Southern Sojourner

On the ironic 'inclusion' of the left

Well it is official, I am the world's worst blogger.  I go through periods where I just can make myself sit down and type.  When I do I either have nothing to say or there are too many things to mention that it would take too much text to keep a reader's attention. 

To be honest, I am forcing myself to make this entry. The girls are asleep and I should be since technically I am working tomorrow. 

I thought about commenting about the aubs new coach, but there has been enough said about that already. My fishing has been non-existence of late and my poker exploits have not noteworthy. 

The big news of the week has been either the corruption in Illinois or Obama offering the invocation to Rick Warren.  I don't have much to say about Blagovich other than the accusations are disgusting.  With regard to Warren, I have to say that the hoopla just goes to show that narrow mindedness is not the exclusive domain of the right.  There is a fundamentalism on the left that is just as guilty of intolerance.  Oh the irony. 

Look I have my issues with Warren, no doubt.  His spiritualized consumeristic brand of Christianity doesn't wash well with me.  But, if you are going to bandy about inclusion as your agenda, then my friend, that means you have to include those that you disagree with.  Apparently, the GLBT community doesn't apply inclusion to anything other than that which promotes there own agenda. 

I don't know if Obama should have given that profile to Warren or not, I don't really care to be honest.  I agree with what someone said on the AM news shows this morning, that by the time Aretha Franklin finished her song, no one will even remember Warren's prayer.  I do know that Obama should be credited with continuing to demonstrate that he will govern the whole country and not be cow tied to one flank of the ideological spectrum.  He still has alot to prove, but his demeanor and actions in the interim have done nothing but continue to give me hope that he is the right person for the job. 

Let's pray it is so, even if you don't agree with me.

A New Day

    Emerson was dropped off early this afternoon so her grandparents could go vote, which meant that I knocked off work early as well.  Not that I was getting much done. Having gotten my essential work done this morning, I was full of nervous energy, my minding wandering in anticipation of a night of election watching. 
    We played together and were joined by momma in short time.  Together we go to the back yard and enjoy the idyllic temperatures that this early November evening offered.  Mom and Emerson went to deliver a gift we had gotten for a neighbor in need, while I sat on the hill in the back of house alone.  It was quiet and still.  The sun had set but light had not yet been hidden.  I enjoyed the moment, I looked at the brick red leaves of our fledgling crape mrytle silhouetted against a custard colored sky.  And I experienced a wave of contentment and hope.  Blessed by a family I adore and can't imagine life without, surrounded by a growing number of friends that I love, who challenge me and garner my respect, buoyed by what might could happen in business, in politics, in life, I felt whole.  A feeling that I rarely get to experience.

    Tonight, I watched what I didn't think I would see in my lifetime.  I witnessed the promise of America and was overwhelmed.  Just as President-Elect Obama was beginning his speech, Emerson began to cry.  Mom went and got her and the three of us sat on the couch in silence and witnessed history. 

     Just 60 years ago, Obama would not have been able to dine in the same area as I or drink from the same water fountain.  It wasn't long ago that he would have even been able to vote, but there he stood.  Speaking not of division but of unity, not of war but of working together for peace.  There he spoke, elected by a majority of American's and in one night, I felt that this country was able to restore much of its reputation that we have so undermined these last eight years.  I am not naive enough to think that our great challenges have been solved or that difficult days won't lie ahead, but tonight I was filled with hope that my daughter will have the opportunity to grow up in a world where people are truly judged by their character not their skin.  And that alone is worth it for me.

    The sun set this afternoon in the most pleasant of ways and tomorrow I will wake up to a new one. New in more ways that I think I could ever imagine.

A Simplified Guide to a Financial Apocalypse

In an effort to distract me from my card play, someone at our home poker game asked me what I thought about the "bailout" that passed last week.  After the 2nd sentence of explanation, it was obvious that they either didn't really care or just enjoyed taking my chips while I tried to explain how we got here and why I felt something, "bailout" or something else had to be done.  It was also obvious to me that I don't have an easy answer that connects.  So for those interested in why it seems all hell has broken loose economically, I will try to give the old college try.

