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http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2016...river_home

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/08...iver_index

The case being referenced in these articles that's pending AL Supreme Court review, is John Rodgers lawsuit challenging how Jeffco's one cent sales tax was reauthorized. But the loophole he found could actually throw 600+ other local tax bills into chaos because the House has not been technically passing local bills in the correct manner for years.

Cam Ward (Senator from Alabaster) filled a bill to retroactively correct all of the local bill votes (which would nullify Rodgers lawsuit and free up the stadium funds) and it has passed the Senate. If I understand correctly, the House needs to vote on it today. For some reason it would be a constitutional amendment so it would go to a vote of the people, possibly at the same time as the lottery.

By no means do I think the legislature is trying to help the stadium project, but because the lawsuit has the potential to wreak havoc on every municipality in the state, I don't think it should have trouble passing the House or clearing the vote of the people because it will effect everyone in the state.

Hopefully this works and we can avoid a court hearing and get this on the general election ballot in November!

Mr. Rogers meets the law of unintended consequences

It would probably not be on the general election ballot but the same ballot as the special election ballot for the lottery.

(08-26-2016 12:26 PM)the_blazerman Wrote:  It would probably not be on the general election ballot but the same ballot as the special election ballot for the lottery.

You were saying.....

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/08...ery_b.html

(08-26-2016 05:34 PM)BamaScorpio69 Wrote:  

(08-26-2016 12:26 PM)the_blazerman Wrote:  It would probably not be on the general election ballot but the same ballot as the special election ballot for the lottery.

You were saying.....

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/08...ery_b.html

The House fluffed it up too much for the Senate's liking.

Bentley doing his "killing children by not passing this" act.

Bentley is hoping the memories are short of how he refused to expand medicaid and refused the offered federal money for Medicaid which did as much harm to poor children as today's vote on a lottery.

It is said that between 50% and 70% of Children's Hospital patients are Medicaid supported. What would be the state citizen's reaction if the Republican supermajority in Montgomery did there what the Republican Jeffco Commission did with Cooper Green Mercy Hospital by closing it to inpatient care.

It's on the ballot for November.

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/08...iver_index

Will it apply to the JeffCo tax issue or all but that since its be declared illegal?

(08-26-2016 10:35 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  Bentley is hoping the memories are short of how he refused to expand medicaid and refused the offered federal money for Medicaid which did as much harm to poor children as today's vote on a lottery.

It is said that between 50% and 70% of Children's Hospital patients are Medicaid supported. What would be the state citizen's reaction if the Republican supermajority in Montgomery did there what the Republican Jeffco Commission did with Cooper Green Mercy Hospital by closing it to inpatient care.

I actually think his refusing it was a good thing. Down the road we would have to pay a ton after the feds stopping paying for it.

it's his other actions that have me wishing for his dismissal.

(08-26-2016 10:35 PM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  It is said that between 50% and 70% of Children's Hospital patients are Medicaid supported. What would be the state citizen's reaction if the Republican supermajority in Montgomery did there what the Republican Jeffco Commission did with Cooper Green Mercy Hospital by closing it to inpatient care.

Very little.

There is an overwhelming feeling in this country that the system is rigged for a small elite. That's why our #FreeUAB message resonated so powerfully, because we could show a concrete example of what millions suspect is going on in many forms.

Trumpism, Bernie Sanders, the Tea Party, Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter - they all have way more in common than they want to admit. They have lost faith in the system and its leaders. They expect obscenities like the Pharma Bro and the EpiPen outrage and the closure of UAB football. They expect bailouts to turn into bonuses, and young men to be gunned down without consequence. They hide in their safe spaces or stroke their guns (which also have way more in common than the strokers or spacers would ever admit) and hope to wake up from their hopeless nightmare.

Football means little against all that, yet we won a huge victory here. We didn't get all we wanted, but we defeated a corrupt oligarchy. That doesn't happen very often, so rarely that our people simply expect to get screwed. So there would be very little reaction to what you describe.

