Those of you who are familiar with this blog are familiar with Troy King's difficulties paying his staff. I've written repeatedly about Chris Bence, the Chief of Staff who is actually a paralegal, bringing home $104,400 a year, even though he has no training as a paralegal. Then, there is the "executive assistant" who went from an unpaid intern to making $57,000 over the course of 10 months.
Well, it turns out that this executive assistant sure plays a lot of roles, including some which may be downright unethical. A source has informed me that Troy King's assistant has gone to GOP field school and regularly receives salary even while attending political events. Apparently he was at Troy King's big fundraiser in Washington recently.
Here's the problem--the state of Alabama is paying the AG's office to fight crime and send the bad guys to jail, not for a young man to campaign for his boss. These sorts of activities have gotten public figures into trouble in the past, and it's time to demand a stop to it.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Troy and John McCain: A Match Made in...?
I suppose it's Washington season in Alabama politics. Not to be outdone by the fundraiser held for his opponent hosted by Alabama's senators, King decided to hold his own DC fundraiser with none other than Sen. John McCain. That's an interesting choice, for several reasons.
First, I don't think John McCain is exactly who to go to when your "conservative" credentials are being called into question. Many conservatives believe that Senator McCain lost to President Obama in 2008 by refusing to stand up to government bailouts and fight for traditional conservative objectives. He has long been a maverick within his own party, and his substantial loss in 2008 is definitely not a bright spot in the party's history.
Second, it's somewhat ironic that Troy King would appear with Senator McCain over a year after a really interesting interaction with the McCain campaign. As I have expressed before, I don't dabble in idle rumors or gossip. However, last year Troy King was the head of McCain's Alabama Leadership Committee. Then suddenly, the next day, all mention of Troy King's name was removed from John McCain's website. It corresponded with a series of rumors about Troy King's sexual life, along with other scandals relating to ethical violations.
I suppose all is well in 2009, and the difficulties of 2008 have been forgotten, at least in Troy's world. However, in the real world, McCain just brings back bad memories, for conservative Republicans and of Troy King's actions as AG.
First, I don't think John McCain is exactly who to go to when your "conservative" credentials are being called into question. Many conservatives believe that Senator McCain lost to President Obama in 2008 by refusing to stand up to government bailouts and fight for traditional conservative objectives. He has long been a maverick within his own party, and his substantial loss in 2008 is definitely not a bright spot in the party's history.
Second, it's somewhat ironic that Troy King would appear with Senator McCain over a year after a really interesting interaction with the McCain campaign. As I have expressed before, I don't dabble in idle rumors or gossip. However, last year Troy King was the head of McCain's Alabama Leadership Committee. Then suddenly, the next day, all mention of Troy King's name was removed from John McCain's website. It corresponded with a series of rumors about Troy King's sexual life, along with other scandals relating to ethical violations.
I suppose all is well in 2009, and the difficulties of 2008 have been forgotten, at least in Troy's world. However, in the real world, McCain just brings back bad memories, for conservative Republicans and of Troy King's actions as AG.
Troy's GOP Problem
The story on al.com this weekend screamed BREAKING NEWS, and the headline was just as damning in what has proven to be a few difficult weeks for Troy King. It read: "Republican AG King's top foes: Top GOP Figures." The story went on to summarize King's struggles in recent weeks with fellow Republicans, including Governor Riley as well as US Senators Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby. Additionally, the bi-partisan Alabama District Attorneys Association has criticized King.
Perhaps the biggest news last week was the announcement that Senators Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby were hosting a fundraiser and supporting King's GOP primary opponent, Birmingham lawyer Luther Strange. This is a big surprise, given that top GOP officials are often reluctant to openly endorse candidates in a primary. Sen. Shelby then followed suit by cutting Troy's opponent a $25,000 check.
Now, Troy King has downplayed this. He has noted that he cares more about the people out in front of Wal-Mart instead of in Washington. On behalf of all those Alabamians who frequent Wal-Marts, let me say this: just as we send Troy King to Montgomery, we also send Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions to Washington. Both of our senators have received the votes of Alabamians because they have represented the conservative issues people care about. Just think for a moment about Sen. Sessions' stands in the Senate against irresponsible immigration reform and in favor of greater fiscal discipline. What about Senator Shelby's work to oppose the federal bailout which was so unpopular throughout the nation? We sent these men to Washington because we respect their judgment. Senator Sessions is himself a former prosecutor and Attorney General of Alabama. He has the experience to understand that office, and he clearly seems to believe that it would be better-served under new leadership.
Troy King can spin the news any way he wants, but he can't spin the fact that this has been one difficult week to be Troy King.
Perhaps the biggest news last week was the announcement that Senators Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby were hosting a fundraiser and supporting King's GOP primary opponent, Birmingham lawyer Luther Strange. This is a big surprise, given that top GOP officials are often reluctant to openly endorse candidates in a primary. Sen. Shelby then followed suit by cutting Troy's opponent a $25,000 check.
Now, Troy King has downplayed this. He has noted that he cares more about the people out in front of Wal-Mart instead of in Washington. On behalf of all those Alabamians who frequent Wal-Marts, let me say this: just as we send Troy King to Montgomery, we also send Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions to Washington. Both of our senators have received the votes of Alabamians because they have represented the conservative issues people care about. Just think for a moment about Sen. Sessions' stands in the Senate against irresponsible immigration reform and in favor of greater fiscal discipline. What about Senator Shelby's work to oppose the federal bailout which was so unpopular throughout the nation? We sent these men to Washington because we respect their judgment. Senator Sessions is himself a former prosecutor and Attorney General of Alabama. He has the experience to understand that office, and he clearly seems to believe that it would be better-served under new leadership.
Troy King can spin the news any way he wants, but he can't spin the fact that this has been one difficult week to be Troy King.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Troy King's Other National News Story
Over the past several weeks, Troy King has tried his hardest to get his name in the news, and not just any news--the national news. By now, a lot of us have heard about his big conversation on NBC about the Gabe Watson case. Kudos to Troy for getting his own way to visit the Big Apple; I guess he could take off from fighting crime in Alabama today.
Of course, Troy King made some other national news this week, this time coming from Washington. The Washington Times had an interesting editorial today on the impact of trial lawyers in Alabama politics. You can read the story here: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/20/alabama-clips-trial-lawyers/
This, frankly, is yet another sad story in the long set of stories about these private contracts. In case you're not familiar with my posts on the subject, here is the gist of the problem. A state is wronged by a particular corporation, and they decide to sue the corporation for damages. Well, this has become increasingly common. Conservatives have long opposed this, because it means in many cases that the government is actively trying to sue private corporations, and it can lead to excessive lawsuits. Basically, if I'm a poor state with a budget shortage, what better way to gain needed funds than by taking on a private business? The AG's office can then sue, and they can choose to have some of their own attorneys handle the case, or they can hand the case off to private attorneys who take on the case for a share of the winnings. Troy King has done this on Medicaid fraud in Alabama.
The problem is that this has NEVER ended well, when these private attorneys have been used. Let's face it--the AG is a LEGAL officer, meaning that he has clear ties to the LEGAL community. That community can contribute funds to his campaign in order for state business. This has caused problems in Georgia, West Virginia, New York, and a handful of other states which have applied it. Now, Alabama joins the crowd. It has also been criticized by conservative scholars at the Federalist Society as well as Judge Bill Pryor, a former GOP Alabama AG.
Troy, unfortunately, has failed on both counts. First, it appears that his lawsuits have been excessive, tackling private industry in an economic crisis in an attempt to put money in the state general fund. At least, that's what the Alabama Supreme Court (a pretty darn conservative body) thought when they ruled 8-1 to dismiss hundreds of millions of dollars in jury verdicts. Additionally, Troy King has given these contracts to liberal trial lawyers who supported his campaign. In return, the liberal trial lawyers get lucrative contracts worth millions of dollars.
The Times story tries to track Troy King's contributions, but they are shady, in part due to Alabama Political Action Committee law. Basically, I can choose to give to a candidate as an individual or through a political action committee. As an individual, I go on the record, and anyone can see who I am. However, PACs are much shadier, because members donate funds to remain anonymous. In Alabama, actually, it's an all-out shell game. If I am a rich trial lawyer, I would give my money to a PAC, which would then give money to another PAC, and then another, and finally another PAC would then get the money and cut a check to the AG. By this time, the money is almost impossible to trace.
I've looked at some of Troy King's contributions, and there are certainly some interesting correlations. For instance, in late September 2006, Beasley-Allen law firm wrote two checks totaling either $4900 or $5000 (depending on how you read the sloppy handwriting on the documents) to the Free Enterprise PAC. Less than two weeks later, King's campaign received a $5000 contribution from that PAC. Another example is the Home Care PAC. On October 4, Beasley Allen contributed $10,500 to the PAC. Just over a week later, Troy King received a $7500 donation from the PAC. Over the course of a campaign, many candidates receive literally hundreds of PAC contributions, and it is difficult to track them on. However, as the story points out, there are some very interesting correlations.
Kudos to the Times for looking into this issue.
Of course, Troy King made some other national news this week, this time coming from Washington. The Washington Times had an interesting editorial today on the impact of trial lawyers in Alabama politics. You can read the story here: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/20/alabama-clips-trial-lawyers/
This, frankly, is yet another sad story in the long set of stories about these private contracts. In case you're not familiar with my posts on the subject, here is the gist of the problem. A state is wronged by a particular corporation, and they decide to sue the corporation for damages. Well, this has become increasingly common. Conservatives have long opposed this, because it means in many cases that the government is actively trying to sue private corporations, and it can lead to excessive lawsuits. Basically, if I'm a poor state with a budget shortage, what better way to gain needed funds than by taking on a private business? The AG's office can then sue, and they can choose to have some of their own attorneys handle the case, or they can hand the case off to private attorneys who take on the case for a share of the winnings. Troy King has done this on Medicaid fraud in Alabama.
The problem is that this has NEVER ended well, when these private attorneys have been used. Let's face it--the AG is a LEGAL officer, meaning that he has clear ties to the LEGAL community. That community can contribute funds to his campaign in order for state business. This has caused problems in Georgia, West Virginia, New York, and a handful of other states which have applied it. Now, Alabama joins the crowd. It has also been criticized by conservative scholars at the Federalist Society as well as Judge Bill Pryor, a former GOP Alabama AG.
Troy, unfortunately, has failed on both counts. First, it appears that his lawsuits have been excessive, tackling private industry in an economic crisis in an attempt to put money in the state general fund. At least, that's what the Alabama Supreme Court (a pretty darn conservative body) thought when they ruled 8-1 to dismiss hundreds of millions of dollars in jury verdicts. Additionally, Troy King has given these contracts to liberal trial lawyers who supported his campaign. In return, the liberal trial lawyers get lucrative contracts worth millions of dollars.
The Times story tries to track Troy King's contributions, but they are shady, in part due to Alabama Political Action Committee law. Basically, I can choose to give to a candidate as an individual or through a political action committee. As an individual, I go on the record, and anyone can see who I am. However, PACs are much shadier, because members donate funds to remain anonymous. In Alabama, actually, it's an all-out shell game. If I am a rich trial lawyer, I would give my money to a PAC, which would then give money to another PAC, and then another, and finally another PAC would then get the money and cut a check to the AG. By this time, the money is almost impossible to trace.
I've looked at some of Troy King's contributions, and there are certainly some interesting correlations. For instance, in late September 2006, Beasley-Allen law firm wrote two checks totaling either $4900 or $5000 (depending on how you read the sloppy handwriting on the documents) to the Free Enterprise PAC. Less than two weeks later, King's campaign received a $5000 contribution from that PAC. Another example is the Home Care PAC. On October 4, Beasley Allen contributed $10,500 to the PAC. Just over a week later, Troy King received a $7500 donation from the PAC. Over the course of a campaign, many candidates receive literally hundreds of PAC contributions, and it is difficult to track them on. However, as the story points out, there are some very interesting correlations.
Kudos to the Times for looking into this issue.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Troy King and Victims: Justice for Desta
As y'all know, I have criticized Troy King for his positions on victims rights. For those who may not remember my claim, it is a simple one. I have argued that by focusing on particular victims and particular cases which are high-profile and sure to generate media attention, he actually does very little to solve the systemic problems which actually hurt victims. There are many victims of many crimes each year, and it is impossible to personally know them all. However, those in elected office ought to work to solve difficult cases and bring violators to justice.
Well, last week I stumbled on an interesting blog, which you can also visit. It's http://justicefordesta.org, and it is devoted to Desta Dodson-Byrd of Brierfield, Alabama, who was killed on February 25, 1999. Over ten years later, no one has been brought to justice, even though there apparently is a suspect in the case.
The blog published a letter to Troy King on October 2 after his big trip to New York to talk about the Gabe Watson Australia case. The entire letter is worth a read, but I found these paragraphs particularly compelling:
"Mr. King, it's really simple. Yes, it's sad that Watson was so lightly punished, but he was, in fact, punished. And it was done by the authorities who have obvious jurisdiction. You don't have jurisdiction. Not over the Watson case anyway.
Well, last week I stumbled on an interesting blog, which you can also visit. It's http://justicefordesta.org, and it is devoted to Desta Dodson-Byrd of Brierfield, Alabama, who was killed on February 25, 1999. Over ten years later, no one has been brought to justice, even though there apparently is a suspect in the case.
The blog published a letter to Troy King on October 2 after his big trip to New York to talk about the Gabe Watson Australia case. The entire letter is worth a read, but I found these paragraphs particularly compelling:
"Mr. King, it's really simple. Yes, it's sad that Watson was so lightly punished, but he was, in fact, punished. And it was done by the authorities who have obvious jurisdiction. You don't have jurisdiction. Not over the Watson case anyway.
But Desta, she was murdered in your fair state, our fair state. And when you were approached just a few months back by people pleading for you to do something, anything, to help find justice for Desta, you didn't even muster up the polite lip-service they'd expected to get from you. Perhaps justice or your concern for it is only for the tv cameras, or maybe there has to be a trip to the big city, the really big city, before you can be too very concerned."
I think these folks understand the situation. There are problems in this state which make it hard for victims of crime to see offenders brought to justice, and those problems should be solved. Perhaps we need more investigators, or we need more crime-fighting technology. These are legitimate priorities, and any AG should make certain that these things are provided for. King, on the other hand, has simply gone to the press conferences and done the tv interviews. Anyone can stand in a suit at a press conference. It takes a true leader, on the other hand, to fight the crime. It's a shame that Troy King has been willing to do the press conferences, without becoming a true leader.
Monday Update: Nancy Worley, Ctd...
I was almost shocked at the irony that in the same week I write that Nancy Worley's case has disappeared from the state political scene, she up and reappears. The AP reported from Montgomery last week that a panel of the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals could not agree on the validity of the felony charges pressed by King. Although we don't know how the judges actually split, three judges have to agree, and the three reviewing the issue were not unanimous.
So, what is the problem with this picture? As The Huntsville Times noted in the piece I cited last week, Worley would have had to answer for the corruption charges had King pursued the misdemeanor charges after the felony charges were thrown out. However, he continues a foolhardy attempt to get his felony charges reinstated, only to have a court leave them out...two years later.
This is the problem with our AG. A true conservative AG would be devoted to two principles--he would focus on ending corruption and getting results. The two principles are very closely related, and unfortunately, Troy King can talk about corruption all he wants out on the trail. He just hasn't gotten the results.
So, what is the problem with this picture? As The Huntsville Times noted in the piece I cited last week, Worley would have had to answer for the corruption charges had King pursued the misdemeanor charges after the felony charges were thrown out. However, he continues a foolhardy attempt to get his felony charges reinstated, only to have a court leave them out...two years later.
This is the problem with our AG. A true conservative AG would be devoted to two principles--he would focus on ending corruption and getting results. The two principles are very closely related, and unfortunately, Troy King can talk about corruption all he wants out on the trail. He just hasn't gotten the results.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Ouch! Troy King Lawsuits Exposed
By now, those familiar with the AG campaign have heard it a million times. Troy King is a taxpayer hero for hiring big-time private trial lawyers and rewarding them with lavish contracts in order to sue pharmaceutical companies for Medicaid fraud. King has repeatedly trumpeted this action in press releases and attacked conservatives who have criticized this process.
Well, for someone who prides themselves on supporting conservative judges and principles, it must have been a bit of a shock to Troy King to see more than $274 million in these verdicts thrown out by the predominately-conservative Alabama Supreme Court last week. The vote was not even close, as the Court voted 8-1 to throw out the verdicts. This has to be a bit of a rebuke, both of King's conservative principles and for his decision to hire private trial lawyers altogether.
To the first point, King repeatedly prides himself as a conservative. He has trumpeted his support for conservative judges, and he has repeatedly refused to take actions which are arguably constitution and would benefit the state (enforcing gambling laws, ending the process of sheriffs pocketing money for prisoner meals, etc.) because it would supposedly overthrow his legitimate authority. He has regularly said that his role as AG is not to make law, but to enforce it. Some of this may be true enough, but either way, an 8-1 decision against King by the state's highest Court also calls his existing policies into question.
Conservatives have criticized state AGs who have hired private attorneys to engage in these sorts of lawsuits. Now, it appears that this was all for naught.
It's interesting, because this was one of the big reasons Troy King said we should re-elect him in 2010. He has repeatedly trumpeted his work to get this money into the state's General Fund. Now, it appears that this has fallen by the wayside, as well. We're still 8 months out from a primary, and already Troy King is running short on any reasons to send him back to Montgomery in 2010.