Everything starts  during the real estate bubble.  Remember that?  Real estate was suppose to be where the money was to be made.  You turn on a cable channel and watch, "Flip my house" or "What's my house worth?"  That these shows were even green lighted, much less popular should have been symptom number one that something was going awry.  When you watch a "realtor" show a house for entertainment, there is a problem..

The fact is everyone wanted part of the action.  After all, you would hear of people making eye popping profits and with interest rates low, real estate going up (after all they don't make any more of it, you know), people of all financial levels were catching the American dream. 

With so many people buying houses they really couldn't afford and the mortgage business being an extremely profitable venture, there was fierce competition to originate loans despite the ability of the borrower to be able to repay.  That coupled with the fact that most mortgages could be sold off, there was little reason to be concerned about the risk because the agent could get his fat commission, sell the loan off for someone else to worry about.  These loans were then bundled together with other loans in instruments called CMO (Collaterialized Mortgage Obligations) or CDO (Collaterized Debt Obligations).  The higher the average risk of the loan in those instrument the higher the yield.  Which leads us to what should have been a second harbinger of things to come.  When you are getting 10-12% returns on securites that are considered "fixed income" you should know something isn't right. You don't buy fixed income securities for "return" but rather for security and income, not growth.

Okay, back to the borrower.  Here is what a conversation may have sounded like in a typical mortgage office.

AGENT-  "How can I help you?"

BORROWER- "Um,  I want to move into a house with a better school for my kids (notice we always justify our greed with our kids."

AGENT- "Great! How's your credit?"

BORROWER- "Well, that's the thing, it isn't that great, but I think this home will be a great investment and, you know, my kids can go to this great school.  I may even sell this home to fund my retirement.  Can you help people with crappy credit?"

AGENT-  "Oh sure, that's why we are here, to help people...."

BORROWER-  "Well, I make....

AGENT-  "No, no, no, don't worry about that, we can get a loan that you can afford.  How much a month could you pay?"

BORROWER- "Uhhh, I don't know, maybe $800 per month, but my credit.....

AGENT- "Hey, like I said, don't worry about. I am here for you.  Here's what you do.  We will put you in an Adjustable Rate Mortgage, you will only pay like 4% interest for 2 years.  That will keep you monthly payment at $800.  By paying it, you will improve your credit, and with this great investment going up, you will be able to use the equity to refinance into a fixed rate loan and get a good interest rate because your credit will be all fixed."

BORROWER- "Wow! That's sounds great, but you said something about 2 years, what happen when...."

AGENT- "You come back to me and we will refinance! It's a win-win for everyone."

BORROWER-  "Oh, thank you, thank you.  This is a dream come true."

The agent gets a huge commission, the borrower get's his kid into THE school system, and some investment bank gets another mortgage to bundle up to sell to pensions, institutions, and individual investors.  All is good.

The poor insurance industry however was missing out on this orgy of money, so they decided to get in on the action.  They recognized that many of these bundled securities are being sold to people who like safety.  So they decided to sell an insurance equivalent on those securities.  The idea being that they would insure these investments should they blow up.  They called these "credit default swaps."  Notice the name.  They will swap the risk should the credit represented in those loans default.  These proved to be extremely popular (and profitable).  It has been estimated that there were about 62 trillion in credit default swaps issued.  That is trillion!   

You will also notice that I said estimated, because no one really knows.  Why? Because, notice that credit default swaps are not called what they are, insurance.  Insurance in not in the name.  Why?  Because insurance is regulated by the states and we know that regulation is ultimate evil. If you deregulate, the free markets can rule and we do love the free market (as if it really existed).

So what you have is billions if not trillions of dollars in risky loans made with the belief that real estate would increase forever, insurance on those loan, predicated on the fact they would never have to pay a claim. 

