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.