Well, for someone who prides themselves on supporting conservative judges and principles, it must have been a bit of a shock to Troy King to see more than $274 million in these verdicts thrown out by the predominately-conservative Alabama Supreme Court last week. The vote was not even close, as the Court voted 8-1 to throw out the verdicts. This has to be a bit of a rebuke, both of King's conservative principles and for his decision to hire private trial lawyers altogether.
To the first point, King repeatedly prides himself as a conservative. He has trumpeted his support for conservative judges, and he has repeatedly refused to take actions which are arguably constitution and would benefit the state (enforcing gambling laws, ending the process of sheriffs pocketing money for prisoner meals, etc.) because it would supposedly overthrow his legitimate authority. He has regularly said that his role as AG is not to make law, but to enforce it. Some of this may be true enough, but either way, an 8-1 decision against King by the state's highest Court also calls his existing policies into question.
Conservatives have criticized state AGs who have hired private attorneys to engage in these sorts of lawsuits. Now, it appears that this was all for naught.
It's interesting, because this was one of the big reasons Troy King said we should re-elect him in 2010. He has repeatedly trumpeted his work to get this money into the state's General Fund. Now, it appears that this has fallen by the wayside, as well. We're still 8 months out from a primary, and already Troy King is running short on any reasons to send him back to Montgomery in 2010.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Whatever happened to Nancy Worley?
Do you remember Nancy Worley? I do. She was Alabama's Secretary of State who left office embroiled in controversy. A Democrat, she never had any love lost for Troy King, describing him as a malicious political prosecutor. To his credit, Troy King went after Worley aggressively, pursuing 5 felony and 5 misdemeanor cases.
However, where is Nancy Worley now? Well, I did some checking up on things, and it seems that after she was indicted, nothing else really happened. The case just went away once the media went away. I found an interesting editorial in the Huntsville Times from September 23, 2007, criticizing Troy King's actions. Troy King decided to push forward on five felony charges, which were thrown out by a judge. Instead of pursuing the case on misdemeanor charges, he tried to get the felony charges reinstated. First indicted in March 2007, she has since disappeared from the radar screen.
This problem speaks volumes about Troy King's time as Attorney General. He goes for glitzy charges which get people's attention, but he then fails to prove them and lets criminals get away. I remember Nancy Worley's campaign activities from her office, and it is this type of corruption which tarnishes the name of Alabama politics. However, instead of following through and getting her convicted, Troy King instead has let the case fall through the cracks over time. I did some research and could find no progress reports since the 2007 indictment.
I don't know about you, but I want an AG who resolves the problem this state faces instead of simply talking about them, then moving on to whatever issue the media decides to cover next. There is a difference, in my view, between a politician and a leader. The politician follows the media cycle, but the leader makes the media follow him. We elected a politician in 2006--I sure hope we can send him packing in 2010.
However, where is Nancy Worley now? Well, I did some checking up on things, and it seems that after she was indicted, nothing else really happened. The case just went away once the media went away. I found an interesting editorial in the Huntsville Times from September 23, 2007, criticizing Troy King's actions. Troy King decided to push forward on five felony charges, which were thrown out by a judge. Instead of pursuing the case on misdemeanor charges, he tried to get the felony charges reinstated. First indicted in March 2007, she has since disappeared from the radar screen.
This problem speaks volumes about Troy King's time as Attorney General. He goes for glitzy charges which get people's attention, but he then fails to prove them and lets criminals get away. I remember Nancy Worley's campaign activities from her office, and it is this type of corruption which tarnishes the name of Alabama politics. However, instead of following through and getting her convicted, Troy King instead has let the case fall through the cracks over time. I did some research and could find no progress reports since the 2007 indictment.
I don't know about you, but I want an AG who resolves the problem this state faces instead of simply talking about them, then moving on to whatever issue the media decides to cover next. There is a difference, in my view, between a politician and a leader. The politician follows the media cycle, but the leader makes the media follow him. We elected a politician in 2006--I sure hope we can send him packing in 2010.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
A Lawsuit, by Any Other Name...
Wow, this must just be the week of hypocrisy in Alabama. As we all know, Troy King has been touting all his lawsuit work recently. Apparently, all these drug lawsuits are going to solve all of Alabama's fiscal woes. Either way, Troy King has been in the news, with his fancy private attorneys, suing the drug companies which defrauded the state. Now, though, Troy King doesn't want local DAs to have a chance to sue pharmaceutical companies for wrongdoing.
The AP wire reported this week, which was quickly picked up by other sources, that Troy King was attempting to block five lawsuits which he called "meritless" against Pharmacy chains. So, here's the issue. According to the lawsuits, CVS, Rite Aid, Wal-Mart, and Walgreen would sometimes fill prescriptions with generic drugs if doctors didn't explicitly specify something. Well, DAs filed suit in Tallapoosa, Colbert, Wilcox, Autauga, and Jefferson Counties, claiming that this violates the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
One of the attorneys involved said: "The consumers are victims of an unfortunate turf war." Were it up to me, I'd say that consumers are more caught in an action of political double-speak. Here's the issue--I don't actually know who is right in this case, but I know that Troy King is talking double-speak when it comes to lawsuits. Troy King has had no problem hiring his own private attorneys to sue private corporations for wrong-doing, even when those actions are criticized by respected conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation. However, when local DAs see a similar need to strike out for consumers who may have been violated, Troy King steps in. This appears to be a move to get the business community back on Troy King's side as he heads into an election year in 2010.
Voters need to stop these shenanigans now and force Troy King's hand. He shouldn't be able to continue shifting his position, suing private enterprise when it suits his interests and stopping others from doing so when it serves his interest. Having principle can be defined as a willingness to respect morals and values (typically these go beyond self-interest and force principled individuals to make tough choices). When it comes to Troy King, it seems that his only principle is self-interest. This is NOT what the voters of Alabama need and deserve.
The AP wire reported this week, which was quickly picked up by other sources, that Troy King was attempting to block five lawsuits which he called "meritless" against Pharmacy chains. So, here's the issue. According to the lawsuits, CVS, Rite Aid, Wal-Mart, and Walgreen would sometimes fill prescriptions with generic drugs if doctors didn't explicitly specify something. Well, DAs filed suit in Tallapoosa, Colbert, Wilcox, Autauga, and Jefferson Counties, claiming that this violates the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
One of the attorneys involved said: "The consumers are victims of an unfortunate turf war." Were it up to me, I'd say that consumers are more caught in an action of political double-speak. Here's the issue--I don't actually know who is right in this case, but I know that Troy King is talking double-speak when it comes to lawsuits. Troy King has had no problem hiring his own private attorneys to sue private corporations for wrong-doing, even when those actions are criticized by respected conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation. However, when local DAs see a similar need to strike out for consumers who may have been violated, Troy King steps in. This appears to be a move to get the business community back on Troy King's side as he heads into an election year in 2010.
Voters need to stop these shenanigans now and force Troy King's hand. He shouldn't be able to continue shifting his position, suing private enterprise when it suits his interests and stopping others from doing so when it serves his interest. Having principle can be defined as a willingness to respect morals and values (typically these go beyond self-interest and force principled individuals to make tough choices). When it comes to Troy King, it seems that his only principle is self-interest. This is NOT what the voters of Alabama need and deserve.
You Scratch My Back...I'll Scratch Yours...
I've written a good bit before in this blog about Jere Beasley, the trial lawyer kingpin in Montgomery. However, I've also tried to make it clear that he's more than just a trial lawyer--he is a liberal trial lawyer. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with being liberal, but if you're a conservative, that generally means that you don't support the same folks liberals do.
Now, how do we know that Jere Beasley is a liberal? Well, to begin with, he is chairing Artur Davis' campaign for Governor as a Democrat. Davis has a rather liberal record as a Congressman and was a critical supporter of President Obama's. To put this in perspective, Jere Beasley is chairing the campaign for a man who got to watch the Super Bowl this past year with Mr. Obama. Mr. Beasley also has some pretty liberal opinions. In his "Jere Beasley" report blog he said that liberal Sen. Ted Kennedy "left a tremendous legacy" and said "Congress must stand with Obama on health care." I could go on, but in the interests of space, I'll stop there.
Well then, what are we to make of Jere Beasley's interesting post this week offering a favorable review of AG Troy King? He begins his post taking a few shots at AG King's opponent--Birmingham lawyer Luther Strange--and he then goes on to offer positive comments on King. He cites polls which claim that "Troy has done an outstanding job as Attorney General and deserves to be reelected." He continues: "I don't believe Troy should sit back and run a defensive campaign this time. he has a good record and it's one that folks around the state seem to like. "
This post is extremely interesting for several reasons. First, it demonstratse Troy King's support from a prominent liberal. Here is a man in Jere Beasley who supports Democrats and has always supported Democrats, but he goes to the trouble in his "Report" to take the time to compliment Troy King. This should call Troy King's "conservative credentials" seriously into question, and it makes his regular criticisms of President Obama ring hollow when he is praised by someone with such liberal connections. Furthermore, it makes you wonder why Troy King is getting such praise from a prominent Alabama trial lawyer. Perhaps it's because Beasley-Allen is getting lots of money from their state work on the recent drug lawsuits and is getting up to 14% of the winnings, plus expenses. If I were making that kind of money, I'd be willing to write some pretty positive stuff, too.
I really believe this post continues to underscore the ongoing problem in Alabama politics--an "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" approach is always the mentality, and it ends up just being a shell game to confuse the voters. Posts like these should start to get voters to ask real questions about the basis of Troy King's support.
Perhaps Troy King truly is a liberal heart--if he is, he needs to just admit it and run as a Democrat. Maybe he can get Jere Beasley to chair HIS campaign as well, at that rate.
Now, how do we know that Jere Beasley is a liberal? Well, to begin with, he is chairing Artur Davis' campaign for Governor as a Democrat. Davis has a rather liberal record as a Congressman and was a critical supporter of President Obama's. To put this in perspective, Jere Beasley is chairing the campaign for a man who got to watch the Super Bowl this past year with Mr. Obama. Mr. Beasley also has some pretty liberal opinions. In his "Jere Beasley" report blog he said that liberal Sen. Ted Kennedy "left a tremendous legacy" and said "Congress must stand with Obama on health care." I could go on, but in the interests of space, I'll stop there.
Well then, what are we to make of Jere Beasley's interesting post this week offering a favorable review of AG Troy King? He begins his post taking a few shots at AG King's opponent--Birmingham lawyer Luther Strange--and he then goes on to offer positive comments on King. He cites polls which claim that "Troy has done an outstanding job as Attorney General and deserves to be reelected." He continues: "I don't believe Troy should sit back and run a defensive campaign this time. he has a good record and it's one that folks around the state seem to like. "
This post is extremely interesting for several reasons. First, it demonstratse Troy King's support from a prominent liberal. Here is a man in Jere Beasley who supports Democrats and has always supported Democrats, but he goes to the trouble in his "Report" to take the time to compliment Troy King. This should call Troy King's "conservative credentials" seriously into question, and it makes his regular criticisms of President Obama ring hollow when he is praised by someone with such liberal connections. Furthermore, it makes you wonder why Troy King is getting such praise from a prominent Alabama trial lawyer. Perhaps it's because Beasley-Allen is getting lots of money from their state work on the recent drug lawsuits and is getting up to 14% of the winnings, plus expenses. If I were making that kind of money, I'd be willing to write some pretty positive stuff, too.
I really believe this post continues to underscore the ongoing problem in Alabama politics--an "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" approach is always the mentality, and it ends up just being a shell game to confuse the voters. Posts like these should start to get voters to ask real questions about the basis of Troy King's support.
Perhaps Troy King truly is a liberal heart--if he is, he needs to just admit it and run as a Democrat. Maybe he can get Jere Beasley to chair HIS campaign as well, at that rate.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Troy King on Crime
Troy King got a lot of attention this past week when he traveled to New York and went on the Today Show to discuss charging that now infamous Alabama man who murdered his wife in Australia with a capital crime in Alabama. First, let me say that I have been really outraged by this case, and I really applauded King sending a letter to Australia criticizing the decision. I would also point out that the decision was criticized almost as fervently in Australia as it was in the United States. This man has definitely escaped justice.
Unfortunately, I think we all know the story here. Jurisdictional rules apply, and this man will not be able to be charged with murder in the state of Alabama. It's a media ploy, although a very smart one, and it gives the victim's families false hope. So, let me be clear--justice was not done in this case, and it is a tragic failure. However, attempting to try this case in Alabama is nothing more than a media ploy on the part of Troy King, and it unfortunately masks broader problems about crime in Alabama.
When I heard about Troy King's decision in this case, my first response was to do a little digging on crime in Alabama itself. Before Troy King tries to bring people to justice for crimes committed in other countries, perhaps he should make sure we are doing everything possible to solve the crimes committed here in Alabama. Well, I looked up some stats from the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center and found some really interesting things. First, the number of offenses is on the rise in Alabama. Overall criminal offenses increased 6% in 2007 and 4% in 2008. Violent crimes are on the rise as well. In 2008, there were 20,446 offenses in Alabama, up 3% from 2007. Now, that's a lot of crime. There were also 342 homicides in Alabama and 1524 cases of rape. There is another statistic, too, and that is clearance. "Clearance" is a term used to mean that there is enough evidence for an individual to be charged with a crime, and the crime is "solved." In Alabama, there were 37,525 clearance in 2008, but the rate was just 19%, meaning that some 81% of crimes didn't end with folks being charged. There was a clearance rate in 2008 of 67% for murders, which is good, but that still means that 33% of all murders in 2008 still have criminals out there getting by. Meanwhile, the clearance rate for rape was just 36%, robbery was just 32%, and burglary was actually just 11%.
I know these statistics are long, but I point them out to point out this--there are a whole lot of problems with crime right here in Alabama which need to be addressed. Our law enforcement officers are doing all they can, but they always need more support. AG King always pledges to stand for the victim, but this is why I criticize Troy King on the issue of victims.
Here is the fundamental problem--Troy King always stands with particular victims, but he never stands up with all the victims. Troy King takes a particular case, becomes interested, and these cases often happen to be the same cases that have attention in the media. He discusses that case, but he eventually moves on with the case unresolved. Let's face it--this man will not be convicted in Alabama, and the ludicrous Australia verdict will stand. The cameras will move on, and the focus will be elsewhere. Our focus as voters will be elsewhere, too.
Well, I am here to remind voters that there are crimes, every day, happening in Alabama, which need to be solved. Instead of solving them, Troy King is flying to New York and basking in the limelight. I like visiting New York--it's a fun city, and there always seems to be a tv camera in every corner. At the end of the day, though, someone needs to remind Troy King that there are real crimes, right here in Alabama, which need to be solved. That's what he was elected to do--to support our law enforcement and ultimately guarantee that justice is done for the people of Alabama. It looks like we still have some work to do, and I'm just not convinced that Troy King is up to the task. When he starts looking at the statistics, and the real problems, instead of a smattering of individual cases chosen to garner media attention, perhaps then I will start to believe.
Unfortunately, I think we all know the story here. Jurisdictional rules apply, and this man will not be able to be charged with murder in the state of Alabama. It's a media ploy, although a very smart one, and it gives the victim's families false hope. So, let me be clear--justice was not done in this case, and it is a tragic failure. However, attempting to try this case in Alabama is nothing more than a media ploy on the part of Troy King, and it unfortunately masks broader problems about crime in Alabama.
When I heard about Troy King's decision in this case, my first response was to do a little digging on crime in Alabama itself. Before Troy King tries to bring people to justice for crimes committed in other countries, perhaps he should make sure we are doing everything possible to solve the crimes committed here in Alabama. Well, I looked up some stats from the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center and found some really interesting things. First, the number of offenses is on the rise in Alabama. Overall criminal offenses increased 6% in 2007 and 4% in 2008. Violent crimes are on the rise as well. In 2008, there were 20,446 offenses in Alabama, up 3% from 2007. Now, that's a lot of crime. There were also 342 homicides in Alabama and 1524 cases of rape. There is another statistic, too, and that is clearance. "Clearance" is a term used to mean that there is enough evidence for an individual to be charged with a crime, and the crime is "solved." In Alabama, there were 37,525 clearance in 2008, but the rate was just 19%, meaning that some 81% of crimes didn't end with folks being charged. There was a clearance rate in 2008 of 67% for murders, which is good, but that still means that 33% of all murders in 2008 still have criminals out there getting by. Meanwhile, the clearance rate for rape was just 36%, robbery was just 32%, and burglary was actually just 11%.
I know these statistics are long, but I point them out to point out this--there are a whole lot of problems with crime right here in Alabama which need to be addressed. Our law enforcement officers are doing all they can, but they always need more support. AG King always pledges to stand for the victim, but this is why I criticize Troy King on the issue of victims.
Here is the fundamental problem--Troy King always stands with particular victims, but he never stands up with all the victims. Troy King takes a particular case, becomes interested, and these cases often happen to be the same cases that have attention in the media. He discusses that case, but he eventually moves on with the case unresolved. Let's face it--this man will not be convicted in Alabama, and the ludicrous Australia verdict will stand. The cameras will move on, and the focus will be elsewhere. Our focus as voters will be elsewhere, too.
Well, I am here to remind voters that there are crimes, every day, happening in Alabama, which need to be solved. Instead of solving them, Troy King is flying to New York and basking in the limelight. I like visiting New York--it's a fun city, and there always seems to be a tv camera in every corner. At the end of the day, though, someone needs to remind Troy King that there are real crimes, right here in Alabama, which need to be solved. That's what he was elected to do--to support our law enforcement and ultimately guarantee that justice is done for the people of Alabama. It looks like we still have some work to do, and I'm just not convinced that Troy King is up to the task. When he starts looking at the statistics, and the real problems, instead of a smattering of individual cases chosen to garner media attention, perhaps then I will start to believe.
