By Stephen Carr
Democratic Candidate for House District 104
This week, the people of Alabama House District 104 were supposed to vote for their next representative. Instead, due to the icy weather, the election was postponed by one week in order to give voters a fair chance to get to the polls. In essence, the election was “put on ice.”
At first I was very discouraged because I wanted the people of our District to be able to cast their ballots. However, as I have been given the opportunity to continue my campaign, I feel as though we are gaining even more ground in our efforts to take back this seat from the GOP for the first time in 20 years!
Just as the HD 104 election was put on ice for a week, I believe the people of the State of Alabama have a chance to put the “super-majority” in Montgomery on ice forever in 2014, beginning next Tuesday.
It is imperative that voters take a serious look at the state of affairs in our state government and cast ballots for the candidate that they believe is the best person for the job, regardless of party affiliation. Clearly, as we have seen over the last three years, majority power in government entrusted to only one political party is disastrous for the average citizen. Education, a public institution, has greatly suffered under this super-majority. Health insurance opportunities for our citizens have become more and more elusive under this super-majority rule. The numbers of jobs that pay a livable wage and that provide benefits for our citizens’ and their families have continued to be stagnant under this super-majority, even as industry has been recruited to our communities around the state. Recruiting business, under this super-majority approach, has meant that our local citizens do not have an equal chance at obtaining employment and our communities do not benefit as much as they should due to the massive tax incentives that allow the companies to operate without reciprocal investment into the places where they set up shop.
Finally, our state’s legislature continues to be mired in scandal and corruption investigations even though the investigators are largely members of the super-majority party! If a super-majority cannot operate in a manner that prevents itself from being investigated for corruption, fraud, and ethics violations by members of its own party, then it is clear that a super-majority is not the option that our citizens need in Montgomery.
I am hopeful that voters will get out to the polls next Tuesday here in District 104 and that they will begin the process of putting a corrupt super-majority on ice once and for all. Responsive, balanced, and citizen-focused governance is what our people deserve and demand!
