Since the early days of then-candidate Donald Trump’s campaign for the presidency, it’s been clear that the political establishment and our justice system are using and abusing  every tool they have to harm him and try to destroy him. Whether or not you are a fan of President Trump, we can all agree that every […]

Economic development and job creation are always among the top priority for leaders and elected officials each year. Gov. Kay Ivey has consistently made this a focus of her administration, as she’s worked toward sparking Alabama’s economy and job creation efforts since before she took office. With the governor’s support and leadership, the Alabama Senate […]

Last month we leapt forward. We should never fall back again. Enough is enough. The idea of Daylight Saving Time was originally known as “War Time” and was introduced as a temporary measure to conserve energy and better use our resources during World War II. Now, nearly 100 years later, American energy consumption has rapidly […]

The House Energy and Commerce Committee grilled ByteDance CEO Show Zi Chew as Congress seeks to either force a sale of TikTok to a U.S. company or ban the app. Multiple factors are producing a coalition to ban something enjoyed by millions of Americans. One factor is social media’s alleged impact on anxiety and depression […]

Over the years, certain counties in Alabama have bred an inordinate number of governors and state political leaders. The three most prominent enclaves, historically, have been Tuscaloosa, Barbour and Cullman counties. In the earlier years of statehood, Tuscaloosa was the most heralded county. They have continued, intermittently, throughout the years. The most prominent senator in […]

Welcome to Elevating Young Voices, a series that provides a platform for the next generation of leaders to share their perspectives on issues in America today. Each individual represents the new face of what it means to be pro-Alabama. It is a surprise to no one that there is massive division in this country. We fight […]

Maybe I am simply more observant with age, but it seems American society is changing almost daily. And the changes I am noticing surface at the most unusual times. For example, my son and I traveled recently to take in a few college basketball games at the NCAA Tournament. And in each instance, I was […]

Alabama is blessed with countless natural resources, vibrant tourism, and internationally recognized automotive and aerospace industries, but most importantly, we are blessed with hard-working citizens. The state’s economy is stronger than at any other time in our history, and we have an abundance of long-lasting, good-paying jobs. But while our state has already achieved remarkable […]

Infrastructure is critical to almost every aspect of daily life. You can’t get to work without roads, you can’t light your home without access to electricity, and you can’t access running water without a clean, steady water supply. But there is one key form of infrastructure that many folks simply don’t have access to, even […]

Since Congress controls the federal government’s purse strings, one of our primary responsibilities is holding hearings and meetings with officials from the President’s administration so we can ensure they are doing their job properly and being good stewards of taxpayer dollars. Last week, two of my Appropriations subcommittees held hearings with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen […]

For all of my adult life, politicians in Montgomery have talked about the need to remove the state sales tax from groceries, but they always find excuse after excuse that prevents them from actually doing it. The potential loss of budget revenue, the false claims that replacement taxes must be passed, and the looming threat […]

Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) became the second largest bank failure in American history this month. How has the government responded and does this constitute a bailout? Washington gave all SVB depositors access to all their money. We have a system of government deposit insurance, administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), established after 9,000 […]

Alabama’s original 1901 Constitution had a law whereby the governor could only serve one four-year term and not succeed themselves.  In 1968, the law was changed and since then the governor and all other constitutional offices in the state can now serve two consecutive terms. This one term and you are done, made for a very interesting, […]

Walter Brooke told Dustin Hoffman in the 1967 film “The Graduate” that “there’s a great future in plastics.” Well, he wasn’t wrong. Plastics are in nearly everything we use today, from water-resistant clothes to electronics, medical devices, and packaging of all kinds. Plastics are incredibly versatile, and their makeup allows for a wide variety of […]

Alabama has made significant investments over the past five years to expand broadband access across the state, and as a result, we are making great progress toward bringing high-speed internet to unserved communities throughout Alabama. The governor and Legislature are focused on building upon this success. So, during the recent special session of the Legislature, […]

Gov. Kay Ivey has clearly established economic development as a top priority for her administration since her first day as Governor, and we’ve certainly seen the return on this investment. Alabama’s economy is strong, industries are thriving, jobs abound, and more businesses than ever want to locate and grow here. Alabama’s contributions to technology and […]

Parents have the right to make decisions for their children, especially when it comes to their education. Unfortunately, countless school districts have been ignoring input from parents while special interest groups try to influence the education of our children and negatively label involved parents. Thankfully, the House is expected to take action this week on […]

March 12 marked the fourth anniversary of Rebuild Alabama, possibly the most monumental legislation ever passed in Alabama’s history. Since its enactment, Rebuild Alabama has accounted for record investment across our state. Those investments are represented by 234 projects in all 67 counties, 400 miles of resurfaced roadways, and more than $170 million in state […]

When President Biden talks about “modernizing our military to safeguard stability and deter aggression” as he did in his State of the Union, it seems obvious to me that he is talking about making smart investments in our Armed Forces. When he spoke about building a middle-class powered economy “from the bottom up and the […]

Comments from U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have brought attention to the idea of a national divorce. A national divorce would enable the enactment of the economic agendas of the left and right and is worth thinking about. National dissolution has been broached via calls for secession following the 2012 and 2016 elections. Michael Anton […]

Growing up in North Alabama, I remember watching movie trailers with excitement. They always ended with a deep voice that said, “opening soon in select theaters near you.” As it turns out, those openings were never “near me” since my local theater was not one of those “select theaters.” Those movies always premiered in big […]

Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight. I have been involved in economic development for over two decades, both as a professional in the field and researcher in the academy. Based on my experience, I can guarantee that every day economic developers are competing, both at the state and local level, for jobs and investments […]

If you happen to be an owner of a Hyundai or Kia with a key-turn ignition manufactured between 2015-2019, you should stop reading this now and check your driveway because a wayward youth may have stolen your car. Now don’t jump to conclusions and blame the youthful offender – it’s not his fault – the […]

For more than two years, those of us who believe in the rule of law have been sounding the alarm about the disastrous impacts of President Biden’s open border. And for more than two years, these warnings have been ignored by the president and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. President Biden did a […]