“When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer.” – Hans Gruber, played by Alan Rickman, in the film “Die Hard” Last week will not go down in the history books as an important historical marker in American political events. It was important for us in… Read more

“New York City is the place where they said, ‘Hey, babe, take a walk on the wild side.’” – Lou Reed A major part of last week’s national news cycle involved the Democratic primary election for New York City mayor. I know next to nothing about the nuances of New York City politics, but there… Read more

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves …” – Cassius in William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” When state legislators reached the final few days of this year’s regular session, patience began to wear thin among some of them. This is to be expected when you have two political parties diametrically opposed… Read more

“I can’t stand this indecision married with a lack of vision. Everybody wants to rule the world.” – Tears for Fears Have you ever thought to yourself, “If only I could be in charge of everything, I would be able to make the world a much better place.”? House Bill 561 was introduced late in… Read more

“She just can’t be chained to a life where nothing’s gained and nothing’s lost, at such a cost.” – Keith Richards I can sympathize when people say they cannot take one more minute of working at their job. I spent one summer as the salad bar attendant at Ruby Tuesday. I realize there are worse… Read more

“Marriage, like government, is a series of compromises. One must give and take, repair and restrain, endure and be patient.” – Samuel Smiles My wife, Lara, and I celebrate our 10-year anniversary this week. She says I am required to mention her in this column every so often, so I figured a milestone anniversary would… Read more

“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” – Alexander Pope It was only around five short months ago when I offered you, beloved reader, some of my thoughts about what to look out for in Alabama government and politics in 2025. One of the topics I thought was worth following was how the 2026… Read more

“If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done.” – Rita Mae Brown It only began about three-and-a-half months ago, but this year’s state legislative session drew to a close last Wednesday. The session almost ended without passing one of the bills declared as a priority for Gov. Kay Ivey and the leaders… Read more

“Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.” – Sophia Loren Ideas like House Bill 386 have been floating around Montgomery during legislative sessions for way over a decade. The concept is one of the rare state policy topics that has managed not to fade away over the years while still never quite achieving a clear… Read more

“I told the judge right to his face we didn’t like to see this place. We’re in the jailhouse now.” – traditional song adapted by Jimmie Rodgers For me the most interesting part of studying government is when there is conflict among the branches of government. We are seeing it on a large scale with… Read more