And the Readers Say...

On Tom Smith leaving the TD:

I was told Tom Smith is now manager of the Lauderdale County solid waste Department. Hope he is better at managing garbage than putting it out. Puppet for Dewey Mitchell and may be how he got the county position. I noticed too at the commission meeting that George Grayban is still Emergency Management manager. I asked George on numerous occasions about the emergency management plan for the county. An outside agency was writing the plan for him and he had no details. No commissioner knows what they are to do if we have a major disaster. Sorry, we have an inept crew running the county.


On Paradise Drive:

Danny Pettus came down and he is going to have the road department take off some of the dirt on a couple of blind corners. If the band aid approach works then they will do some more corners and possibly take off some dirt on the blind hills. Danny is the only one to show an interest in trying something. Fay Parker lives in Waterloo and has done nothing. It took 10 years to get the 1981 resolution removed that prevented the county engineer from doing anything but passable maintenance to the road. (Removed last year). Joe Hackworth always defers to Fay, saying “ I will vote with Fay or support Fay” but again does nothing on his own. Danny Pettus taking some action is the best we gotten from the county.  I do not know if you remember, but the county stopped Rodney Walker from widening the road in 2009. It took them 2 weeks to even know he was working on the road. The county filed a cease and desist order against him. That is the only reason the road is 2 lane in areas is because of Rodney. The reporters that came out from the Times Daily were amazed the county had a road in this bad condition. Tom Smith had covered the road previously and Dewey Mitchell told him what to do, 


On the Ag Center/Drug Testing:

I’d rather they drug test the state legislators and lobbyists along with the members of the state executive branch. It might make a real change in Montgomery. I wonder how many people who attended the Lieutenant Governor’s party could have passed a drug test the next day? Also wondering how the Ag Center can be west of Faith Church and east of Shoal Creek?


On the Salvation Army Church (Salvationists):

Keep at them. More than one has written the FRRF about giving money to this church. And this isn't the first time the city has given money to the SA. Yet the bastards are tax exempt. We sure aren't, are we? When can we Presbyterians expect our forty thou?

Plans for the Ag-Center - Part II

Yesterday we published Uncle Zack's take on a possible use/purpose for the new Ag-Center. After reading the submitted blog, we asked Zack about his comments concerning Tim Melson and Lynn Greer. As for Greer, we've always felt most pro-gun legislation is basically grandstanding. As for Sen. Melson's Christian education, this would seem (at least to us) to mean he would be much less likely to become involved with a voodoo-hoodoo holy roller sect. Uncle Zack has answered, at least partially, and we're publishing his addenda below:

Does anything think a multi-purpose arena with the same seating capacity as the Von Braun Center will go over between Florence and Killen? Any one person at all? Why are members of the Ag Authority so sure of themselves? 

Faith Church is the leading non denominational church in the Shoals. It has been for many years. Other churches (Epic) have tried, but failed to compete. Now the Church of the Highlands is taking members from other congregations every week. They are filling the Shoals Conference Center (also built with 2% gas tax money) at multi services every Sunday. 

I do not know this for a fact but I have a strong suspicion that the Ag Center will become the new worship center for that church. Don't you always build closest to your competition? 

Will Melson's new bill allow the vocational school to prepare students who want to become vocational ministers?  

I believe that if the Ag Center is deemed unfeasible all of the gas tax money should go directly to our schools. Can you imagine what $80,000 a month would do? Every school in Lauderdale County is in need, or will be soon. Lauderdale County High School for example is over 100 year old. Ask the janitor of that school what kind of problems they have. Our state legislators and senators should tour every building at every school. Not just for a photo op to hand over a check for a new piece of equipment. Take a good look sirs and you will see our schools are crumbling down. They think the Ag Center will bring in new businesses, and those businesses will pay new taxes into our school system. We do not have that kind of time! Skip the middle man and give our schools our money. NOW!


