Alabama

Corporate Job Creation Claims Exaggerated

October 13, 2011 by Left in Alabama

PT Barnum said there's a sucker born every minute.  Unfortunately, a lot of them seem to end up in government where they are easy pickings for smooth talking corporate types ... give us tax breaks and we'll create jobs; don't regulate us and we'll create jobs; let us consolidate and we'll create jobs.  It's sad that so many politicians fall for this crap, to the public detriment.

... a central element in the economic plans of other Republican presidential candidates, such as Mitt Romney and Rick Perry, is to roll back “job-killing” regulations to spur hiring.

“It’s really hard if you’re against regulation to let a good crisis go to waste, and right now we have high unemployment,” said Roger Noll, an economics professor at Stanford University and co-director of the school’s program on regulatory policy. “You can use the current economic condition as a Trojan horse.”

Occupy Wall Street - Way More Popular Than The Tea Party

October 13, 2011 by Left in Alabama

A new Time Magazine poll (October 9-10, 2011) shows Americans have a much more favorable view of Occupy Wall Street than they do of the Tea Party.  How much more favorable?  The Tea Party's fav/unfav ratio is 27/33 vs. 54/23 for Occupy Wall Street.  That's twice as many people with a favorable view of the 99%ers ... which makes an odd kind of sense since most of us ARE 99%ers. 

"A Climate of Fear in Alabama" Highlights from America's Voice Blogger Conference Call

October 13, 2011 by Left in Alabama

On Tuesday, I participated in a blogger conference call organized by America's Voice.  Various speakers from Alabama and from other coalitions spoke.  Since I'm in Alabama and have followed this issue pretty closely, I suspect it was far more valuable for folks outside the state.

Here are some of the highlights:

Reverend Angela Wright of Greater Birmingham Ministries praised the organizational efforts of various coalitions working on the issue and noted:

"The Legislature had absolutely no idea how strong the outcry would be.  There's a group of unlikely bedfellows coming together against the law."

She did share some anecdotal stories about families selling their entire home and contents for very little because they're desperate to leave.  Parents are giving guardianship to others in case they get deported. "There's a lot of fear and desperation."

Calling All Animal Lovers! PAC Formed to Push for Humane Legislation in Alabama

October 13, 2011 by Left in Alabama

Well darn... here's another place where Alabama is at the bottom of the rankings: our treatment of companion and farm animals.  Remember we're the state where top state officials lobby against making cockfighting a felony.  We can do better and a group has formed a political action committee to push for better legislation.

The Alabama Voters for Responsible Animal Legislation (AVRAL) is looking for supporters and contributions. It's a "grassroots, nonpartisan political action committee."

We are working to influence legislation and support the passage of policies favorable to the welfare of companion animals. We believe the current approach to animal welfare in Alabama is inefficient, too costly for taxpayers, and does little to address pressing animal welfare issues in this state, such as adoption/placement of homeless animals, pervasive cruelty and neglect, and the need for shelter reform.

Alabama Historian Wayne Flynt On HB56: "Meanest, Most Hateful Thing I've Ever Read"

October 13, 2011 by Left in Alabama

Wayne Flynt is a man who cares about the welfare of working class Alabamians as much - or more than - their middle class brethren. He's not a softie.  The author of "Poor But Proud: Alabama's Poor Whites" is not someone who stands by quietly while those people get treated unfairly.

Nor is he someone who'll stand quietly by while anyone is being denied their basic human dignity and their civil rights. His voice and vision carry weight: Flynt has this to say about Alabama's immigration law:

"This is the most mean-spirited, hateful thing I’ve ever read," he said.

Flynt said the chief argument for the bill — that illegal workers are taking jobs from Alabamians — is bogus.
[...]
He said the controversy will hurt efforts to recruit new jobs and industry to Alabama, where the economy is increasingly reliant on foreign direct investment.
[...]
The message, he said, "is that we only like immigrants if they come with car plants."
[...]
The irony, Flynt said, is that we are all a nation of immigrants.