America is in a moral free fall. Some would even surmise that the end of this great country is near. But, is it true? Are we truly in a state of moral decline?

To Alabama’s students and families: welcome back to school! September rings in a new school year for our state’s over 821,000 school-age population. Families are back into their routines—setting early alarms, packing lunches, riding the bus, waiting in the car line, attending pep rallies and after-school sports, and so much more. The majority of my professional career […]

I’ve said it from the beginning—illegal immigration is going to infiltrate our small towns and communities. The clear destruction of our border by the Biden-Harris Administration has done Americans no good. Heinous crimes, gang violence, and drug trafficking have only risen since the Democrat Party took control in January 2021. Now, the people and local […]

As Chairman of the Board for the Alabama Trucking Association, I ask all Alabamians to join me in recognizing the incredible contributions of our industry’s most valuable players: Professional truck drivers. This week, as America’s trucking industry observes National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (Sept. 15-21, 2024), it is important to highlight the vital role these […]

Twenty-three years ago, our nation suffered one of the most tragic events ever to occur—the attacks on September 11, 2001.  Terrorists crashed planes into the Twin Towers in New York City, the Pentagon, and nearly the United States Capitol. Lives were lost, families were broken, and our nation was hurting. The War on Terror broke […]

Home ownership, a core component of the American Dream, appears increasingly out of reach for many. Much of the concern involves affordability, driven partly by high mortgage interest rates. But corporations own an increasing number of homes which are available only for rent. Are Americans becoming captive renters? I have some statistics on corporate ownership […]

Huntsville’s economy – and, therefore, much of North Alabama – has long been tied to federal government institutions, especially major facilities of the US Army, NASA, and most recently the FBI. Those are wonderful assets for the region that should always be highly prized, but North Alabama must also pursue other avenues for job growth, […]

In the summer of 2013, I had the opportunity to intern in the Office of Mayor Tommy Battle. Like many interns, I found myself tasked with a variety of “other duties as assigned,” one of which was standing along Memorial Parkway during press conferences promoting Mayor Battle’s Restore Our Roads initiative—a major infrastructure project aimed […]

On December 16th, 1978, in Taipei, two young families huddled around the television and watched with fear and trepidation as President Jimmy Carter announced to the world from the Oval Office in Washington, D.C., that starting on January 1st, 1979, the United States would establish diplomatic relations with Beijing’s government in China. Widespread angst began […]

Alabama’s leaders have made broadband access a top priority, and together, we have invested significant resources to achieve this goal.  The early efforts of former Senator Clay Scofield and Representative Randall Shedd established the Alabama Digital Expansion Authority. Alabama’s investment in our Broadband Accessibility Grant Program helped us understand the intricacies of identifying truly unserved […]

The October 7th attacks on Israel by Hamas killed over 1,100 people and are continually causing damage globally. These attacks spurred antisemitic protests on our college campuses and other antisemitic, targeted incidents across the United States. I cannot be clearer in saying that there is absolutely no room in our nation for pro-Hamas rhetoric and […]

The new twelve-team College Football Playoff (CFP) has colleges seeing dollar signs. But will the increased revenue prove sustainable, and will the best team now win? All top teams should land playoff spots, and if no team with a good chance of winning gets excluded, the best team should be determined on the field. However, […]

The US Constitution was approved in September of 1787, ratified in 1788 and implemented in 1789. While there have always been debates about its meaning, as we celebrate its birthday this month, considering some foundational ideas on which it was based seems in order. “Experience must be our only guide. Reason might mislead us.” So […]

Alabama has one of the nation’s most diverse and resilient economies. What we have been able to accomplish in the agriculture, automotive and aviation industries commands the world’s attention of our state’s workforce and quality of life. The construction, forestry, healthcare and transportation industries are among reasons companies choose to do business here. Yet, for […]

As we prepare for Labor Day this coming Monday, it reminds me how labor union laden Alabama was during the immediate post World War II era in our state’s industrial development. Alabama experienced the wrenching throes of the Great Depression like the rest of the nation. There were tragic stories of devastation that paralleled those […]

We are all-too familiar with federal spending of our tax dollars that can be unnecessary and wasteful. There are basic areas of federal spending that are constitutional and necessary – defense, border security, the court system, highways, and disaster relief. Sometimes these types of necessary funding need to be increased. One area of spending that […]

In recent years, a growing debate has emerged regarding whether our country was founded as a republic or a democracy. When asked about the form of government our Founding Fathers envisioned for our nation, Benjamin Franklin famously replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” But what exactly is the difference between these two forms […]

During their three and a half years in the White House, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have consistently made the world a less safe place. Their time in office has only produced chaos on the global stage, and the safety and security of our southern border is utterly nonexistent. They have absolutely failed as leaders […]

The Harris campaign’s economic plan includes a national law against price gouging and excessive profits in the grocery industry. Are grocery stores gouging consumers and can price controls prevent inflation? Attributing inflation to a sector or corporate greed is dubious. As the great economist Milton Friedman observed, “Inflation is everywhere and always a monetary phenomenon.” […]

I talked with her lately and she told me, good-naturedly, about her “divided” family. “I’m Episcopalian, and I married a Pentecostal,” she said. There’s nothing wrong with this. I’ve known several “divided” families who made it work. I think the main thing to consider is the children, whether they’re in dad’s church or mom’s church. […]

Over the years, it has occurred to me that the real governing in our state, and more than likely in every state for that matter, is done by the mayors. We have a reservoir of the best people in our state who are mayors. The mayor of a city is the chief cook and bottle […]

I have spent my entire career fighting government dysfunction, but I’ve never seen dysfunction worse than the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission. The AMCC is the poster child for everything that Alabama Republicans dislike about government—waste, inefficiency, secrecy, and an absolute lack of accountability.   It is clear by now that the AMCC is either unable or […]

Two years ago, Vice President Kamala Harris was the deciding vote to pass the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). This bill is flooded with Far-Left policies and spending, which have only hurt Americans. The Biden-Harris Administration increased our national deficit significantly, recklessly spent taxpayer dollars through the redistribution of money from Medicare to woke, so-called green […]

Country music fans from across the nation and even some foreign countries will gather in Montgomery on September 14 to pay tribute to the 101st birthday of singer and songwriter Hank Williams with a graveside memorial service and a gala concert at the Davis Theater. It is an annual pilgrimage that many fans make year […]