POLITICAL CORRUPTION IS A NATIONWIDE ISSUE AFFECTING ALL OF US. ALABAMA RANKS #5 AS THE MOST CORRUPT STATE. *DOJ 2007 stats
Something is very wrong in the Land of Cotton


PERTINENT ENVIRONMENTAL AND CORRUPTION ISSUES IN OTHER STATES ARE ALSO DISCUSSED


NO OTHER COMMUNITY, RICH OR POOR, URBAN OR SUBURBAN,BLACK, BROWN,RED, YELLOW OR WHITE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO BECOME AN "ENVIRONMENTAL SACRIFICE ZONE."

Dr. Robert Bullard
Environmental Justice Movement Founder

Monday, March 7, 2011

A Jock Ass and His Logic--Senator Scott Beason Defends Pay Raise


Jock types aren’t known for their mental prowess and the senator from Gardendale continues to prove that point every time he opens his mouth--jocks don’t make for good political candidates.

The pay raise voted for by Alabama legislators in the dark of the night a few years ago continues to be a sore spot with Alabamians, who are finding it increasingly difficult to get by in the present economy. Senators Beason, Glover and Sanford are tone deaf on the issue and insist on “blocking and tackling” all calls for a repeal of the gifting lawmakers afforded themselves.

Beason was on the airwaves this morning full of sports analogies for every issue he was asked about. It’s not football season, but for jocks it’s always football in their minds. And they view the world through that mindset. We say to Beason that this is not a game, a contest or even a spectator event and he shows what he is every time he enters the arena of public oratory--a real jock ass.

“Senator Beason is a bill going to come out of committee to repeal the pay raise or at least the cost of living increase?”
"Well, now you know we had to go out and actively recruit good conservative candidates to run and most of them put pencil to paper to see if they could. You know they were businessmen who were making a certain amount of money and they had to decide if they could serve in the legislature without a cut in pay or having to hire additional employees to run their businesses. So for us to cut their pay….but we are looking at being bound by the same proration Governor Bentley issues to the General Fund. It‘s hard to find good conservative candidates and we‘re lucky to have these guys on our team to serve Alabama."
Never mind that Dr. Dr. Bentley says there will be no more proration after the first painful round, effectively ending the bill offered by Senator Sanford and protecting the legislative pay increase as soon as it starts. And never mind the fact that many Alabama small business owners have had to not only deal with pay cuts, laying off employees or watching their businesses fail completely. Beason’s mind set is one of entitlement and taking care of the team while the rest of the ordinary Joe’s struggle.

He’s got the typical superiority attitude that most jocks have and the mush head logic to match.

No doubt these boys all huddled together with certain special interests and recruited like minds to run for office, and came up with a plan to make certain it would be worth it to them to do so. It’s no secret that running for office in Alabama is a huge step up from the private sector and affords endless possibilities to the office holders for goodies galore. We don’t think his explanations hold water, but he thinks they’re plausible to the voters at large, who aren’t privy to what goes on in the huddle.

One call came in from the average Joe and took Beason to task on this “Why should you and the rest of the legislators take my money, afford yourselves a raise and COI increase while my wife and I struggle? It’s not fair Senator.”

Beason wasn’t having it and It took about two milliseconds for him (and the radio host) to blame liberals for the excoriating criticism over this issue “This is being whipped up by liberal news outlets….”

That’s become the pat answer for any criticism and it’s wearing thin.

Another issue came up about development and light rail. Republicans don’t like light rail, they view it as a liberal agenda and one to be immediately dismissed based on the same. The real reason might be that the road builders don’t like it, the gang that overwhelming backs republicans for office all over the nation.

The highway 280 corridor in Jefferson and Shelby counties is a nightmare for commuters, and the biggest reason is that it was overly developed without any real plan to accommodate the huge increase in population and traffic.

Beason says that “blocking and tackling needs to happen in new development before considering alternative transportation.” That’s the same kind of thinking that has resulted in the nightmare in the 280 corridor. Build it first them we’ll figure it out. Translation--make our corporate donors happy with development before we think about the people who will be affected by our decisions because we’ll figure out some way to blame democrats for the problems.

