7 Things: Superintendent Mackey confirms a ban on CRT will still allow history to be taught, Pelosi issues warning to U.S. Olympic athletes about China and more …

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February 4, 2022

7. Tuberville joins push for permanent daylight savings time

Every year, a group of lawmakers advocates to make daylight savings time permanent instead of having the time change in the fall. This year, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) has joined the effort for more daylight hours.
Tuberville said of the Sunshine Protection Act, “It’s time to give folks an hour of sunshine back in the winter months and permanently adopt daylight saving time. Centuries ago, a time change might have made sense, but it doesn’t today. I hope the Senate will pass the Sunshine Protection Act to modernize this outdated practice.”

6. Biden destroyed the energy supply in one year

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) has called out President Joe Biden’s handling of the energy supply in his one year in office. Tuberville’s criticism of Biden also comes after there was a cancelation of an 80-acre lease for oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico.
Tuberville said that it’s “just absolutely amazing how” Biden “can come in and, in one year, pretty much single-handedly on just the decisions has made destroyed our energy supply.” He added, “It can’t continue. If it does, it is going to put us not just in trouble in terms of economics…it is going to hurt us with national security.”

5. Biden vs. the U.S. Constitution continues

President Joe Biden has recently made comments about how the values and rights within the U.S. Constitution change with time, which comes as he’s set to select a U.S. Supreme Court nominee. Now, he’s commented on rights within the Constitution again, showing how little he values the rights given.
Biden spoke about background checks being required to purchase a firearm, and said, “There’s no violation of the Second Amendment right…There’s no amendment that’s absolute. When the amendment was passed it didn’t say anybody can own a gun, any kind of gun, and any kind of weapon. You couldn’t buy a cannon when this amendment was passed so there’s no reason why you should be able to buy certain assault weapons.” The claim that you couldn’t buy a cannon at the time of the Second Amendment being passed is false and has been debunked.

4. Bill to keep income tax from rising advances

The bill by State Senator Dan Roberts (R-Mountain Brook) that would prevent an $87.7 million increase in income tax for Alabama has been passed by the State Senate. The increase in income tax would be due to funds given to individuals through the American Rescue Plan Act.
The bill to block the increase was passed 31-0 in the Senate. In the Alabama House of Representatives, State Representative Jim Carns (R-Vestavia Hills) will sponsor the bill.

3. Collins: Keep delaying the Alabama Literacy Act

State Representative Terri Collins (R-Decatur) is now advocating for the Alabama Literacy Act to be delayed for another year. The Literacy Act requires that third-graders read at grade level before advancing to the fourth grade.
Collins’ bill would delay the Literacy Act until the 2022-2023 school year. The delay has been deemed necessary due to the number of students that would have to be held back. State Superintendent Eric Mackey said that about half of the current third graders would be unable to advance to the fourth grade.

2. It may be time to cancel the Olympics

As the Beijing Olympics are set to kick off, a new poll shows seven-in-10 Americans are not very happy about this year’s host country, citing China’s human rights record, COVID-19, the Chinese efforts to boost their standing in the world and suspected surveillance of foreign athletes at the games. In a shocking speech, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) warned American athletes against speaking out against China’s human rights abuses for fear of repercussions and suggested that China might retaliate if they did speak out.
Pelosi said that she has no idea how China will react if American athletes speak out. She advised, “I know there is a temptation on the part of some to speak out … I respect that, but I also worry about what the Chinese government might do.”

1. Claims that history can’t be taught if Critical Race Theory is banned is baseless

Black History Month has kicked off, and now Alabama State Superintendent Eric Mackey has made it known that some people don’t know the difference between Black History Month and Critical Race Theory (CRT). More importantly, CRT does not preclude the teaching about black history in any way, shape or form.
Mackey told members of the House Education Policy Committee, “There are people out there who don’t understand what CRT is. And so, in their misunderstanding of it, they make a report but it’s not actually CRT.” Mackey went on to add, “I have had two calls in the last week that they’re having a Black History Month program and they consider having a black history program CRT. Having a black history program is not CRT.”