Will Ainsworth Again Embarrasses Our State

How many important issues are facing our state? How is our legislature responding? Let's just say that unless you're terrified of plastic bag bans, your legislature hasn't attempted to do much for you this session. (Sen. Tim Melson and Rep. Andrew Sorrell excepted from that comment.)

Like a law so much that you want it on the books twice? This is the state for you! Are you a one-trick pony, but still want to wine and dine on the state's dime? Then you've come to the right place. 

That last comment is directed at Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth. During his short political career, he's made it abundantly clear that he opposes induced abortions. So do many of us, but we would prefer to see them eradicated by means other than brute force.

This week, Ainsworth gavelled in a motion not to exclude pregnancies resulting from rape or incest from a state anti-abortion law. As one of his critics stated, if the state is going to make a 12 year old girl carry her rapist's baby to term, then those who are forcing her to do so should be willing to put their names to the law. 

If Ainsworth has taken a stand on any pressing issues this state is facing, we're unaware of it. We are aware of the headlines his drunken inaugural bash made in both state and national news. Yet if he runs again, he will almost certainly be elected a second time. After all, he's a Republican. 

Republicans: Making Independents of intelligent Alabamians for the past ten years...

Ainsworth Explaining How He Drunkenly Stole a Tiger Head in College

Alternate Caption: Tiger Explaining How He Heroically Escorted a College Drunk Back to His Campus

An "Inspirational" Tale

From a reader:

I don’t know how familiar you are with that specific area (Inspiration Landing). Elkington says that he wants the city to improve the appearance of the surrounding space before construction begins. 

Here are some facts about West 20th and that little stretch of the river: 

1. The wastewater plant is there. Emphasis on “waste”. It isn’t going anywhere. 

2. Tennessee Valley Recycling is right there also. It’s a large scrap metal yard. I don’t foresee it going anywhere any time soon either. 

3. Marshland. The reason this particular section of the river has never been developed is because it frequently floods. 

Ian Sanford’s father bought a very large parcel of land after he returned from WWII. He developed most of it into Rivermont-beautiful tree-lined streets and nice homes. The lots that lie directly on the river-the ones that couldn’t really be used for anything-make up part of Inspiration Landing. Ian’s elderly mother still owns it, and I honestly don’t believe that the Sanford family has ever thought that anything would come of that land. It’s not exactly prime real estate. Pretty? Yes. Practical? No.

On the flip side, if Florence owns a park (McFarland) complete with breathtakingly beautiful tourism center that has a 100 year flood every 20 years, perhaps John Elkington thinks Sheffield will (and did) jump at a development where the property floods during any substantial rainfall. Or perhaps the Memphis developer simply didn't realize that was a problem until he'd already, ummm, stepped in it?

Architect's Illustration of Inspiration Landing Shopping Area

Meanwhile...at Constipation Landing

Five months after the erection of the Inspiration Landing sign:

A reader wrote this description of the photo: 

What will this gateway to the Promised Land look like a month from now after those weeds have soaked up the spring rain? Not a teaspoon of dirt has been disturbed.

Does anyone actually know where the City of Sheffield stands with the USDA loan? The property was to have been conveyed to John Elkington as soon as the loan was approved and work began on the new entrance way to the development. That announcement was made by city leaders at the same time the above sign was placed on the property last December.

Doesn't anyone in Sheffield want to know the status of this development five months later? Or do the citizens of the City on the Bluff not care how their tax dollars are spent?

Look on the Bright Side: Sheffield Can Keep Its Signature Potholes

All in the FaMily (or Incest is Best?)

From an astute observer:

Muscle Shoals - all in the FaMily or incest is best? That may be a better slogan for the school system that puts nepotism to a new level. Not only do we hear that Denise Woods has been changing the job description of a position to tailor it for her sister, but now we have also heard that positions are being created to open a spot for the fired Balentine’s step-son. 

Whatever happened to hiring the best person for the job? I guess for Brian Lindsey’s good-ole-boy run system that wouldn’t work. How many GOB’s does it take to RUIN a system? Well, just watch because Lindsey is going to show us all. 

