Facing a legislative
session during election year brings challenges
By CAM WARD / Guest
Columnist
(Updated: Tuesday, January 3, 2006 3:28 PM CST)
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| Cam
Ward |
Another new year is upon us and
we are faced once again with a legislative session during an
election season. The legislature is known for under
achievement during an election year. You will read article
after article about some of the warm and fuzzy legislation
introduced this session. Election season always brings with
it, bills for mom, apple pie and the American flag. If this
session of the legislature is all about happy chest thumping
bills that everyone supports then we have let the people of
this state down.
There is nothing wrong with the effort to pass these feel
good bills. The problem is the reluctance to tackle the big
issues facing our state for fear that it might harm one’s
re-election. ‘Tis the season to play it safe some would say.
Already several articles have appeared around the state
where some fellow lawmakers have called for putting off the
big issues our state faces until after the election. I
believe this would be a failure to carry out our elected
responsibility. Our state leaders need to address the
serious issues facing the State of Alabama, not the least of
which is the crisis in our prison system that threatens the
financial security of state government. This problem will
only be solved by real leadership with the backbone to look
past the election season.
There are also some problems that have been long overdue for
change such as the right to have full and open access to
public records and the need for a complete reform of the
domestic family laws that affect every child in Alabama.
Other problems that must be dealt with are much larger. For
instance, some black belt counties currently have illiteracy
rates that exceed 25% and rural health care systems that are
barely able to keep their head above water. There is no hope
of seeing these problems corrected if we do not begin now.
Locally, areas of Alabama like Shelby County are currently
seeing their roads and schools stretched to the limit due to
enormous new residential growth that has no end in sight.
The commute to work for most Shelby County workers only
worsens everyday as we continue to send more in gas taxes to
Montgomery than we receive back in road projects. Bibb
County has several roads and schools that are in such
disrepair that they need our state government to show the
leadership necessary to fix this problem.
To say that this is an election season and not really the
politically correct time to tackle the tough issues facing
our state is just plain inexcusable. ‘Tis the season to try
and think big and act bold. |