The Senate confirmed Sonia Sotomayor as the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court on Thursday by a vote of 68-31. President Barack Obama’s first high court nominee, she becomes the 111th justice and just the third woman to serve, according to the AP.

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow discusses what her impact on the court might be.

So much for Jeff Sessions’ 15-minutes of fame. He couldn’t find the dirt to derail her, but by voting against her anyway, he costs the
GOP even more Hispanic votes and further dooms his party to the dustbin of history with only the solid support of white males in the Deep South.

Guest Column
by Martin Horzempa
Huntsville, Alabama

Health care can’t be seriously debated without a reference to entitlements. This is a good thing, but I would posit that there are a few more than the usual two suspects (Medicare and Medicaid) which are usually the only ones discussed.

The providers are most certainly among those who feel they have an entitlement when it comes to any health care debate. They feel that they are entitled to earn a decent living or adequate profit for their efforts in providing the very services that are key to any discussion of health care.

If the providers can be thought of as having a sense of entitlement then the same is true for those who consume or use the health care system. They feel that they are entitled to a system that will serve them ALL and that they will be rewarded with the best care that their healthcare dollars can provide.

There is one other group which has a vested interest in this debate: the Congress of the United States. The members of this group have received in excess of $634,000,000 from the pharmaceutical and health care industries since 1990 for their reelection campaigns. That comes to more than $1 million per congressional seat. It is no small wonder that we see no progress in solving our health care problems considering the incentives in congress to maintain the status quo.

Let’s review the larger picture.

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Update Below in the Comments: Show Delayed Due to Breaking News…

On the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Public Television will air a story about so-called “Zombie Highways,” federal highway programs that keep going long after their original purpose has been fulfilled.

They gobble up billions in tax dollars and lay down hundreds of miles of blacktop, according to the advance link posted on the Alabama Public Television Website.

The story will look at a $3.3 billion proposed beltline loop around Birmingham.

“Environmentalists don’t want it, residents of the area where it’s being built don’t want it, even the mayor of Birmingham doesn’t want it,” the blurb says. “But because a group of business interests pushed for it, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) inserted it into a transportation bill — which means that taxpayers nationwide will foot most of the bill.”

Transportation experts say it’s the wrong road at the wrong time in the wrong place — and that it symbolizes what’s wrong with the way we build roads in this country. It’s also devouring subsidies that smart-growth proponents say could be better spent on public transit.

The segment will ask: “Is there any way to kill a zombie highway?”

Well, yes, there is, but it takes public involvement and the press for democracy to work.

What the broadcast reporters for public TV don’t realize is, the speculation going on now for land in northern Jefferson County and Blount County along the Locust Fork River is inextricably linked to the proposal for this new beltline highway. We are working on an overlay map to show readers the connections.

Check back soon and tell your friends. To find out the whole truth and nothing but the truth, turn to the Web Press!

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Birmingham’s Northern Beltline Highway Is Not Inevitable