A 2019 California law reclassified drivers for ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft as employees instead of contractors. California voters overturned this law via referendum in November 2020. Congress is now considering imposing similar definitions on the entire country. At issue is the classification of workers as either employees or as independent contractors. Economists focus on […]

The Alabama Department of Public Health reports that over 18,000 health care workers have contracted COVID 19 serving the people of our state. We do not know how many of these individuals have died from the disease as a result of their service. The aftermath of the COVID 19 epidemic on Alabama’s health care workers […]

Most people know that Alabama’s defense industry is a key driver of the state’s economy and major employer of Alabamians across the state. What can be less apparent is the impact that federal and state politics and polices have on the defense sector. With U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), the top Republican on the powerful […]

Electric Vehicles (EVs) have emerged as one of the fastest-growing technology solutions in the field of transportation. While that statement may be surprising, more than 40 different EV models can currently be purchased in the U.S., and that number is expected to more than double by 2022. Through July 2020, more than 1.5 million plug-in vehicles have been […]

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. According to the Alabama Department of Human Resources, more than 28,000 incidents of child abuse and neglect are reported each year. Providing Alabama’s children with the adequate care and protection they deserve is what we are called as a community to do. It’s critical that we create a […]

Liberal advocacy groups have been working hard to lobby members of the Alabama Legislature to push bills this session that will weaken the criminal justice system and put more felons on the streets. Many of their friends in the media are repeating these one-sided arguments. If that occurs, the losers would be crime victims. So […]

Last month, House Democrats rammed through two pieces of sweeping gun control legislation: H.R. 8 – Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 and H.R. 1446 – Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021. I voted against these unconstitutional attempts to strip away the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. These pieces of legislation would effectively give […]

For the last few decades, our state has proudly led both the southeast and the nation in economic development, industrial recruitment and job creation, and closets at the Alabama Department of Commerce are overflowing with awards recognizing our successes and shovels commemorating groundbreakings. Even today, as the U.S. continues to struggle with the economic fallout […]

With the approaching retirement of U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), along with several new faces in Alabama’s congressional delegation, the state’s defense industry and leaders are rightly concerned about the flow of federal dollars running dry in the coming years. However, with a little under two years left of Shelby’s term and the remainder of […]

The Biden administration seems intent on renewing the war against fossil fuels to combat global warming. Before going down this path, I hope Americans will consider Alex Epstein’s argument in The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels. A moral argument requires a standard of value, and Mr. Epstein’s is human life. As he explains, “I think […]

As President Biden prepares this week to sign a number of sweeping and unconstitutional gun control executive orders and announces his appointment of a committed anti-gun activist to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, it is the proper time to reflect upon the past and ongoing efforts that Alabama House Republicans have taken […]

What is a conscience? It can be tough to use words to define something that we all know and in our hearts, understand. However, right now, here in the United States, it’s important that we talk about conscience. Our conscience is the inner voice that tells us if something is right or wrong. It allows […]

As the principal of Cordova Elementary School, I know how access to high-speed internet is critical for educating our students. I’ve seen first-hand how inadequate internet service hinders our children as we work to prepare them to thrive in the 21st-century world that we live in and, to be totally honest, I am worried about […]

It is no secret that Alabama contributes heavily to the U.S. national defense. From rocket manufacturing facilities and Redstone Arsenal in North Alabama to the shipbuilders and Coast Guard base on the Gulf Coast, Alabama is key to the military, intelligence community, law enforcement and space sectors. What many may not know is how reliant […]

In February of 2020, Janiyah Davis, a fourth-grader from Philadelphia, walked through the doors of the U.S. Capitol Building and into the House Gallery. Along with her mother, they sat down on the second row. “No parent should be forced to send their child to a failing government school,” President Trump argued from the speaker’s […]

Since taking the reins of power in the D.C. swamp earlier this year, socialist Democrats have eagerly taken to the tasks of destroying our economy, erasing our borders and wielding the threat of cancel culture correctness like a blunt force bludgeon. But perhaps the policy initiative that carries the most potential for lasting and long-term […]

West Coast cities have passed “Hero Pay” ordinances increasing grocery store workers’ pay by up to $5 per hour. Numerous stores have closed in response, putting the heroes out of a job. Such poor economic policies produce avoidable harm. Cities passing “Hero Pay” ordinances include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland and Seattle. The laws apply […]

There has been much debate lately about how we name public buildings and whether we should remove some names because of long ago actions that no longer conform to contemporary societal practices. Public buildings are always tricky to name as evidenced by the fact that just a couple of years ago, the University of Alabama […]

Would you allow someone who is not a medical doctor or trained surgeon to operate on your heart, kidneys or lungs? Of course you wouldn’t. Yet some Alabama legislators are trying to change the law to allow people who are not medical doctors or trained surgeons to operate on your eyes. It sounds like a […]

When the pandemic reached Alabama a year ago last month, a lot of businesses and schools and office workers simply moved online. It wasn’t always perfect – “You’re on mute” – but having a good internet connection let a lot of businesses avoid closing. It allowed our children to keep learning and a lot of […]

Alabama is the best place to live, work and raise a family. This is why I am proud to be born and raised in Alabama, and it’s why I chose to raise my family here. Unfortunately, out of state liberals, including AOC, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have recently been hard at work trying to […]

For the past 15 years, Alabama has benefitted significantly from revenues received through the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (GOMESA). The GOMESA program sets aside 37.5% of federal royalties from new Gulf oil and natural gas drilling leases for the four Gulf oil-producing states – Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The funds […]

Inequality is one of America’s most contentious issues. According to a popular narrative, higher taxes on the rich are needed to control growing inequality. New research from the Johnson Center offers a different perspective. My colleagues G.P. Manish and Steve Miller have edited a new book titled “Capitalism and Inequality: The Role of State and […]

MONTGOMERY, AL  – World Water Day is March 22. In the context of today’s news, speaking about clean water and public health is more topical than usual, and today’s example is encouraging. At the turn of the previous century, the time of my grandfather’s birth only 124 years ago, most people got their water from […]