It’s hard to believe that July is halfway over, and summer will be ending soon. Temperatures here in Southeast Alabama continue to reach nearly 100 degrees on any given day, but fall and cooler weather will be here before we know it. In less than a month, students across our district and state will begin […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The push for a socialist agenda is alive and well in Washington and it is causing major problems within the Democrat party. Members, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are offering ideas like the Green New Deal which would cost American taxpayers over $90 trillion over 10 years.

Since the very beginning of America’s foray into space, Huntsville has been the city behind some of the greatest technological advances the world has ever seen. From the Apollo program landing the first humans on the moon to present-day rocket technology that launches satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office, we have shown the world the […]

For Americans from coast to coast, Independence Day is a celebration of our nation’s birthday with friends and family. The day also offers an opportunity for reflection. In Washington, President Trump held a “Salute to America” celebration on the National Mall in honor of our troops. The patriotic spectacle, featuring military bands, aircraft flyovers and […]

Folks, don’t look now, but the 2020 presidential election is upon us. Indeed, as many as 21 Democratic aspirants are already announced and campaigning. They are quite a liberal group as you might expect. Leading the pack of Democrats trying to take Donald Trump out of the White House is an avowed, true socialist, Bernie […]

The 2019 legislative session was one of the most controversial yet productive sessions in memory. Governor Kay Ivey’s first Session of the Quadrennial was a roaring success. It’s hard to remember a governor getting everything they wanted since the George Wallace heydays. Wallace in his prime simply controlled the legislature. It was more like an […]

A shoe company has once again divided our nation. An iconic American brand, Nike, fell victim to the re-writing of history after briskly pulling a new line of USA-themed sneakers from shelves after harsh controversy arose over their patriotic design. The shoes, which displayed Betsy Ross’ flag, sparked outrage from critics, who reportedly denounced the […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As we celebrate Independence Day, I always like to reflect on how very blessed we are to live in America. The American flag is the symbol of our freedom – throughout wars, hard times, terrorist attacks – the flag is what gives us hope, inspiration and reminds us of the sacrifices made […]

Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, liberal or conservative, you have a right to have your voice heard in the halls of Congress. The 4.8 million Americans who live in Alabama have the same right to representation as 4.8 million Americans living in Southern California or the Texas Panhandle. But that right—the right […]

For months, Speaker Pelosi and my Democratic friends have denied a crisis on the border exists. Nothing to see here! But the American people, our border agents, video footage and even the liberal media insisted otherwise and called for action. The public pressure was immense.

I have always held a deep appreciation for the musicians, songwriters, television and film producers who work hard to create the music, songs, shows and movies people around the world know and love. At one point in my life, I even aspired to work in the Nashville music industry, which I ended up doing for […]

Zoning and land use regulation has largely choked off housing construction in many American cities. This is an unintended but predictable consequence of requiring government permission for building. Understanding why requires starting with the why of zoning. Some land uses interfere with the use and enjoyment of nearby property. These nuisances include noise, smells, vibrations, […]

Last week, the Supreme Court ruled on an important case with significant implications for the future of religious expression in our republic. The case, American Legion v. American Humanist Association, was brought by a nonprofit atheist organization seeking to remove an almost 100-year-old monument in Maryland’s Prince George’s County.

The state legislature gave Alabama’s public school teachers a 4 percent raise this year. Relaxing zoning and land use laws in America’s most productive cities could give us all a similar raise. Zoning illustrates the costs of a permission-based economy. How do land use regulations in New York or San Francisco affect America? Businesses with […]

In Congress, I consider it a tremendous privilege and responsibility to represent a district that is home to two of our country’s finest military installations – Fort Rucker down in the Wiregrass and Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery. Even beyond the Second District, Alabama as a whole has a significant military footprint, and we […]

Some of us who were former legislators, who served our counties in the legislature a long time, were considered by many to always be their legislator. A good many of my former constituents still call me with questions or problems. Some ask me how to get in touch with their congressman or senator about a […]

Father’s Day has come and gone, and sadly so too has the concept of fatherhood in many parts of Alabama. Nearly half of all babies born here are to unmarried women, according to the latest information from the Alabama Department of Public Health. This is a crisis. It is a crisis that researchers have shown […]

The New York Times recently published a very insightful article pointing out the political polarization among America’s state governments. We read that a full 29 state legislatures are dominated by Republicans. Democrats control 18. The Times pointed to a specific example of Illinois and Alabama to show the extreme contrast in social policy. In Illinois, […]

There is a lot going on in the metropolitan area west of Redstone Arsenal these days. An entirely new retail opportunity has entered the Huntsville market and provided citizens local access to products only available to us online previously. Welcome, Duluth Trading Company. The Rocket City will once again offer families access to minor league […]

Alabama has been in the news lately for recently passing the nation’s strongest anti-abortion law, but it also just enacted what is being hailed by one expert as “one of the most comprehensive and effective campus free-speech laws in the country” Last week Gov. Kay Ivey signed a law requiring the state’s public colleges and […]

Decades of bad immigration policies have undermined our laws and led to the worst conditions at our border we’ve ever seen. U.S. Border Patrol agents have apprehended a staggering 56,278 unaccompanied minors this fiscal year. The Department of Health & Human Services, tasked with housing the largest number of children in its history, had 13,200 […]

Millions of Americans fear answering their phone due to a plague of billions of robocalls. These calls have made a mockery of the national Do Not Call Registry and touch on several public policy questions. We had seemingly ended the problem of unwanted telemarketing calls. Congress authorized the Do Not Call Registry in 2003 after […]

On June 14th, 1777, our country’s flag was officially adopted by a resolution of the Second Continental Congress. Many years later, in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that established June 14th as Flag Day, and on August 3, 1949, this day of observance was officially established by an Act of Congress. Now, every […]

“Thank you for your service.” As the civilian aide to the secretary of the Army for Alabama (South), I am always grateful for these words, which I hear often in this community. What many people do not understand is that the United States Army is the one who is thankful.