Then the bubble burst.  Real Estate values fell, that home equity the borrower was planning on using to refinance was nowhere to be found.  His mortgage payments went up after two years and all of a sudden his home was facing foreclosure.  Again and again this happened.  Which means all those CMOs and CDOs were blowing up, which meant that all those credit default swaps were being called to pay out.  Since the insurance companies weren't regulated, there weren't required to keep any capital liquid to payout on the claims. Instead those used those huge profits to pay extraordinary bonuses and commissions to executives.

Hence, what we know as a credit crunch.  That simply means that institutions no longer trusted other institutions to lend them money because they didn't know if they would be able to pay back those loans.  Why no trust?  Because no one could determine how much bad investments, or bad swaps a company held.  All of sudden risk mattered again and the pipeline of credit ceased. No credit, meant that businesses couldn't continue their business, which meant, a collapse.  

Hence the so called "bailout."  Which essentially is the government, using taxpayer money, to buy these endangered investments, to get them off their book, so that banks and institutions will feel better about lending them money again.  The idea is that this will free up the offering of credit and business can continue. 

If it doesn't work, or if nothing was done, the mom and pop store on main street wouldn't be able to keep their inventory up to date, couldn't make their payroll, couldn't pay their bills.  That would lead to layoffs, and layoffs would lead to rapid decrease in consumer spending which makes up 2/3rds of the the American economy.  That my friends would  be a depression, not a recession.  It is a perfect financial storm.  And that is as simply as I know how to put it. 

Unsullied Debate Impressions

Just got finished watching the 1st presidential debate and wanted to get some thoughts down before I get swayed by punditry, to which we are all susceptible.

For any reader of this blog it will come as no surprise that I am enthusiastically supporting Obama this year.  I have supported other Democratic presidential candidates (I have voted Republican as well) in the past but it was purely ideological support.  I liked Gore, but he was so mechanical and like everyone, the constant drama of the Clinton years had me fatigued and I worried that it would continue  Kerry was worse, though I had continued to become disillusioned about Republican and even more engaged in the election, I did not care for Kerry. So this election cycle has been very exciting for me because I really, really like Obama. 

That said, I will say this debate was a draw, from a pure debate point of view.  I guess since this was the debate that McCain was suppose to dominate because it dealt with foreign policy, the issue that Obama is perceived to be weak on, it could be a win for Obama. 

Now on the substance of the issues, I agree with Obama and not with McCain, but I felt Obama missed some opportunities and McCain was surprisingly disciplined.  He had his talking points, "He doesn't understand" and a his canned lines like, "It is hard to reach from that far from the left to reach across the aisle."  Those score well with people who are not politicos.

McCain clearly knows about foreign policy, it is just that I disagree with his approach.  I think hope that people saw that Obama is informed on the issues.  Obama can't win on the "experience" issue on this point, but what came through clearly and one of the reason I truly believe Obama can be a great president is his temperament.  He believes in dialog, in listening to opposing views while not sacrificing the ability to take tough stances. It showed as Obama was willing to look at his opponent and address him.  McCain however just stood there, gritted his teeth, faked a smile and tried to keep from blowing his top. He would not looked at Obama. That will go over well when dealing with foreign leaders. 

I am sick of the American propensity to rattle it's saber, beat its chest, and demand acquiescence to our worldview.  I am an idealist I suppose, but what happened to respectable disagreement and a reasonable exchange of ideas.  Why can't we accept that we are but one member of the global community?  Why can't we embrace the idea that there are other cultures and values that have validity?  I have no confidence that McCain will restore America as the envy of the world, but rather further isolate us. 

The debate itself was substantive, as much as public politics can get I guess and the tone was sober.  That sobriety however caused me even more concern about McCain's choice for a running mate.  No one doubts that Biden can be conversant on every issue of foreign policy should he have to, but can anyone seriously feel that Sarah Palin can be effective after seeing her continue to tout her foreign policy expertise because she can "see" Russia from Alaska?  McCain likes to tout judgment.  I will submit his choice for a running mate and ask is this the judgment we need?