Monday, October 5, 2009
The Truth Comes Out: Troy and Trial Lawyers
Finally, the media in Alabama is starting to cover Troy King's controversy surrounding trial lawyers. It has become an interesting battle in Alabama, with Skip Tucker of Alabama Voters Against Lawsuit Abuse sparring on a regular basis with AG King.
The general facts are probably familiar to most of you. Basically, a number of different pharmaceutical companies defrauded the Alabama Medicaid System. They are now being sued by a number of states, including Alabama, for damages. In order to handle the cases, AG King has farmed out the work to Hand Arendall, a Mobile firm, which then got Beasley Allen, a trial lawyer firm run by Jere Beasley. Those firms have gotten 14%, and Tucker wants the process opened to competitive bidding. Well, Troy King is not standing for that.
There are a series of problems with this issue, many of which have been chronicled on this blog before. First, in other states, Attorneys General have used this ability to award private contracts to reward political supporters. A story from Legal Newsline on October 2 noted South Carolina, but problems have also arisen in Georgia, West Virginia, and a number of other states. Second, if you're a conservative, you have to be a bit nervous that the process of hiring private attorneys for public work was developed by liberals; in fact, it was developed by ultra-liberal Eliot Spitzer of New York, who regularly used legal loopholes to harrangue private enterprise. It has also been criticized by conservative law professors and federal judge Bill Pryor. Third and finally, you have to worry that, quite simply, as Tucker suggests, Alabama could be getting a better deal through a fair, open, competitive bid.
So, whether you like the system of hiring private attorneys or dislike it, it's easy to argue that Alabama's system is not working the right way. Now, the Legal Newsline story suggests that Troy King has received no contributions from Beasley Allen or Hand Arendall. As a point of fact, that may well be correct.
However, these facts simply do not tell you the whole story, and that story is that trial lawyers regularly give to PACs, which then transfer their money around and give that money eventually to candidates. Alabama has extremely backward PAC laws, which have regularly drawn criticism from outside groups and conscientous legislators. This is done to muddy the waters in terms of tracking candidate contributions. Jere Beasley told the Birmingham News in 2006 that trial lawyers use this process because candidates "think the stigma of a trial lawyer will hurt them." According to Birmingham News data from 2006, King did receive some pretty big contributions from PACs which then received lots of their money from Beasley Allen. For instance, King received funding from PACs run by lobbyist Rudy Davidson totalling over $32,500. Well, Rudy Davidson's PACs got a lot of money from lawyer interests, including $193,625 from the Trial Trust PAC representing trial lawyers and $75,000 from Beasley Allen itself. So, the money trail is actually more complex than the story suggests.
The sad fact is that we wouldn't be discussing this if Alabama did two things. We should (a) resolve the private attorneys issue, either ending the hiring altogether or following Tucker's recommendations (probably the smartest) and opening the process to competitive bid and outside scrutiny. We should (b) then allow for greater transparency by ending all the PAC-PAC cloudiness and offering the light of day. If our candidates are being bankrolled by trial lawyers, or any special interest for that matter, we have a right as voters to know.
Until that time, motives will always be cloudy, and with someone having as questionable a past as Troy King, it's not entirely unfair to suspect the worst.
The general facts are probably familiar to most of you. Basically, a number of different pharmaceutical companies defrauded the Alabama Medicaid System. They are now being sued by a number of states, including Alabama, for damages. In order to handle the cases, AG King has farmed out the work to Hand Arendall, a Mobile firm, which then got Beasley Allen, a trial lawyer firm run by Jere Beasley. Those firms have gotten 14%, and Tucker wants the process opened to competitive bidding. Well, Troy King is not standing for that.
There are a series of problems with this issue, many of which have been chronicled on this blog before. First, in other states, Attorneys General have used this ability to award private contracts to reward political supporters. A story from Legal Newsline on October 2 noted South Carolina, but problems have also arisen in Georgia, West Virginia, and a number of other states. Second, if you're a conservative, you have to be a bit nervous that the process of hiring private attorneys for public work was developed by liberals; in fact, it was developed by ultra-liberal Eliot Spitzer of New York, who regularly used legal loopholes to harrangue private enterprise. It has also been criticized by conservative law professors and federal judge Bill Pryor. Third and finally, you have to worry that, quite simply, as Tucker suggests, Alabama could be getting a better deal through a fair, open, competitive bid.
So, whether you like the system of hiring private attorneys or dislike it, it's easy to argue that Alabama's system is not working the right way. Now, the Legal Newsline story suggests that Troy King has received no contributions from Beasley Allen or Hand Arendall. As a point of fact, that may well be correct.
However, these facts simply do not tell you the whole story, and that story is that trial lawyers regularly give to PACs, which then transfer their money around and give that money eventually to candidates. Alabama has extremely backward PAC laws, which have regularly drawn criticism from outside groups and conscientous legislators. This is done to muddy the waters in terms of tracking candidate contributions. Jere Beasley told the Birmingham News in 2006 that trial lawyers use this process because candidates "think the stigma of a trial lawyer will hurt them." According to Birmingham News data from 2006, King did receive some pretty big contributions from PACs which then received lots of their money from Beasley Allen. For instance, King received funding from PACs run by lobbyist Rudy Davidson totalling over $32,500. Well, Rudy Davidson's PACs got a lot of money from lawyer interests, including $193,625 from the Trial Trust PAC representing trial lawyers and $75,000 from Beasley Allen itself. So, the money trail is actually more complex than the story suggests.
The sad fact is that we wouldn't be discussing this if Alabama did two things. We should (a) resolve the private attorneys issue, either ending the hiring altogether or following Tucker's recommendations (probably the smartest) and opening the process to competitive bid and outside scrutiny. We should (b) then allow for greater transparency by ending all the PAC-PAC cloudiness and offering the light of day. If our candidates are being bankrolled by trial lawyers, or any special interest for that matter, we have a right as voters to know.
Until that time, motives will always be cloudy, and with someone having as questionable a past as Troy King, it's not entirely unfair to suspect the worst.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Doing Good Deeds: Troy King and Jobs
I've written about it before, but it deserves another post, since I have written a good bit on ethics today. Troy King has a very questionable ethical record, and his record has really cost him on big cases. I'm sure you have all read about the 2-year college scandal, in part because it's the biggest ethics scandal in the history of a state often tarnished by ethics scandals. In times like these, we really need a tough Attorney General representing the people of Alabama and bringing these wrong-doers to justice. So, where is Troy King on this issue? Is he up front on this issue, as he claims he has been on many others?
Well, no, actually. In fact, AG Troy King is not handling the case at all. That job instead goes to St. Clair County DA Richard Minor, the person King tasked with handling the job as soon as he recused himself from the case. Now, why would King recuse himself from such a big case?
Several reasons, all of which have to do with ethics. First, King called 2-year college president Roy Johnson to ask for two jobs on behalf of his political cronies. Second, he called Johnson to ask for support for VOCAL, a victims' rights group which supported King politically. These requests came as Johnson was under investigation by the AG's office, and as consequence, Troy King had to recuse himself from a monumental case.
Alabama voters just need to face facts--we don't need an attorney general who cannot do the job he elected to do. This is reason number one why we vote this man out of office as soon as we have the opportunity.
Well, no, actually. In fact, AG Troy King is not handling the case at all. That job instead goes to St. Clair County DA Richard Minor, the person King tasked with handling the job as soon as he recused himself from the case. Now, why would King recuse himself from such a big case?
Several reasons, all of which have to do with ethics. First, King called 2-year college president Roy Johnson to ask for two jobs on behalf of his political cronies. Second, he called Johnson to ask for support for VOCAL, a victims' rights group which supported King politically. These requests came as Johnson was under investigation by the AG's office, and as consequence, Troy King had to recuse himself from a monumental case.
Alabama voters just need to face facts--we don't need an attorney general who cannot do the job he elected to do. This is reason number one why we vote this man out of office as soon as we have the opportunity.
Come now, let's face facts, folks
One of the great elements of this blog is that it serves as a forum for free expression, both on the part of me (the individual providing information), and those individuals who choose to criticize me for providing this information to the voters of Alabama. Before proceeding this week with the first post, let me say that there is a reason why I do not refer to this as strictly my opinion--because it is not. The information I am providing is information widely reported in the state's press, as well as other printed sources of information during the Troy King era. Certainly those who read this blog receive my analysis (namely that the things which occurred have been bad for Alabama), and that evaluation is open to interpretation.
That said--one clarification from last week. Last week I alluded to Sheriff Jack Tillman. I apologize for any misconception that Jack Tillman did jail time. My information on the case comes from a CNN report, published January 9, 2009, this year, on Morgan County. According to that report, it notes: "Mobile County Sheriff Jack Tillman pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors, perjury and an ethics offense, and resigned in 2006." Don't know about you, but to me, that doesn't sound too good for Mr. Tillman. However, don't blame me--I merely report what I know.
However, if you will notice, this still completely avoids the bigger problem. There was a fundamental problem with our state's law, and instead of solving it (as Ronald Reagan would have done), Troy King learned about it and just ignored it. Let's face it--Alabama has always been a den of corruption. Anyone who follows this state's politics knows that we have corrupt officials, and we need strong laws preventing this corruption. This archaic law allows sheriffs to pocket food funds, and so some have abused the system.
Now, Troy King had, in my view, two options. He could have (a) released an opinion (which he was asked to do) noting that the law was archaic, inconsistent with standards of corruption, and inconsistent with the Code of Alabama. That's a valid response, and it would have solved the problem. Now, Troy King could easily argue that this constitutes "activism." However, he would also be wrong, there. Troy King is an elected official, elected to perform the will of the people of Alabama. Opinions of the AG office are non-binding--they are merely advisory, but they have a lot of force. To me, it makes sense to use some of that force to end an archaic law. Let's assume for a moment, though, that Troy King is actually right, and he should not have released an opinion. Well, then, (b) he could have lobbied the legislature to pass a change to the law, like he has done on many other measures. Troy King had both options on his table, and he chose to pursue neither one.
I don't know Troy King's motives for this inaction--I did speculate last week that it could relate to the Mobile case, which was referenced as a reason for not providing an opinion on the prisoner meal issue. I said it could relate to AG King's relationship with former Sheriff Tillman, who has, shall we say, a questionable history on this issue. What I do believe is that Troy King, if he truly had the best interest of the people of Alabama at heart, would have sought to address this issue. Instead, he turned his back and watched, like he has on countless other issues, also noted on this blog.
That said--one clarification from last week. Last week I alluded to Sheriff Jack Tillman. I apologize for any misconception that Jack Tillman did jail time. My information on the case comes from a CNN report, published January 9, 2009, this year, on Morgan County. According to that report, it notes: "Mobile County Sheriff Jack Tillman pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors, perjury and an ethics offense, and resigned in 2006." Don't know about you, but to me, that doesn't sound too good for Mr. Tillman. However, don't blame me--I merely report what I know.
However, if you will notice, this still completely avoids the bigger problem. There was a fundamental problem with our state's law, and instead of solving it (as Ronald Reagan would have done), Troy King learned about it and just ignored it. Let's face it--Alabama has always been a den of corruption. Anyone who follows this state's politics knows that we have corrupt officials, and we need strong laws preventing this corruption. This archaic law allows sheriffs to pocket food funds, and so some have abused the system.
Now, Troy King had, in my view, two options. He could have (a) released an opinion (which he was asked to do) noting that the law was archaic, inconsistent with standards of corruption, and inconsistent with the Code of Alabama. That's a valid response, and it would have solved the problem. Now, Troy King could easily argue that this constitutes "activism." However, he would also be wrong, there. Troy King is an elected official, elected to perform the will of the people of Alabama. Opinions of the AG office are non-binding--they are merely advisory, but they have a lot of force. To me, it makes sense to use some of that force to end an archaic law. Let's assume for a moment, though, that Troy King is actually right, and he should not have released an opinion. Well, then, (b) he could have lobbied the legislature to pass a change to the law, like he has done on many other measures. Troy King had both options on his table, and he chose to pursue neither one.
I don't know Troy King's motives for this inaction--I did speculate last week that it could relate to the Mobile case, which was referenced as a reason for not providing an opinion on the prisoner meal issue. I said it could relate to AG King's relationship with former Sheriff Tillman, who has, shall we say, a questionable history on this issue. What I do believe is that Troy King, if he truly had the best interest of the people of Alabama at heart, would have sought to address this issue. Instead, he turned his back and watched, like he has on countless other issues, also noted on this blog.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Missing the Boat: Troy King and Problem-Solving
Many times when I think about what it means to be a conservative, I look back to the days when Ronald Reagan was President. Why do we so revere President Reagan as a conservative? A lot of it had to do with his ability to solve practical problems using his conservative principles. Using the ideals of the free market and a strong national defense, he took on the Soviet Union and won. Using the ideals of limited government and political accountability, he worked to cut wasteful programs from the budget. He used many different ideas to solve a wide array of problems.
If only Troy King were so creative with his ideas. It seems like whenever Troy King has a chance to actually solve a problem, he simply grandstands on the issue. Let's look at just one example, dealing with prisoner meals.
Back when I was in grade school, we had a day in class where we learned about really weird laws. You know, laws regulating things such as chewing gum on Sunday afternoons--things like that. well, Alabama has some pretty archaic laws. One allows county sheriffs to pocket extra money they get from prisoner meals. Obviously, public officials shouldn't be able to get rich off the public dole--this is a clear violation of ethics, and the AG had the chance to end it. Well, first, he issued an opinion allowing it to continue, and second, although Troy King does like a good press release, he never encouraged the legislature to close the loophole once he was aware of it. As a result, a major statewide scandal ensued. Early this year, Morgan County Sheriff Greg Bartlett revealed he had pocketed over $212,000 from prisoner meals for his own personal funds, and Mobile County Sheriff Jack Tillman was convicted of crimes for a similar violation.
Why was Troy King mum on this issue? Perhaps it had to do with the fact that King was friends with Sheriff Tillman, attending a parade with him in Mobile and using his work in order to seize a prosecution from political rival Jon Tyson. Cronyism seems to define Troy King's world, and for whatever reason, it led to no solution to this issue. Instead, Alabama was again a laughingstock in the national media.
We need an Attorney General who sees problems and develops solutions to them. Troy King could have nixed this with an unfavorable opinion, but if he truly believed that this sort of behavior was within the bounds of the law, he could have publicly called for the legislature to close the loophole. Instead, he allowed the problem to persist until it ended with people in prison. If only we had a different AG who could act as Reagan did, and work to actually solve our state's problems.
If only Troy King were so creative with his ideas. It seems like whenever Troy King has a chance to actually solve a problem, he simply grandstands on the issue. Let's look at just one example, dealing with prisoner meals.
Back when I was in grade school, we had a day in class where we learned about really weird laws. You know, laws regulating things such as chewing gum on Sunday afternoons--things like that. well, Alabama has some pretty archaic laws. One allows county sheriffs to pocket extra money they get from prisoner meals. Obviously, public officials shouldn't be able to get rich off the public dole--this is a clear violation of ethics, and the AG had the chance to end it. Well, first, he issued an opinion allowing it to continue, and second, although Troy King does like a good press release, he never encouraged the legislature to close the loophole once he was aware of it. As a result, a major statewide scandal ensued. Early this year, Morgan County Sheriff Greg Bartlett revealed he had pocketed over $212,000 from prisoner meals for his own personal funds, and Mobile County Sheriff Jack Tillman was convicted of crimes for a similar violation.
Why was Troy King mum on this issue? Perhaps it had to do with the fact that King was friends with Sheriff Tillman, attending a parade with him in Mobile and using his work in order to seize a prosecution from political rival Jon Tyson. Cronyism seems to define Troy King's world, and for whatever reason, it led to no solution to this issue. Instead, Alabama was again a laughingstock in the national media.
We need an Attorney General who sees problems and develops solutions to them. Troy King could have nixed this with an unfavorable opinion, but if he truly believed that this sort of behavior was within the bounds of the law, he could have publicly called for the legislature to close the loophole. Instead, he allowed the problem to persist until it ended with people in prison. If only we had a different AG who could act as Reagan did, and work to actually solve our state's problems.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
On Open-ness
Sorry I have been away for a few weeks. It feels good to be back, particularly knowing that Alabama's AG gives me no shortage of new material.
I read this past week that an opinion from the AG's office has allowed a state banking board to conduct meetings in private. This is the same board which supposedly regulates our economic structure in a time of crisis. That's ironic, since Troy King campaigned in 2006 on his success with open meetings laws.
This summer, the New York Times featured a disturbing story on some of the cronyism in the federal bailout which Congress passed last fall. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson had far more contact with Goldman Sachs (the financial firm he led before joining the Treasury) than any other bank CFOs. These phone conversations were held in private and made public only long after the legislation had passed. Fortunately, both of our Senators, Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby, voted against bailing out our banks.
However, here's the problem. In a time of financial crisis, true conservatives are pushing for openness in our dealings. It seems like Troy King wants to close the door. Perhaps that's due to the fact that he himself awards secret contracts to lawfirms, but either way, it's definitely bad for the state of Alabama.
I read this past week that an opinion from the AG's office has allowed a state banking board to conduct meetings in private. This is the same board which supposedly regulates our economic structure in a time of crisis. That's ironic, since Troy King campaigned in 2006 on his success with open meetings laws.
