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.
Showing posts with label Ethics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ethics. Show all posts
Saturday, October 3, 2009
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.
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.
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