Another legislative session has come and gone, and it’s time to see what was accomplished and what was left undone.
It will be a while, of course. Without going through the calendar for both the House and the Senate on a day-by-day basis, you don’t know which bills have been sent and signed by the governor unless there’s a press release and a photo op. At least it’s an election year, so there have been a lot of those.
Sadly, many things that happen in Montgomery are not known just because it’s too hard to find out about them. As your governor, this is one of the things I’m determined to change, but that’s not the most important thing we need to talk about today.
The most concerning thing about this session isn’t how much was left undone but how little real leadership we saw from the governor’s office on critically important issues. Oh, there was a lot of ‘Election Year Leadership’ from both the Capitol and State House, beginning with the State of the State address, but when it came time for action? There wasn’t a lot of leading going on.
During the governor’s State of the State address, she promised to do everything but lead us to the Promised Land… and she gave the impression that she’d do that, too. Now, 30 legislative days and a few weeks later, what happened?
The governor halved the business privilege tax on small businesses for 2023 and eliminated it in 2024. It’s good to see this one small step, but why not go ahead and eliminate it completely right now? Why do things by half-measures? Why not make it as simple–and inexpensive-–as possible to start a business in Alabama now? Why wait until 2024?
And let’s not forget some of the other things Gov. Ivey could have taken the lead on but didn’t. We still have her gas tax. We still have a grocery tax that adds as much as $700 to a family’s yearly grocery bill. We still have a state licensing fee for hair braiding!
Why didn’t Gov. Ivey call for real tax relief for Alabamians? Mississippi recently passed the largest tax cut in that state’s history. Where was Kay Ivey? Certainly not calling for the legislature to do the same for us!
There are so many critical issues facing our state and so many ways that a real leader could have made life better for Alabamians who are hurting. But, with so little leadership coming from the governor’s office, too much was left undone.
Where was Kay when gas soared to over $4.00 a gallon and her gas tax remained? Where was Kay as Alabamians made hard choices between gas, food and medicine? Where was Kay when our churches closed but abortion clinics stayed open? Where was Kay when we needed her, not just during this session but for the last six years?
Where was Kay?
Lindy Blanchard is a former U. S. Ambassador to Slovenia and is a candidate for Governor of Alabama. 1819 News does not endorse candidates for public office and welcomes the views of any candidate running for office in Alabama. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com.
