Alabamians fixed the budget?

On Tuesday September 18, Alabama went to the polls for a special election regarding an amendment change to the Constitution of the Great State.  Due to a shortfall in the projected budget, the necessity of presenting a balanced budget for Alabama, and changes needing to be made in the Alabama Trust Fund (ATF) regarding the flow of money from that account to the state treasury Alabama had to mark a very short, brief ballot and allow their voices to be heard.

At 2230 hours the tallies were in favor of the constitutional change, with 357,036 votes or 65% saying “yes” and those who voted “no” was 193,072 voters or 35%.  At that time 1,900 of 2,136 precincts were reporting returns.  With this said, Governor Bentley and others were proclaiming a victory for the states deficit.

This Amendment change to the state constitution allows the State Treasurer to make a special transfer of $145.8 million a year for each of the next three years from the ATF to the General Fund, a major source of money-according to the media-for prisons, courts, Medicaid health care for the poor and disabled and other non-educational areas.  The vote also changed the decades old ways that regular annual transfers made to General Fund from the ATF which now has $2.3 billion in invested assets and collects most of the royalties paid to the state by companies that pump natural gas offshore. 

The Birmingham News reported, “All together, the Legislative Fiscal Office estimated that Tuesday's yes vote will pump $259.8 million into the General Fund in fiscal 2013: $145.8 million from a special transfer and $114 million from the new way of making regular, annual transfers…the yes vote produced a net gain [from] the trust fund of as much as $197.8 million next year.”

This is a three year temporary fix to a problem that dates back to 2008,  when what some have dubbed as the Great Recession, as jobs were lost, businesses were scaled back or shut down all together and the tough economic times hit Alabama with a vengeance. 

It is also fair to mention that the Governor has pledged the money is more of a loan than a robbing of the ATF coffers, and will be paid back.  There was a demand to fix a problem during these tough economic times, as Alabama must have a balanced budget by October of each year, and the budget presented by the legislature was missing a means of supplying enough cash to fill the void.  This then became the instant fix.

Again, the Birmingham News reported, “Most of the money will go to Medicaid, which provides health care for about 940,000 disabled and lower income Alabamians, and the corrections department, which runs state prisons.”

Here are two important points we need to pay close attention to:

·        With the referendum's approval, General Fund spending for Medicaid in fiscal 2013 is budgeted at $615.1 million, an increase of $39.7 million, 6.9 percent, from this year.

·        General Fund spending for the corrections department in fiscal 2013 is budgeted at $365.5 million, a decrease of $15.3 million, 4.0 percent, from this year.

Education was a talking point as we rushed toward the special election.  As the polls opened, phone calls were being made by the AEA to get a yes vote out.  Henry Mabry, executive secretary of the Alabama Education Association teachers' lobby, said the yes vote protected Medicaid patients.  He was reported as saying, "Hallelujah…Alabama voters chose to take care of God's children."

He also said the referendum's approval likely would make it less likely that legislators would try to shift money to the General Fund from the Education Trust Fund, the main source of state money for public schools and colleges. "I think it does take pressure off," Mabry said.

State Senator Scott Beason (R-Gardendale) who urged people to vote “no,” said "scare tactics" by referendum proponents -such as threats that cuts in Medicaid funding could have led to massive job losses at nursing homes and hospitals-helped win the referendum.

He also said scheduling a separate election for one ballot issue, at a cost to the state of $3 million, let proponents encourage people dependent on state funding to go to the polls while many other voters didn't pay much attention.

"Most folks in Alabama, I think, will wake up tomorrow and say, 'We passed what?'" Beason said Tuesday night.

Becky Gerritson, president of the Wetumpka Tea Party and a referendum opponent, said she thinks "the-sky-is-falling scare tactics" and ballot language played big roles in the big yes vote.

The description of the referendum on the ballot said the proposed amendment would, in part, "prevent the mass release of prisoners from Alabama prisons" and "protect critical health services to Alabama children, elderly and mothers."

"The manipulative ballot language was huge," Gerritson said.

While Alabamians have now voted on the fix and we sit back in our easy chairs waiting on the dust to settle to see how this works out there are some things that need to be addressed.  

First is the issue of $3 million approved by the legislature and Governor for this special election.  We went to the polls in our respective cities, towns and communities to vote to increase the income of the General Fund for Fiscal Year 2012-2013, while doling out money-money we must not have or we would not be voting to access more money-and money we could have used in another area, another place, maybe the Nursing Home or hospital or for law enforcement.

The first leads to the second: We spent $3 million on a called election, because the boys and girls who gather in the Capitol during legislative sessions, who work part-time, making more money than many of those who work full-time, could not make a decision on the budget.  These $60,000 plus paid employees of the state were too busy playing games and pushing their personal agendas in order to take care of the actual business of the state. 

Maybe we need to make them reimburse the state for this special election that cost us $3 million!

