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  #1  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2009, 1:10 AM
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Improving Alabama

Hello everyone. I was wondering what everyone's opinions on improving Alabama are. Don't even worry about how much something might cost, just toss ideas out there.

I've come up with a rough survey to see what people think, and I'd appreciate it if people would take the time to take it. A lot of it is about transit, cause IMO that is one of Alabama's biggest detriments. Anyways, if you think something should be added to the survey, tell me, cause I can still add things to it.

Click Here!!!!!<-------- That's the survey!

Be sure you read all the question carefully. Some questions, you will be asked to choose more than one choice.
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  #2  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2009, 1:37 AM
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Increase funding for public education and extend the school year by another ten days.
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  #3  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2009, 1:51 AM
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Yes, I agree about improving public education, but I don't know how adding ten days would help. Just stop waisting time in the classroom and give a better education. We also need to change the perception of Alabama in the mind of the general public (in the rest of the country/world). Make sure we have a diverse economy. And while we're at it, let's stop pumping cash into the pockets of good-for-nothings who choose not to work.
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  #4  
Old Posted Jun 28, 2009, 5:56 PM
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EDUCATION!
The AHSGE is a joke! Really, it's sickening to even look at that crap. And the fact that teachers are expected to pander to those "requirements" is insulting. Education has been reduced down to forcing students to recite facts not think.

However, the higher education system in this state is getting better and better.
I think UAB is THE vital link for revitalization of B'ham after the recession, considering Stem Cell research is now legal. Also, the Univ. of South AL. has been pushing to really improve.

If things continue, I can see the trend of the "best and brightest" leaving this state to go elsewhere, finally begin to fade.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alabadrock View Post
You make a good point. Thinking progressive is a HUGE problem. In the "Huntsville Development News" blog, the point was made that Huntsville officials too often have a Madison County only, or Huntsville only mindset. Most officials are closed minded in the sense that they don't wanna think outside of the box.

I hear a lot of people on in this topic saying that separation of church and state would solve a lot of problems. Of course, we all know that on paper they are separated in Alabama (as far as laws and funding go), but the legislators too often insert their beliefs into the laws they create, to the point where many bills are quite bias towards only a their point of view.

Simply saying "get 'church' out of government" doesn't even begin to label what needs to happen. It's not "church" that needs to get out of government, it's the diction in the law that needs to be monitored in order for it to not be skewed in the direction of a religious belief, unless it is something like the freedom of religion and what not.

I hope everyone understands what I'm saying. I mean, honestly, I think it's ridiculous that people cite religion for reasons to not have gambling and alcohol consumption. I simply believe that "church" is welcome in government, as long as it remains in the sense of forming the good character of a politician an not in influencing their decisions on lawmaking.

I can tell you all right now, running into the street and yelling "separate church and state!" is not the way to go about fixing things. What we need is a comprehensive discussion to go forward in order for everyone to learn what parts of government church belongs.

Too often, politicians in the South forget that the opinions of the people come before the opinions of the church. We need to teach them that a balance can be found and worked out.
You absolutely right...and this makes me wonder why the people in office continue to get elected? OVER AND OVER....I think the little "scruffle" in congress awhile ago should have opened our eyes to the fact that many (not all) of our politicians are incompetent. Although, I do disagree with the notion that Alabamians do not think positive. I mean, look at the Tanker contract. They could have just accepted what happened but they didn't, although, I guess that's quite a different situation...
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  #5  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2009, 1:55 AM
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Transit- It would not only add more connectivity, it would enhance smaller, less-accessible areas in job creation. The big four would benefit from suburban connections. In Mobile, a rail/water ferry system would be something to look into in the long term and I can imagine the other areas having plans like a Birmingham-Tuscaloosa-Over The Mountain corridor.

Constitution reform - Obviously needed as ours is the longest in the world and is filled with antiquated laws and bureaucracy of epic proportions. Oh yeah, someone vote out that State Sen from Fyffe. That guy is awful.

Education - Another obvious need... especially in rural areas. I sincerely believe a lottery would be very beneficial to the school systems in the state.

---

I took that survey by the way.
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  #6  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2009, 2:01 AM
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And don't forget gambling.
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  #7  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2009, 2:17 AM
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Separation of church and state would be a nice start.

It all starts with education though.
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  #8  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2009, 2:28 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Electrical Porpoise View Post
Separation of church and state would be a nice start.




