Robert Bentley for Governor 2010

Today I had the opportunity to again visit with Uncle Henry on his radio show.  He graciously allowed me about 90 minutes to discuss my agenda for Putting Alabamians Back to Work, cleaning up Montgomery, and addressing coastal insurance and the oil leakage disaster. You can listen to our conversation here.

I am grateful to live in a nation that protects our rights to worship and pray as we see fit. This is why I was disappointed last month when U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb of Wisconsin ruled that the President’s proclamation of a National Day of Prayer was unconstitutional. However, based on previous legal decisions relating to our national motto “In God We Trust,” I have great confidence that this recent, misguided ruling will be overturned.

The National Day of Prayer is a long-standing tradition in our country. It provides us an occasion to reflect upon God’s sovereignty over even the most powerful among us. It also reminds us that the inalienable rights for which our forefather’s fought flow from God, not the government. Our rights and freedoms exist independently from and prior to any form of government. We choose to protect those rights. Our nation’s growing secularism and the drive to remove God from public recognition are part of what is wrong with our culture, and the National Day of Prayer presents an annual reminder of the importance of religion to our nation’s founders as well as to present- day society.

Formal Congressional recognition of a National Day of Prayer dates back over half a century, when Congress passed a law requiring the President of the United States to establish a National Day of Prayer each year. In 1987, Senator Howard Heflin helped pass legislation establishing the National Day of Prayer on the first Thursday in May.  President Reagan signed the law on May 8, 1988.

Angelique Plumer, a native of Atlanta, GA, joined the Bentley campaign as an intern in December 2009. Angelique possesses great organizational skills and has become a great asset to the campaign. She has assisted greatly in the day-to-day operations at our campaign headquarters. Some of the roles she has taken on include: composing spreadsheets with various information, assisting in scheduling events, and helping organize and classify campaign supporters and contributors.  In addition to interning for the campaign Angelique is also a full-time student at The University of Alabama majoring in marketing. When asked why she decided to intern for Dr. Bentley’s campaign she said, “I felt that it was a great opportunity in an exciting environment. I believe that Dr. Bentley is the best candidate and I enjoy interning to support his efforts!”

USE THE TAX CODE TO CREATE JOBS FOR ALABAMIANS

Tax day is here again. Alabamians who have filed their taxes already have a harsh reminder of how much hard-earned money the federal government takes from their paychecks each year. Unfortunately, approximately one-fourth of the federal income taxes Alabamians doesn’t pay for a single government service or program. Instead it pays the interest on the federal government’s debt. Last year’s record federal deficit of $1.5 trillion amounts to about one-eighth of our $12 trillion national debt.

Despite our nation’s enormous debt and unfunded future obligations, President Obama and Speaker Pelosi continue to push for policies that increase taxes. Just since taking office, President Obama and Speaker Pelosi have increase taxes by $670 billion over the next 10 years, many of these related to Obamacare. Additionally, President Obama and Nancy Pelosi are strong supporters of the cap and trade energy tax program, which resurrects Al Gore’s failed BTU energy tax from the 1990s in a different form. However, the latest outrageous tax idea from the Obama brain trust is former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker’s proposal for a national consumption tax structured as a value added tax.  Unlike the Fair Tax, Chairman Volcker’s VAT would exist in addition to, not in place of the federal income tax.

Federal, state and local taxes demand almost 27 percent of the average American’s income. Interpreted literally, this means that Alabamians worked until April 2^nd just to pay their taxes. We cannot tax ourselves into prosperity or raise taxes on small businesses and families at a time when they can least afford it.  However, we can use the tax code to encourage businesses to create new jobs. This is the heart of my Reemployment Act of 2010, which the Legislative Fiscal Office estimates will create over 5,000 new jobs and reduce state spending at the same time. This is because the newly employed Alabamians will be paying income and sales taxes and not receiving unemployment benefits. The Reemployment Act passed both the Alabama House and the Senate. Governor Riley’s signature is the last step on its path to becoming law.

Earlier today, Dr. Bentley was on the Dale Jackson show.    You can listen to a podcast of it here.

Shelby Beckman is a native of Fort Worth, TX, and currently a junior majoring in marketing and economics at The University of Alabama.  She joined the Bentley campaign as an intern in December of 2009. During her tenure, Shelby has proved herself to be a vital part in the execution of the daily functions of the campaign. In her role as intern and executive assistant she has had the responsibility of organizing and evaluating various sources of information concerning anything from volunteers to supporters. Shelby also assists in scheduling the numerous campaign events around the state. When asked why she decided to join the Bentley campaign she said, “I know Dr. Bentley is the best candidate for Governor and I just wanted to do what I could to help get him elected.”

MONTGOMERY– Earlier today, Alabama Treasurer Kay Ivey announced that she will not run for Governor of Alabama and instead will run for the position of Lieutenant Governor.

Upon learning the news, Dr. Bentley stated “I have always kidded Kay that she is my favorite elected official. She has always been a good friend, and I appreciate her distinguished record of public service. The people of Alabama are better off because of her service to the state. She was a worthy primary competitor for the Republican nomination for Governor, and I think she will be an excellent candidate for Lieutenant Governor. I wish her the best of luck in the Republican primary.”

This afternoon Dr. Bentley placed 3rd in the Jefferson County straw poll fundraiser, finished only behind Tim James and Bradley Byrne. Participants were required to purchase tickets in order to vote. Dr. Bentley stated “I’m happy that 14% of Jefferson County residents that bought tickets decided to vote for me. I think the fact that our campaign did not purchase any tickets for supporters indicates that this was a true grassroots movement, and I am very please by this strong grassroots showing.”

My second ad went up this week, but “Back to Work,” my first ad is available here:

Tuscaloosa native Alex Holmes, a junior majoring in business at The University of Alabama, joined Dr. Bentley’s campaign as an intern in early January 2010. Since her arrival she has become a major asset to the day to day operations that are vital to the campaign. Due to her remarkable organizational skills she was selected to take on the roll of finance assistant. Her main responsibility since taking on this role has been monitoring and updating the campaign’s Patriot database, which helps organize and categorize volunteers, contributions, and supporters. Keeping the system up-to-date helps strengthen the campaign’s backbone. When asked what helped solidify her decision to give up part of her time to aid Dr. Bentley’s race for governor she exclaimed that, “Dr. Bentley is a great man and a great leader in the community and I am confident in his ability to be an effective leader for the state of Alabama.”