Then we need to focus on this issue of “scare tactics” used by several businesses and organizations to get the vote to swing in their favor.  Really stirred it up, did you not?  These groups pitched in big money to tell folks that prisoners would be released to roam the streets, the Medicaid would suffer, our children would go hungry, granny would be tossed out on the street because the Nursing Home she was living in was going to close, and that doctors would have to relocate to other states.  Now, that is the way to get this thing done, right?

Listen, we use to have to have a saying, “Liar, liar, pants on fire.”  And I smell smoke!  That is all that was, a smoke screen!  Intimidation!  The rudest thing I have ever witnessed.  I believe, with all of my heart, that the Governor and the legislature-in a called session, which would have cost the taxpayers of this state-would have come up with a plan, but then again they should have come up with a plan, back a few months ago, instead of playing games during regular session. 

Maybe these special interest groups, organizations and businesses would also like to ante up and help reimburse the state for the cost of this special election.  It appears they have money to waste on lies and half truths, stands to reason they have money to take care of a few million spent because someone could not do their job.  Sorry, I digress…

Those prisoners that were going to be released, those grannies homeless, those children hungry, those doctors relocating: none of this would have happened.  You know why?  It is simple, if you will think about it.  Those boys and girls were voted in by people attached to or affected by one or all of those situations named above and they like their job!  They would have come up with something; someway would have been hammered out to fill the void in the budget.

Yet, now we have voted to take money from the ATF and fill the hole; on Tuesday September 18, the people of Alabama did the work of the legislature.  We worked!  We went to the polls-not everybody, but some-and did the work that should have been accomplished in May of this year.  We served notice, saying YES OR NO, recording our votes for posterity.  If the legislature had recorded their votes on the big boards we purchased in their respective meeting places-the Chambers or the House-then we would not have had to do what we did yesterday.  No, they earned the money and we spent the money to pay them and to have a special election.  We did their work for them and they got paid for doing nothing!

Now, we live with the decision that the majority of the people of this Great State decided was the thing to do.  You will notice that I did not use the word “BEST” or “RIGHT.”  I feel, and this is my feelings, that we did not do the best or right thing; but we did what we had to do so that we might see that the constitution of our state was honored and that we made our state solvent. 

By voting, either way, you have a stake in what I am about to write.  You may have marked the word “YES” or you may have marked the word “NO” and that is your business; it was your choice.  Either way you now need to address these concerns, with me.

As Alabamians we need to tell our elected people to do what we elected them to do.  We elected them to fulfill their promises, to serve the people and to earn their keep.  They need to go to Montgomery and take care of the business of this state, leaving their petty special interest concerns for a later time.  The first things they need to take care of as they assemble is to pray for wisdom and get on with the job of making our state a shining star. 

As Alabamians we need to get those who are in Montgomery to build a strong economic base from which to pull much needed finances for our state.  I applaud the new industry which we have seen move into Alabama over the last few years, but there is more to do.  We need to capitalize on the natural resources of our state, bring in more industry, and put a stop to industry leaving our state for foreign soil.  One thing that will turn things around for Alabama and all the other states is to get the Federal Government to stop sending business to foreign countries.  Repeal of Clinton’s act which opened the door to this would be a start. 

Alexander City and Sylacauga have lost more than their fair share of businesses and somebody in Montgomery needs to see this and help put viable, cash printing jobs in those buildings which stand abandoned.  Central Alabama, particularly Coosa County, is a place where we could make a difference, yet we get left in the dust as others around us get the industry and the jobs.  I still stand by the old adage, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

In light of the promise by Governor Bentley to pay the money back to the ATF, we need to make sure he and the legislature see that this is done and in a timely manner.  I do not know how they will do it, but they better do so.  A plan needs to be assembled and revealed to the people in January of next year.  Please do not blame the Governor.  He is trying his best to clean up the mess of the legislature and is the lightening rod; he did not have to push this issue because he could have called a special session.  The legislature should have taken care of this during the regular session.  Now we live with their mess and we need to hold them accountable.  Demand that they give us an answer and in the next regular session.

I know we are living in lean times.  Yes, we are in a recession.  But there is hope and we need to let our voices be heard so that we might position ourselves for a better time yet to come.

            Is the budget fixed?  I do not think so.  There are people down in Montgomery who will not do what needs to be done, because they have their own, personal agenda.  As long as this is true, the real business of the state is not going to be done.  We need people who have wisdom and understand what it means to be a statesman in this age and time.  We the people need to make that happen!  If you voted yesterday then stand up, let you voice be heard and make a difference.  If you did not vote yesterday, then you forfeited your right and your opinion.  So hang on for a bumpy ride.

Let me leave you with this thought: On the General Election ballot in November there will be eleven (11) amendments to be voted on by the people of Alabama.  We need to educate ourselves and inform ourselves about these things and be ready to voice our opinion.  I will have more at a later date, but until then, get involved!  Be ready to VOTE!

News articles referenced are from www.al.com dated September 18 and 19, 2012.