July - A Little Good News
July 29, 2009
Recently Alabamians won a major battle in the ongoing “water wars” with our neighboring state of Georgia. A Federal Judge ruled that Georgia cannot take water out of viable rivers and water flows for drinking purposes to the total disregard and repercussions of the downstream needs in Alabama. It was ruled that the massive Lake Lanier reservoir in Georgia was built for the purpose of hydroelectric power and therefore cannot be tapped for the Atlanta metro area resident’s use. Although there is much negotiating to be done between the governors of Georgia, Alabama and Florida in the next three years, clearly this ruling is a step in the right direction and is a monumental win not only for Tallapoosa County but for all of East Alabama who enjoy the assets of Lake Martin on the Tallapoosa River and Lake Harding on the Chattahoochee.
Much has been said about the current condition of our education budget, having recently suffered another staggering two percent cut in its already prorated condition. This comes as a major blow as school systems prepare to open the doors for another successful year of educating our children. Hidden within the walls of the startling news of these cuts lies a recent report documented on cnbc.com. This particular report is outlining the top states in our country in which to do business and is filled with statistics on each of our 50 states, giving each one rank among categories. The most compelling statistic I read was that, among all 50 states, Alabama jumped an astounding ten points from 2008 to 2009 in the education category. To qualify, they define and describe this category as “Education and business go hand in hand. Not only do companies want to draw from an educated pool of workers, they want to offer their employees a great place to raise a family. Higher education institutions offer companies a source to recruit new talent, as well as a partner in research and development. We looked at traditional measures of K-12, education including test scores, class size and spending. We also considered the number of higher education institutions in each state.”. Ten points in one year. Considering the hurdles and obstacles that our state has faced in the past year with funding, climbing one-fifth of a steep ladder in difficult conditions shows the resilience and determination that we have in all of our educational components in Alabama. Making huge improvements and advancements during times of abundance is rewarding, but when we succeed during tough economic times, it serves as evidence of the bountiful strides we are making in educating our young people and showcasing our accomplishments to the world.
With back-to-school quickly approaching, many parents are preparing to shop for the supplies needed to properly send their children back. This can cause a financial burden on many hard working families, but there is relief. August 7-9, Alabama will have its fourth sales tax holiday, waiving its four percent state sales tax on back-to-school items. Most counties and cities follow suit and waive their sales tax as well. The Alabama Department of Revenue’s website offers a list of exempt items as well as those items covered during this once a year event. To review the list, visit www.ador.state.al.us/salestax/salestaxhol.htm.
It’s always refreshing to read good news. Let’s work together to continue turning the corner and finding true solutions to ever developing issues. Please take the opportunity to give me the benefit of your thinking on the state of the state here in Alabama. My experience leads me to believe that many of the workable solutions to problems in government originate in informal small discussion groups and then as is said politically “a ground swell develops from the grassroots”.
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