How many times did he save Willingham’s job? Remember when Willingham was going to be fired from the middle school? Look how that turned out. He continued doing the same old same old. Teachers and the school counselor had to put up with Willingham sending lewd texts, being watched on the cameras, and being unfairly treated all because Lindsey wanted to keep it in the FaMily.

Maybe he should be the one to resign. They credit their school system for being the top in the state, but what the administrators don’t realize is that credit lies with the teachers, not them. These teachers could run a better school than all the administrators combined.

Positive Effects? Employees Can Complete Each Other's Sentences

Youthful Offender? Boggus - Yes; Johnson - No

Above is Ryan Tolliver Johnson. He was 19 in 2017 when he wrecked a UTV, killing one person and seriously injuring a second.

Above is Kathleen Emma Boggus. She was 16 in 2018 when she wrecked a passenger car, killing three people and seriously injuring one more.

Boggus was recently given youthful offender status for her criminal trial; Johnson was not. What were the differences? Below we'll compare the two in various areas. Boggus' data will appear first; Johnson's second.

Gender:

Female, Male

Age at time of Accident:

16, 19

Dead:

Three, One

Illegal Passengers:

Three, Three

Intoxicated:

No, Yes

Illegal Operating Area:

No, Yes (immediately before accident)

Unauthorized Vehicle Use:

No, Yes

Disregard for Passenger Safety Requests:

Yes, No (As far as is known)

Judge/Jurisdiction:

Self - Lauderdale County, Self - Lauderdale County

There you have the basics. Some readers have suggested shady goings on; however, there are enough differences in the two cases to present a very large gap in the degree of guilt each driver should shoulder. Does that mean we believe Judge Self made the correct ruling regarding Kate Boggus? All we can say is that we're glad we didn't have to make that decision ourselves.

In Order to Feel Remorse, One Must First Possess a Conscience

Florence High School: Still the Leader

After our blog on the U.S. News high school rankings for the state, we immediately heard from Florence City Schools Superintendent Jimmy Shaw. This was Dr. Shaw's statement:

Florence High School is not on the list because the data that has been pulled is from 2016-17. At that time, we were still under our innovation waiver for assessment. we were taking the Scantron Assessment at the time and our scores were not published for the accountability portal. This is not an excuse, it is just factual information as to why FHS is not on the list. The attachment shows that no one sends the information, but the information is taken by U.S. News from accountability sites directly.

Florence is extremely lucky to have a home-grown chief executive for its schools, as well as one with integrity. Are we prejudiced in this opinion? It's certainly possible, but we take this opportunity to salute Dr. Shaw for his contributions to our schools, our students, and our future.

Showing the Others How It's Done

Jim Zeigler Said What? Shame on You, Mr. Zeigler!

Our state auditor Jim Zeigler recently accused U.S. Senator Doug Jones of advocating for illegal aliens to vote. He later removed that comment, a comment which was patently untrue. 

What did Sen. Jones actually say? He said that we should follow the 14th Amendment, as the U.S. has in every past census since its passage, to count illegals in our population. Why has this become a hot button issue for the 2020 census?

Did you know that Alabama has the second highest death rate in the country? We were certainly surprised to discover that. It's not because of our smog (California) or our gangland wars (Illinois), so why does Alabama have such a high death rate? Please no answers involving KFC or Bluebell Ice Cream. Other thoughts welcome.

The problem this year concerns illegal immigration in California and Texas. In case anyone thinks our state has a huge influx of illegals, you might want to check out those two states. How does that affect us?

Since the number of congressional seats doesn't change, we can anticipate reapportionment that won't be favorable to this state. In 1950, our state had nine U.S. representatives; now we have seven. Let's be honest: It's looking very much like we will be downsized to only six after the 2020 census.

What is Alabama doing to recruit new industry and make our state more appealing to newcomers? The next time you hear of a legislator introducing such a valuable state bill as a ban on plastic bag bans, be sure to thank him!

Okaaaay! Now What about the Irish?