The Big Picture
by Glynn Wilson

Ahh, October.

Yes, I was born in the middle of October, making me a balanced personality in the Libra scales tradition (not unlike the scales of justice). But that’s not why October is my favorite month of the year.

It’s the cooler temperatures, the low humidity — and light that is just right for snapping digital pictures of migrating birds.

Glynn Wilson

The bad news is, we are only a month away from another election that promises to be another example of a rich man’s war and a poor man’s fight, and there does not seem to be a damn thing I can do about it.

That phenomenon has been an American tradition so long it dates back 150 years to the Civil War, when dirt poor Southerners went off to fight the “Yankees” for the slave-owning plantation owners who wanted to preserve one of the most corrupt economies and ways of life in world history.

The election on the horizon for November 2 is shaping up as a “billionaires’ coup” camouflaged as a “populist surge,” according to Frank Rich of the New York Times.

The so-called tea party is getting all the attention from the mainstream, corporate news media, and the pollsters are saying the Republicans will likely take back control of the U.S. House of Representatives at the very least. Will the American people really put the “party of no” back in power in Washington? Stay tuned.

Meanwhile down here in Alabamaland, once known as the “Heart of Dixie” and the “Cradle of the Confederacy,” a most bizarre thing is afoot. Since people seem to have such short memories, perhaps a little history is in order.

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Republican Robert Bentley continues to hold a 20-point lead over his Democratic opponent Ron Sparks in the race to be Alabama’s next governor, according to a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters.

According to the survey of 500 “likely voters” in Alabama conducted on September 21, with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.5 percent and a confidence level of 95 percent, Bentley leads with only a little more than a month to go in the race by 55 percent to Sparks’ 35 percent. Only one percent prefer some other candidate, and just eight percent are still undecided.

In surveys dating back to May, Bentley has led Sparks with support ranging from 44 to 55 percent. Sparks has received anywhere from 31 to 37 percent. Bentley earned his highest level of support yet last month, leading Sparks 58 to 34 percent.

This race in this red state remains solidly Republican, with Bentley, a Tuscaloosa state representative, earning 82 percent support from Alabama Republicans, while 73 percent of Alabama Democrats support Sparks. Voters not affiliated with either party prefer Bentley by a margin of 65 to 23 percent.

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Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ron Spark publicly challenged Rep. Artur Davis Monday to level with the people of Alabama and to come clean on his position on all gaming issues facing the state.

Referencing a story in this weekend’s Mobile Press-Register in a press release, the Sparks campaign said Davis refused to state a position on several gaming issues, including casino gaming, sports betting, card games, slot machines, roulette and other games.

Sparks favors them all, and has said so from the beginning of his campaign for governor of Alabama.

“Why is Artur Davis afraid to take a stand on gaming issues, one of the most important issues facing this state?” Agricultural Commissioner Ron Sparks said. “He is hiding, cowering in the corner, while I have been perfectly clear in my support on each and every gaming issue. If the people of Alabama want it, they should be allowed to vote on it. I am leading on this issue, not running from it like Artur Davis.

“Alabama needs a governor who takes a stand and who commits the full force of his office to get this done for the people of Alabama. Sitting on a fence or hiding your views from voters like Artur isn’t leadership; it’s political cowardice. If you want gaming in Alabama, there is only one candidate committed to doing it, and that’s me,” Sparks said in the statement.

The Press-Register asked all gubernatorial candidates to answer eight positions on various forms of gaming. Artur only gave positions on three of them, answering “not sure” five times.

“That’s a worse percentage than his Congressional voting record this year,” Sparks said.

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by Glynn Wilson

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — One of the few major contenders for governor promised “access” to the largest gathering of progressive environmental activists in the state on Sunday if he is elected, an indication that even in the conservative land of Alabama the cold war against science that dominated the Bush-Riley era may be on the verge of a serious thaw.

Glynn Wilson

Ron Sparks answers questions from the Alabama Rivers Alliance crowd Sunday in Montgomery

“When I become governor my door will be open to you,” Ron Sparks, the Fort Payne Democrat, pledged. “I will listen to you, rely on sound science and use common sense.”

More than 100 community organization leaders, citizen activists and concerned citizens held the first professional conference of its kind in the state this past weekend when the Alabama Rivers Alliance graduated from the annual nature field trip workshop to a full blown hotel and conference center affair in downtown Montgomery, a shot over the bow of Alabama’s entrenched corporate polluters.

Sparks also indicated to a luncheon audience from all over the state and region that he would work to move Alabama from the good old boy spoils system to the merit system when it comes to major appointments. He indicated he would not run the state like President George W. Bush ran the country for eight years, appointing the likes of unqualified FEMA director Michael “Brownie” Brown, or like Governor Bob Riley has run the state — appointing a two-time Oil Man of the Year to run the Department of Conservation, for example.

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In a sign of Rep. Artur Davis’ shifting priorities, according to the Associated Press, the Birmingham Democrat will be back in Alabama — not at the U.S. Capitol — for tonight’s State of the Union speech by his former Harvard Law School classmate, President Barack Obama.

