We are a long way from knowing what the grand tally for Alabama will be because of the coronavirus pandemic. It is sure to be a sizeable one from both a health and economic standpoint when it is all said and done.
Despite those unknown and “unexpected” elements about which many are concerned, State Sen. Gerald Allen (R-Tuscaloosa) urges Alabama to learn something from this ordeal.
Thursday, during an interview with WVNN, Allen discussed the different aspects of the toll COVID-19 has taken on the state, which he indicated offer a lesson that could be applied to potential future situations.
“This is something totally, totally new to all of us,” he said. “From the world stage to the White House to Montgomery — this is something we never have experienced before. Granted, I think we all have learned something from this to better prepare ourselves to get ready for something we did not anticipate. Like, Coach Bryant used to say, ‘Expect the unexpected.’ This is something that we have learned — on the path every week, we’ve learned something new and different. I think it is unfortunate that we had to do some things we had to do and to stop the commerce of the state is really damaging, actually — to the budget. You have the general fund, the ETF, the education trust fund. We don’t know how severely those are going to be impacted.”
“People like Senator Arthur Orr, who is our chairman in the senate on the ETF — he’s got to figure out some things to relay to us as members of the committee on how we make those adjustments,” Allen continued. “So this whole thing has really evolved in such a manner where we better indeed have learned something. That’s why it is so critical for us — it may be a good time for us to say, ‘Time out, what can we do now to reopen Alabama?’ For instance, like the big box stores. You know I’ve got a good friend of mine who owns a shirt shop in downtown Tuscaloosa. It’s affected every small business in Alabama — not only The Shirt Shop but every small business in Alabama. What will be the guidelines to help them open up and help them get back where they were and help their employees. Those shop owners and those men and women who invested their life savings — went to the bank and borrowed, opened the business and got those employees — they have children, they have needs, they have mortgages, they have things they have to take care of, school supplies, everything else.”
“So, it goes back to the fact — we better have learned something from this,” he added.
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly and host of Huntsville’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 2-5 p.m. on WVNN.