Next up, the Vice Presidentail debate!  That one will be interesting for sure.  I can't wait. Now I will go and watch the shows, read the news and find out what I was suppose to think. 

On Elitism

Portrayal Of Obama As Elitist Hailed As Step Forward For African Americans

Liberty and Justice for All?

Monday, the Alabama Senate will again consider SB 431 which would allow for a statewide vote on whether to eliminate the state sales tax on groceries.  The are needing one vote to get this thing to the voters.  Three Republican senators abstained from the vote last time, so hopefully one of them will wake up and do the right thing and get this thing over the hump.

Look, this is not a vote to eliminate the tax, it is just a vote to allow the citizens of this state to vote whether or not to eliminate it.  It seems to me that the Senators need to trust us citizens to do what is right.  What is right, however, seems to me to be fairly obvious, if you have any sense of justice in you.

Consider this:

• Alabama is only one of 2 states in whole USofA that place a full sales tax on groceries. 
• Alabama is one of only 2 states in good ol' America that levy more than $300 in income tax for a family of four at the poverty line.
• Alabama is one of only 2 states from sea to shining sea where a family of four has be start paying tax on income as low as $12,600!  That is a family of four on $12,600.

Republicans have, of course, cried afoul.  "NO FAIR!" they shout.  We will not allow "wealth to be redistributed."  We will not raise taxes on some for the benefit of others. They will try to guilt you into thinking that the wealthy are overly burdened by carrying the weight of this state's financial load.  The top 20% of income earners in the state are paying 47% of tax revenue.  That is almost half, they will say.  It is just not fair, they lament through their bourbon breath.Why should only 20% of the population pay 47% of the taxes, they like bemoan.

What they fail to mention is that same top 20% of income earners in the state that are paying 47% of the taxes, earn 57% of all the income that is earned in this state.  At the very least, shouldn't they be paying 57% of the taxes!

For those who want dig into the numbers further consider  this analayis from the Legislative Fiscal Office:

    For tax payers who itemize their return in 2009, the effect of this legislation would result in a net tax cut for Married Couples filing jointly with 2 children even if their adjusted gross income (AGI) was $125,000.  That is a tax cut for couples making well over 6 digit household income.  Married couples with no children with an AGI of $75,000 or more will have a slight increase, but those with couples with AGI of $50,000 or less will see a net tax cut.

     Singles will see a slight increase but it is minimal.  For single tax payers with an AGI of $50,000 their net tax only goes up between $31-$48. A single tax payer with an AGI of $125,000 would see a net tax increase of $355-$372.  My guess is that if you are single making that kind of money in a low cost state like Alabama, you wouldn't even notice the difference.

Finally, you might want to note that a family of four making less than $100,000 a year will see there taxes go down by as much as $1,036! That can be significant relief as gas and food prices soar.

My question is do we or do we not believe in liberty in justice for all or it is just those who make enough money to buy it.  Let's hope that it is the former!

HT to Scott Stantis, editorial cartoonist for the Bham News.  I often disagree with his commentary, but he nailed it on this one. 

My Neighbor is Gay

I am not gay.  I have been called gay, but not because someone thought I had homo-erotic tendencies, but probably because I said "roll tide" to an aubie, or some kind of childish retort like that. No one who knows me really thinks I am gay, queer possibly, but never gay.  I was hit on by a gay person once, so he must have thought I was gay, but most people know that there is just not a gay bone anywhere in me.   

I am not a homophobe either. I believe homosexuality is part sexual, part political, and, for me, thoroughly confusing.  It messes with me and my little world. There is so much shouting, too much finger pointing or wagging.  Everyone claiming God's will. Everyone demanding their rights, often to the disruptions and destruction of community that they claim to enhance or protect.  Now where rights are systemically denied and dehumanization exist, there is cause for that demand, but often the agendas go beyond that and it is only about the agenda, and I don't like that. It makes me sad.

