We will continue this week with the saga of Alabama’s most colorful governor, the legendary Big Jim Folsom. Jim Folsom Jr. shared a story about his father’s early political life. Big Jim always knew that he wanted to go into politics, so he jumped right in. His hometown of Elba in Coffee County was in […]

Not content with President Joe Biden’s ongoing efforts to erase the Second Amendment and make lawful gun ownership a rarity, fringe liberals within the administration are now implementing “bow control” policies by targeting and threatening schools that offer archery and hunting programs to students. Using flawed logic that only a socialist committed to spreading their […]

I have been a lifelong resident of St. Clair County, and I am honored to serve as our state senator. My goal is, and has always been, to ensure that our community continues to thrive.  As a promise to my constituents when I was first elected, I have always supported and advocated for programs that […]

As the summer sun continues to cast its warm glow over Montgomery, Ala., another significant event is quickly approaching: The City of Montgomery municipal election scheduled for Aug. 22. The upcoming municipal election presents a pivotal opportunity for every citizen to shape the future of our vibrant community. While state and national elections may capture […]

This week marks two years since President Biden’s botched and cowardly withdrawal from Afghanistan that resulted in 13 American servicemembers losing their lives to senseless violence. Months before the withdrawal, President Trump had started planning a peaceful, pragmatic withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of U.S. involvement, and most agreed it was time for the […]

Alabama recently received notification that we are in line to receive more than $1 billion in funding from the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. For years, Republicans in the Alabama Legislature have recognized the importance of providing broadband connectivity to our underserved areas. The need for high-speed internet has become increasingly urgent, with […]

We continue this week with our series of stories about Alabama’s most colorful governor, the legendary Big Jim Folsom. Big Jim was a true politician, and he was not above straddling the fence, but at least he was honest about it. When asked a tough question about a complex or difficult issue, Ol’ Big Jim […]

In previous columns, I and the people I’ve interviewed have attempted to stress the importance of creating healthy and productive ways to have conversations with those that don’t agree with our points of view. Whether that means trying to find common ground with one another, or even attempting to change a person’s mind and bring […]

College football illustrates many economic concepts. A dispute over the Atlantic Coast Conference’s (ACC) television deal illustrates one way we use contracts. The controversy also highlights the challenge of long-term deals in a rapidly changing economic landscape. The ACC contract runs through 2036 and pays the 14 conference members around $30 million per year, with […]

I’ve written twice in the last few months about the broken justice system that is unfairly targeting President Trump for exercising his First Amendment rights, while overlooking and distracting from Hunter Biden’s shady business dealings. Since then, the attacks on President Trump have gotten even worse, and we’ve continued finding out more about Joe Biden’s […]

We are continuing this week with our summer series on Big Jim Folsom – Alabama’s most colorful governor. Those of us who grew up in and around Alabama politics have coined a descriptive term for a person who is obsessed with seeking political office constantly and tirelessly without reservation or concern for their physical, mental […]

One hundred years ago, President Warren Harding died unexpectedly. Occupying the White House for a little more than 2 1/2 years, he was a popular president, having been elected with the largest margin of victory of any presidential candidate before or since. Following his death, several scandals, both public and private, tarnished his reputation and […]

“Nobody is taking away your gas stove.”  These words were tweeted by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in February. His rant was aimed at his Republican counterparts for making a ruckus over a Biden Administration official calling for nationwide gas stove bans.  In April, Schumer’s home state of New York became the first state to […]

Last Congress, the Democrats made it their top priority to radically transform our elections by taking election decisions away from the people and giving more power to bureaucrats. Their so-called For the People Act would utilize taxpayer money to fund campaigns, legalize ballot harvesting, weaponize the IRS for political gain, and automatically give felons the […]

Recent news stories detail incidents of squatting, or illegal occupation of a home. These rights violations plausibly reflect public discourse demonizing landlords, promoting rent control, and even proposing the abolition of rent. I have no statistics on squatting and so will not call this a crisis. The rights violations are problematic regardless of the proportion […]

This week begins a four part series of stories surrounding Alabama’s most legendary colorful governor, James E. “Big Jim” Folsom. Big Jim Folsom was the epitome of unbridled candidness. Late in his second term, he had been on a week-long trip to the Port City of Mobile with his buddies, but he had to come […]

Back to school season is upon us.  For some reason this season is special to me. School days were some of the best times during my growing up years. I never attended school for an academic pursuit. My sole purpose in school was what I choose to call “social enrichment.” But even those of us […]

America’s border crisis is out of control, and it’s impacting all of us whether we realize it or not. Since Joe Biden took office, there have been more than 6 million illegal encounters at our southern border, and that number continues increasing every single day. It’s not a mystery why the southern border is absolute […]

31  That is the number of months that have elapsed since Alabama was officially announced as the location for U.S. Space Command headquarters.  3  That is the number of independent studies conducted by the Department of Defense Inspector General and the Government Accounting Office that rate Huntsville’s Redstone Arsenal as the best place for U.S. […]

One of my favorite aspects of getting to write these stories is the opportunity I have to meet young people around this state.  Some of these people remain acquaintances and familiar faces, and some of the relationships I’ve cultivated have turned into close friendships.  Jared is one of those people I’ve developed a close friendship […]

Last November, the American people elected a Republican House Majority after two years of the Democrats’ failed agenda. I’m proud to say we have delivered already on so many of our promises, and we’re just six months into the Republican House Majority. One of our first promises was strengthening our economy and getting it back […]

All of us simply want to feel safe. Safe at home. Safe at work. Safe at school. Safe while driving. Safe while shopping. Safe while spending time with our family and friends. But how many of us who reside in Montgomery can honestly say we possess the sense of safety and security that is so […]

The recently completed regular session of the Alabama Legislature was a success. It began on a high note and ended positively. Why? There was plenty of money to spend. Both the General Fund Budget and the Education Budget had historic amounts of money. Most of the focus of the session was on budgeting, as it […]

June 6 marked the last day of the 2023 legislative session and the end of my first session as state senator in District 11. I realized from the beginning that this session would be a valuable learning experience. Despite being new to the Senate, I believed that I could have a meaningful impact on the […]