This summer, the New York Times featured a disturbing story on some of the cronyism in the federal bailout which Congress passed last fall. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson had far more contact with Goldman Sachs (the financial firm he led before joining the Treasury) than any other bank CFOs. These phone conversations were held in private and made public only long after the legislation had passed. Fortunately, both of our Senators, Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby, voted against bailing out our banks.
However, here's the problem. In a time of financial crisis, true conservatives are pushing for openness in our dealings. It seems like Troy King wants to close the door. Perhaps that's due to the fact that he himself awards secret contracts to lawfirms, but either way, it's definitely bad for the state of Alabama.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Troy King and Voter Fraud
Sorry I have been out for a few days. Coming back late in the week, it makes sense to talk about the important issue of voter fraud as we head into the 2010 elections.
Back in 2008, voter fraud was a very, very big deal. Fortunately for us in the GOP, the 2008 elections generally centered with Democrats stealing from Democrats. Take a look at Perry County, one of the counties in question. In the 2008 Primary, 1114 absentee votes were cast in Perry County. Compare that to Jefferson County, where just 365 absentee votes were cast. Jefferson County also has a population 60 times the size of Perry County. Several other counties were also involved, including Randolph and Hale Counties.
Troy King was initially interested, and for good reason. It was so bad, it made the New York Times and Secretary of State Beth Chapman, a Republican, called the irregularities "astronomical." However, after releasing press releases and announcing a "tough" role on the issue, the issue simply disappeared. Months later, once the press started asking questions, he blamed the Republican Justice Department under the Bush administration. Now, let's wait a minute on this claim. So, the Bush Justice Department, which has been accused by Democrats of being WAY TOO AGGRESSIVE in going after Democrats for corruptions (see: the Siegelman case) was passive in going after actually corrupt Democrats? I smell a bit of a rat.
Actually, this is a trend with our AG. He consistently releases press memos on important issues, refuses to solve them, and then blames the federal government. On a related issue, look at immigration. He holds forums, calls it a problem, does nothing to solve it, then blames the feds. Now, believe me, the federal government is a problem. Washington is not a solution to many of our problems. However, that just means that we need stronger state leaders who do their best to address these problems. If our state leaders simply wave their hands in the air and claim an inability to address an issue, they are no better than the people we have in Washington.
Ultimately on voter fraud and a host of other issues, we need a new AG who will put his money where his mouth is. Nothing can be more conservative than ensuring free and fair elections. Conservatism itself is based on the twin pillars of freedom and fairness. Troy King talks a big game, but he is yet to provide conclusive action. It would be great if there were no need for action, but all of us know that corruption is rampant in this state. Back in 2006, a number of prominent Democratic state senators didn't fill out their proper campaign documents--still, Troy King refused to prosecute. Thus, yet again, more reasons to replace our AG.
Back in 2008, voter fraud was a very, very big deal. Fortunately for us in the GOP, the 2008 elections generally centered with Democrats stealing from Democrats. Take a look at Perry County, one of the counties in question. In the 2008 Primary, 1114 absentee votes were cast in Perry County. Compare that to Jefferson County, where just 365 absentee votes were cast. Jefferson County also has a population 60 times the size of Perry County. Several other counties were also involved, including Randolph and Hale Counties.
Troy King was initially interested, and for good reason. It was so bad, it made the New York Times and Secretary of State Beth Chapman, a Republican, called the irregularities "astronomical." However, after releasing press releases and announcing a "tough" role on the issue, the issue simply disappeared. Months later, once the press started asking questions, he blamed the Republican Justice Department under the Bush administration. Now, let's wait a minute on this claim. So, the Bush Justice Department, which has been accused by Democrats of being WAY TOO AGGRESSIVE in going after Democrats for corruptions (see: the Siegelman case) was passive in going after actually corrupt Democrats? I smell a bit of a rat.
Actually, this is a trend with our AG. He consistently releases press memos on important issues, refuses to solve them, and then blames the federal government. On a related issue, look at immigration. He holds forums, calls it a problem, does nothing to solve it, then blames the feds. Now, believe me, the federal government is a problem. Washington is not a solution to many of our problems. However, that just means that we need stronger state leaders who do their best to address these problems. If our state leaders simply wave their hands in the air and claim an inability to address an issue, they are no better than the people we have in Washington.
Ultimately on voter fraud and a host of other issues, we need a new AG who will put his money where his mouth is. Nothing can be more conservative than ensuring free and fair elections. Conservatism itself is based on the twin pillars of freedom and fairness. Troy King talks a big game, but he is yet to provide conclusive action. It would be great if there were no need for action, but all of us know that corruption is rampant in this state. Back in 2006, a number of prominent Democratic state senators didn't fill out their proper campaign documents--still, Troy King refused to prosecute. Thus, yet again, more reasons to replace our AG.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Troy King's College Scandal
Troy King is the second-highest paid AG in America, second only to California's Jerry Brown. He makes over $160,000 a year, which is not a bad payday. In King's fairness, I don't hold him responsible for his pay. It was set around the year he was born and was set by the legislature to link to judicial pay. However, I do hold him responsible for earning his paycheck.
I read a fascinating piece in the Wall Street Journal, a conservative national publication, yesterday about why so many football coaches vote Republican. As football season nears again (thankfully), we can be thankful that legends like Lou Holtz, Bobby Bowden, and most other coaches are steadily conservative. According to the column, one reason for this was their belief in hard work and discipline. Holtz put it clearly--he believed that one isn't "given" anything, he earns everything. I think that's fair, to hold Troy King as a leader of an office to this standard set by leaders on the football field.
Well, it doesn't take long to find a major shortcoming, and we stop at the two year college scandal. I know you've all heard about it. Chancellor Roy Johnson went down in flames and was replaced by Bradley Byrne, now a GOP candidate for governor, to clean up the process. The whole scandal has even brought down a number of legislators and is the largest ethics investigation in Alabama history. It has been led skillfully and professionally by Richard Minor, the District Attorney from St. Clair County. However, one must ask, where is Troy King in all of this?
It turns out that Troy King had to recuse himself from this investigation and turn it over to Minor. At the same time he was investigating Johnson, he asked for jobs for at least two friends and financial support for VOCAL, a victims' group. One of the jobs was for the mother of an AG staffer, and Johnson gladly performed the favor for Troy King. As a result, King had to remove himself, and he has not been able to participate in this historic ethics investigation.
Thus, the challenge is simple--we pay Troy King a lot of money to represent our interests. One of those interests is defending us against corrupt politicians. Here, at a historic moment to truly make a difference in this state, Troy King is stuck on the sidelines, warming the bench while Richard Minor has come in to lead the team to victory. It's an impressive performance for Minor, to be sure, but it begs the question of whether Troy King is earning his keep. We, the taxpayers on Alabama, pay Troy King a lot of money every year. We're paying him to lead, not sit on the sidelines. With performances like these, that's all the more reason to give this benchwarmer a pinkslip next time we get the chance.
I read a fascinating piece in the Wall Street Journal, a conservative national publication, yesterday about why so many football coaches vote Republican. As football season nears again (thankfully), we can be thankful that legends like Lou Holtz, Bobby Bowden, and most other coaches are steadily conservative. According to the column, one reason for this was their belief in hard work and discipline. Holtz put it clearly--he believed that one isn't "given" anything, he earns everything. I think that's fair, to hold Troy King as a leader of an office to this standard set by leaders on the football field.
Well, it doesn't take long to find a major shortcoming, and we stop at the two year college scandal. I know you've all heard about it. Chancellor Roy Johnson went down in flames and was replaced by Bradley Byrne, now a GOP candidate for governor, to clean up the process. The whole scandal has even brought down a number of legislators and is the largest ethics investigation in Alabama history. It has been led skillfully and professionally by Richard Minor, the District Attorney from St. Clair County. However, one must ask, where is Troy King in all of this?
It turns out that Troy King had to recuse himself from this investigation and turn it over to Minor. At the same time he was investigating Johnson, he asked for jobs for at least two friends and financial support for VOCAL, a victims' group. One of the jobs was for the mother of an AG staffer, and Johnson gladly performed the favor for Troy King. As a result, King had to remove himself, and he has not been able to participate in this historic ethics investigation.
Thus, the challenge is simple--we pay Troy King a lot of money to represent our interests. One of those interests is defending us against corrupt politicians. Here, at a historic moment to truly make a difference in this state, Troy King is stuck on the sidelines, warming the bench while Richard Minor has come in to lead the team to victory. It's an impressive performance for Minor, to be sure, but it begs the question of whether Troy King is earning his keep. We, the taxpayers on Alabama, pay Troy King a lot of money every year. We're paying him to lead, not sit on the sidelines. With performances like these, that's all the more reason to give this benchwarmer a pinkslip next time we get the chance.
Troy King: Gambling on Gambling
Troy King has made a big gamble on our state's future. I've analyzed the detrimental impact of gambling on Alabama in the past, and I won't revisit it today. Instead, I want to look this afternoon at Troy King's intriguing responses on the issue.
As a conservative, I remember laughing at John Kerry in 2004 when he attempted to defend a vote by saying: "I voted for it, before I voted against it." We all laughed at this statement, but now some so-called conservatives attempt to defend Troy King for doing what is effectively the same thing. Troy King won't give us a clear opinion on gambling. Many of his supporters, like developer Ronnie Gilley, will. They will tell you that gambling is great for economic growth, and it brings jobs to repressed regions of the state. Now, I have responded to this argument in the past, and I will summarize my response here. I looked to the Huntsville Times editorial which called gambling a source of "phantom revenue," meaning that it was unreliable. Look at states like Nevada, which have seen revenues plummet by some 2/3 since the economic crisis has forced less tourism. Next, I looked to a fundamental conservative principle--morality. Edmund Burke, considered by many to be the first traditional conservative, summarized his moral philosophy simply--you have no right to do a wrong. With using gambling as a revenue source to fund state sources, you are doing something wrong. In a time of economic crisis, when people have less to spend, the state has to hope that people will choose to gamble, in order to keep funding state services like education. This creates a perverse incentive for the state to not only promote, but also actively encourage gambling, and that just doesn't make sense in an economic crisis. Finally, I encourage folks to look at Indian reservations and rural communities which have gaming establishments. These are not success stories. On Indian reservations, where gambling has been a major mode of economic development for several decades, only more depression and alcohol problems have ensued. I challenge anyone to point to an area where gambling was built either ethically or successfully. Even where it has been successful, in places like Las Vegas or Atlantic City, it has often financed or been financed by shady groups and activities.
HOWEVER, that is not what Troy King is willing to argue. He is not willing to step out and engage in this issue like Democrats Artur Davis and Ron Sparks. He engaged in stealth warfare, legalizing gambling under narrow exceptions and claiming that he is being a true conservative and "following the law." I have big problems with this argument. First, other conservatives have viewed this issue and reached the opposite conclusion. Jeff Sessions, Bill Pryor, Bob Riley, and Riley's anti-gaming task force have all added their eyes to the issue, and they have all reached the same conclusion--it is not legal. These men certainly seem like conservatives to me. Second, as the Birmingham News has noted, the courts of Alabama, traditionally ruled by conservative Republicans, have refused to grant the same types of narrow exceptions granted by Troy King. So, if Troy King is right, his logic defies the logic of EVERY SINGLE other conservative in Alabama. Everyone else has reached a conclusion which differs from Troy King's.
Finally, Troy King has reached this conclusion on questionable grounds. He was the guest of honor at a party held by developer Ronnie Gilley six weeks before issuing an opinion in his favor. King has also received money from PACs which received hundreds of thousands of dollars from gaming magnate Milton McGregor. So, when you look at the facts, it seems that Troy King's opinion on the matter is based not on his own convictions, but on other political motives.
At the end of the day, the issue is still the same. If this opinion is Troy King's out of conviction, it deviates from that of every major conservative in the state. If this opinion is Troy King's out of corruption, then he has violated the trust of the voters of Alabama. If this is his convcition, his recourse his simple--he should go out and join the Democrats, who agree with him. Ron Sparks and Artur Davis, the Democratic nominees for Governor, have both agreed that gambling is needed for economic growth. If he has been corrupted, he should admit his failings and resign his post. Either way, he should stop masquerading as a conservative on this issue when he clearly is not.
As a conservative, I remember laughing at John Kerry in 2004 when he attempted to defend a vote by saying: "I voted for it, before I voted against it." We all laughed at this statement, but now some so-called conservatives attempt to defend Troy King for doing what is effectively the same thing. Troy King won't give us a clear opinion on gambling. Many of his supporters, like developer Ronnie Gilley, will. They will tell you that gambling is great for economic growth, and it brings jobs to repressed regions of the state. Now, I have responded to this argument in the past, and I will summarize my response here. I looked to the Huntsville Times editorial which called gambling a source of "phantom revenue," meaning that it was unreliable. Look at states like Nevada, which have seen revenues plummet by some 2/3 since the economic crisis has forced less tourism. Next, I looked to a fundamental conservative principle--morality. Edmund Burke, considered by many to be the first traditional conservative, summarized his moral philosophy simply--you have no right to do a wrong. With using gambling as a revenue source to fund state sources, you are doing something wrong. In a time of economic crisis, when people have less to spend, the state has to hope that people will choose to gamble, in order to keep funding state services like education. This creates a perverse incentive for the state to not only promote, but also actively encourage gambling, and that just doesn't make sense in an economic crisis. Finally, I encourage folks to look at Indian reservations and rural communities which have gaming establishments. These are not success stories. On Indian reservations, where gambling has been a major mode of economic development for several decades, only more depression and alcohol problems have ensued. I challenge anyone to point to an area where gambling was built either ethically or successfully. Even where it has been successful, in places like Las Vegas or Atlantic City, it has often financed or been financed by shady groups and activities.
HOWEVER, that is not what Troy King is willing to argue. He is not willing to step out and engage in this issue like Democrats Artur Davis and Ron Sparks. He engaged in stealth warfare, legalizing gambling under narrow exceptions and claiming that he is being a true conservative and "following the law." I have big problems with this argument. First, other conservatives have viewed this issue and reached the opposite conclusion. Jeff Sessions, Bill Pryor, Bob Riley, and Riley's anti-gaming task force have all added their eyes to the issue, and they have all reached the same conclusion--it is not legal. These men certainly seem like conservatives to me. Second, as the Birmingham News has noted, the courts of Alabama, traditionally ruled by conservative Republicans, have refused to grant the same types of narrow exceptions granted by Troy King. So, if Troy King is right, his logic defies the logic of EVERY SINGLE other conservative in Alabama. Everyone else has reached a conclusion which differs from Troy King's.
Finally, Troy King has reached this conclusion on questionable grounds. He was the guest of honor at a party held by developer Ronnie Gilley six weeks before issuing an opinion in his favor. King has also received money from PACs which received hundreds of thousands of dollars from gaming magnate Milton McGregor. So, when you look at the facts, it seems that Troy King's opinion on the matter is based not on his own convictions, but on other political motives.
At the end of the day, the issue is still the same. If this opinion is Troy King's out of conviction, it deviates from that of every major conservative in the state. If this opinion is Troy King's out of corruption, then he has violated the trust of the voters of Alabama. If this is his convcition, his recourse his simple--he should go out and join the Democrats, who agree with him. Ron Sparks and Artur Davis, the Democratic nominees for Governor, have both agreed that gambling is needed for economic growth. If he has been corrupted, he should admit his failings and resign his post. Either way, he should stop masquerading as a conservative on this issue when he clearly is not.
Troy King and the Interminable Trial Lawyers
So, I've done some research, and it turns out that Troy King seems to have some pretty cozy relationships with trial lawyers. I guess he needs it, since he always seems to need representation against some new ethical charge. It makes me feel disgusted that, as a taxpayer in the middle of an economic crisis, we're all paying over $100,000 for Troy King's legal defense bills. However, the problem is actually worse.
Many of you have probably followed Alabama's Medicare fraud case. In short, a whole lot of different pharmaceutical companies defrauded the Alabama Medicare system. Like some other states, Alabama elected to sue many of these companies. As the state's representative, Troy King was in charge. Well, Troy King latched onto a growing trend--he hired private trial lawyers to take over the case. These private lawyers then represent the state in the case, in return for a share of winnings. Seems simple, right?
Well, it gets more complex when you look at the big picture of this blog, with reference to Troy King's standing as a conservative. Troy King awarded the contracts to Hand Arendall a firm from Mobile, which then worked with Jere Beasley, a trial lawyer from Montgomery. Here's the issue--trial lawyers like Jere Beasley are liberals. Beasley himself chairs Artur Davis' campaign. Now, some Troy King supporters would just say that this is an example of an AG willing to reach across party lines to get the job done.
However, several facts call that argument into question. First, Troy King in 2006 received a whole lot of Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions. These PACs are hard to follow, which is exactly how the special interests want them. However, King received a substantial amount of money from PACs heavily financed by a combination of gambling interests and trial lawyers. Here's one example. King received some $32,500 from PACs run by lobbyist Rudy Davidson leading up to the election. Those PACs received $193,625 from the Trial Trust PAC for Alabama Trial Lawyers, and another $75,000 came from Beasley Allen itself. This is just one example, and the records are obscured for a reason. Jere Beasley told the Birmingham News that: "They [candidates] think the stigma of a trial lawyer will hurt them." Thus, they give through a murky process meant to confuse voters on the actual source of contributions. It is effectively an end-run around the law, something conservative legislators have attempted to correct, though they have faced obstacles in the legislature. Second, in other states like Georgia and West Virginia, similar programs have led to public corruption. These are no-bid contracts, and they can be awarded by the AG to his political cronies, creating a hot scene for potential corruption.