Uncle Zack

Plans for the Ag Center - Part I

A reader who previously sent us some very astute comments on the proposed Ag Center has some new takes on this situation. We're publishing below unedited. After reading his blog, we asked him to elaborate on a few points. We'll be publishing his addenda tomorrow, but with some questions still unanswered. We welcome comments...

As we get closer to the next Legislative Session many area citizens are holding out hope for answers surrounding the new Lauderdale County Ag-Center and school campus.

Members of the Lauderdale County Ag Authority are confident of the 10,000 seat Ag Center despite the fact that a feasibility study has not been completed. 

The new Ag Center and Lauderdale County school campus will be located west of Faith Church and east of Shoal Creek. Faith Church, a nondenominational church, averages over 2,000 in attendance per week.

The Shoals Church of the Highland averaged almost 800 attendees per week in 2017. The fast and growing new congregation currently meets in the Marriott Shoals Conference Center.

The Chairman of the Ag Authority Senator Tim Melson is a 1976 Mars Hill Bible School graduate.  Senator Melson has pre filed a bill for this next session to allow Bible classes to be taught in all public schools. Rep. Lynn Greer is expected to again introduce his bill which is a revision to the "Stand Your Ground" law. If passed the "Church Security Bill" would give immunity to the person who shoots someone in defense of a church member.

Questions were not received from the public at the most recent Ag Board meeting, at the request of the boards new lawyer Tammy Irons. The audience was cleared as the board entered into an executive session.

One question is will the Ag Center look less like a rodeo arena and more like a church edifice? Blueprints of the Ag Center and surrounding buildings have never released. Also, It was reported that the Ag Authority will bring in $80,000 per month from the 2% gas tax. If the Ag Center is deemed unfeasible will the board agree to give the money to our schools? 

Every school in Lauderdale County is in need, or will soon be. Please give the 2% gas tax money to our schools. If you will we all will rejoice!

Uncle Zack

Will Ainsworth's Pay to Play Inauguration Party

We didn't endorse Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth; nor did we vote for him. If you did, you may have just missed a great chance to party with this embarrassment to our state. By paying anywhere from $250.00 to $15,000.00, you could have received an official invitation to his inaugural party at something called Top Golf in Birmingham. The booze flowed freely and lobbyists mingled with those who could best help them in the next four years.

Legal? Apparently so. Inauguration funding is not subject to ethics laws as long as it goes toward something connected to the inauguration. In other words, elected officials can't purchase a Roomba for their Montgomery digs from this fund, but can hire strippers for their inauguration parties. Welcome to Alabama. 

For the readers who asked about the City of Florence donating almost $40,000.00 to the Salvation Army Church, we do understand that there will be no new construction at the church. There will be renovations and almost certainly new equipment for which the taxpayers of Florence will have paid. This isn't counting the state grant that every Alabama citizen will have contributed to. Nice little scam, isn't it?

We're waiting for the city to donate an equal amount to the Baptists, Methodists, etc. in order to be perfectly fair. Think we should hold our breaths? 

Whom should we thank for this unconstitutional debacle in the Renaissance City? He seems to be taking most of the credit:

Do You Want Your Tax Dollars to Go to Specific Churches?

Below is an article concerning the legality of giving state funds to a church daycare. Read it and then comment on the situation, if you so desire:

State Funds to Resurface Playground?

Did you know that it's against the law for a church to set up donation centers at federal buildings? How do you feel about that? We would love to hear from the public on that issue.

So how do you feel about a local city donating to a specific church project? Shall we all get our popcorn and wait for the Freedom From Religion Foundation to step in?

Stay tuned, we'll be sure to have more later!

How Much Is Proposed State Gasoline Tax Addition?

We've been reading several figures concerning an increase in the state gasoline tax, but apparently nothing is set in stone. What is it now?

For 25 years, the gasoline tax has been .18 per gallon. Two years ago, a bill failed to pass that would have raised the tax by .09 over a seven year period ending in 2024. 

