Alabama GOP Chairman send a message back to Sen. Vivian Figures

Chairman Armistead says "We don't vote for our elected officials based on race."

Ala. Sen. Vivian Figures - D

The fuel between Sen. Vivian Figures of Mobile and the Alabama Republican Party has gotten a little hot between the two. State Republican Party Chairman Bill Armistead is calling on Democratic Sen. Vivian Davis Figures to apologize for remarks made Tuesday in which she said she believed racism has played a role in the rise to dominance of the

state GOP.

Sen.  Figures spoke to a crowd at Over the Mountain Democrats at a Homewood Library just outside of Birmingham. Sen. Figures stated that the election and subsequent re-election of President Barack Obama triggered a backlash by white Alabamians that allowed the state's Republican Party to capture overwhelming control of the Alabama Legislature in 2010 in addition to defeating the last Democrat to hold a statewide office that same year, Lucy Baxley, then president of the Alabama Public Service Commission.

Sen. Figures continue on with "It seems to me that once Obama was elected we started hearing the Republicans attack him on almost everything he tried to do, especially in health care," said Figures. "We started hearing Republicans in office and Republicans running for office attacking the federal government, charging the federal government had suddenly become intrusive in our lives, that it was overreaching into our places of business and into our homes. And with every charge they made they used Obama's name."

But here is what the fuel is all about "I think it's racism. At its core I just do," said Figures. The question I have is whether Sen. Figures were telling the truth. Well the answer is yes, I agree because Republicans came out like wild hogs on the loose in 2010, proclaiming their mission is to take it all back for the people; speaking to their core constituents. They used every issue on a national level to get what they wanted on a local level and to this day doing the same thing.  

AL GOP - Chairman Bill Armistead

Well Alabama Republican Party Chairman Bill Armistead believes the State Senator who is now the minority leader in the Senate owes them a apology. "Sen. Figures owes Alabama Republicans an apology for her offensive remarks accusing us of racism," said Armistead on Wednesday.  Chairman Armistead confirmed what Figures stated to the Over the Mountain Democrats.  "Alabama opposes the liberal policies being put in place by Obama's administration, especially the so-called Affordable Care Act. ” Armistead is referring to what they call OBAMACARE – yeah! Only majority of the conservatives and republican constituents opposes the legislation not the entire state.  

On Wednesday Alabama Republican Chairman Bill Armistead stated in his statement he released "We don't vote for our elected officials based on race, but based on their policies," said Armistead. Well Mr. GOP Chairman, the policies that liberals and Democrats represent are the policies that will help the average citizens, small businesses, education, healthcare for all, and reject special interest. It’s clear that Republicans don’t have the interest of the average citizens in mind, they only represent those that have and not needing and wants those that have not to continue to suffer and slave.  It’s clear that Republican don’t want to talk about race – period. They try and avoid it at all cost. 

Alabama Judge blocks sneaky school voucher bill from becoming law

A sneaky bill, a sneaky process! 

Montgomery Co. Circuit Judge Charles Price issued an order on yesterday halting a controversial school choice bill from becoming law by the sneaky works of the Alabama majority lead Republican legislature and being signed by Republican Governor Robert Bentley.

On today Judge Price upheld that order until a March 15 hearing. If the educators, school districts, and Alabama Education Association didn’t step in, the bill was headed for the Governor desk yesterday afternoon for his official signature regardless of what the people and taxpayers think.

The Alabama Education Association filed a lawsuit Monday night seeking to stop the legislation that would give parents zoned for "failing" schools an estimated $3,500 income tax credit to help pay for tuition at a private school or another public school. So far the AEA is on the right track and the Republican lead legislature is not.

The lawsuit filed by AEA claims that the Republican lead legislature violated the “Open Meetings Act” when the so called tax credit program was added to the original bill in conference committee and did not allow much discussion on the amendments to the original bill.   

The process and bill seems to be a sneaky process and smells funky.

Why would you take hard working taxpayers money away from public education, and pay for private tuitions? Republicans have always wanted this type of legislation and they are finally trying to have it their way, but in a sneaky way.

Republicans have come out against the lawsuit, because they know it exposes their wrong doings and non fairness. They also began to notice that a majority of the citizens, school districts, parents and educators are with the lawsuit to end this sneaky act by the sneaky lead Republicans. Governor Bentley himself who leads this state also approves of this sneaky act and its process by which it passed.

Parents of children zoned for failing schools could receive an income tax credit equal to 80 percent of the average annual state cost for attendance of a public K-12 student to offset the cost of private school or a transfer to another public school.  This is simply not accountability! According to the bill sponsor Rep. Chad Fincher, a Republican from Semmes, estimated that the tax credit would equal to about $3,500. He said it could be used by families at a failing school now and also used by families zoned for failing schools but who have their child enrolled in a private school already.

Already Rep. Fincher, really already? Is this another sneaky way to separate a certain group of kids from the others?

According to the lawsuit Republican members of the conference committee, Sens. Marsh and Gerald Dial and Fincher and Jay Love, "met amongst themselves" to discuss the bill during the recess to the conference committee meeting. How sad? The lawsuit also claims that the meeting of the four lawmakers during the recess was a violation of the state's Open Meetings Act.

The lawsuit doesn’t stop there. The lawsuit claims that the Republicans violated Rule 21, which requires that meetings be posted at least one hour before the meeting.

This is indeed a sneaky act by Republicans to push through a favoritism bill designed to help a certain group of communities or families. And use tax dollars to do so, how ridiculous can they be with this bill?

On March 15 we will see what Judge Charles Price do with this lawsuit. Hoping he will side with the taxpayers and educators.