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csberryAdmittedly, few (if any) that read this blog care about state politics.
If you haven't read it, here's the latest:
http://www.al.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news/1153214253163630.xml&coll=1
Somehow all the states but New York and Alabama are able to create the voter registration system required in HAVA. New York has its unique population and system integration problem. Alabama's membership in this gang of two is purely because of the extreme stupidity of Nancy Worley (D). It has been years since I contacted a state govt to vent (TN in '99 over the income tax initiative), so today I broke down and wrote the following:
It deeply saddens me that the state will suffer because of your inability to
satisfy the Justice Dept's requirements for HAVA compliance. The comments I've
read in several of the state's newspapers about partisanship ring hollow.
As an independent voter (mostly voting Dem, though – AL GOP scare the hell out
of me), I am disgusted by your attempt to blame politics for the continuous
controversy over how the state has tried to address HAVA. I have followed this
story intently because of my hope that the state could shake the criticism I
hear from friends and acquaintances from outside the South about black voter
disenfranchisement. Unfortunately, your office has given the critics of
Alabama’s government plenty of fodder. I can hold my tongue (keyboard) no
longer and must share my extreme disappointment with you now.
To knowingly go with a suspect contractor, decide against the advice of a
bipartisan independent committee, then to have the fiasco of the
license/ownership issue with the oft-maligned Diebold (Gosh, who would have
thought dealing with this contractor might have caused problems? Oh, everyone
but you), and finally to blame politics for the rejection of your plan indicates
a lack of character and not partisanship. You need to stop blaming others for
the bad decisions you make.
Saying that hiring a special master would be costly to the state seems to
indicate that you are oblivious to the loss of $41 million to the state for not
complying with HAVA. Somehow, I think the special master will be cheaper than
the $41 million.
No matter how much I may disagree with whoever runs against you, the state will
never get the respect from the rest of the country it deserves until we have
people in office that have the competence and character to make the right
decisions and then take responsibility when their decisions are justly
criticized. Please bring some pride back to this Alabama citizen by getting
your act together on this issue.
If you haven't read it, here's the latest:
http://www.al.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news/1153214253163630.xml&coll=1
Somehow all the states but New York and Alabama are able to create the voter registration system required in HAVA. New York has its unique population and system integration problem. Alabama's membership in this gang of two is purely because of the extreme stupidity of Nancy Worley (D). It has been years since I contacted a state govt to vent (TN in '99 over the income tax initiative), so today I broke down and wrote the following:
It deeply saddens me that the state will suffer because of your inability to
satisfy the Justice Dept's requirements for HAVA compliance. The comments I've
read in several of the state's newspapers about partisanship ring hollow.
As an independent voter (mostly voting Dem, though – AL GOP scare the hell out
of me), I am disgusted by your attempt to blame politics for the continuous
controversy over how the state has tried to address HAVA. I have followed this
story intently because of my hope that the state could shake the criticism I
hear from friends and acquaintances from outside the South about black voter
disenfranchisement. Unfortunately, your office has given the critics of
Alabama’s government plenty of fodder. I can hold my tongue (keyboard) no
longer and must share my extreme disappointment with you now.
To knowingly go with a suspect contractor, decide against the advice of a
bipartisan independent committee, then to have the fiasco of the
license/ownership issue with the oft-maligned Diebold (Gosh, who would have
thought dealing with this contractor might have caused problems? Oh, everyone
but you), and finally to blame politics for the rejection of your plan indicates
a lack of character and not partisanship. You need to stop blaming others for
the bad decisions you make.
Saying that hiring a special master would be costly to the state seems to
indicate that you are oblivious to the loss of $41 million to the state for not
complying with HAVA. Somehow, I think the special master will be cheaper than
the $41 million.
No matter how much I may disagree with whoever runs against you, the state will
never get the respect from the rest of the country it deserves until we have
people in office that have the competence and character to make the right
decisions and then take responsibility when their decisions are justly
criticized. Please bring some pride back to this Alabama citizen by getting
your act together on this issue.