Now the Montgomery pundits say it's not when, but how much. We broached the subject several days ago and asked what readers thought of toll roads. Very few had an opinion, but those who did were against them.

What else will the March legislative session take up? Some grandstanding bills concerning SNAP benefits and cash payments to those in dire need have already been pre-filed. One such bill would require drug testing of at least some SNAP recipients. A few states already require this testing, but is it economical? Or perhaps even more concerning, is it legal?

Federal court rulings have said:

Drug testing for SNAP has been allowed under only two circumstances. The first instance is that in some states, people convicted of drug felonies can only be eligible for SNAP benefits if they submit to a drug test. As of 2017, this modified ban is in place in four states, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin. The second instance is that people who are disqualified from TANF (or another means-tested program) for failing a drug test or not participating in a required one may be disqualified from SNAP as well. 

In other words, if Alabama did pass a law requiring these drug tests, you can be sure that the law(s) would be challenged in court. Here's an idea, why don't we see how much money the state has lost over the years in defending unconstitutional legislation and determine how far it would have gone toward infrastructure? 

These laws aren't so "feel good" when the average taxpayer sees just how much money they cost.

Who's Doing the Coaching at Muscle Shoals?

From a concerned Muscle Shoals resident:

Who’s doing the coaching at Muscle Shoals?

Why are coaches entering the Muscle Shoals school system and being corrupted and consumed with politics?

It seems that our coaches are allowing players with ‘talent’ to be disrespectful and selfish as long as the result is a win for the school. Why are they allowing unnecessary drama to fester between the players without punishing the instigator?

Our coaches are allowing these ‘self-praised’ players to stringing them along and no one with any sort of authority is stepping up and putting a stop to it. We know why…because it all makes them look good if a player’s stats are high and will bring some attention to the school. How can coaches just sit by like puppy dogs and expect to be respected?

All talent and skill for a player goes down the drain if that player is arrogant, disrespectful and egoistic.

Let me give you some examples…

…Selfish players that claim to be ‘all that’ feeling the need to parade up and down the court, forcing shots without distributing the ball to other talented players on their team.

…Coaches ignoring insults made by selfish players to other team mates and not punishing that player because he (the coach) is scared of the player leaving the school.

If you are a true coach, you should be able to take any team of players that is respectful, humble and willing to learn and mold them into your state winning team. A Coach should not feel threatened by a player leaving the school, and tolerate disrespect, to him or others on the team.

…Why is it okay for a Coach to bench certain players and not play them all season because they had an emotional outburst, but when other selfish players do the same, it is overlooked. We know why…the Coach doesn’t want to risk losing that player.

PSA to the Coach: There are other hardworking skilled players on the team that will win games and take you to State without the smugness and disrespect and you will feel good about it because you as an adult and Coach, know you’re doing the right way and not selling your soul. What good is it to player, and what does it prove by having a player that’s been sitting on the bench all game, go in with less than a minute left in the game? We know why… to say to yourself and any questioning parent that the player did ‘have court time.’ How do you sleep at night?

Situations listed above are just some examples of the type of nonsense that goes on within Muscle Shoals Athletics.Parents that have had kids go through the system know all about it, but they are not bothered with it since their kid has since graduated and it is no longer is their problem to deal with. But the issues keep cycling year after year and nothing is being done about it.

How do we try to stop it?

Coaches need to focus their coaching skills on the team and not ride the coat tail of their “star player”

Coaches need to put their foot down and tell the administrators of the school system that they’re not selling their souls and going and turning against young humble, coachable athletes in the community.

Coaches need to recognize and admit when they messed up and take ownership and not be trampled by overbearing parents.

Come on Coaches, we can do better. Let Muscle Shoals School System be known for its great academics AND honest athletic system. Stand up and be the change we need…but we know why that may never happen though. JOB SECURITY!