Recent editorials from Alabama newspapers:
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July 13
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The Gadsden Times on the state’s problems:
The chapters on Robert Bentley in future Alabama history books will feature attention-grabbing words like “divorced,” ’’resigned,” ’’pleaded guilty” and “alleged improper relationship.”
We hope the scribes will remember to add another, less sexy word that we think captures the essence of Bentley’s failed governorship: “procrastination.”
From the moment he took office in 2011, Bentley sought to address Alabama’s problems - and there were and are many - by handing them off to various commissions, councils and task forces to study.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, mind you, and it’s not a sign of weakness for a leader to seek counsel and input from people with expertise in a given area or subject. No one would question the leadership skills of Paul Bryant, but the legendary Alabama football coach’s autobiography is full of references to him “picking the brains,” as he put it, of his coaching peers.
Things become problematic when establishing a task force becomes an automatic, almost knee-jerk response to every issue; when the executive who does the establishing seems motivated by indecisiveness, paralysis or even fear; and when there’s no real progress on finding solutions, only the appearance that people are looking for them.
Current Gov. Kay Ivey described that as “kicking the can down the road” when she announced Wednesday that she’s disbanding 18 of the groups established by Bentley from 2011 to this year. We support that move.
The governor noted that some of the groups either have finished their work or become inactive, and that doing away with them is an example of “cutting bureaucratic red tape and saving taxpayer resources.” We’ve always favored that.
One group hadn’t finished its work: the Alabama Advisory Council on Gaming, established by Bentley in 2016 to assess current state and local laws on gambling, and the actual and projected taxes generated by it. According to media reports, members were poised to issue their findings and were caught by surprise when Ivey pulled the plug. Perhaps the governor will permit them to do so - we’d kind of like to see their report - although it’s unlikely to change any hearts, minds or morals on that contentious issue in the Legislature.
Ivey also pledged that she would “make decisions and lead” and “tackle some of the issues” Bentley handed off to commissions, councils and task forces. That’s admirable, but we’re going to hold her to that promise, whether she just serves out the balance of Bentley’s term or wins one in her own right next year.
The problems those groups were tasked with aren’t illusions. Again, they can be discussed, but it’s going to take action to solve them.
Online: https://www.gadsdentimes.com/
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July 16
The Cullman Times on the upcoming special election for the U.S. Senate:
The special election for the U.S. Senate seat has come down to a boring duel among the top Republican candidates over who most likes President Donald Trump.
The underdog Democrats, on the other hand, seem to be ailing for lack of attention as Sen. Luther Strange, Rep. Mo Brooks, former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore and a few others play the Trump card across Alabama. Whatever outcome occurs in this year’s special election will not significantly benefit the state.
Steaming forward to 2018, the elections that will matter, or at least should, Alabamians will have plenty of candidates to choose from for state offices. Those positions, from governor to legislators, are where leadership counts the most for the state’s citizens.
Electing a governor, a legislator, attorney general or public service commissioner should not sink into a meaningless contest to identify with the president or anyone in Washington, nor should the election become entangled in idealism that matters little to anyone.
Political campaigns are often colorful, crisp with verbal jabs and opponents painting distorted pictures of each other through words. In Alabama, where the Republican Party holds a super majority in the Legislature and dominates just about every state office, preaching conservatism to voters is not going to have a lot of meaning.
First, everyone who runs for office in Alabama avoids any association with liberalism in either political party. And truthfully, it would be difficult to find a liberal in Alabama, especially qualifying for a political race.
So, we urge voters not to accept rhetorical theatrics about conservative values and liberals. Those are not issues in our state.
The issues are clear if anyone in the race for office will bother to speak up. Dangerous prisons with inmates stacked inside at 175 percent capacity are an issue. The court system struggling to have enough staff to clear dockets is an issue. A crumbling infrastructure system that threatens to halt economic development is an issue. A public education system with a vastly uneven history of funding and success is an issue. Poorly structured taxation that feeds off consumer-heavy sales taxes instead of property taxes is an issue and casts a shadow over the future of the state’s viability.
Alabama has capable leaders, but they often lack courage to tackle the issues and redirect the course of the state.
Too often we have seen legislative sessions end with nothing significant to report.
Through the years, a lot of time has been wasted on ill-advised non-issues and blaming the federal government for everything wrong. Then everyone packs up to go home after patching budgets.
We encourage voters to press candidates for answers to the issues that continue to hold Alabama back.
Republicans are expected to maintain power for many years because of the will of the people.
With that dominance of the political scene, a lot more things should be resolved for the betterment of the state. The questions voters need to ask is “Why” and “What will you do?”
At this point, the political party doesn’t matter in Alabama. We know who will be in power. What we all want to know is how to make Alabama better.
Online: https://www.cullmantimes.com/
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July 17
The Decatur Daily on money that goes to state prison rehab:
One of the primary missions of a prison system is to rehabilitate its inmates and eventually return them to society as productive, law-abiding citizens.
In Alabama, that has become less of a priority, thanks to more budget cuts.
The Alabama Department of Corrections has a two-year, $18.7 million contract with a private company to provide substance abuse treatment and job training to hundreds of inmates.
That amount has been trimmed to $3.8 million because of what a prisons spokesman describes as budget constraints.
This is yet another bad turn of events for Alabama’s prison system.
Under the terms of the contract with GEO Reentry Inc., of Boca Raton, Florida, 750 inmates are to be enrolled in the rehabilitation and training programs for six months. After the budget cut, the number will be 325 inmates.
According to state prisons information, in 2016, 649 inmates were enrolled in the re-entry program with 575 of them receiving vocational certification, and 27 inmates earning a GED. Those enrolled are nonviolent offenders.
The inmates are enrolled at the Alabama Therapeutic and Education Facility, which provides services to men and women. Since it opened, the facility has graduated more than 5,000 people. They received substance abuse treatment, and vocational training, before being released.
Recidivism is cut by about half for offenders who successfully complete the courses, officials said. That is what prisons work toward - reducing repeat offenders - and Alabama has made strides in accomplishing that goal.
State Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, has led efforts to reform the prison system. He points out that not spending money on rehabilitation is not a savings. The money eventually will be spent, he said, on more prison beds because inmates did not get the help they needed to avoid returning to their criminal past.
This is particularly true for offenders with addiction problems. Without treatment and vocational training, most of them will return to substance abuse.
Alabama’s General Fund, which pays for prisons among other state services, is anemic because of a lack of money. The problem, other than earmarks, is a ridiculously low property tax scale. Lawmakers have known this for decades but have refused to act because powerful business interests are content with avoiding paying their fair share of taxes.
The federal government is monitoring Alabama prisons because of the severe crowding. If the feds finally step in, the solutions likely will be more expensive than anything lawmakers approve.
Online: https://www.decaturdaily.com/
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