Alabama is a beautiful state with abundant natural resources, a dynamic robust economy, and an excellent work force, so Alabamians are constantly confused why our government and public services are always consistently failing. With all our talent and treasure, why does Alabama persistently rank at or near the bottom of every list? Whether infrastructure to prisons or education to healthcare, Alabama just can’t seem to rise even to mediocre. Aggravating and frustrating, Alabama has been stumbling along for so long that citizens are inured to incompetence and inefficiency and sadly resigned to failure.
It doesn’t make sense that a state so richly blessed simply cannot improve its performance or solve its problems. The short answer is because the ruling establishment in Montgomery doesn’t want to solve the problems; or in other words, the good ole boy system is profiting too much off our miserable status quo. Unfortunately for Alabama Veterans, but perhaps fortunately for Alabama citizens, Gov. Kay Ivey momentarily dropped the mask and gave us a glimpse of the raw ugly corruption in Montgomery.
Since Ivey unceremoniously and unjustly fired Commissioner Kent Davis, the best commissioner the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs (ADVA) has had in decades, veterans are still fuming, and press and pundits are still puzzling what prompted such an irrational vicious overreaction by Ivey. She has tolerated all manner of incompetent performance, unethical behavior, and even criminal conduct from officials across her administration, but this valiant true public servant somehow earned her relentless unforgiving ire. What is Ivey hiding or who is she protecting?
Ivey’s assault on veterans seems nonsensical, but as details emerge and the true story unfolds, it’s clear Ivey is determined to silence veterans and so started by cutting off the head of the ADVA. The entire story is too complex and long to fully explain here, but a brief overview paints the picture.
After years of almost nonexistent veterans programs and almost no availability of viable PTSD and substance abuse treatment, veterans and non-profit groups developed innovative mostly privately funded programs to combat the awful epidemic of veteran suicide. Supported by Davis, those groups are succeeding and are truly making a difference delivering mental healthcare to veterans, but their success inadvertently exposed the utter failure of the bloated corrupt Alabama Department of Mental Healthcare (ADMH).
While the ADMH was embarrassed, the mental healthcare monopoly in Alabama felt threatened when a bill was introduced earlier this year to use some of the $1.3 billion spent on mental healthcare on these veterans programs, but it would have allowed some of that money to go directly to the ADVA rather than flow through the grubby hands of the ADMH. Like a dog with bone, the lobbyists for the ADMH and mafia that runs our inept mental healthcare system mobilized to gut that bill and make sure they kept all that funding; and they did.
The ADMH kept their funding and shut out veterans except to create another useless committee to study the problem when the ADVA already has the solutions, but that was not enough especially when Davis filed an ethics complaint focusing on the under handed tactics to deny veterans. The unseen power brokers in Montgomery determined Davis must go and the veterans must be silenced, so Ivey jumped to do their bidding.
Addressed in other pieces, Ivey and her henchmen manufactured a false case to remove Davis, but the ADVA Board disagreed with her twice, exonerated Davis, and veterans from around the state rallied to defend Davis and tell Ivey she is misinformed about the entire ordeal. Repeatedly refusing to listen to veterans, Ivey disregarded and disrespected veterans to protect lobbyists and a failing system and preserve the status quo of palpable corruption.
When the ADVA Board refused to fire Davis, Ivey and her nefarious handlers fabricated some heretofore unknown “supreme executive power” that sounds like something Castro would have said, so she denies the voice of veterans and usurps the authority of the ADVA Board to unilaterally fire Davis. So why do we need any boards, civilian oversight, or even a legislature for that matter?!
Oddly, Ivey denied she had the authority to fire the State Health Officer hired by another board when Alabamians were demanding accountability when he was violating our constitutional rights during COVID with ridiculous mandates and shutdowns, but when the corruption in Montgomery is in jeopardy she will go to the mat as a ruthless tyrant.
Ivey’s abject abuse of power cannot stand! The legislature is already too weak with no investigative powers and further she has cowed legislators with her ham-handed vindictive tactics. While many support veterans, they know they will be crushed by the Montgomery machine if they speak out. Therefore, the corruption thrives in the shadows protected by the ruling establishment.
Alabama has the money and innovators to solve our problems, but the special interests are making too much money from perpetual failure. That’s why we cannot solve failing education, poor roads, prisons, and mental healthcare to name a few. Veterans are in Ivey’s crosshairs right now, but all Alabamians are suffering from the corruption in Montgomery. Our abysmal mental healthcare affects everyone, so every citizen should be asking where is the $1.3 billion going?! Ivey won’t do it; legislators can’t, so we the people must press this point.
With questionable cognitive abilities, Ivey is quite likely Alabama’s Joe Biden, but regardless, she is the protector of the corrupt cesspool in Montogomery. By her petty, unfair conduct, she has shown herself unfit to continue in office. Moreover, anyone connected to her is suspect and those supporting her crusade to preserve the status quo cannot be trusted. If Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth is her chosen successor, his candidacy must be seriously reconsidered. He and the attorney general are standing by silently while Ivey runs over veterans and claims dictatorial powers.
Ivey and her pals profiting from Alabama’s failures is why Alabama can’t have nice things. The rife corruption in Montgomery must finally be rooted out. Alabama deserves better than another two years of Ivey’s corrupt and incompetent administration. Ivey should resign immediately. Let the investigations begin!
“Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!” Isaiah 10:1-2
Pete Riehm is a Navy veteran, conservative activist, and columnist in south Alabama. Email him at peteriehm@bellsouth.net or read all his columns at http://www.renewamerica.com/.