I believe that homosexuals should have the same governmental rights and protections afforded to heterosexuals.  I believe that civil unions are appropriate  and should be welcomed. Those civil unions should allow the homosexual couple full rights as though they were married.  Heck, I don't care if you call it marriage on the civil side, but I do have a problem with homosexuals demanding that religious organizations bless that union. 

I think that the individual faith community must decide that for themselves whether there should be a religious blessing on the union.  We can not force a faith community to violate their convictions and many of those faith communities reject homosexuality, not out of bigotry (though some do) and hatred (though some have) but out of a serious intent on following on what their scriptures tell them and their faith teaches them. This can , as we have seen at times in the past, problematic, but we should not be in the business of demanding theological conformity from faith communities. 

The government must protect and afford equal rights to all citizens assuming those citizens accept the responsibility of working within the legal structures and frameworks of a society.  The government can not tell us how to believe, nor should they try.  My belief, for what it is worth, is that God loves all of us sinners, all of us. 

But I digress, I started to say that my neighbor is gay.  It is not the neighbor that I suspect is gay, but another neighbor.  My lovely neighborhood has 640 homes in it, so I suspect that I have another 60 or so gay neighbors around, but I know where one is now for sure. 

In the stupidity of the developer or the insanity of postal numbering systems, the addressing is almost  the same on similar sounding roads.  It is  hard to distinguish between "Neighborhood Dr." and "Neighborhood Tr."  I often get mail addressed to the same number on "Neighborhood Tr." while I live on "Neighborhood Dr." and occasionally I get other numbers on that road.  And that was the case yesterday. 

So yesterday I get the mail, with three of four plastic wrapped magazines. I get a lot of magazines related to my business.  It is not rare for me to get multiple periodicals in one day, along with my Wall Street Journal. I bring the stack of mail into my office, and mindlessly open  it, while I catch up on my gorgeous bride's day.  Talking, ripping, shredding, discarding or filing the stuff.  Not really paying attention to anything other than my wife.  I give a quick glance and then back to the conversation.  I open a bank statement, toss aside, bill from my accountant, put in the "to be paid stack,"  The Journal of Financial Planning, I yawn and set it aside, Financial Planning magazine, on the stack, Solutions, again in the "probably never will be read stack." I am ripping and tearing through the mail, handle it once and be done with it, the productivity experts say. And I am being productive. 

I rip the plastic off the next one and as I am placing in my magazine stack, I glance down and see

"What the..."  I utter. 
I look up at my wife, feeling surprisingly sheepish.
I look back down, "Am I really seeing this, or I have a blacked out" I think to myself.  "And why, if I have blacked out is this what I am seeing.  I am not gay."

It is hard enough to explain why the Victoria Secrets catalog comes addressed to me, but what do you do when you plop this magazine down on your desk in front of your wife?  I quickly retrieve the card stock '"renewal" slip that accompanied the magazine and glance down at the address.  Whew! "It is not mine," I think.  Which is funny that I thought that, because there is no reason for it to be mine.  I am not gay, but that is what I though. Anyway, that was my "male mail surprise" for yesterday.

And now my neighbor has been outed. Of course, he may be out already, I don't know, which is what makes me wonder what I should do.  I could toss it, but  it is time to renew and it is his property after all.  I could deliver it, but would that cause him embarrassment?  If he is out, no problem I guess, but if he isn't I don't want to him to be uncomfortable.  Do I place it in an envelope and mail it to him without a return address?  Does that mean that I am uncomfortable?  You see this gay stuff messes with my world. 

I flipped through a couple of pages and confirmed what I already knew.  I am not gay.  My wife took a look. 12 pack abs, abnormally fit and handsome men. To my great pleasure, I was reaffirmed that she is not gay either.  Blessings and affirmations come in surprising ways. 

Quest for an Intergalatic Home and Peace and Tax Fairness

I haven't been blogging as much as I like.  I have a lot of things I would like to blog about, but I am terribly slow.  I don't know how you can blog everyday, it is just such an investment of time.  It is ironic that I write this because this is one of the rare second blogs in a day for me. 

