President Joe Biden is a gaffe machine. He said so himself. More often than not, he’ll say the wrong thing, the right thing the wrong way or simply let his thoughts trail off and not even finish the sentence. Usually, these misspeaks and verbal fumbles make great comedy, except now we aren’t the only ones […]

Washington borrowed $4 trillion in 2021 and national debt as a percentage of GDP is higher than at the end of World War II. And the Biden administration is proposing spending trillions on infrastructure and families bills. Are our politicians bankrupting America? Economists Jason Furman and Lawrence Summers argue no. These prominent economists – Summers […]

With the passage of the Connect Alabama Act, the Alabama Legislature has effectively made the single most important investment in positioning Alabama to succeed in the 21st century. The Act will assist in expanding affordable, high-speed broadband internet access across the state to the benefit of all Alabamians. Serving as executive director of the Economic […]

Recently, North Carolina became the seventh state in the country to ban the teaching of Critical Race Theory, following in the footsteps of states such as Idaho, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona and Arkansas. Opponents have described Critical Race Theory as racist, divisive and left-wing ideology masqueraded as so-called education. And truth be told, those opponents […]

Several colleagues and I visited the U.S.-Mexico border to see firsthand the situation at the border. For many months, I’ve seen and heard countless reports about how bad the situation is, but I did not even come close to realizing the full extent of the crisis until I saw it with my own eyes. On […]

Occupational licensing involves government-imposed requirements for practitioners in different professions, or what critics call government permission slips to work. Despite a lack of evidence of benefits to consumers, licensing has been proliferating across Alabama and America, with the percentage of workers covered rising from 5% to over 20%. A new report from the Alabama Policy […]

MONTGOMERY, AL – This is National Drinking Water Week, a week in which we highlight the essential role of drinking water in our society and economy. Given the pandemic we have experienced and are rapidly overcoming, the reliability of our public water supply is probably more appreciated than in years past. But how did we […]

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on education are unparalleled in American history. Projected learning loss, particularly for our most at-risk students, may be irreversible if we do not maximize the utility of each dollar Alabama receives for the pandemic recovery. Alabama’s students are already near last on the National Assessment on Educational Progress (NAEP), […]

Alabama is blessed with many natural resources. Water is one of the most important because it is so vital to Alabama’s environment, economy, recreation, biodiversity and quality of life. In fact, Alabama has 132,000 miles of rivers and streams as well as large groundwater supplies available for our personal use and recreational enjoyment, for keeping […]

The Alabama Legislature on Thursday gave its final approval to legislation that would allow wineries anywhere in the country to ship limited quantities of wine directly to Alabama consumers. The bill, HB437, will become law if signed by Gov. Kay Ivey. This follows a bill, SB126, passed earlier by the Legislature and signed into law […]

Despite the best efforts of parents and educators across our state, over the past year, social isolation, hunger and lost instructional time have hit our students hard. According to VOICES for Alabama’s Children, Alabama ranks 47th in the nation for child well-being and the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the challenges faced by children and families.  As […]

A bipartisan bill in Washington could bring a welcome influx of cash and resources to South Alabama’s shipbuilding industry. Senators and representatives from Mississippi, Virginia, Maine, New Hampshire and Wisconsin have introduced the Supplying Help to Infrastructure in Ports, Yards, and America’s Repair Docks (SHIPYARD) Act, which would appropriate $25 billion toward shipyard infrastructure improvements […]

When President Biden ran for office, he promised to work in a bipartisan manner for the betterment of all Americans. In an attempt to build goodwill, several colleagues and I sent President Biden a letter on his first day in office letting him know we would like a seat at the table on specific issues […]

In President Biden’s first address to Congress Wednesday night, he talked about showing that American government can work. He believes that only government can lead the way and only government can solve our big problems. (A far cry from when President Reagan told us the truth, that government isn’t the answer to our problems, it […]

Like Jason from the Friday the 13th movies, the proposed lottery for Alabama is back from the dead. By the time you read this, however, Alabama’s Jason might have been killed again. If so, I suspect he will return for another sequel soon. A bill allowing a lottery, casinos and sports betting failed in March […]

Four centuries ago, the pilgrims left the only homes they had ever known, braving the journey across the Atlantic and establishing a colony in the new and unknown world. This venture would cost many of them their lives, but it was a price they were willing to pay. What would compel these people to take […]

Foreign investment in Alabama is not a bad thing. In fact, it should be encouraged under the right circumstances. However, as state leaders consider solicitations from foreign countries to bring business to Alabama, particularly from China, they should be vigilant and consider the long-term impacts it could have on America’s national security and Alabama businesses. […]

For the last few years, police officers around the country have been retiring or quitting their jobs in record numbers. The New York Police Department alone had 5,300 uniformed officers retire or quit in 2020, which is 15% of the total number of officers on their entire force. This is nearly double the rate who […]

MONTGOMERY, AL — I was in fifth grade on the first Earth Day. There was an abandoned earth mover in the woods near my elementary school, and Mrs. Fields’ social studies class painted it with bright colors to improve our visual environment. It was 1970, Richard Nixon was President, and later that year he would […]

Not every virtual school is the same. The opportunity to lead students is a privilege that all educators and school districts must uphold. We cannot group every school that is maintaining this trust with the bad actors that damage the reputation of all virtual schools. Just as there isn’t a one-size-fits-all model that works for […]

Gasoline prices are on the rise again and this comes as no surprise to American motorists who, until recently, have only been able to select from several electric vehicle models to reduces their gasoline dependence and forget about wildly fluctuating prices at the pump. As you being to think about the next vehicle you may […]

Recruiting, training and empowering a highly skilled workforce driven by business and industry needs is giving Alabama a competitive edge for economic growth. We see the results of this sound strategy throughout the state. As Governor Kay Ivey recently announced, Alabama’s economic development activity in 2020 generated approximately $5 billion in new investments and nearly […]

When great powers stump their toe on foreign policy, the initial pain, though slight, often causes loss of focus, a stumble and sometimes a more serious accident. Sixty years ago, the United States sponsored an unsuccessful invasion of Cuba, and the colossal failure ultimately damaged our nation’s reputation, emboldened our enemies, worried our allies, and […]

Democrats have been struggling to force their radical agenda through Congress, so now they are trying to pack the Supreme Court by adding 4 additional justices. House Democrats, led by Jerry Nadler, unveiled the Judiciary act of 2021 last week, which would ultimately expand the Supreme Court from 9 to 13 justices. After the confirmation […]