For the one person who reads my blog (honey, I'm thinking in your general direction), I have decided to go ahead and list my "endorsements" - how I'm going to vote - for Tuesday's midterm general election. I am going off the sample ballot from the Alabama Secretary of State's website. One caveat: I will not be indicating my vote for any of the judicial officers of the State. As an attorney, I may have to argue a case or appeal in front of one of these judges/justices and I don't want it out there, as a matter of public record, whether I voted for them (and/or what I think of them). Those who know me can probably guess how I'm going to vote. With that out of the way, here we go.
Alabama Governor: This one is a tough one for me. I can't bear the thought of Ron Sparks being the Governor of Alabama. Not only is he pro-gambling he's in the pocket of the pro-gambling interests, not to mention the AEA. He's their guy. He has no real plans for Alabama, other than a lottery. He doesn't think there is any corruption in Alabama and has no intention of standing up to the intrusive Federal government. But Bentley is not much better; and I don't say that solely because I didn't support him in the primary. True, I detested how he collaborated with the AEA to squeeze into the nomination. He is the AEA's Republican. Same with the gambling interests. Almost certainly they would prefer Sparks, but they'll take Bentley. A Republican lapdog of the special interests in Montgomery is only slightly better than a Democrat one. It also really ticks me off that Bentley lied about the AEA's support of, and involvement in his campaign. The final straw for me with Bentley is that I believe his is a religious bigot, and I vowed never to vote for one after the last election cycle. Even if he's not, he's a little to close to the Huckster, which is almost enough in and of itself. Consequently, absent some change of heart between now and Tuesday I will either write in someone (probably Bradley Byrne) or under vote this one. All that being said, I will be shocked if Bentley is not the governor-elect on November 3.
Alabama Lt. Governor: Admittedly, I'm not very excited about this race. The Lt. Governor in Alabama doesn't do that much. Folsom, the Democrat incumbent, as a consequence, hasn't done a bad job. However, I will be voting for Kay Ivey. She's not a stellar candidate, but the Lt. Governor will appoint 4 at-large members to the redistricting commission that will realign the districts following the 2010 census.
U.S. Senator for Alabama: I have never been a huge fan of Senator Shelby. He is a little too into the pork. But he is a superior candidate to his no-name opponent. I will be voting for Shelby.
U.S. Representative, District 5: This one is easy. I will be enthusiastically voting for Mo Brooks. I have known Mo and his family for 20 years. Throughout his years of public service, Mo has proven himself to be a man of integrity and principle. Mo understands how to balance his responsibility of representing and bringing appropriate benefits to his constituents, while, at the same time, protecting and defending the proper role of government. In short, Mo gets it. I trust Mo to maintain his integrity even in light of the pressures placed on Congressmen by special interests. Mo's opponent, on the other hand, is a professional lobbyist who has made his considerable living by promoting policy positions for highest bidder. He has been involved with the (quasi)-legal money laundering that a is PAC to PAC transfers in Alabama. To paraphrase the Huntsville Times' endorsement of Mr. Raby, he has no principles and you don't know where he stands on anything. We just can't gamble with our vote on a politician like Mr. Raby. Go Mo!
Alabama Attorney General: This is another one I'm not super-excited about. I not a huge fan of Luther Strange (the Republican), but I'll be voting for him.
State Senator, District 3 (the one I live in): This one is easy. Republican State Senator Arthur Orr is running unopposed. I will, nonetheless, enthusiastically cast my vote for him. I think he has done as excellent job in Montgomery.
State Representative, District 10 (the one I live in): This one is also easy. Republican Representative Mike Ball is running unopposed. However, I will gladly cast my vote for him. I have been pleased with the work he has done in Montgomery.
Public Service Commission, Place 1: I'm still not sure what these people do, or how they affect me, but I'll be voting for the Republican (even though I'm not a huge fan of Twinkle).
Public Service Commission, Place 2: See my position on Place 1.
State Board of Education, District 8: Mary Scott Hunter is excellent choice. She is a hard worker, who has been preparing hard for this job and has the right point of view as to how to improve education in the State.
Madison County Sheriff: I will vote to re-elect Republican Blake Dorning; he's been doing more than a satisfactory job. No reason to change.
Madison County Coroner: I will be voting for the Republican, Graig Whisenant. I tend to think that it is a good idea for the coroner not to own funeral homes and cemeteries (like the Democrat incumbent does). Plus, Mr. Whisenant has the endorsement of people I admire in the funeral home business.
Statewide Amendment No. 1: I generally vote No on all amendments, because the process is screwy and needs to be reformed - unless I'm SURE its a good thing. So, default is No and any initial "yes" votes are subject to being overridden by the default come election date. This one is a bunch of gobeldygook, so the default No" vote is an easy one. The more I read about it, the more I am comfortable with this vote.
Statewide Amendment No. 2: I'll vote No. This amendment would make it easier to raise taxes. So, again, no.
Statewide Amendment No. 3: NO! This is a ploy by politicians to raid a trust fund set aside for particular purpose in order to fund pet pork projects to help them stay elected. Absolutely, NO!
Statewide Amendment No. 4: I go back and forth on this one. Right now, I lean toward a "yes" vote. I tend to agree that a municipal body with no member that you voted for should not be able to levy taxes or fees against you. On the other hand, it is a local matter and none of my business. So, I may end up being persuaded before then.
Local Amendment No. 1: This one is a likely "yes." There are some benefits to occupational taxes - they capture those who use our infrastructure, but don't live here. However, I would want to avoid double taxes on those who do. Then again, there is the default rule. I may need to think more on this.
