Politics: This Is Not the Story
There are two stories in Alabama right now, and none of them should be about the conflict besetting Alabama AG William Pryor vis a vis Judge Roy Moore's 10 Commandments.
The first story is that Alabama Republican Governor Bob Riley is the first conservative to deserve any claim to the word "compassionate." Riley's got a tax plan on the ballot next month that is wildly unpopular within his party and will probably fail because of his own party's opposition. But what happened to Riley is the stuff of legend: less than six months in the governor's mansion, and Riley realized that Alabama is a deeply divided state, with some of the worst poverty in the nation. Additionally, the state was (like most states) suffering a horrendous budget deficit because of funding cuts from the federal government and more. Finally, Riley saw the fundamental injustice in the state's tax code, which assesses much higher taxes on poor folks. Recognizing these factors brought Riley to a crossroads, and he embarked on a mission of mercy which will almost guarantee the end of his political career. He wants to institute a reversal in the tax code which will put an end to one of the most regressive tax systems in the nation. In Alabama, any modification in the tax code needs to be approved in a statewide referendum. The folks there will go to the polls on September 9th, and right now, 49% of people say they will oppose Riley's changes. Riley wants to lift the state threshold for paying taxes from the nation's lowest -- $4,600 for a family of four -- to a much more competitive $17,000. But the right wing in the state have done everything in their power to ruin this plan's chances.
A public school principal from Alabama told me yesterday that they were informed by the state department of education that they would have a dozen or more schools close the week of September 15 if the referendum didn't go through.
The second story is that William Pryor is still a lousy choice for a federal court judge. Pryor's recent announcement that Judge Moore would have to obey a federal court order is neither brave nor important. No state attorney general deserves praise or accolades for advising people in his state to obey federal law. In fact, it is far more remarkable that Pryor has for so long resisted the fairly clear First Amendment language by defending Moore's 2½ ton monstrosity and appointing 2 special deputy attorney generals to defend Moore in the 11th Circuit. Hundreds and thousands of dollars of state money have gone to Judge Moore's insane desire to bring the 10 Commandments into the state judiciary building. As is his style, Pryor begrudgingly acknowledges federal law when it is no longer politically feasible to resist it in keeping with his own beliefs. He goes to the end of the earth to advance these beliefs as if they were law, and then, when disaster looms for those beliefs (like when the Supreme Court threw out Texas' and 11 other states' sodomy laws, including Alabama's) he suddenly acts like he is merely a servant of the law. Pryor can't have it both ways, and that's what he's trying to do right now with the Judge Roy Moore situation.
Those are the real stories, and it would be great if someone covered them.
There are two stories in Alabama right now, and none of them should be about the conflict besetting Alabama AG William Pryor vis a vis Judge Roy Moore's 10 Commandments.
The first story is that Alabama Republican Governor Bob Riley is the first conservative to deserve any claim to the word "compassionate." Riley's got a tax plan on the ballot next month that is wildly unpopular within his party and will probably fail because of his own party's opposition. But what happened to Riley is the stuff of legend: less than six months in the governor's mansion, and Riley realized that Alabama is a deeply divided state, with some of the worst poverty in the nation. Additionally, the state was (like most states) suffering a horrendous budget deficit because of funding cuts from the federal government and more. Finally, Riley saw the fundamental injustice in the state's tax code, which assesses much higher taxes on poor folks. Recognizing these factors brought Riley to a crossroads, and he embarked on a mission of mercy which will almost guarantee the end of his political career. He wants to institute a reversal in the tax code which will put an end to one of the most regressive tax systems in the nation. In Alabama, any modification in the tax code needs to be approved in a statewide referendum. The folks there will go to the polls on September 9th, and right now, 49% of people say they will oppose Riley's changes. Riley wants to lift the state threshold for paying taxes from the nation's lowest -- $4,600 for a family of four -- to a much more competitive $17,000. But the right wing in the state have done everything in their power to ruin this plan's chances.
A public school principal from Alabama told me yesterday that they were informed by the state department of education that they would have a dozen or more schools close the week of September 15 if the referendum didn't go through.
The second story is that William Pryor is still a lousy choice for a federal court judge. Pryor's recent announcement that Judge Moore would have to obey a federal court order is neither brave nor important. No state attorney general deserves praise or accolades for advising people in his state to obey federal law. In fact, it is far more remarkable that Pryor has for so long resisted the fairly clear First Amendment language by defending Moore's 2½ ton monstrosity and appointing 2 special deputy attorney generals to defend Moore in the 11th Circuit. Hundreds and thousands of dollars of state money have gone to Judge Moore's insane desire to bring the 10 Commandments into the state judiciary building. As is his style, Pryor begrudgingly acknowledges federal law when it is no longer politically feasible to resist it in keeping with his own beliefs. He goes to the end of the earth to advance these beliefs as if they were law, and then, when disaster looms for those beliefs (like when the Supreme Court threw out Texas' and 11 other states' sodomy laws, including Alabama's) he suddenly acts like he is merely a servant of the law. Pryor can't have it both ways, and that's what he's trying to do right now with the Judge Roy Moore situation.
Those are the real stories, and it would be great if someone covered them.
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