Finally, conservative judicial scholars have steadfastly REJECTED the validity of this process of hiring private attorneys for state work. The leading conservative judicial group the Federalist Society published a criticism of the process last year. In that piece, conservative judge and Alabama's previous AG Bill Pryor said that these contracts to private firms "create the potential for outrageous windfalls or even outright corruption for political supporters of the officials who negotiated the contracts." Andrew Spiropoulos, the author of the piece, a law school professor from Oklahoma identifies some key problems: (a) Self-interest, as self-interested trial lawyers will be looking out for themselves and gaining the biggest settlement from a corporation, not doing justice, which is the function of the AG office; (b) Separation of powers, since the AG can hire private firms even if the legislature disagrees with a decision to sue an entity; and (c) Extensive cost, since even though initial costs may be low, attorneys take huge checks which would go to the states when the attorneys prevail. If you believe the Beasley Allen press release, they stand to pocket over $17 million already, and the cases haven't even concluded. That doesn't even include expenses, which means the ultimate fee will be far higher. That's money that could be in our state's general fund which is instead enriching trial lawyers.
Thus, it seems Troy King doesn't have a leg to stand on when it comes to hiring these lawyers. It isn't sound policy for the office, and it's certainly not conservative, having been critiqued both by a past Alabama conservative AG and another leading conservative legal scholar in a leading conservative legal publication. Troy King's ethics are definitely questionable, in terms of his campaign financing, but they are also more speculative. The impact of this decision is not. It takes powerful liberal trial lawyers and gives them an even greater hand over state business. This is certainly not doing justice.
Many of you have probably followed Alabama's Medicare fraud case. In short, a whole lot of different pharmaceutical companies defrauded the Alabama Medicare system. Like some other states, Alabama elected to sue many of these companies. As the state's representative, Troy King was in charge. Well, Troy King latched onto a growing trend--he hired private trial lawyers to take over the case. These private lawyers then represent the state in the case, in return for a share of winnings. Seems simple, right?
Well, it gets more complex when you look at the big picture of this blog, with reference to Troy King's standing as a conservative. Troy King awarded the contracts to Hand Arendall a firm from Mobile, which then worked with Jere Beasley, a trial lawyer from Montgomery. Here's the issue--trial lawyers like Jere Beasley are liberals. Beasley himself chairs Artur Davis' campaign. Now, some Troy King supporters would just say that this is an example of an AG willing to reach across party lines to get the job done.
However, several facts call that argument into question. First, Troy King in 2006 received a whole lot of Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions. These PACs are hard to follow, which is exactly how the special interests want them. However, King received a substantial amount of money from PACs heavily financed by a combination of gambling interests and trial lawyers. Here's one example. King received some $32,500 from PACs run by lobbyist Rudy Davidson leading up to the election. Those PACs received $193,625 from the Trial Trust PAC for Alabama Trial Lawyers, and another $75,000 came from Beasley Allen itself. This is just one example, and the records are obscured for a reason. Jere Beasley told the Birmingham News that: "They [candidates] think the stigma of a trial lawyer will hurt them." Thus, they give through a murky process meant to confuse voters on the actual source of contributions. It is effectively an end-run around the law, something conservative legislators have attempted to correct, though they have faced obstacles in the legislature. Second, in other states like Georgia and West Virginia, similar programs have led to public corruption. These are no-bid contracts, and they can be awarded by the AG to his political cronies, creating a hot scene for potential corruption.
Finally, conservative judicial scholars have steadfastly REJECTED the validity of this process of hiring private attorneys for state work. The leading conservative judicial group the Federalist Society published a criticism of the process last year. In that piece, conservative judge and Alabama's previous AG Bill Pryor said that these contracts to private firms "create the potential for outrageous windfalls or even outright corruption for political supporters of the officials who negotiated the contracts." Andrew Spiropoulos, the author of the piece, a law school professor from Oklahoma identifies some key problems: (a) Self-interest, as self-interested trial lawyers will be looking out for themselves and gaining the biggest settlement from a corporation, not doing justice, which is the function of the AG office; (b) Separation of powers, since the AG can hire private firms even if the legislature disagrees with a decision to sue an entity; and (c) Extensive cost, since even though initial costs may be low, attorneys take huge checks which would go to the states when the attorneys prevail. If you believe the Beasley Allen press release, they stand to pocket over $17 million already, and the cases haven't even concluded. That doesn't even include expenses, which means the ultimate fee will be far higher. That's money that could be in our state's general fund which is instead enriching trial lawyers.
Thus, it seems Troy King doesn't have a leg to stand on when it comes to hiring these lawyers. It isn't sound policy for the office, and it's certainly not conservative, having been critiqued both by a past Alabama conservative AG and another leading conservative legal scholar in a leading conservative legal publication. Troy King's ethics are definitely questionable, in terms of his campaign financing, but they are also more speculative. The impact of this decision is not. It takes powerful liberal trial lawyers and gives them an even greater hand over state business. This is certainly not doing justice.
Victims, Revisited
Yesterday, I touched on what I believe to truly be one of the great hypocrisies of Troy King's term as Alabama's AG, that being his position on victims' rights. Certainly, Troy King has spoken out on these issues, but it takes more than words to judge the actions of a leader. Consider this...
Ronald Reagan, a truly great conservative leader, asked voters to consider a basic question in his 1980 election against Jimmy Carter. He asked them: "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" Today, I ask that question of Troy King, and I further ask, can you show me specific examples of how Alabamians are safer today than they were in 2006, when you were elected to your first full term, or in 2004, when you were first appointed? Frankly, I don't feel all that much safer.
Frankly, I see an Attorney General who has certainly "stood" with some victims and their families, but this ignores my essential point that I made yesterday. It is IMPOSSIBLE for any AG to be with every victim, all the time. Certainly, the AG can be there for widely-publicized cases, but the fact is, there are a whole lot of victims out there who will never meet with any AG. Instead, they must be a part of a broader system--the criminal justice system. This process is probably one of the hardest things an individual can go through, and it can truly be like a great maze. Troy King has done nothing to simplify this maze--he has often made it more complex. On issues like the widely-publicized church fires created by Birmingham students, King took the case, held his press conferences, then transferred authority back to local authorities. There was no real reason for this other than his own political popularity. Also, consider this. Over the past term, Troy King has been involved in the seizure of two key cases--one from Mobile DA John Tyson and the other from Shelby County DA Robby Owens. However, by doing so, he has compromised the reputation of two veteran prosecutors (including one who represents one of the most conservative counties in Alabama) who regularly prosecute hundreds of cases each year. By doing so, he has compromised these attorneys. If Troy King felt strongly enough that these DAs were incapable of representing the interests of their counties, he should have fought to take every case from them and do all the work himself. However, Troy King realizes that this is impossible, because District Attorneys perform a vital role in the criminal justice system of this state. They do the dirty work, when no one is paying attention. So, Troy King chose to take widely publicized cases for himself and leave the dirty work to the District Attorneys.
When we look at what's left, what has Troy King done to make us safer? We still have the same expanding drug problem, particularly with methamphetamine use, that we had in the state four years ago. Illegal immigration continues to run rampant. I know this is largely due to federal blunders, but surely our own state should make sure that the laws of Alabama are enforced with regard to this issue as well. We still have cities like Birmingham, which have some of the highest murder rates in the nation, beating even Washington, DC, and New York some years. Back when Jeff Sessions campaigned for AG in 1994, he campaigned on SYSTEMIC reforms to make the system fairer for all parties. He wanted quicker trials, more like the federal prosecution system, so that victims and defendants wouldn't have to wait for years to see justice done in the courts. Instead of focusing on reforms to make our system more efficient as a whole, Troy King has chosen to take particular cases and grandstand on them.
Now, if I'm a Troy King supporter reading this, I ask, what about the sex offender legislation? It is true that the Alabama legislature passed sex offender legislation under Troy King's watch, and this is, by far, his best accomplishment as AG. Case granted. However, I would argue that any AG would have addressed this issue, and King's handling of the matter is far from perfect. In 2005, Carla Crowder of the Birmingham News reported on some inconsistencies with King's actions. Crowder noted that the monitoring bracelets pushed by King wouldn't be required for 20 years, meaning that we won't REALLY be that much safer from sex offenders until the year 2025. Honestly, that's a long time to wait for justice. Additionally, not all folks were happy with this. They may have understood the legal reasons, but they felt uninformed. Randy East of Rushton Child Care Center in Birmingham said: "So the people who are out there today living in my neighborhood would not have to wear them?...I'm really kind of offended that I was not made more aware of it." Like Mr. East, I'm offended, too. I believe an AG should be accountable and explain the pros and cons of any legislation to voters, fairly and honestly.
So, that's what we're left with for a record. As I said yesterday, Troy King has offered plenty of honorable rhetoric. As I said yesterday, I sympathize with victims and their families. Crime is devastating. However, since crime is devastating, that should mean that WE FIGHT ALL THE HARDER TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS LESS OF IT EVERY FOUR YEARS. That's what Ronald Reagan set as the conservative standard, and I set it today--a strong conservative leader should leave his office (or campaign for re-election) on the premise that he has executed it better and more justly than he found the office on his arrival. I ask Troy King--what, in terms of substance, have you done to reduce crime in Alabama? What have you done to prevent folks from offending in the first place, and what have you done to prevent those who have been released from prison from offending again? What have you done to improve upon the records of Jeff Sessions and Bill Pryor, remarkable conservatives in their own right? Finally, what have you done to make the system fairer for those victims who will never be at your press conferences? I'm interested in those victims, and I believe they deserve a voice, too.
Ronald Reagan, a truly great conservative leader, asked voters to consider a basic question in his 1980 election against Jimmy Carter. He asked them: "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" Today, I ask that question of Troy King, and I further ask, can you show me specific examples of how Alabamians are safer today than they were in 2006, when you were elected to your first full term, or in 2004, when you were first appointed? Frankly, I don't feel all that much safer.
Frankly, I see an Attorney General who has certainly "stood" with some victims and their families, but this ignores my essential point that I made yesterday. It is IMPOSSIBLE for any AG to be with every victim, all the time. Certainly, the AG can be there for widely-publicized cases, but the fact is, there are a whole lot of victims out there who will never meet with any AG. Instead, they must be a part of a broader system--the criminal justice system. This process is probably one of the hardest things an individual can go through, and it can truly be like a great maze. Troy King has done nothing to simplify this maze--he has often made it more complex. On issues like the widely-publicized church fires created by Birmingham students, King took the case, held his press conferences, then transferred authority back to local authorities. There was no real reason for this other than his own political popularity. Also, consider this. Over the past term, Troy King has been involved in the seizure of two key cases--one from Mobile DA John Tyson and the other from Shelby County DA Robby Owens. However, by doing so, he has compromised the reputation of two veteran prosecutors (including one who represents one of the most conservative counties in Alabama) who regularly prosecute hundreds of cases each year. By doing so, he has compromised these attorneys. If Troy King felt strongly enough that these DAs were incapable of representing the interests of their counties, he should have fought to take every case from them and do all the work himself. However, Troy King realizes that this is impossible, because District Attorneys perform a vital role in the criminal justice system of this state. They do the dirty work, when no one is paying attention. So, Troy King chose to take widely publicized cases for himself and leave the dirty work to the District Attorneys.
When we look at what's left, what has Troy King done to make us safer? We still have the same expanding drug problem, particularly with methamphetamine use, that we had in the state four years ago. Illegal immigration continues to run rampant. I know this is largely due to federal blunders, but surely our own state should make sure that the laws of Alabama are enforced with regard to this issue as well. We still have cities like Birmingham, which have some of the highest murder rates in the nation, beating even Washington, DC, and New York some years. Back when Jeff Sessions campaigned for AG in 1994, he campaigned on SYSTEMIC reforms to make the system fairer for all parties. He wanted quicker trials, more like the federal prosecution system, so that victims and defendants wouldn't have to wait for years to see justice done in the courts. Instead of focusing on reforms to make our system more efficient as a whole, Troy King has chosen to take particular cases and grandstand on them.
Now, if I'm a Troy King supporter reading this, I ask, what about the sex offender legislation? It is true that the Alabama legislature passed sex offender legislation under Troy King's watch, and this is, by far, his best accomplishment as AG. Case granted. However, I would argue that any AG would have addressed this issue, and King's handling of the matter is far from perfect. In 2005, Carla Crowder of the Birmingham News reported on some inconsistencies with King's actions. Crowder noted that the monitoring bracelets pushed by King wouldn't be required for 20 years, meaning that we won't REALLY be that much safer from sex offenders until the year 2025. Honestly, that's a long time to wait for justice. Additionally, not all folks were happy with this. They may have understood the legal reasons, but they felt uninformed. Randy East of Rushton Child Care Center in Birmingham said: "So the people who are out there today living in my neighborhood would not have to wear them?...I'm really kind of offended that I was not made more aware of it." Like Mr. East, I'm offended, too. I believe an AG should be accountable and explain the pros and cons of any legislation to voters, fairly and honestly.
So, that's what we're left with for a record. As I said yesterday, Troy King has offered plenty of honorable rhetoric. As I said yesterday, I sympathize with victims and their families. Crime is devastating. However, since crime is devastating, that should mean that WE FIGHT ALL THE HARDER TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS LESS OF IT EVERY FOUR YEARS. That's what Ronald Reagan set as the conservative standard, and I set it today--a strong conservative leader should leave his office (or campaign for re-election) on the premise that he has executed it better and more justly than he found the office on his arrival. I ask Troy King--what, in terms of substance, have you done to reduce crime in Alabama? What have you done to prevent folks from offending in the first place, and what have you done to prevent those who have been released from prison from offending again? What have you done to improve upon the records of Jeff Sessions and Bill Pryor, remarkable conservatives in their own right? Finally, what have you done to make the system fairer for those victims who will never be at your press conferences? I'm interested in those victims, and I believe they deserve a voice, too.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Troy King--VOCAL for Victims?
Last week, I got a letter from Troy King, asking me to donate to his re-election campaign. I was intrigued by what AG King had to say. Right there at the top, he made clear that he was out there "fighting for the victims," and that is why we should send him back to Montgomery. Well, I do agree with King on one point--victims are an important aspect of crime and crime fighting, and justice involves respecting the victim. Since conservatives are ideally committed to the interests of justice, looking out for victims is a truly conservative thing to do. However, when I look beyond Troy King's repeated press conferences o the subject, I'm really struggling to find examples of how he has looked out for victims.
Several years before he took away the now-infamous case from Shelby Co. DA Robby Owens, Troy King took away a case from his 2006 Democratic opponent, John Tyson of Mobile. King stood with the victims then, and he took the case to court. However, Tyson noted that he was planning to present the case to the grand jury as well--he was simply waiting for another piece of evidence from processing. We'll never know the truth, but taken in context with King's 2007 decision, it seems that he has a bigger interest in standing with victims' families than actually making decisions as AG which help victims of crime.
In looking at this, consider the following about victims of crime--the people we see standing with AG King at his press conferences are a miniscule percentage of the actual victims of crime in this state. Every single day, an unfortunate number of Alabamians become crime victims. Many of them will never get the attention of a statewide elected officer. Instead, most of them will look for justice from their local District Attorney, the person they elected to represent their interests. That DA works with the AG and his officers to best provide for justice in their given area, and that is how the process should work. However, instead of working with this process, King has alienated DAs. When he seizes cases, this undermines the credibility of these District Attorneys. That means that the next time they sit across from a guilty defendant, that defendant can better bargain with the DA, since that DA's character has been compromised in public fashion. Also, these scandals detailed what a vast majority (all but 1 or 2) of DA's called a fundamental lack of communication with the DA's office. Thus, it would be fairer to say that, instead of being interested in victims of crime, the AG is most interested in the public cases, the cases most likely to draw wide amounts of media coverage.
Even then, though, the details are sketchy. Back in 2005, a group of Birmingham students set fire to a series of churches in rural Alabama. Troy King hosted a large number of press conferences, pledging harsh punishment for the young men. However, weeks after the cameras stopped rolling, King quietly placed the responsibility of prosecution back on the local DAs, forcing each to try the defendants and creating a situation of legal confusion. The defendants were eventually convicted, but only after grandstanding by the AG.
Then, there is the problem with the 2-year college fiasco. When Troy King was investigating Roy Johnson, president of the 2-year-college system, on top of asking for jobs for friends, he also asked for funding for VOCAL, a victims'-rights group. Newspapers published critical editorials, noting that this was effectively a strategy to "buy" votes in the next election. Although I question the truth of Troy King's position on victims' rights, I know that even if he feels passionately about the issue, that does not allow him to go ask for funds from someone he is investigating.
Thus, I do feel for the victims of crime in this state. However, I also know that if I am ever a victim of crime, as an ordinary Alabamian, I am unlikely to ever receive the bright camers and statewide media coverage. Instead, I will have to rely on the strength of local institutions which Troy King has steadfastly alienated. If AG King had problems with our local prosecution system when he was elected, he could have strengthened and changed it. He could have had more contact with DAs and willingly done the difficult work of improving our criminal justice system. Insetad, he has given me a lot of eloquent speeches on the issue without much action. I want to see the action, and having not seen this action, I can only believe that King has failed to deliver on his biggest campaign issue of the previous two campaigns.
Several years before he took away the now-infamous case from Shelby Co. DA Robby Owens, Troy King took away a case from his 2006 Democratic opponent, John Tyson of Mobile. King stood with the victims then, and he took the case to court. However, Tyson noted that he was planning to present the case to the grand jury as well--he was simply waiting for another piece of evidence from processing. We'll never know the truth, but taken in context with King's 2007 decision, it seems that he has a bigger interest in standing with victims' families than actually making decisions as AG which help victims of crime.