We are the exception. We did the impossible. There is hope in this world. It's good to be a Blazer.

(08-27-2016 01:30 PM)WesternBlazer Wrote:  Will it apply to the JeffCo tax issue or all but that since its be declared illegal?

My understanding is it would apply to the Jeffco tax as well.

Is this article the same thing that is being mentioned?

If so, how should we vote & why should we vote that way?


http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/08...river_home

We vote to approve it, not just for the stadium money, but to prevent statewide chaos. This state does not have home rule. The various counties and cities have to go hat in hand to the state lege to get their proposals approved. The lege got sloppy on an arcane procedure that had to be done right for the laws to be legal. John Rogers spotted it and used that to try to force a redistribution of money from the dome tax, but there are something like 660 various laws and taxes that are affected. If this is voted down, all 660 will have to be passed again, and the various changes and taxes that have been in effect for years will be at best in doubt and at worst thrown out.

"Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!"

One sales tax in controversy is the Jeffco sales tax passed under Larry Langford to raise money for building new schools or renovating acceptable older ones. The present county leaders want to get their hands on as much of that money as possible for their own political purposes.

It is increasingly difficult to try to be a 21st century city / county under a 19th century state government. That is a contributing factor to Alabama being the only southern sunbelt state now projected to lose another seat in the Congress after the 2020 census. Since 1950 we have dropped from 9 to 7 and now perhaps to 6 while our fellow states are getting more (Texas projected to get 3 more). Is UAB's place at the federal grant trough numbered? Other better represented states might love to replace us.

Have more babies.

(08-28-2016 12:58 PM)the_blazerman Wrote:  Have more babies.

All that method has done in the past is provide more who grow up, become educated and leave the state for greater opportunities. The ones we keep tend to be the undereducated (dropouts, underskilled, etc.) who have few prospects elsewhere which is why our Medicaid rolls are growing exponentially.

Shelby County, one of the richest in this state, has 28,000 reported by the state on Medicaid. Imagine what the other counties would have if Medicaid had been accurately expanded.

BTW, The figure given for state contribution to Medicaid after the first three years was 10% with 90% from federal funds. That is the same ratio as we had for building the Interstate Highway System. That suggests that had the present state leadership been in control back then, Alabama would have no interstates today.

Does anyone know if this bill passed in the session so far. If it is not out of at least the house - the fight over the BP money could make a further hot mess of the legislature. The BJCC stadium may be postponed for a year or two The delay could be fatal to the fragile cooperation between suburban republicans and the two warring black groups

(08-31-2016 10:36 PM)uabbean Wrote:  Does anyone know if this bill passed in the session so far. If it is not out of at least the house - the fight over the BP money could make a further hot mess of the legislature. The BJCC stadium may be postponed for a year or two The delay could be fatal to the fragile cooperation between suburban republicans and the two warring black groups

It passed and will be on the Nov ballot.

The BP money is in the process of being thrown out for a third time. They are just wasting more money by fighting it and taking away from the park.

(08-31-2016 11:01 PM)hooverblazer Wrote:  

(08-31-2016 10:36 PM)uabbean Wrote:  Does anyone know if this bill passed in the session so far. If it is not out of at least the house - the fight over the BP money could make a further hot mess of the legislature. The BJCC stadium may be postponed for a year or two The delay could be fatal to the fragile cooperation between suburban republicans and the two warring black groups

It passed and will be on the Nov ballot.

The real trick is persuading the majority of the voting folks of Alabama to vote for ANY tax. I've seen county school districts ask for a 1/2 cent increase in property tax that would have made a world of difference to the tune of less than $100 a year for almost all of the property owners, and then seen the measure fail overwhelmingly because "them so called edjookaters need to live within their means and get by with what they already done got" . When it comes to taxes, voters frequently have a tendency to go against their own long term best interests.