---

I don't know about the rest of the state, but gambling would be a boon for the Mobile area, as it continues a chain of casinos from Bay St. Louis to Gulfport and Biloxi, east. Plus, the larger population mass in Mobile would attract more casino developers and tourists. With all the extra tourists, maybe then they could bulldoze the Regional Airport and start anew.

Unfortunately, all this relates back to the separation of church and state which won't happen soon. Legislating morality is a thorn in the state's side.
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  #9  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2009, 2:14 AM
Colin Giersberg Colin Giersberg is offline
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Not to sound negative about education, and I am not, but increasing the education budget, without increasing taxes will deplete the tax revenue going to the General Fund. This supports ALDOT, the prison system, state troopers, and several other agencies. Without these, the state may as well go down the drain. In fact, the General Fund has been the red-headed stepchild to education. I had heard that 90% of every tax dollar in Alabama goes to education, but I have no idea if that is correct.
Right now, all state agencies, as well as education are struggling to make ends meet, so other alternatives will have to be presented for funding education even more. If any funding measures do pass, they need to apply to the General Fund also.

Regards, Colin
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  #10  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2009, 2:32 AM
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There will never be a separation of church and state though, lol. It'd be pretty impossible, considering that God's name occurs in many of our State and Federal founding documents.

Though, if you're talking about making sure the state government isn't a government based on a theology, I'm all for it. And, I'd gamble to say that at least our head head head leaders do an OK job of keeping a divide between their beliefs and the government. Save for them letting it influence how it shapes them as a person.

EDIT: Our legislature, however, is a completely different story. Our legislature is terrible when it comes to trying to keep religion out of the bills that come through Montgomery. Our representation is constantly trying to legislate based on their religious beliefs instead of what the people want.
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Last edited by SpawnOfVulcan; Jun 25, 2009 at 2:42 AM.
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  #11  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2009, 3:53 AM
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I wish we could vote on whether or not to have gambling by county, then Mobile might actually get it. Can't you imagine a nice stretch of casinos along the Causeway?
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  #12  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2009, 4:10 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nouveau_Mauvilla View Post
Can't you imagine a nice stretch of casinos along the Causeway?
the day i buy beer on sunday and drunkenly gamble will be the best day ever.
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  #13  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2009, 4:21 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nouveau_Mauvilla View Post
Can't you imagine a nice stretch of casinos along the Causeway?
Yes... absolutely amazing. The site to the west of Battleship Park was once thought of as a casino site when Siegelman signaled he might put it to a vote.

Quote:
Originally Posted by nouveau_Mauvilla View Post
I wish we could vote on whether or not to have gambling by county, then Mobile might actually get it.
If Mobile county voted, it probably would pass.
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  #14  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2009, 4:13 AM
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Education !


I do believe that our area would draw in more tourist as far as gambling is concerned than any where else in the state.
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  #15  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2009, 1:33 PM
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Quote:
the day i buy beer on sunday and drunkenly gamble will be the best day ever.
mobile doesn't have sunday beer sales???
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  #16  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2009, 3:30 PM
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Originally Posted by TimCity2000 View Post
mobile doesn't have sunday beer sales???
He lives in Tuscaloosa part time.

Mobile does not have blue laws.
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  #17  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2009, 7:06 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SouthSky View Post
He lives in Tuscaloosa part time.

Mobile does not have blue laws.
You can't buy alcohol from 2am -12pm Sundays in Mobile.
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  #18  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2009, 11:03 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TimCity2000 View Post
mobile doesn't have sunday beer sales???
I was just speaking about the state in general.
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  #19  
Old Posted Jun 28, 2009, 11:07 AM
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A couple personal observations:

I HATE the idea of putting casino's on the Causeway. That area is uniquely Mobile & I would hate to see it paved under in a tacky neon haze like some mini-Atlantic City. The only thing I want to see done on the Causeway is an elimination of that pink monstrosity. I'd prefer, though, that it be made into a large marina to fit the cultural and aesthetic perspective of that part of Mobile. There are plenty of other places in Mobile to build on. Preserving the amazing heritage of our great city should never take a backseat to questionable development.