While it takes time,I can say that the television is not taking up any of it. The state of television is woeful.  I admit that I am still mourning the passing of The Wire, but for all the friggin channels out there, it is sad.  But even among the valley of drying bones in t.v. land, there are still gusts of life that give you hope.  Lost returns in two weeks with new episodes for the rest of this season.

But flying under the radar with less hoopla is the return of Battlestar Galactica.  Friends, (sounds McCainian) any hoopla this series gets is well deserved. The bittersweetness of this return is of course, the realization that this is the final season.  Like, Lost, I was late to the Battlestar party and have been utilizing my Netflix membership to catch up. So I am having to DVR these new episodes because I am just on Season 3.  I just noticed that Season 3 Disc One is on the way, so I am stoked, but If you haven't watched Battlestar, you are sinning against yourself.  Well written, timely, attractive cast and with Cylons! Awesome!

Now to some serious notes:

I need you step up to plate if you live in Alabama.  All you guys who petitioned me to Free the Hops, it is time to return the favor.  If you live in Alabama, I need you right now to contact your representative and urge the support  of the Tax Fairness Act.  The bill will eliminate the sales tax on groceries and raise the income tax threshold to $20,000.  The House will be debating this bill on Tuesday, April 15th.  The bill for the House is HB 274 and in the Senate it is SB 431.

I am pleading you to contact your representative and ask them to support these respective bills. You can find your representative and their contact information here. To understand the bills more, Alabama Arise has produced an excellent talking points grid.  I encourage you to read it.   

To validate the need and urgency, you will want to note that this week that it was reported that the income gap in Alabama is the 2nd highest in the country.  We're number TWO, We're number TWO.  Jeesh.
The poor continue to lose ground in Alabama.  You should not have to be paying sales tax on groceries and we shouldn't be taxing families of four when then only make $12,600! Please take the time to contact your representatives and pass it on to others who will do the same.  Let them know that we are paying attention and demand justice for all citizens in this state. 

Is Obama Wright or Wrong?

Now let's get this disclosure out of the way from the start.  I voted for Barak Obama in Alabama's primary.  I will be fine if Hillary pulls one out of the bag and wins the nomination and she will have my vote in November should that happen. But I went with Obama.

However, I have been asked a couple of times since the infamous sound byte from Rev. Jeremiah Wright's sermon back in 2001, if Obama's relationship to that faith community and his pastor does anything to change my feelings.  My answer is no and in fact, Obama's dealing with the situation coupled with Hillary's statement that she wouldn't have remained a member of that church have only validated my decision. 

In the spirit of complete transparency and disclosure let me also add that I am a white male, so obviously all comments are made from a white male Obama supporter. 

First, I will admit to an initial feeling of shock when I heard the comments.  Having spoken from the pulpit a time or two, I know a little something about preaching and I know that there was no way in hell, errr under heaven that I would have the sentiment or courage to say that. White congregations don't resonate with homiletical shock value often, so the main point would have been lost on them.

While I am no expert on liberation theology or the intricacies of black preaching, I have worshiped, preached and been the beneficiary of black church services.  I  have observed enough to know that black preaching has a dramatic narrative and straightforwardness to it that is usually absent from white preaching. There is an emotional power that whites often expunge from their rhetoric in search of some literary (and often boring) beauty.  What I have often appreciated about black preaching is that black preachers recognize that sermons are most often heard not read. 

I also recognize that the black worship, shaped by their slave origins, has no problem expressing doubts about the Americanized version of Christianity that swoons too many white congregations.  The temptation to wrap their sermonic story up into a civic lesson on being a good American is refreshingly absent from the preaching that I have heard in black services.  So, while I wouldn't have said it (as I said I am white) I did not find it overly bothersome to me.  I found it faithful, while shocking at the same time to a civil rights era preaching style that has changed our country over the last 50 years.