In looking at this, consider the following about victims of crime--the people we see standing with AG King at his press conferences are a miniscule percentage of the actual victims of crime in this state. Every single day, an unfortunate number of Alabamians become crime victims. Many of them will never get the attention of a statewide elected officer. Instead, most of them will look for justice from their local District Attorney, the person they elected to represent their interests. That DA works with the AG and his officers to best provide for justice in their given area, and that is how the process should work. However, instead of working with this process, King has alienated DAs. When he seizes cases, this undermines the credibility of these District Attorneys. That means that the next time they sit across from a guilty defendant, that defendant can better bargain with the DA, since that DA's character has been compromised in public fashion. Also, these scandals detailed what a vast majority (all but 1 or 2) of DA's called a fundamental lack of communication with the DA's office. Thus, it would be fairer to say that, instead of being interested in victims of crime, the AG is most interested in the public cases, the cases most likely to draw wide amounts of media coverage.
Even then, though, the details are sketchy. Back in 2005, a group of Birmingham students set fire to a series of churches in rural Alabama. Troy King hosted a large number of press conferences, pledging harsh punishment for the young men. However, weeks after the cameras stopped rolling, King quietly placed the responsibility of prosecution back on the local DAs, forcing each to try the defendants and creating a situation of legal confusion. The defendants were eventually convicted, but only after grandstanding by the AG.
Then, there is the problem with the 2-year college fiasco. When Troy King was investigating Roy Johnson, president of the 2-year-college system, on top of asking for jobs for friends, he also asked for funding for VOCAL, a victims'-rights group. Newspapers published critical editorials, noting that this was effectively a strategy to "buy" votes in the next election. Although I question the truth of Troy King's position on victims' rights, I know that even if he feels passionately about the issue, that does not allow him to go ask for funds from someone he is investigating.
Thus, I do feel for the victims of crime in this state. However, I also know that if I am ever a victim of crime, as an ordinary Alabamian, I am unlikely to ever receive the bright camers and statewide media coverage. Instead, I will have to rely on the strength of local institutions which Troy King has steadfastly alienated. If AG King had problems with our local prosecution system when he was elected, he could have strengthened and changed it. He could have had more contact with DAs and willingly done the difficult work of improving our criminal justice system. Insetad, he has given me a lot of eloquent speeches on the issue without much action. I want to see the action, and having not seen this action, I can only believe that King has failed to deliver on his biggest campaign issue of the previous two campaigns.
Troy King--Conservative?
Recently, some have inquired as to what these posts have to do with whether or not Troy King is a "conservative." They have also noted that whether I like Troy King is irrelevant--he is still a conservative. The one point upon which I agree is that whether I like Troy King is irrelevant to this blog. I don't know Troy King, so it's hard for me to know what I would think of him as an individual. That is not my purpose, nor is it my intent. My intent is to evaluate his professional service to the state of Alabama and consider that record. Today, I will spell out some specific traits which I think define an individual as a "conservative," why one should accept these characteristics as valid, and how Troy King has violated each of these pillars.
5 PILLARS OF CONSERVATISM:
(1) Belief in Fiscal Responsibility and Limitation (FA Hayek, Edmund Burke, John C. Calhoun, etc.)--You can find academic writing on limited spending from each of these classical conservative authors, and many more which I elected not to include in the interest of space. Early conservatives argued that a large government gives government officials a lot of money, and thus, a whole lot of power. By limiting spending, the government has far less money to funnel to their special interests. John C. Calhouh, one of the first 'Southern conservatives' wrote entire academic works focusing on the dangers of a system where funds were disbursed to reward political interests.
Troy King has violated this tenet repeatedly. First, as I have written during the past week, he has given capricious raises to members of his staff. He has promoted his staff based not on merit, but on political loyalty instead (again, look to Chris Bence, who is paid as a paralegal without doing paralegal work or having paralegal training). Second, AG King has awarded what are effectively no-bid contracts to private law firms to do work on behalf of the state of Alabama. This includes the firm of liberal trial lawyers led by Jere Beasley (ironically, who is heading Artur Davis' campaign). Once these firms get their share of the winnings, this will add into the millions. I'd say that's a fair bit of public power rewarded to a special interest, and not a conservative one.
(2) Acceptance of an objective morality which influences behavior (Edmund Burke (again), Richard Weaver, etc...)-- Conservatives traditionally accept an objective moral code which influences their public behavior. "Alabama" conservatives are, as some would say, generally "men and women of God," who believe in the tenets of the Christian faith and use that faith to guide the repsonsibility of their actions.
However, I would argue that a basic standard of both public and religious morality is abstinence from corrupt activities. Corruption was a major point which led to the foundation of the Protestant churches some centuries ago, and they now dot hundreds of communities across Alabama. Troy King has also repeatedly violated this tenet. He has accepted gifts from Alabama Power, a company he regulates, without reporting this information to the taxpayers. He asked for three seperate favors from a 2-year college chancellor he was also investigating, thus being forced to remove himself from the case. Finally, Troy King affirmed an archaic opinion that allowed county sheriffs to pocket additional money for feeding prisoners. The result was a scandal where sheriffs were pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars for their personal use, which garnered national headlines. Perhaps it is just a coincidence that his political ally, the sheriff of Mobile County, was facing charges in a related matter at the same time, but I'm skeptical. I am not questioning Troy King's faith--that is a matter for him personally. However, I do question whether his activities reflect anything higher than sheer political maneuvering. I can find little evidence of that.
(3) Belief in a free, open, and fair market (FA Hayek, Milton Friedman, etc.)-- Economic conservatives have long believed in the market as the proper organ of economic growth, and it functions best when it is free and fair. The AG's office plays an essential role in this process by producing clarifying opinions for municipalities and organizations seeking to grow.
While I cannot confirm Troy King's opinions on a free and open market, he hasn't been the best at establishing a fair market. Back in 2005, Etowah County leaders were confused when the AG's office, over the course of several weeks, released contradictory opinions on water issues in the area without conducting any fact-finding in the case, simply issuing opinions on the facts provided without attempting to determine the veracity of any particular facts. These sorts of conflicts, and the inability for the AG's office to provide coherent counsel, is both a violation of a conservative principle and the fundamental functioning of the office.
(4) Belief in fairness related to gambling-- This issue is a uniquely Alabama issue, since gambling issues do not produce the conflict in many states which they produce in Alabama. Obviously, like most Alabama politicians, Troy King has claimed to be "anti-gaming" and simply following the law of the state, not being an "activist" like other politicians. However, let's evaluate that argument on two levels.
First, I would argue that Troy King is being an activist by NOT nipping gambling in the bud. King argues that he is bound by the law. However, Jeff Sessions and Bill Pryor ALSO believed in a strict interpretation of the law as AG, and they came out against the gaming interests. I remember when Bill Pryor was nominated as a federal judge--Chuck Schumer and other liberals were pressing him on being TOO originalist, not that he was an activist. Thus, I find it hard to believe that Troy King is somehow a truer conservative than two of our most conservative leaders. Additionally, this is reinforced by the fact that Alabama courts, dominated heavily by conservative Republicans, have traditionally refused, as the Birmingham News noted, to grant exceptions similar to those granted by the AG.
However, this is about more than whether Troy King is for or against gambling. This is also about his conduct. Whether an AG rules for or against gambling, his opinion should be completely objective. Troy King went to Ronnie Gilley's party in the wiregrass, he was a guest of honor, and he then turned around 6 weeks later and issued an opnion in Gilley's favor. By the letter of the law, this may not be illegal. However, it is certainly a very visible sign of impropriety.
(5) A belief in the validity of local authorities (James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Richard Weaver, Robert Nisbet)-- The Founders of the American republic were firm believers in local control and authority. They believed that laws should differ, from state to state and municipality to municipality, to reflect the particular needs and interests of these areas. When it came to enforcement, it should be local, governed by the people of these particular areas. The Founders feared that consolidation of power would lead to some of the situations we have in Washington, where lawmakers regularly treat the public's tax dollars as their own personal option and impose particular social norms on parts of the country which object to these ideas.
At a smaller level, Troy King is violating this in Alabama. He is stripping local District Attorneys, who have been duly elected by the people of Alabama to represent their interests, of their power. He is also doing this for political purposes, not in the interests of justice. When we look back at the DAs who protested Troy King's seizure of a case from Shelby County DA Robby Owens in 2007. First, Shelby County has one of the most (if not the most) conservative voting record in Alabama, and they have regularly elected Owens to represent their interests. Second, all but one or two Alabama DAs joined in the protest. Although admittedly there may be some liberal DAs in Alabama, there are also a fair number of conservative DAs in Alabama, as well. Conservatives and liberals, alike, united around the DA of one of the most conservative counties in Alabama in this instance. It's hard to argue, at that point, that Troy King was somehow seizing a case from a "liberal activist" DA in the interests of justice. This was exactly what the papers called it--political retribution for one of his opponents within the Republican Party.
In light of these five tenets, it is clear that being a conservative is about more than the words one speaks. It is about the principles one holds, and the actions which stem from these principles. Troy King has a great history of speaking conservative words--many of his speeches, on their face, I agree with. I agree with fighting for victims and their families, promoting tradiational values, and promoting the rule of law. However, when I look at Troy King's actions, they do not reflect his principles. Instead, they reflect the traits of a skilled politician who will stop at nothing to ruin the lives of any who stand in his way and do anything to enhance his own personal standing.
5 PILLARS OF CONSERVATISM:
(1) Belief in Fiscal Responsibility and Limitation (FA Hayek, Edmund Burke, John C. Calhoun, etc.)--You can find academic writing on limited spending from each of these classical conservative authors, and many more which I elected not to include in the interest of space. Early conservatives argued that a large government gives government officials a lot of money, and thus, a whole lot of power. By limiting spending, the government has far less money to funnel to their special interests. John C. Calhouh, one of the first 'Southern conservatives' wrote entire academic works focusing on the dangers of a system where funds were disbursed to reward political interests.
Troy King has violated this tenet repeatedly. First, as I have written during the past week, he has given capricious raises to members of his staff. He has promoted his staff based not on merit, but on political loyalty instead (again, look to Chris Bence, who is paid as a paralegal without doing paralegal work or having paralegal training). Second, AG King has awarded what are effectively no-bid contracts to private law firms to do work on behalf of the state of Alabama. This includes the firm of liberal trial lawyers led by Jere Beasley (ironically, who is heading Artur Davis' campaign). Once these firms get their share of the winnings, this will add into the millions. I'd say that's a fair bit of public power rewarded to a special interest, and not a conservative one.
(2) Acceptance of an objective morality which influences behavior (Edmund Burke (again), Richard Weaver, etc...)-- Conservatives traditionally accept an objective moral code which influences their public behavior. "Alabama" conservatives are, as some would say, generally "men and women of God," who believe in the tenets of the Christian faith and use that faith to guide the repsonsibility of their actions.
However, I would argue that a basic standard of both public and religious morality is abstinence from corrupt activities. Corruption was a major point which led to the foundation of the Protestant churches some centuries ago, and they now dot hundreds of communities across Alabama. Troy King has also repeatedly violated this tenet. He has accepted gifts from Alabama Power, a company he regulates, without reporting this information to the taxpayers. He asked for three seperate favors from a 2-year college chancellor he was also investigating, thus being forced to remove himself from the case. Finally, Troy King affirmed an archaic opinion that allowed county sheriffs to pocket additional money for feeding prisoners. The result was a scandal where sheriffs were pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars for their personal use, which garnered national headlines. Perhaps it is just a coincidence that his political ally, the sheriff of Mobile County, was facing charges in a related matter at the same time, but I'm skeptical. I am not questioning Troy King's faith--that is a matter for him personally. However, I do question whether his activities reflect anything higher than sheer political maneuvering. I can find little evidence of that.
(3) Belief in a free, open, and fair market (FA Hayek, Milton Friedman, etc.)-- Economic conservatives have long believed in the market as the proper organ of economic growth, and it functions best when it is free and fair. The AG's office plays an essential role in this process by producing clarifying opinions for municipalities and organizations seeking to grow.
While I cannot confirm Troy King's opinions on a free and open market, he hasn't been the best at establishing a fair market. Back in 2005, Etowah County leaders were confused when the AG's office, over the course of several weeks, released contradictory opinions on water issues in the area without conducting any fact-finding in the case, simply issuing opinions on the facts provided without attempting to determine the veracity of any particular facts. These sorts of conflicts, and the inability for the AG's office to provide coherent counsel, is both a violation of a conservative principle and the fundamental functioning of the office.
(4) Belief in fairness related to gambling-- This issue is a uniquely Alabama issue, since gambling issues do not produce the conflict in many states which they produce in Alabama. Obviously, like most Alabama politicians, Troy King has claimed to be "anti-gaming" and simply following the law of the state, not being an "activist" like other politicians. However, let's evaluate that argument on two levels.
First, I would argue that Troy King is being an activist by NOT nipping gambling in the bud. King argues that he is bound by the law. However, Jeff Sessions and Bill Pryor ALSO believed in a strict interpretation of the law as AG, and they came out against the gaming interests. I remember when Bill Pryor was nominated as a federal judge--Chuck Schumer and other liberals were pressing him on being TOO originalist, not that he was an activist. Thus, I find it hard to believe that Troy King is somehow a truer conservative than two of our most conservative leaders. Additionally, this is reinforced by the fact that Alabama courts, dominated heavily by conservative Republicans, have traditionally refused, as the Birmingham News noted, to grant exceptions similar to those granted by the AG.
However, this is about more than whether Troy King is for or against gambling. This is also about his conduct. Whether an AG rules for or against gambling, his opinion should be completely objective. Troy King went to Ronnie Gilley's party in the wiregrass, he was a guest of honor, and he then turned around 6 weeks later and issued an opnion in Gilley's favor. By the letter of the law, this may not be illegal. However, it is certainly a very visible sign of impropriety.
(5) A belief in the validity of local authorities (James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Richard Weaver, Robert Nisbet)-- The Founders of the American republic were firm believers in local control and authority. They believed that laws should differ, from state to state and municipality to municipality, to reflect the particular needs and interests of these areas. When it came to enforcement, it should be local, governed by the people of these particular areas. The Founders feared that consolidation of power would lead to some of the situations we have in Washington, where lawmakers regularly treat the public's tax dollars as their own personal option and impose particular social norms on parts of the country which object to these ideas.
At a smaller level, Troy King is violating this in Alabama. He is stripping local District Attorneys, who have been duly elected by the people of Alabama to represent their interests, of their power. He is also doing this for political purposes, not in the interests of justice. When we look back at the DAs who protested Troy King's seizure of a case from Shelby County DA Robby Owens in 2007. First, Shelby County has one of the most (if not the most) conservative voting record in Alabama, and they have regularly elected Owens to represent their interests. Second, all but one or two Alabama DAs joined in the protest. Although admittedly there may be some liberal DAs in Alabama, there are also a fair number of conservative DAs in Alabama, as well. Conservatives and liberals, alike, united around the DA of one of the most conservative counties in Alabama in this instance. It's hard to argue, at that point, that Troy King was somehow seizing a case from a "liberal activist" DA in the interests of justice. This was exactly what the papers called it--political retribution for one of his opponents within the Republican Party.
In light of these five tenets, it is clear that being a conservative is about more than the words one speaks. It is about the principles one holds, and the actions which stem from these principles. Troy King has a great history of speaking conservative words--many of his speeches, on their face, I agree with. I agree with fighting for victims and their families, promoting tradiational values, and promoting the rule of law. However, when I look at Troy King's actions, they do not reflect his principles. Instead, they reflect the traits of a skilled politician who will stop at nothing to ruin the lives of any who stand in his way and do anything to enhance his own personal standing.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Ten Questions for Troy King's Facebook
It is great to be back from a brief break, and even better to know that Troy King is back in the news. Mobile Press-Register cartoonist JD Crowe was back with a new Troy King cartoon this weekend, featuring Troy King and his bunker. At this blog, what Crowe has called the "Bunker mentality" I have chosen to call "Troy's world." Troy's world is a place where he sits, alone, and the fundamental rules which the rest of us must obey do not apply. In Troy's world, being "conservative" means supporting corrupt gambling interests, overseeing a lack of political accountability on spending, and continuing ethical blunders which transform your office from a temple of respesct into a statewide laughingstock.
As I read the cartoon, I realized that Troy King is also using technology to reach out to voters. The sitting Alabama AG is using facebook to reach out to supporters, instead of actually taking questions from press or constituents. Facebook is a great thing, because people can post questions, and you can steadily ignore them. However, this morning, I want to offer TEN QUESTIONS Alabamians should ask Troy King, through facebook or otherwise, before casting their vote in the next election:
(1) Why have you made such a history of repeated ethical blunders? Regularly, you have admitted to your mistakes in the press following a blunder, and you have always managed to stay one step ahead of the law. Many Alabamians would attribute one, even two of these things to an honest mistake. However, can we excuse your Braves skybox tickets from Alabama Power, your close connections with Auburn trustees directly before issuing opinions, your relationship with developer Stan Pate which reportedly led to your grand jury investigation, or your "guest of honor" status at a party held 6 weeks before your office issued a pro-gambling opinion? You know I could go on listing your conflicts, but space is limited, so accept this as a small list, and explain this large number of ethical blunders.
(2) In a time of economic shortfalls, why have you chosen to elevate your political supporters to staff positions they are not qualified for? Just look at Chris Bence, your "chief of staff" or "spokesman" who is a "paralegal" in your office, even though he is not qualified for the position. Will you commit to being honest with the people of Alabama regarding your staff salaries?
