This week begins a four part series of stories surrounding Alabama’s most legendary colorful governor, James E. “Big Jim” Folsom.

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 […]

A few weeks ago, congressional testimony was released detailing two Internal Revenue Service whistleblowers claiming Hunter Biden had been given preferential treatment by the Justice Department. Soon after this was made public, Speaker (Kevin) McCarthy raised the possibility of the House beginning an impeachment inquiry into Attorney General Merrick Garland for his role in the […]

The U.S. House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic will hold a hearing Tuesday on “Investigating the Proximal Origin of a Cover Up.” The recent Federal District Court injunction against government censorship of social media increases this hearing’s significance. The hearing will not decide if a leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) started […]

Alabamians may have felt their wallets bulge a bit last month when the Legislature approved our bill that slices the sales tax on groceries in half and implements the single largest tax cut in state history.  Alabama was one of only three states that taxed groceries at the full rate – South Dakota and Mississippi […]

Even though it is not an election year, the Alabama political pot is heating up and beginning to boil as the summer heat settles into the Heart of Dixie. The 2024 candidates for some open state judicial posts have been stirring around all year, and also candidates for next year’s local elections are gearing up […]

On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence, declaring independence from the hand of the oppressive British monarchy. Two days later, John Hancock, who was the President of Congress, sent letters to each colony and to General Washington announcing the Declaration. It was then read out loud to citizens in […]

To coincide with Independence Day, many foreign nationals will publicly renounce all loyalties to their country of origin, pledge their allegiance to the United States, and officially become U.S. citizens. Witnessing people from all walks of life and from every continent become citizens creates an infectious patriotism and offers a rare glimpse into the sacrifice […]

America celebrates 222 years of independence this July 4th. Our current political polarization makes many question whether Americans are still united in freedom. I think freedom is still widely embraced just two distinct visions. The leaders of America’s founding generation studied lessons from political theory and history concerning lost freedom. They were rooted in English […]

Every year, Americans – often youngsters – suffer serious eye injuries from fireworks on the Fourth of July. Young children lose their eyesight, changing the course of the rest of their lives due to lack of eye protection during this time of the year. Children and teenagers are nearly twice as likely to be injured […]

It likely won’t come as a shock to anyone who’s read the different articles in this series that politics plays a front-and-center role in my life.  Every single person I’ve interviewed for this series is, in one way or another, working directly in politics or wishing to do so in the future. This fact can […]

Every year, Congress is supposed to pass twelve appropriations bills to keep the government funded for the next fiscal year. These bills start off in one of the 12 Appropriations Subcommittees, head to the full committee, and then head to the House Floor. The Senate also has its own process, and eventually the House and […]

Economists debate whether typical Americans are better off now than 50 years ago. The debate concerns the reliability of the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The Cost of Thriving Index (COTI) from American Compass and Oren Cass think tank contends that middle class prosperity is becoming unaffordable for American families. Cass gained attention with the publication […]

The 2023 legislative session proved to be another successful and productive one for the Alabama Senate Republicans. We effectively utilized all 30 legislative working days with 340 bills filed in the Senate. We welcomed four newly elected Republican senators at the start of the year and passed key legislation that will continue to make Alabama […]

The transfer portal is changing college sports, particularly in combination with Name, Image, and Licensing (NIL) deals. The portal also illustrates the role of philosophies of life and work in our decisions. College athletes (and students) have long transferred. Previously players transferring from one Division I (or FBS) program to another had to sit out […]

A year ago this week, the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision in a landmark victory for the pro-life movement. The Supreme Court said in its decision: “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and […]

Sometimes overlooked and often unsung, Alabama’s community and technical colleges are on a roll. It is time they get the recognition they deserve as workhorses for the state’s economy. There are 24 community and technical colleges in the state, located on 50 campuses with more than 130 service locations. This means every Alabamian reading these […]