Glynn Wilson

Rep. Artur Davis

Davis, now running for governor, has returned to the campaign trail, said Addie Whisenant, a spokeswoman in his congressional office. She referred other questions to campaign spokesman Alex Goepfert, who said that the congressman has been clear for some time “that he would be spending more days in Alabama as the campaign progressed.” Davis plans to watch the speech at home in Birmingham, Goepfert said.

Davis’ campaign web site shows that he was in Shelby County for a candidate forum this morning, but does not list any other events today.

Davis is running against state Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks in June’s Democratic primary. Late this afternoon, Sparks issued a statement saying that “apparently, Artur Davis forgets he was hired to do a job in Washington, not in Alabama.”

“The people of his district, and the people of Alabama, expect those they hire to show up to work, vote and represent their interests,” Sparks said. “He should either show up for work or quit. Instead, his constituents are being cheated by the self-interest of Artur. When I’m Governor, I will work day and night creating jobs for working families and always put their interests ahead of my own.”

In related news, former political reporter Taylor Bright is joining Sparks’ Campaign for Governor as communications director, according to the press release.

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Agricultural Commissioner Ron Sparks, the Fort Payne Democrat running for governor, came out swinging on the gambling issue this week against Gov. Bob Riley, and his opponent in the Democratic Party primary, Rep. Artur Davis.

Sparks said in a press release he recently ask governor Riley if he were going to stop the people of Alabama from crossing the state line into Mississippi to gamble. Then the Commander of the Governor’s Task Force on Illegal Gambling, David Barber, resigned, admitting he won thousands of dollars gambling at a Mississippi casino.

“This just proves the hypocrisy of those who want to kill Alabama jobs and rob our children and seniors of important revenue. We have a Governor who takes Mississippi gambling money while his anti-gambling czar gambles in Mississippi,” Sparks said. “David Barber takes his Alabama money and goes to Mississippi to help educate Mississippi children and help create jobs for Mississippi workers. That money needs to stay in Alabama and help us, not them.”

Sparks pledged if the people of the state elect him governor, he will bring an education lottery to Alabama, protect Alabama jobs, and finally make gaming pay its fair share of taxes.

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Alabama’s agricultural commissioner Ron Sparks, who is vying to win the Democratic nomination for governor in 2010, lambasted Gov. Bob Riley’s Tuesday night state of the state speech in a statement released by the campaign on Wednesday.

“Last night’s performance by Bob Riley was shameful,” Sparks said. “At a time when our working families are struggling under the weight of an 11 percent unemployment rate, he says he’s created thousands of new jobs. At a time when teacher layoffs are a possibility and our kids bring toilet paper to school to help out, Bob Riley says he has plenty of money for education. And at a time when our seniors and children wonder if they will still have health care next year, Bob Riley says, ‘Don’t worry. Be happy.’”

“Folks, we don’t just have a budget crisis, we have a leadership crisis,” Sparks said. “I am the only candidate for governor with a plan to increase revenue. We need an education lottery and we need to make legal gaming establishments finally pay their share of taxes, just like Alabama families do. We need action, not slogans or sound bites.”

That’s the kind of governor we need, Sparks said, “not one that hides his head in the sand or tells us how sunny it is while the rain pours.”

Guest Editorial
by Ron Sparks

In an election year, ethics reform is a topic of much conversation. The problem is that for most folks, it’s just an empty word that politicians use. Few, if any of our candidates take the time to explain exactly what real, meaningful ethics reform would look like.

What we are really talking about here is taking steps to restore trust in state government. There will never be enough legislation to make everybody completely trust their government. Just as a marriage certificate doesn’t guarantee domestic bliss, legislation can’t make people trust their government. Conversely, legislation won’t keep those hell-bent on breaking the rules and taking ethical shortcuts from doing so.

So how do we navigate our way through all the rhetoric and unrealistic expectations? I believe the answer is to take workable, substantive steps towards strengthening the relationship and restoring trust between the people and our state government.

There are a few things that we need to address immediately. Every candidate in the race for Governor is in favor of banning PAC to PAC transfers.

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Guest Column
by Ron Sparks

Education changes lives. The single most effective way to ensure progressive change in Alabama is to guarantee and invest in education for the young people of Alabama.

Recent studies show that from earnings to pension plans, access to health-care, and overall community vigor, higher education yields significant rewards to recipients from all racial/ethnic/gender groups and society as a whole.

With the recent economic downturn, our education system is facing profound funding gaps. And while the recent passage of the federal stimulus package is an unprecedented opportunity to bridge these gaps, it also creates unsustainable funding dependencies and ignores opportunities to invest in effective long-term solutions.

Without an influx of new revenue into our education system, thousands of teachers will lose their jobs, teacher to student ratios will rise, the level of instruction will suffer, test scores will decline, and our children’s futures will be held hostage through no fault of their own.

During times like these, the people of Alabama expect and deserve a Governor who will not only tell them the truth about the financial calamity we are facing but also offer concrete solutions to address budget shortfalls.

I am the only candidate for Governor with the courage to stand up and protect our public school system from being raided by those seeking charter schools.

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