I'm not an opponent of casino's in general, had Mobile been able to jump ahead of Biloxi/G'port on the issue I'd have thought it brilliant. It didn't happen. Time to move on. Plus, people have this really ridiculous notion that gambling will solve the problem. No, gambling is just a bandaid over a sliced carotid.... at best. Our primary issue w/ funding is that (A) our state residents don't want to pay any taxes while still expecting a level of service in line w/ that of places that pay much more than we currently do & (B) that our current constitution and the ridiculously outdated property/income/sales tax distribution that it creates is like a titanium ceiling preventing our state the ability of self-actualization. As a state we will never achieve what we are capable of while it is in place & we are at present taking it out on our most vulnerable citizens with these oppressive sales taxes.

badrock's post on the seperation of church & state was pretty good, IMO. I have no religious opposition to liquor sales or gambling, as those are questions of faith best left to the individual & their relationship with their religion. I've always found it silly that liquor is prohibited on Sundays when not even all Christian denominations celebrate Sunday as the Sabbath.

I disagree that Birmingham's biggest hurdle is its education level. Their problems there aren't any more dramatic than in other poor school systems all over the state. B'ham's are just amplified by the # of children involved.... though for Pete's Sake can someone explain subject-verb agreement to the school board? One of the JeffCoSB member was on TV a week or two talking about how "the schools is". It's all well and good to use whatever dialect you want at home but when you're representing "Education" ACT LIKE YOU HAVE ONE! I think B'hams biggest hurdle is poverty. All the rest of its issues spill off that like water off a ducks back. The absurdly high STD rates, poor or negligible parenting, high crime rate, & education woes are all either directly or indirectly related to that. The solution to that is not discernible as there probably is no one solution to fix the problem. It's going to take a lot of work on the part of local leadership.

And now my ideas on improving AL:

Infrastructure:

There needs to be serious work done here. Education is important, but in terms of advancing the capabilities of our state, improving the infrastructure is on even (or better) footing. Yes, I'm on record as saying it needs to be done responsibly. I think the idea of just throwing up extra lanes to alleviate congestion is a stopgap that only postpones an issue. You have to think long term in this area. Long term needs dictate that we need more freight rail capacity in this state so that we don't have to have as many trucks on the road (greatly increasing the wear and tear on said roads). the plans for HiSpd Rail are great. Plans for Light Rail would be better. I would dearly love to see commuter rail links between the Mobile A'port & (via the Eastern Shore communities) the Pleasure Island area. I'd like even more to see a cooperative effort between Mobile and P'cola to create a larger "International" airport somewhere in Baldwin County between the two not far from I-10. I think light rail from downtown B'ham to park & ride centers along 280 would help to alleviate a lot of bad traffic there, but they've got serious issues with sprawl now.

Education:

California is doing away with textbooks and going to a computer-based model of textbook distribution. This will save them a ton of money and result with their kids getting the latest textbooks & being more familiar with computers in an increasingly computer-based economy. Why is it that Cali can do this when they're as broke as they are and we can't? If we can't achieve it all at once there's no reason we can't phase it in over a few years.

I think that a means of cutting cost while improving education would be to go from the 8-3 M-F w/ 2 1/2 - 3 months off school to a 8-5 M-Th w/ 2 months off. Schools would save a lot more money than you think by being open one less day. They could funnel this money into infrastructure, supply, & personnel instead. Plus, it would have the added benefit of giving our teachers a 3 day weekend which might help us keep our teachers instead of hemorhaging them to better-paying jobs in our sister states.

My most radical idea on education;

Do away with the physical school. Think about it. The physical schools are the biggest cost with the millions it takes to keep up with the demand & maintain the structures. Right now more and more college courses are taught online. With voice recognition software and interactive education tools we are getting closer and closer to the point where the school is functionally unnecessary. You could even conceivably teach a better version of physical education to kids by using technology similar to that employed by the WiiFit. We already have every book in our libraries available for free online, thus proving our capability in the online arena. Why not phase out schools by offering a top-flight home-schooling program for free to the taxpayers of the state. Software can monitor to make sure that the student "attends" his/her classes and intuitive programs can, by way of quiz answers, discern patterns in students who need more instruction in a given area or take them onward to more advanced knowledge. What more impressive way to change the image of the state's education profile than to lead the entire developed world into the new education model. This also returns some authority on a child's education to its parent(s). Socially, you would almost totally eliminate bullying. The kids would be as safe as if they were in their own house (b/c they would be). The rapid passing of diseases from child to child would be greatly lessened, & (with some state funding for facilities) community-based groups could take up the slack on athletics and other afterschool-type functions. It even should ultimately cost less per pupil and our kids would be at the forefront of education.
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  #20  
Old Posted Jun 25, 2009, 1:48 PM
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