability. It’s time for stability. It’s time to vote YES for Amendment One on March 3rd! She lost me when she gave the coach analogy because SHE
Did your state senator vote for or against the gas tax? Here’s the full list
After weeklong special session, the Alabama State Senate voted 28-6 in favor of Gov. Kay Ivey‘s plan to raise the state’s gas tax by 10 cents as a means to fund infrastructure improvements on Tuesday. Ivey signed the bill into law Tuesday afternoon. Here’s the full list of who voted for and against the gas tax bill: Voted in favor of the gas tax Greg Albritton Gerald Allen Billy Beasley David Burkette Tom Butler Clyde Chambliss Donnie Chesteen Linda Coleman-Madison Chris Elliot Sam Givhan Garlan Gudger Jim Holley Andrew Jones Steve Livingston Del Marsh Tim Melson Arthur Orr Randy Price Greg Reed Sanders-Fortier Clay Scofield David Sessions Bobby Singleton Rodger Smitherman J.T. Waggoner Cam Ward Tom Whatley Jack Williams Voted against the gas tax Will Barfoot Vivian Davis Figures Jim McClendon Dan Roberts Shay Shelnutt Larry Stutts No vote Priscilla Dunn
Doug Jones, Roy Moore cast their ballots in the special election
Republican Senate
Polls open for Alabama’s U.S. Senate special primary election
Polls have opened for voters casting their ballots in Alabama’s U.S. Senate special primary election for the U.S. Senate seat previously held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Polls opened at 7 a.m. Tuesday for both the Republican and Democratic primaries. Republican Sen. Luther Strange, who was appointed in February to fill the post temporarily by former Gov. Robert Bentley, is seeking to stave off a bevy of GOP challengers including former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, Alabama 5th District U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, and Christian Coalition of Alabama leader Dr. Randy Brinson. Other Republican candidates include Dr. James Beretta, Joseph Breault, Mary Maxwell and Bryan Peeples. As for Democrats, polling gives Robert Kennedy, Jr. a lead in the 7-person field with former U.S. Attorney Doug Jones following behind. The remaining field took only single digits. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill last week said he’s expecting a low voter turnout for
Donald Trump blames Democrats for health bill’s failure
The Latest on an effort in Congress to pass a health care bill (all times local): 4:30 p.m. President Donald Trump says his health care reform fell short because it lacked support from Democrats. Trump made his first comments about the failure of a signature legislative item Friday in the Oval Office a short time after a House vote on the bill was canceled. Trump told reporters “we were very close” and tried to blame Democrats, through Republicans control both the House and the Senate. He also predicted the Affordable Care Act would soon implode, forcing Democrats to join the Republicans at the negotiating table. — 3:30 p.m. President Donald Trump has marked Greek Independence Day with a rather ominous message. 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House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., withdrew the legislation after Trump called him and asked him to halt debate without a vote, according to Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong. Just a day earlier, Trump had demanded a House vote and said if the measure lost, he would move on to other issues. 1:55 p.m. The White House is no longer expressing confidence that the upcoming House vote on health care will be successful. Instead, spokesman Sean Spicer says President Donald Trump is confident that the White House has done “every single thing possible” to corral the 216 votes needed to pass legislation to repeal the Obama-era health care law. House lawmakers and aides say the bill is short of support before the vote Trump insists be held. The White House says it expects that vote at 3:30 p.m., as scheduled. ___ 1:30 p.m. The White House says it still remains optimistic about a troubled Republican-led health care bill to repeal and replace “Obamacare.” White House press secretary Sean Spicer says President Donald Trump is looking forward to the House passing the bill and it expects the House to vote on the bill later Friday. Spicer says the president is meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan to “discuss the way forward” on the bill. He says the president has “left everything on the field” on the bill. According to GOP lawmakers and congressional aides, House Republican leaders were short of the votes needed for the bill to pass. ___ 1:20 p.m. House Republican leaders were short of the votes needed for their health care overhaul bill hours ahead of a vote demanded by President Donald Trump. That’s the word Friday from GOP lawmakers and congressional aides as Speaker Paul Ryan met with the president at the White House to deliver the sobering news. Separately, Vice President Mike Pence was meeting near the Capitol with recalcitrant members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus in a last-ditch effort to secure support. Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., told reporters, “As of right now, I’m not sure that we are across the finish line. We’ve still got three or four hours and there’s still discussions happening.” ___ 12:40 p.m. Democrats and some veterans’ groups say a provision of the Republican health care bill could raise costs for millions of veterans who use tax credits to buy private insurance. An amendment to the bill would make veterans who are not enrolled in government care ineligible for health-care tax credits. Republicans said the veterans’ provision could be added back into the bill later. Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, who lost both legs in combat in Iraq, said Republicans either were “intentionally sacrificing veterans and putting them on a chopping block” or wrote the bill so “haphazardly” they don’t know what’s in it. Minnesota Rep. Tim Walz, the top Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs panel, called the GOP plan “shameful” and said it would leave many veterans without affordable insurance options. ___ 12:30 p.m. House Speaker Paul Ryan is at the White House to brief President Donald Trump on the state of play on the health care bill. The visit comes ahead of a planned showdown vote on the legislation later in the day Friday. The outcome was looking dicey with the legislation apparently still short of votes around midday, and few public signs that the situation was changing. A group of conservative hold-outs had yet to swing in favor despite lobbying from Trump and others, while opposition also came from moderate-leaning and rank-and-file Republicans. The legislation is the GOP’s long-promised bill to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama’s health care law. Trump decided Thursday that negotiations were over and it was time to vote. ___ 12:25 p.m. House Democrats are trying to make the vote on the House GOP health plan personal for their Republican counterparts. After each Republican speaks on the House floor in favor of the bill, Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., cites the number of people in their congressional district who will lose health insurance under the bill. Under the bill, 24 million fewer people will have health insurance by 2026, according to congressional estimates. Rep. Clay Higgins, a Republican from Louisiana, proclaimed that a vote against the bill is “a vote against freedom.” Yarmuth replied that the bill would result in 50,100 people from his Higgins’ congressional district losing health coverage. Republicans disputed the numbers. They
House sets risky health care vote after Donald Trump demands it
In a gamble with monumental political stakes, Republicans set course for a climactic House vote on their health care overhaul after President Donald Trump claimed he was finished negotiating with GOP holdouts and determined to pursue the rest of his agenda, win or lose. House Speaker Paul Ryan set the showdown for Friday, following a nighttime Capitol meeting at which top White House officials told GOP lawmakers that Trump had decided the time for talk was over. “We have been promising the American people that we will repeal and replace this broken law because it’s collapsing and it’s failing families. And tomorrow we’re proceeding,” Ryan tersely told reporters after scheduling what loomed as the most momentous vote to date for Trump and for the Wisconsin Republican’s own speakership. In an embarrassing and stinging setback hours earlier, leaders abruptly postponed the vote because a rebellion by conservatives and moderates would have doomed the measure. They’d hoped for a roll call Thursday, which marked the seventh anniversary of President Barack Obama‘s enactment of his landmark health care statute that Republicans have vowed ever since to annul. There was no evidence that leaders had nailed down sufficient support to prevail, nor that their decision to charge ahead was a feint and that they’d delay again if necessary. But they seemed to be calculating that at crunch time, enough dissidents would decide against sabotaging the bill, Trump’s young presidency and the House GOP leadership’s ability to set the agenda, with a single, crushing defeat. “The president has said he wants the vote tomorrow,” White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney told the lawmakers, according to Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., a Trump ally. “If for any reason it goes down, we’re just going to move forward with additional parts of his agenda. This is our moment in time.” Even if they prevail, Republicans face an uphill climb in the Senate, where conservatives and moderates are also threatening to sink it. The GOP bill eliminates the Obama statute’s unpopular fines on those who do not obtain coverage and the often generous subsidies for those who purchase insurance. Instead, consumers would face a 30 percent premium penalty if they let coverage lapse. Republican tax credits would be based on age, not income. The bill would also end Obama’s Medicaid expansion and trim future federal financing for the federal-state program and let states impose work requirements on some of its 70 million beneficiaries. In a bid to coax support from conservatives, House leaders proposed a fresh amendment — to be voted on Friday — repealing Obama’s requirement that insurers cover 10 specified services like maternity and mental health care. Conservatives have demanded the removal of those and other conditions the law imposes on insurers, arguing they drive premiums skyward. Many moderates are opposed because they say the GOP bill would leave many voters uninsured. Medical associations, consumer groups and hospitals are opposed or voicing misgivings, and some Republican governors say the bill cuts Medicaid too deeply and would leave many low-income people uncovered. Republicans can lose only 22 votes in the face of united Democratic opposition. A tally by The Associated Press found at least 32 “no” votes, but the figure was subject to fluctuation amid frantic GOP lobbying. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., head of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, said he remained a “no” but didn’t answer when asked whether the group still had enough votes to kill the legislation. He’d long said caucus opposition alone would defeat it without changes. One member of that group, Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., responded indirectly when asked if his opposition had changed. “Everybody asked us to take a moment and reflect. Well, we’ll reflect,” he said. Other foes said they’d not flipped. These included moderate Reps. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, Dan Donovan of New York and Leonard Lance of New Jersey, plus conservative Walter Jones of North Carolina, who had his own words of warning. “He’s there for three-and-a-half more years,” Jones said of Trump. “He better be careful. He’s got a lot of issues coming.” The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said changes Republican leaders had proposed before Thursday to win votes had cut the legislation’s deficit reduction by more than half, to $150 billion over the next decade. But it would still result in 24 million more uninsured people in a decade. Obama’s law increased coverage through subsidized private insurance for people who don’t have access to workplace plans, and a state option to expand Medicaid for low-income residents. More than 20 million people gained coverage since the law was passed in 2010. Many who purchase individual health insurance and make too much to qualify for the law’s tax credits have seen their premiums jump and their choices diminished. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