(3) Why did you choose to ignore voter fraud in the Alabama Black Belt in 2008, even after it was brought to your attention by Secretary of State Beth Chapman? This was so bad it even made the New York Times. Perry County voters cast 1,114 absentee ballots, whereas Jefferson County, a County 60 times Perry's population, cast only 365. I smell a rat, but you just blamed the federal government. What happened to accountability?
(4) Why your obsession with perception? Even on issues where you have been strong, such as sex offender legislation, the Birmingham News accused you of "showboating for political gain."
(5) Are you willing to commit to refusing gambling funds in this election, and also refusing PAC contributions from PACs bankrolled by gaming interests? You haven't had the most stellar record on this issue in the past, and it calls into question your ability to ethically handle the gaming issue in Alabama.
(6) Will you bring sunshine to the private attorneys you hire? Recently, the citizens of Alabama have paid $100,000 for your legal defense. However, we have also been paying for you to hire outside attorneys to represent the state in other legal matters. You could end this process, but will you at least add some transparency? In a whole lot of other states, like Georgia and West Virginia, this has been abused to reward political cronies. How will you stop this from happening in Alabama?
(7) Why did you put yourself in a position to have to remove yourself from the largest ethics investigation in our state's history? You went asking two year college chancellor Roy Johnson to help your friend's mom, a victims' rights group, and another friend, even as you were investigating him. Why should voters send you back to Montgomery, when your own actions have forced you to be removed from what would have been one of the biggest tasks of your second term in office?
(8) If you were to receive a second term, would you end the political prosecutions which have scarred your first term? You received statewide condemnation for removing Shelby County DA Robby Owens from a case, and you did the same thing in Mobile with John Tyson. Do you believe it's possible to run the state's prosecutions without relying on local law enforcement?
(9) Will you promise to end the process of politically-charged opinions coming from your office? Early in your career, you issued an opinion on Auburn Trustees after conversing with a staff member who worked in a trustee's firm. Later on, you issued a gaming opinion after appearing at a party with developer Ronnie Gilley. These are only a few examples of ways in which your judgment has diminished the effectiveness of a vital function of the AG's office. Communities depend on your opinions for critical decisions on economic development and growth. How can you guarantee that your opinions will be reliable with such a history of questionable contacts?
(10) FINALLY, TROY KING, WHAT MAKES YOU A CONSERVATIVE? You claim to be a conservative, someone who fights for us. You claim to be for the victims. However, HOW IS THIS TRUE? You cannot be "for the victims" when you alienate every one of Alabama's duly elected District Attorneys charged with enforcing the laws of the state, which you help oversee. You cannot be for "fiscal responsibility" when you give out bloated raises to staff based on political loyalties, not qualifications. You cannot promote our traditional moral values while allowing corrupt gaming interests to flourish. You cannot promote economic growth and a free, fair market when you regularly issue opinions tarnished by ethical consideration. These are fundamental conservative values, all of which you have violated repeatedly during your term of office. Thus, HOW CAN YOU HONESTLY CAMPAIGN AS A CONSERVATIVE? SHOULD YOU NOT JUST DO THE HONEST THING, AND CAMPAIGN AS A LIBERAL DEMOCRAT INSTEAD?
I hope that voters will pose these questions to Troy King, on facebook or if he ever decides to come out in person, before they vote for him...again.
As I read the cartoon, I realized that Troy King is also using technology to reach out to voters. The sitting Alabama AG is using facebook to reach out to supporters, instead of actually taking questions from press or constituents. Facebook is a great thing, because people can post questions, and you can steadily ignore them. However, this morning, I want to offer TEN QUESTIONS Alabamians should ask Troy King, through facebook or otherwise, before casting their vote in the next election:
(1) Why have you made such a history of repeated ethical blunders? Regularly, you have admitted to your mistakes in the press following a blunder, and you have always managed to stay one step ahead of the law. Many Alabamians would attribute one, even two of these things to an honest mistake. However, can we excuse your Braves skybox tickets from Alabama Power, your close connections with Auburn trustees directly before issuing opinions, your relationship with developer Stan Pate which reportedly led to your grand jury investigation, or your "guest of honor" status at a party held 6 weeks before your office issued a pro-gambling opinion? You know I could go on listing your conflicts, but space is limited, so accept this as a small list, and explain this large number of ethical blunders.
(2) In a time of economic shortfalls, why have you chosen to elevate your political supporters to staff positions they are not qualified for? Just look at Chris Bence, your "chief of staff" or "spokesman" who is a "paralegal" in your office, even though he is not qualified for the position. Will you commit to being honest with the people of Alabama regarding your staff salaries?
(3) Why did you choose to ignore voter fraud in the Alabama Black Belt in 2008, even after it was brought to your attention by Secretary of State Beth Chapman? This was so bad it even made the New York Times. Perry County voters cast 1,114 absentee ballots, whereas Jefferson County, a County 60 times Perry's population, cast only 365. I smell a rat, but you just blamed the federal government. What happened to accountability?
(4) Why your obsession with perception? Even on issues where you have been strong, such as sex offender legislation, the Birmingham News accused you of "showboating for political gain."
(5) Are you willing to commit to refusing gambling funds in this election, and also refusing PAC contributions from PACs bankrolled by gaming interests? You haven't had the most stellar record on this issue in the past, and it calls into question your ability to ethically handle the gaming issue in Alabama.
(6) Will you bring sunshine to the private attorneys you hire? Recently, the citizens of Alabama have paid $100,000 for your legal defense. However, we have also been paying for you to hire outside attorneys to represent the state in other legal matters. You could end this process, but will you at least add some transparency? In a whole lot of other states, like Georgia and West Virginia, this has been abused to reward political cronies. How will you stop this from happening in Alabama?
(7) Why did you put yourself in a position to have to remove yourself from the largest ethics investigation in our state's history? You went asking two year college chancellor Roy Johnson to help your friend's mom, a victims' rights group, and another friend, even as you were investigating him. Why should voters send you back to Montgomery, when your own actions have forced you to be removed from what would have been one of the biggest tasks of your second term in office?
(8) If you were to receive a second term, would you end the political prosecutions which have scarred your first term? You received statewide condemnation for removing Shelby County DA Robby Owens from a case, and you did the same thing in Mobile with John Tyson. Do you believe it's possible to run the state's prosecutions without relying on local law enforcement?
(9) Will you promise to end the process of politically-charged opinions coming from your office? Early in your career, you issued an opinion on Auburn Trustees after conversing with a staff member who worked in a trustee's firm. Later on, you issued a gaming opinion after appearing at a party with developer Ronnie Gilley. These are only a few examples of ways in which your judgment has diminished the effectiveness of a vital function of the AG's office. Communities depend on your opinions for critical decisions on economic development and growth. How can you guarantee that your opinions will be reliable with such a history of questionable contacts?
(10) FINALLY, TROY KING, WHAT MAKES YOU A CONSERVATIVE? You claim to be a conservative, someone who fights for us. You claim to be for the victims. However, HOW IS THIS TRUE? You cannot be "for the victims" when you alienate every one of Alabama's duly elected District Attorneys charged with enforcing the laws of the state, which you help oversee. You cannot be for "fiscal responsibility" when you give out bloated raises to staff based on political loyalties, not qualifications. You cannot promote our traditional moral values while allowing corrupt gaming interests to flourish. You cannot promote economic growth and a free, fair market when you regularly issue opinions tarnished by ethical consideration. These are fundamental conservative values, all of which you have violated repeatedly during your term of office. Thus, HOW CAN YOU HONESTLY CAMPAIGN AS A CONSERVATIVE? SHOULD YOU NOT JUST DO THE HONEST THING, AND CAMPAIGN AS A LIBERAL DEMOCRAT INSTEAD?
I hope that voters will pose these questions to Troy King, on facebook or if he ever decides to come out in person, before they vote for him...again.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Troy King's Incredible Job References
It's a Friday, so I guess I have jobs on my mind. In these tough economic times, employment is on the minds of a lot of folks, especially here in Alabama. Jobs also have a lot to do with why I became a conservative in the first place. Conservatives have always believed in the free market, and by extension, that means they also believe in merit. Qualified people should get jobs, and intelligence and innovation should be rewarded. That makes a lot of sense to me.
In Troy's world, however, a job is just another political tool to reward connected friends, even if that decision puts you in a position not to do your own job. Take this two year college investigation, for example. I'm sure y'all still remember it--legislators, politicians, and other cronies were getting rich with phony two-year college jobs, all with the blessing of Chancellor Roy Johnson. It was SO big that it has become the biggest corruption in Alabama's history, and that is really saying something, given Alabama's history of corruption. Of course, the Attorney General's office should be leading the charge in such an investigation.
HOWEVER, as it turns out, Troy King had to recuse himself from the investigation. St. Clair County DA Richard Minor was assigned to the case instead. Why the recusal? Well, Troy King had gone to Roy Johnson and asked for jobs for two of his friends. One was Ann Hinderer, mother of deputy Attorney General Marc Bass. The other was unnamed. Making matters worse, Troy King had gone to ask for these jobs for his cronies AT THE SAME TIME he was investigating Johnson. I'm no Latin scholar, but that sounds like a pretty good quid pro quo--Alabamians know that as "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine."
Of course, Troy King's office tried to spin this, basically accusing others of attacking the AG for doing a "good deed." The Birmingham News clarifies this in an editorial: "Just so King will know, taxpayers weren't the beneficiars of his good deed, even if his friend's mom is a qualified and competent employee. The people of Alabama elected King to look after their interests--for instance, by investigating and prosecuting public corruption. Now, because of his own lousy judgment, King is in no position to do what he was elected to do."
It's about time voters put Troy King back in the real world, so that he can learn what it's like to get a job based on merit again. He has probably forgotten, since he is still paid the second-highest salary in America, even after being removed from the biggest ethics investigation in the state's history. It's time for Troy's four-year performance review, and it's past time for voters to hold him accountable for his actions.
In Troy's world, however, a job is just another political tool to reward connected friends, even if that decision puts you in a position not to do your own job. Take this two year college investigation, for example. I'm sure y'all still remember it--legislators, politicians, and other cronies were getting rich with phony two-year college jobs, all with the blessing of Chancellor Roy Johnson. It was SO big that it has become the biggest corruption in Alabama's history, and that is really saying something, given Alabama's history of corruption. Of course, the Attorney General's office should be leading the charge in such an investigation.
HOWEVER, as it turns out, Troy King had to recuse himself from the investigation. St. Clair County DA Richard Minor was assigned to the case instead. Why the recusal? Well, Troy King had gone to Roy Johnson and asked for jobs for two of his friends. One was Ann Hinderer, mother of deputy Attorney General Marc Bass. The other was unnamed. Making matters worse, Troy King had gone to ask for these jobs for his cronies AT THE SAME TIME he was investigating Johnson. I'm no Latin scholar, but that sounds like a pretty good quid pro quo--Alabamians know that as "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine."
Of course, Troy King's office tried to spin this, basically accusing others of attacking the AG for doing a "good deed." The Birmingham News clarifies this in an editorial: "Just so King will know, taxpayers weren't the beneficiars of his good deed, even if his friend's mom is a qualified and competent employee. The people of Alabama elected King to look after their interests--for instance, by investigating and prosecuting public corruption. Now, because of his own lousy judgment, King is in no position to do what he was elected to do."
It's about time voters put Troy King back in the real world, so that he can learn what it's like to get a job based on merit again. He has probably forgotten, since he is still paid the second-highest salary in America, even after being removed from the biggest ethics investigation in the state's history. It's time for Troy's four-year performance review, and it's past time for voters to hold him accountable for his actions.
Troy King and Ever-Expanding Staff Pay
It's a tough economy out there these days, and a whole lot of Alabamians are looking for jobs. The other day I thought about a possibility--I wondered if I could perhaps find a new job with a few criteria. Namely, my new job would be tailored around me, and it wouldn't matter if I could actually do the job as its description read. I'd also instantly receive a significant raise, just by taking the job, and my experience wouldn't matter in the slightest, as long as I was loyal enough to my boss. Sounds pretty unrealistic, right? Well, not in Troy King's world.
Turns out, our AG Troy King has a history of "fitting" his loyal supporters into special roles on his staff. Take Chris Bence, as one example. Once you start reading stories about Troy King, you'll find that Bence's name always seems to come up. Sometimes, he's referred to as a "spokesman," and other times he is referred to as the "chief of staff." However, to AG Troy King, Bence is neither of these things. AG King classifies Chris Bence as a "paralegal," even though he has no training as a paralegal and at least doesn't appear to perform paralegal functions in the office. Why? Well, Troy King wanted to give Bence a big raise, and this move to "paralegal" allowed Bence to go from making $94,000 to $104,400 a year, according to the Montgomery Advertiser and other papers which covered the story, including Birmingham, Huntsville, Gadsden, and points around Alabama. When Bence was asked about this by the Birmingham News, he responded that 'the titles are all flexible.' However, as the Montgomery Advertiser muses: "We wonder how that makes trained paralegals feel." It also seems funny, that as Troy King is regularly hiring outside lawyers for "help" on legal issues, he is filling his professional staff with political operatives. Maybe that's why taxpayers are shelling out over $100,000 for his legal defense.
However, the issue gets even worse. Take Tyler Godwin, Troy King's executive assistant. He started out as an unpaid intern in college, and suddenly 10 months later saw himself making $57,000. Now, that is one great entry-level job. Of course, we haven't even talked about the salary of King himself. Even though it was set by the legislature before he arrived, Troy King is the second-highest paid Attorney General in the country, second only to Jerry Brown of California.
This whole situation reeks, particularly in a time of economic crisis. Conservatives are supposed to be about responsible government, and doing more with less. When Jeff Sessions and Bill Pryor were AG, they were focused on "public service," not the "public dole." Troy King is trying to convince us that his intern-turned-executive assistant and political operative paralegal are more important than funding for better teachers in our schools or perhaps, even returning more tax dollars to us, the people. Well, I don't buy it.
I close with these words from a Decatur Daily News editorial from July 30, 2008: "Alabama Attorney General Troy King is doing his best to counter the economic downturn--at least among his staff...Maybe Mr. King doesn't understand the struggle many working men and women are experiencing in this sluggish economy. After all, he is the second highest paid attorney general in the country. And he has friends like Alabama Power Co. who pay for his family baseball tickets and food at the game." Folks, it is past time to hold Troy King accountable for his misuse of his office, and his arrogance in the face of a suffering state.
Turns out, our AG Troy King has a history of "fitting" his loyal supporters into special roles on his staff. Take Chris Bence, as one example. Once you start reading stories about Troy King, you'll find that Bence's name always seems to come up. Sometimes, he's referred to as a "spokesman," and other times he is referred to as the "chief of staff." However, to AG Troy King, Bence is neither of these things. AG King classifies Chris Bence as a "paralegal," even though he has no training as a paralegal and at least doesn't appear to perform paralegal functions in the office. Why? Well, Troy King wanted to give Bence a big raise, and this move to "paralegal" allowed Bence to go from making $94,000 to $104,400 a year, according to the Montgomery Advertiser and other papers which covered the story, including Birmingham, Huntsville, Gadsden, and points around Alabama. When Bence was asked about this by the Birmingham News, he responded that 'the titles are all flexible.' However, as the Montgomery Advertiser muses: "We wonder how that makes trained paralegals feel." It also seems funny, that as Troy King is regularly hiring outside lawyers for "help" on legal issues, he is filling his professional staff with political operatives. Maybe that's why taxpayers are shelling out over $100,000 for his legal defense.
However, the issue gets even worse. Take Tyler Godwin, Troy King's executive assistant. He started out as an unpaid intern in college, and suddenly 10 months later saw himself making $57,000. Now, that is one great entry-level job. Of course, we haven't even talked about the salary of King himself. Even though it was set by the legislature before he arrived, Troy King is the second-highest paid Attorney General in the country, second only to Jerry Brown of California.
This whole situation reeks, particularly in a time of economic crisis. Conservatives are supposed to be about responsible government, and doing more with less. When Jeff Sessions and Bill Pryor were AG, they were focused on "public service," not the "public dole." Troy King is trying to convince us that his intern-turned-executive assistant and political operative paralegal are more important than funding for better teachers in our schools or perhaps, even returning more tax dollars to us, the people. Well, I don't buy it.
I close with these words from a Decatur Daily News editorial from July 30, 2008: "Alabama Attorney General Troy King is doing his best to counter the economic downturn--at least among his staff...Maybe Mr. King doesn't understand the struggle many working men and women are experiencing in this sluggish economy. After all, he is the second highest paid attorney general in the country. And he has friends like Alabama Power Co. who pay for his family baseball tickets and food at the game." Folks, it is past time to hold Troy King accountable for his misuse of his office, and his arrogance in the face of a suffering state.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Afternoon Troy: Legal Shenanigans
I read an interesting story yesterday in the Mobile Register written by George Talbot. On top of rightly calling this "the most important race that nobody's talking about," he discussed, among other things, a movement afoot to push Troy King to reimburse the public for paying his legal defense bills. This really seems to be a rather simple concept--you tarnish your office and jeopardize your own professional reputation, and you pay your really, really expensive legal bill when it comes to you. That's certainly true in the real world.
