• From ABC News: “We’re calling it eminent domain through the back door,” said Christina Walsh, director of activism and coalitions for the Institute for Justice. In the last week has taken on the case in Montgomery through its grassroots anti-eminent domain organization, the Castle Coalition. “There’s stories of property owners who have court orders demanding their properties be left alone and they come in and demolish them.”
• Reason magazine: The focus there is on what Beito calls “eminent domain through the back door,” which has fallen especially heavily on low-income blacks. “Under this system,” [David] Beito writes, “Montgomery has demolished homes without the normal due process of conventional eminent domain–and often gives little notice. The city alleges that these homes are ‘blighted’ but…at least some are in excellent repair.” Rather than providing the just compensation required under the Fifth Amendment, the city “bills the owner for the cost of demolition and he or she is left with an essentially worthless property.”
• The Daily Caller: Consider Jimmy McCall. Jimmy was in the process of building from the ground-up a home for his family when he was notified it was slated for demolition. After one failed attempt to bulldoze the half-completed home, the city came back under this state law and got what they were fighting for: Jimmy’s would-be dream home was demolished, and he was stuck with the bill.
• Fox News (national): Mayor Todd Strange says he took office after McCall’s home was condemned and demolished. Without commenting on this specific case, Strange argues that the city is aggressively targeting properties that have been neglected.
• Fox News (local): Montgomery has condemned dozens of homes under its blight ordinance, often billing the owners for the cost of demolition. The city then markets the properties to private developers.
• Alphecca.com: Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange is a genuine piece of crap.

David Beito has more at the Independent Institute here and our own Stephen Gordon covers the issue here.

For those of you interested in the issue, the Castle Coalition will be conducting a training workshop on Saturday, August 28. Additional details are located here.

Powered by Twitter Tools.

“This year’s tea party will reflect the growing dissatisfaction that the average American feels toward our out of control government,” said Zan Green, Founder of the Rainy Day Patriots. “This is a venue for everyone, regardless of party or affiliation to engage in a true American Heritage, A Tea Party.”

This year’s tea party welcomes Chuck Heath, father of former Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, and Chuck Heath, Jr., Palin’s brother. The Heath’s are being sponsored by: Lee Davis of 101.1 WYDE,  the Stan Cooke for US Congress campaign and the Tim James for Governor campaign.

A list of featured speakers includes: FairTax spokesman Mike Frederick, Big Government…Poor Grandchildren author Durham Ellis, military strategist Lt. Col. Courtney Rodgers, Frederick Douglas Republians founder Keith Carl Smith, gubernatorial candidate Tim James, U.S. House candidate Stan Cooke, Commissioner of Agriculture Candidate Dale Peterson, US House candidate Michele Waller, State House candidate James Lee.

Local radio personalities Matt Murphy and Leland Whaley of 100.5 WAPI, Steve Shannon and Leah Brandon of 105.5 WERC, Michael Hart and Lee Davis of 101.1 WYDE (Davis will be airing his show live from the event)

The Rainy Day Patriots have grown to include four affiliate delegations in other counties in Alabama, with others forming. For interested persons who cannot attend the event, go to the organization’s website at www.rainydaypatriots.org for a list of affiliated tea parties around the state.

EVENT: Tax Day Tea Party April 15th, 2010 Veteran’s Park on Valleydale Road

SCHEDULE:

3:00 p.m. Open mic time for anyone to express his or her views

6:00 p.m. Featured speakers begin

9:00 p.m. Event concludes (Bring your lawn chairs, signs, picnic and enthusiasm)

Vendors will be on hand with a variety of display booths, including Full Moon BBQ.

Members of the Alabama Republican Liberty Caucus are helping to organize this Tea Party and will be participating in a variety of roles throughout the event.

Powered by Twitter Tools.

Over fifty organizations and thousands of individuals have signed on to a coalition letter urging legislators to move one of these bills “through both houses and to the people for a vote.”

On Tuesday, March 30, Senator Beason, Eagle Forum of Alabama Executive Director Brooklyn Burgess and Alabama Republican Liberty Caucus Media Director Stephen Gordon will be conducting a news conference on the State House stairs in Montgomery at 11:30 a.m.  Candidates for public office, representatives of state organizations, local and regional Tea Party leaders and members of the state legislature will also be on hand to field questions from the media immediately following the news conference.

Here’s footage from a recent press conference:

If you’d like to help support the legislation, you can also sign this letter to help promote the bill.

Powered by Twitter Tools.

• In 2010, at least 60 school districts will have to take out loans to meet payroll.
• With the economic downturn hammering sales and income tax collections, spending in the education budget will be $1.4 billion less than what was spent in 2008. The budget for 2010-2011 is estimated to allow for somewhere around $5.29 billion in total revenue.
• The cost of retirement benefits for all education personnel went from $300 million in 2004 to an estimated $780 million in 2010.
• Alabama drained its entire rainy day account of almost half a billion dollars to limit the effects of proration.
• In 2010 it will cost the State of Alabama $750 a month for each employee in education while the employee with single coverage will pay $2 toward this cost. Family coverage will be considerably higher as will the amount paid out by the employee.
• From 2005 to 2010 the state saw the cost of health insurance per education employee go from $6,996 to $9,024 per employee.
• Overall the cost of the entire health insurance benefits package for education employees will cost $960 million in 2010.
• Since 2006 Alabama has increased funding for K-12 initiatives like the reading and math initiative by $89 million.

“One thing that is quite evident from these numbers is that we must reform the pension and public health care system in the education budget,” wrote Mr. Ward.  “Every state is facing the same issue as Alabama when it comes to huge reductions in services and available revenue sources.”

Considering the state of Alabama’s projected economy over the next couple of years, perhaps it’s time for teachers to tighten their belts just like the rest of us are having to do.

Steve Gordon, an Alabama conservative activist who worked on former Rep. Bob Barr’s (R-Ga.) Libertarian presidential bid last year, tentatively attacked Griffith, using some of the same language as Burgess. “What seems to be a GOP victory at first may well become another liberal victory in the long term,” Gordon wrote in a post for the Alabama Republican Liberty Caucus. “Unless Parker Griffith starts voting like a true fiscal conservative, Alabama could be stuck with another entrenched big-government Republican congressman.”

The “Burgess” to which Weigel referred is Alabama Eagle Forum Executive Director Brooklyn Burgess:

Brooklyn Roberts, an Alabama conservative activist, told TWI that Griffith was falling into a familiar role — that of the “big-government” politician who changes parties without changing stripes.

“I’d expect him to become another [Alabama Sen.] Richard Shelby in terms of bringing pork home and spending,” said Burgess, referring to the senator who left the Democratic Party after the GOP’s 1994 sweep. “I think Griffith will hurt the conservatives who were running for this seat. If he wins I think he’ll become another big-government Republican we can’t get rid of.”

Michelle Malkin also picked up the quote, as well as one from Jeff Sessions, Les Phillip and Steve Boyette.

It’s nice to see the national media paying a bit of attention to the true conservatives in Alabama.