Now to the point.  What I admire about Obama, who has said he disagreed with the statement, is that he has remained vitally connected to that faith community despite his differences at times with the pastor.  Some say that he should leave, but I admire more that he did not. As he said, he could no more disavow that faith community than he could disavow his family, because both of have shaped him in ways that are far more significant than one paragraph of one sermon could ever do.  That is the power of community. 

True community is not severed by a disagreement, even when it comes from the pastor.  A true sign of spiritual maturation is to remain committed to the community in the presence of conflict or disagreement.  So Hillary's politically motivated reminder that she would have left, demonstrates that she doesn't get it. 

Yet people are so consumed with themselves that they sacrifice community for their own selfish desires, needs and aspirations.  Everyday it happens.  Howard Dean said that he quit going to church because the church wouldn't put a paved bike path on the property.  That's mature. 

My good friend, Mike, overheard a conversation between two suburban dads once, one of which was explaining why he left his own personal tradition to join another.  His reason?  He said that at the new mega church, he got "more bang for his buck."  PRAISE JESUS!

I know countless people who uproot their families from their communities, churches, playgrounds, ballparks, friends and family, because "the school's" are better in the other zip code.  But what about the community?  Does community not matter?  Are ACT tests more important than community? Please, give me a break. If you drive 30 minutes across town to worship, then I suggest you rethink your motives.  If you can't find a place of community near you, then start one, you and your community would be better for it. 

So I hope that Obama will hold true and not fold under the political pressure to denounce the faith community that brought him into a relationship with Christ, that married him to his lovely wife Michelle, that has nurtured his spirit for over 20 years.  I hope we will continue to embrace the church that has shaped him to speak above the lowest common denominator rhetoric that is politics these days.  If so, then maybe, with some good fortune and some common sense among the electorate we will elect someone who can restore America's place as a citizen in the global community that is God's great gift to us all.

Recap of the Commission Supported Eagle Forum

Despite the protest of many Jeffco citizens and the Eagle Forum's own hypocrisy in accepting government funding, the event was held, thanks in part, to the $15,000 of discretionary funds given by the Jefferson County Commission.

Now some have, rightly argued, that $15,000 is pocket change and that governments have given to causes on the left in the past.  Agreed, though that doesn't justify it.  Especially considering the financial woes of our County.  If you don't live in Jefferson County or you have chosen to ignore the problem, you can read about it here, here, here, here, here, here,  here, and here.  You get the point. Seems to me that every penny counts in this situation.

Well how did the public education event that the commission choose as being so worthy of our tax dollars.  Here is a quote from the Birmingham News reporting on the event to the "mostly older almost all white" crowd:

Schlafly told the group to demand of "our candidates" commitment to a litany of conservative causes, chief among them the protection of unborn life, marriage between a man and a woman, appointment of Supreme Court justices in the Clarence Thomas mold, the rights of parents to demand public schools teach children what the parents want and defense of the words "under God" in the pledge of allegiance.

But, it was what Schlafly charged is an effort to create one-world government that she kept coming back to time and again. She accused President Bush of conspiring with Mexican and Canadian leaders to merge the three nations into one North American Union. She charged that would be a major step toward furthering the ambitions of men such as former CBS News anchor, Walter Cronkite, who she said supports the creation of one-world government.

"We don't want to be integrated with Canada or Mexico in anything," Schlafly said as the crowd applauded. "Beginning with this North American Union, all this is about getting us to get rid of our sovereignty.

She charged that Bush, along with Canadian and Mexican leaders, will use an outbreak of flu to form a committee that will begin to make decisions about health care for all three nations.

"They don't understand that the U.S. is an oasis of freedom and prosperity. We have freedom of single-family dwellings and we don't want to give that away."

A flu conspiracy?  Furthering the ambitions of Walter Cronkite?  Wow! Don't you feel better that our county is being run by such great stewards of our taxes.  Don't you think that County took a great step forward last Saturday because of this event?  Note to the Commission:  People are paying attention.  Your election season will be coming.