Unfortunately, it's not true in Troy's world. In Troy's world, your cronies in the legislature support an even larger bailout for you and your legal team. The AP first covered the story here (http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/08/alabama_ag_troy_king_okd_to_sp.html), and it was then picked up by a number of different folks, including Libertarian Loretta Nall. It appears that, during the most recent Special Session of the legislature, AG King's office decided that $40,000 was just not enough--it needed to be raised to $100,000. Interesting, spokesman and chief of staff Chris Bence defended the move, since "many of the documents sought by the federal grand jury are legally sensitive." However, let's think about that for a moment. Are there really documents in AG King's office that are so "legally sensitive" his OWN professional staff can't be trusted to handle them? I find that hard to believe. As Skip Tucker pointed out in the Mobile Register column yesterday, even a third-year law student can answer a subpoena.
Of course, as is always true with Troy, this is just the tip of the iceberg. It turns out Troy has been farming out work to private trial lawyers for a while, including the state's Medicare Fraud cases. When Alabama opted to sue different medical companies for defrauding Alabama's Medicare system, King sought out a private firm--Hand Arendall of Mobile-- which then teamed with another, Beasley Allen of Montgomery. Beasley Allen, headed by liberal trial lawyer and Artur Davis campaign head Jere Beasley, released a press release noting that the firms were getting about 14% of all the winnings, plus expenses. That means, at the very least, these attorneys stand to get more than $17 million and will likely get more as the final cases are resolved.
Turns out this is a pretty lucrative deal for private attorneys, and they become willing to fight for business at the state trough. Other states have tried this, and they have had their share of problems. Over in Georgia, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published a disturbing story on June 21 about Georgia's Democratic AG, Thurbert Baker and noted that he had awarded over $173 million in contracts in the last five years, and many of these contracts had gone to firms which had contributed to his campaign. I did a little more research, and I found out that this process of hiring trial lawyers to handle state business is pretty common for liberals. It was really started by ultra-liberal NY AG Eliot Spitzer (remember, they guy who became governor and was caught in bed with "hired help" in Washington?) and it has been used by some in other states.
What do conservatives think? Well, Judge Bill Pryor told a writer for the conservative Federalist Society in early 2008: "These contracts...create the potential for outrageous windfalls or even outright corruption for political supporters of the office who negotiated the contracts."
So, it seems like Troy King has bigger problems than just paying for his legal defense. He certainly owes the taxpayers some money, but he also owes them an explanation on why he is awarding these contracts in the dark, without a fair and open public process. As long as I can remember, conservatives and trial lawyers haven't really been on the same side. It's nothing personal--they just stand for vastly different principles. To see Troy standing so close is not only disgusting and unethical, it really begs questions of his conservatism.
Unfortunately, it's not true in Troy's world. In Troy's world, your cronies in the legislature support an even larger bailout for you and your legal team. The AP first covered the story here (http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/08/alabama_ag_troy_king_okd_to_sp.html), and it was then picked up by a number of different folks, including Libertarian Loretta Nall. It appears that, during the most recent Special Session of the legislature, AG King's office decided that $40,000 was just not enough--it needed to be raised to $100,000. Interesting, spokesman and chief of staff Chris Bence defended the move, since "many of the documents sought by the federal grand jury are legally sensitive." However, let's think about that for a moment. Are there really documents in AG King's office that are so "legally sensitive" his OWN professional staff can't be trusted to handle them? I find that hard to believe. As Skip Tucker pointed out in the Mobile Register column yesterday, even a third-year law student can answer a subpoena.
Of course, as is always true with Troy, this is just the tip of the iceberg. It turns out Troy has been farming out work to private trial lawyers for a while, including the state's Medicare Fraud cases. When Alabama opted to sue different medical companies for defrauding Alabama's Medicare system, King sought out a private firm--Hand Arendall of Mobile-- which then teamed with another, Beasley Allen of Montgomery. Beasley Allen, headed by liberal trial lawyer and Artur Davis campaign head Jere Beasley, released a press release noting that the firms were getting about 14% of all the winnings, plus expenses. That means, at the very least, these attorneys stand to get more than $17 million and will likely get more as the final cases are resolved.
Turns out this is a pretty lucrative deal for private attorneys, and they become willing to fight for business at the state trough. Other states have tried this, and they have had their share of problems. Over in Georgia, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published a disturbing story on June 21 about Georgia's Democratic AG, Thurbert Baker and noted that he had awarded over $173 million in contracts in the last five years, and many of these contracts had gone to firms which had contributed to his campaign. I did a little more research, and I found out that this process of hiring trial lawyers to handle state business is pretty common for liberals. It was really started by ultra-liberal NY AG Eliot Spitzer (remember, they guy who became governor and was caught in bed with "hired help" in Washington?) and it has been used by some in other states.
What do conservatives think? Well, Judge Bill Pryor told a writer for the conservative Federalist Society in early 2008: "These contracts...create the potential for outrageous windfalls or even outright corruption for political supporters of the office who negotiated the contracts."
So, it seems like Troy King has bigger problems than just paying for his legal defense. He certainly owes the taxpayers some money, but he also owes them an explanation on why he is awarding these contracts in the dark, without a fair and open public process. As long as I can remember, conservatives and trial lawyers haven't really been on the same side. It's nothing personal--they just stand for vastly different principles. To see Troy standing so close is not only disgusting and unethical, it really begs questions of his conservatism.
Gambling on our State's Future?
Back when I was a little kid, my parents bought my sister and me a highway bingo game. We'd play it on road trips, marking stuff as we spotted it until we could complete a full row. Our game consisted of nothing more than personal bragging rights, and it was really just a simple way to pass those all-too-familiar family roadtrips. I also remember playing bingo at school, marking our cards as we learned different vocabulary terms. Oh, for bingo to be simple again...
Today, thanks in large part to the actions of Troy King, bingo is one of the most complex issues our state faces. Under the guise of upholding the "rule of law," Troy King has broken from longstanding precedent and acted with questionable ethics. Now, believe me, Troy King tries to defend his actions. After it was reported that he would not be included in Governor Riley's anti-gaming task force, King told the Birmingham News on January 4, 2009: "The law is the law, and is due to be respected." This certainly sounds good, and like most conservatives, I certainly believe in the rule of law. The problem is that, on this issue, Troy King appears to be in his own world. Jeff Sessions, Bill Pryor, Bob Riley, and other conservatives have all held consistent positions on the issue, and even the state's courts have generally sided with these conservatives. The Birmingham News said in an editorial on July 7: "Alabama appeals courts in the past have frowned on attempts to use narrow exceptions like charity bingo to carve out bigger loopholes for the gambling industry." Additionally, the News alluded to the fact that AG King is now standing in the way as the Supreme Court could define the precedent more clearly, and I suspect he likely wants to keep from 'losing' his side of the issue.
The problem with Troy King's argument is that he tarnishes the name of the respectable conservative leaders who held this office before he arrived. First, let's get this straight. This is NOT B-I-N-G-O. These are slot machines--they look like slot machines, they sound like slot machines, they act like slot machines, and they breed corruption like slot machines. Additionally, let's get straight that Troy King's immediate predecessor, Bill Pryor, was also an advocate for the rule of law. I remember when Pryor was nominated for his federal judgeship, and the late-Sen. Ted Kennedy and his liberal colleagues pressed Pryor on his adherence to the rule of law and his refusal to accept the "evolving" standards of today's left. For King to say that today he is respecting the rule of law is both an insult to those who held the office before him and an even larger insult to the voters of Alabama who have repeatedly rejected these corrupt exceptions at the polls.
So, if Troy King is truly in his own world, why is he so keen on supporting gambling in Alabama? Perhaps it's due to his close connections with the gambling industry. Earlier this year, we learned that King was a guest of honor at a party in the Wiregrass held by gaming developer Ronnie Gilley. After schmoozing with the crowd in Houston County, his office turned around six weeks later and issued an opinion favoring the developer. Newspapers across the state criticized this action, but the trail doesn't end there. Troy King has also been involved in the shady world of Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions, and he has ties to gaming interests. Before the 2006 election, the Birmingham News attempted to trace the money, and they tracked contributions to major PACs. This is all alphabet soup, but the end result always seems to come back to gambling interests. Take this one example: just before the 2006 election, King received some $16,500 from a VENDPAC fund. Well, that is linked to funding from FGAPAC. The FGAPAC is then linked to CANPAC and gaming Magnate Milton McGregor who gave $275,000 to it. Confusing, right? Well, it's meant to be, and there are plenty of other examples out there. Bob Blalock of the News called it a "political shell game," and this is exactly how the liberal interests want it. Jere Beasely, a liberal trial lawyer heading Artur Davis' campaign was quoted in the News as saying that lawyers were giving more to PACs because "they [candidates] think the stigma of a trial lawyer will hurt them." Gambling interests are the same way, trying to concoct a political shell game impossible for voters to follow.
Let me be clear--these actions are not conservative. In my view, conservatives believe in responsible economic growth which generates consistent revenue to fund programs and encourage further growth. The problem with gaming is that it is heavily dependant on the economy. When folks have large amounts of discretionary income, they go gamble. However, in times like these, when we are in economic crisis, people have less money. In an economy where gambling is legal and used to provide state services, though, the state government has to hope that people with less money continue to gamble what they have in order to fund state programs. This is perverse, and it is not true growth. However, conservatives are also against gambling because it clearly violates the rule of law in our state. I never want an AG who uses activism to impose law, but I do believe in an AG who stands up for the rule of law, when Alabamians have clearly expressed their will, and that will is frequently validated by precedent.
Troy King is clearly not living up to the conservative values of his campaigns. After winning our trust in 2006, he has left it behind because it is no longer politically expedient for him. However, we have the chance to keep him honest now, by asking him to pledge to refuse contributions from gaming interests and disclose any potential conflicts of interest. We would also do well to encourage him to add transparency to PAC contributions, so that voters get to know the whole story about who is influencing their candidates. I hope that after the 2010 elections, when we finally have a new AG, we can go back to the days where bingo is bingo again, instead of an end-run around the rule of law in order to enrich the powerful, corrupt gaming interests in this state.
Today, thanks in large part to the actions of Troy King, bingo is one of the most complex issues our state faces. Under the guise of upholding the "rule of law," Troy King has broken from longstanding precedent and acted with questionable ethics. Now, believe me, Troy King tries to defend his actions. After it was reported that he would not be included in Governor Riley's anti-gaming task force, King told the Birmingham News on January 4, 2009: "The law is the law, and is due to be respected." This certainly sounds good, and like most conservatives, I certainly believe in the rule of law. The problem is that, on this issue, Troy King appears to be in his own world. Jeff Sessions, Bill Pryor, Bob Riley, and other conservatives have all held consistent positions on the issue, and even the state's courts have generally sided with these conservatives. The Birmingham News said in an editorial on July 7: "Alabama appeals courts in the past have frowned on attempts to use narrow exceptions like charity bingo to carve out bigger loopholes for the gambling industry." Additionally, the News alluded to the fact that AG King is now standing in the way as the Supreme Court could define the precedent more clearly, and I suspect he likely wants to keep from 'losing' his side of the issue.
The problem with Troy King's argument is that he tarnishes the name of the respectable conservative leaders who held this office before he arrived. First, let's get this straight. This is NOT B-I-N-G-O. These are slot machines--they look like slot machines, they sound like slot machines, they act like slot machines, and they breed corruption like slot machines. Additionally, let's get straight that Troy King's immediate predecessor, Bill Pryor, was also an advocate for the rule of law. I remember when Pryor was nominated for his federal judgeship, and the late-Sen. Ted Kennedy and his liberal colleagues pressed Pryor on his adherence to the rule of law and his refusal to accept the "evolving" standards of today's left. For King to say that today he is respecting the rule of law is both an insult to those who held the office before him and an even larger insult to the voters of Alabama who have repeatedly rejected these corrupt exceptions at the polls.
So, if Troy King is truly in his own world, why is he so keen on supporting gambling in Alabama? Perhaps it's due to his close connections with the gambling industry. Earlier this year, we learned that King was a guest of honor at a party in the Wiregrass held by gaming developer Ronnie Gilley. After schmoozing with the crowd in Houston County, his office turned around six weeks later and issued an opinion favoring the developer. Newspapers across the state criticized this action, but the trail doesn't end there. Troy King has also been involved in the shady world of Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions, and he has ties to gaming interests. Before the 2006 election, the Birmingham News attempted to trace the money, and they tracked contributions to major PACs. This is all alphabet soup, but the end result always seems to come back to gambling interests. Take this one example: just before the 2006 election, King received some $16,500 from a VENDPAC fund. Well, that is linked to funding from FGAPAC. The FGAPAC is then linked to CANPAC and gaming Magnate Milton McGregor who gave $275,000 to it. Confusing, right? Well, it's meant to be, and there are plenty of other examples out there. Bob Blalock of the News called it a "political shell game," and this is exactly how the liberal interests want it. Jere Beasely, a liberal trial lawyer heading Artur Davis' campaign was quoted in the News as saying that lawyers were giving more to PACs because "they [candidates] think the stigma of a trial lawyer will hurt them." Gambling interests are the same way, trying to concoct a political shell game impossible for voters to follow.
Let me be clear--these actions are not conservative. In my view, conservatives believe in responsible economic growth which generates consistent revenue to fund programs and encourage further growth. The problem with gaming is that it is heavily dependant on the economy. When folks have large amounts of discretionary income, they go gamble. However, in times like these, when we are in economic crisis, people have less money. In an economy where gambling is legal and used to provide state services, though, the state government has to hope that people with less money continue to gamble what they have in order to fund state programs. This is perverse, and it is not true growth. However, conservatives are also against gambling because it clearly violates the rule of law in our state. I never want an AG who uses activism to impose law, but I do believe in an AG who stands up for the rule of law, when Alabamians have clearly expressed their will, and that will is frequently validated by precedent.
Troy King is clearly not living up to the conservative values of his campaigns. After winning our trust in 2006, he has left it behind because it is no longer politically expedient for him. However, we have the chance to keep him honest now, by asking him to pledge to refuse contributions from gaming interests and disclose any potential conflicts of interest. We would also do well to encourage him to add transparency to PAC contributions, so that voters get to know the whole story about who is influencing their candidates. I hope that after the 2010 elections, when we finally have a new AG, we can go back to the days where bingo is bingo again, instead of an end-run around the rule of law in order to enrich the powerful, corrupt gaming interests in this state.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Why This Blog?
I decided to start this blog as a conservative after studying the actions of our current Attorney General and being concerned about what I learned. Unlike some of his critics, I'm proud to be a conservative, and I've been proud to support Republican candidates for public office.
However, the 2008 election demonstrated something to me as a conservative. It showed that when conservatives do not remain true to their principles and refuse to uphold their convictions when challenged, they will lose, and lose badly. Our candidate for President, our candidates for Congress, and our candidates for the US Senate all lost because they refused to defend core conservative values such as belief in the free market, belief in limited government, belief in responsible spending, and belief in traditional cultural values. I believe conservatives can re-claim electoral victories by reclaiming these principles, not running from them.
Reclaiming our conservative values begins with the elections closest to home, which for me means Alabama. As many folks focus on the excitement of a Governor's race, I'm looking at the Attorney General's office. This position is one of the most confusing positions in our state, but it is also one of the most important. AG opinions regularly impact state law regarding economic development and gambling, and the AG can also set direction in many important areas of public policy. On top of that, the AG is the state's representative in court, which means that he or she represents us, Alabama residents and taxpayers, in courts of law. I don't know about you, but I think that's pretty important.
I've decided to write this blog because I believe it's important for Alabama conservatives to begin speaking out. So much of what you read about this office comes from blogs on the left, and I want to provide conservatives with a voice. I personally hold true the value of accountability, and I write this blog in hopes that AG King will have to answer to the people of Alabama in 2010 for his repeated ethical lapses, questionable opinions, political grandstanding, and leadership errors. Instead of dealing in rumors or political musings, I will attempt to analyze and present the hard facts of AG King's record, and the reasons he falls short of being the "conservative" he claims to be in his campaign messages.
I welcome your questions, comments, and thoughts and hope that you will follow along in this attempt to find the truth. I'm not a lawyer, and I don't claim to be one. I'm really just an Alabamian concerned about the direction of our AG's office.
However, the 2008 election demonstrated something to me as a conservative. It showed that when conservatives do not remain true to their principles and refuse to uphold their convictions when challenged, they will lose, and lose badly. Our candidate for President, our candidates for Congress, and our candidates for the US Senate all lost because they refused to defend core conservative values such as belief in the free market, belief in limited government, belief in responsible spending, and belief in traditional cultural values. I believe conservatives can re-claim electoral victories by reclaiming these principles, not running from them.
Reclaiming our conservative values begins with the elections closest to home, which for me means Alabama. As many folks focus on the excitement of a Governor's race, I'm looking at the Attorney General's office. This position is one of the most confusing positions in our state, but it is also one of the most important. AG opinions regularly impact state law regarding economic development and gambling, and the AG can also set direction in many important areas of public policy. On top of that, the AG is the state's representative in court, which means that he or she represents us, Alabama residents and taxpayers, in courts of law. I don't know about you, but I think that's pretty important.
I've decided to write this blog because I believe it's important for Alabama conservatives to begin speaking out. So much of what you read about this office comes from blogs on the left, and I want to provide conservatives with a voice. I personally hold true the value of accountability, and I write this blog in hopes that AG King will have to answer to the people of Alabama in 2010 for his repeated ethical lapses, questionable opinions, political grandstanding, and leadership errors. Instead of dealing in rumors or political musings, I will attempt to analyze and present the hard facts of AG King's record, and the reasons he falls short of being the "conservative" he claims to be in his campaign messages.
I welcome your questions, comments, and thoughts and hope that you will follow along in this attempt to find the truth. I'm not a lawyer, and I don't claim to be one. I'm really just an Alabamian concerned about the direction of our AG's office.
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