Local Amendment No. 2: Sure, yes. I think it's fine that the Madison County Commission can pass laws about dangerous dogs. I still think it is a ridiculous characteristic of our state government that local matters like this need State approval. But then again, there is the default ...
So, there you go.
Alabama Governor: This one is a tough one for me. I can't bear the thought of Ron Sparks being the Governor of Alabama. Not only is he pro-gambling he's in the pocket of the pro-gambling interests, not to mention the AEA. He's their guy. He has no real plans for Alabama, other than a lottery. He doesn't think there is any corruption in Alabama and has no intention of standing up to the intrusive Federal government. But Bentley is not much better; and I don't say that solely because I didn't support him in the primary. True, I detested how he collaborated with the AEA to squeeze into the nomination. He is the AEA's Republican. Same with the gambling interests. Almost certainly they would prefer Sparks, but they'll take Bentley. A Republican lapdog of the special interests in Montgomery is only slightly better than a Democrat one. It also really ticks me off that Bentley lied about the AEA's support of, and involvement in his campaign. The final straw for me with Bentley is that I believe his is a religious bigot, and I vowed never to vote for one after the last election cycle. Even if he's not, he's a little to close to the Huckster, which is almost enough in and of itself. Consequently, absent some change of heart between now and Tuesday I will either write in someone (probably Bradley Byrne) or under vote this one. All that being said, I will be shocked if Bentley is not the governor-elect on November 3.
Alabama Lt. Governor: Admittedly, I'm not very excited about this race. The Lt. Governor in Alabama doesn't do that much. Folsom, the Democrat incumbent, as a consequence, hasn't done a bad job. However, I will be voting for Kay Ivey. She's not a stellar candidate, but the Lt. Governor will appoint 4 at-large members to the redistricting commission that will realign the districts following the 2010 census.
U.S. Senator for Alabama: I have never been a huge fan of Senator Shelby. He is a little too into the pork. But he is a superior candidate to his no-name opponent. I will be voting for Shelby.
U.S. Representative, District 5: This one is easy. I will be enthusiastically voting for Mo Brooks. I have known Mo and his family for 20 years. Throughout his years of public service, Mo has proven himself to be a man of integrity and principle. Mo understands how to balance his responsibility of representing and bringing appropriate benefits to his constituents, while, at the same time, protecting and defending the proper role of government. In short, Mo gets it. I trust Mo to maintain his integrity even in light of the pressures placed on Congressmen by special interests. Mo's opponent, on the other hand, is a professional lobbyist who has made his considerable living by promoting policy positions for highest bidder. He has been involved with the (quasi)-legal money laundering that a is PAC to PAC transfers in Alabama. To paraphrase the Huntsville Times' endorsement of Mr. Raby, he has no principles and you don't know where he stands on anything. We just can't gamble with our vote on a politician like Mr. Raby. Go Mo!
Alabama Attorney General: This is another one I'm not super-excited about. I not a huge fan of Luther Strange (the Republican), but I'll be voting for him.
State Senator, District 3 (the one I live in): This one is easy. Republican State Senator Arthur Orr is running unopposed. I will, nonetheless, enthusiastically cast my vote for him. I think he has done as excellent job in Montgomery.
State Representative, District 10 (the one I live in): This one is also easy. Republican Representative Mike Ball is running unopposed. However, I will gladly cast my vote for him. I have been pleased with the work he has done in Montgomery.
Public Service Commission, Place 1: I'm still not sure what these people do, or how they affect me, but I'll be voting for the Republican (even though I'm not a huge fan of Twinkle).
Public Service Commission, Place 2: See my position on Place 1.
State Board of Education, District 8: Mary Scott Hunter is excellent choice. She is a hard worker, who has been preparing hard for this job and has the right point of view as to how to improve education in the State.
Madison County Sheriff: I will vote to re-elect Republican Blake Dorning; he's been doing more than a satisfactory job. No reason to change.
Madison County Coroner: I will be voting for the Republican, Graig Whisenant. I tend to think that it is a good idea for the coroner not to own funeral homes and cemeteries (like the Democrat incumbent does). Plus, Mr. Whisenant has the endorsement of people I admire in the funeral home business.
Statewide Amendment No. 1: I generally vote No on all amendments, because the process is screwy and needs to be reformed - unless I'm SURE its a good thing. So, default is No and any initial "yes" votes are subject to being overridden by the default come election date. This one is a bunch of gobeldygook, so the default No" vote is an easy one. The more I read about it, the more I am comfortable with this vote.
Statewide Amendment No. 2: I'll vote No. This amendment would make it easier to raise taxes. So, again, no.
Statewide Amendment No. 3: NO! This is a ploy by politicians to raid a trust fund set aside for particular purpose in order to fund pet pork projects to help them stay elected. Absolutely, NO!
Statewide Amendment No. 4: I go back and forth on this one. Right now, I lean toward a "yes" vote. I tend to agree that a municipal body with no member that you voted for should not be able to levy taxes or fees against you. On the other hand, it is a local matter and none of my business. So, I may end up being persuaded before then.
Local Amendment No. 1: This one is a likely "yes." There are some benefits to occupational taxes - they capture those who use our infrastructure, but don't live here. However, I would want to avoid double taxes on those who do. Then again, there is the default rule. I may need to think more on this.
Local Amendment No. 2: Sure, yes. I think it's fine that the Madison County Commission can pass laws about dangerous dogs. I still think it is a ridiculous characteristic of our state government that local matters like this need State approval. But then again, there is the default ...
So, there you go.
Thanks! I'll have to print a sample ballot at home this weekend.
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