He finished off his nonsense by returning to the field of the pay raise, and said that one of the biggest reasons for the two year college scandal was that some of the ones involved worked for big corporations and law firms. Entities that could say to the political lackey “I pay the mortgage on your house…” so you better do as I say. He seemed to clearly suggest that corporations and law firms influenced some in their actions while serving the college system that‘s been fraught with huge problems.

Couldn’t the same be said for political donors Senator Beason? Don’t a lot of politicians owe their office (and their political hides) to the large contributions from these same entities who financed their campaigns? And won’t the big donors come back around asking for a tit for tat of sorts? Of course they will.

Author Robert Lipstyle sums it up nicely on why jocks don’t make for good political candidates:
Keep in mind that the sports-industrial complex tends to produce narrow-minded, self-centered, ethically-challenged mercenaries who are deeply submissive to established authority while being fiercely dedicated to winning by any means possible.  Or as one of my old political advisors, Sam Hall Kaplan, a former New York Times and Los Angeles Times reporter, puts it: “A politician who learned as an athlete just who ultimately butters his bread can be counted on to continue to wave to the crowds while doing the bidding of the owners.” And the owners these days, thanks to the umpires (...er, Supreme Court) are likely to be unnamed millionaire warlords donating to rightwing candidates through dummy organizations and PACS that have no requirement to open their books to the voters.
Team Beason should understand that criticism comes in all forms, and these days the ever increasing noise from the stands are the voices of Alabamians of all political stripes, not just "liberal bed-wetters", another phrase he and the gang (Mike Hubbard, Sanford, Glover etc.) are quick to repeat when questioned.

They’re tone deaf and just don’t get it in typical arrogant jock mentality.

And while we’re at it, let’s replace Beason’s sporty phrase of “tee’d up” with a force of tee’d off and demand that Mr. Helmet Head and his team be a lot more accountable to their real owners--the Alabama voters. How about you jock heads do something for our economic aches rather than always protecting your own jock ass interests?

Give back the pay raise that you in effect stole from Alabamians under the cloak of darkness and unaccountability, and stop with all the damn excuses of why you think you're entitled to live better than the rest of us. Enough already.

Score in the game of credibility thus far--ZERO.

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18 comments:

  1. I heard that little exchange this morning on WAPI and couldn't believe what Beason was saying! Then again, yes I can, he's an arrogant bully boy and seems to be very proud of it. He completely ignored what the caller was saying to him and obviously does not care what average people think. It's insulting to label all criticizers of the pay raise as liberals and therein is the bully boy part of it.
    I would like to tell BBQ Sanford to get a clue because he needs to understand that his bill isn't worthy of wrapping a pork sandwich in!
    Good for you for getting after them Max, because Murphy wasn't about to let the people to one of his favorite legislators to task, as usual!!!!

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  2. Glover ran unopposed didn't he? Whenever they do monkey business and the voters turn around and put them right back in office we see what happens don't we?

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  3. Archibald said it best in his recent column; it's always about the connections.
    These politicians get a taste of power from the Mule Co. and they think they're invincible.
    Beason wore a wire, makes him a rat, and don't think they'll forget it. One day he'll pay for that. For now, he's a useful idiot, nothing more.

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  4. Here's a a challenge for the yahoos that claim they would have to take a pay cut to serve us up: Let's see your financial records and PROVE that you took would take a pay cut by being in office if the pay raise was rolled back!!!
    If you're going to crow about that then back up what you say, because I don't think a legislator's pay would be higher than a supposed successful business owner's pay, do any of you?
    You guys are serving three months out of the year at a part-time job, that leaves 9 months to tend to your own business interests.
    Furthermore, almost all successful businessmen I know have people who could mind the shop while the legislature is in session.
    Don't think everyone is buying what you're selling Beason and Co.

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  5. Gawd, what is that thing on his head??? A dead animal or something?
    Horrendous!
    Probably a clue of what lies beneath...

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  6. I'm sick and tired of all the phraseology emanating from the republicans, including Bentley. Being able to turn a phrase is more indicative of a malleable parrot talker than the action of the accomplished.

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  7. Sanford is holding a TH meeting tonight and all of you that live in the area should go give him an earful!!
    HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA -- Two state lawmakers are holding a joint town hall meeting in northwest Huntsville tonight.

    Democratic state Rep. Laura Hall and Republican state Sen. Paul Sanford will meet with constituents at 6 p.m. in the Richard Showers Center, 4600 Blue Spring Road.

    According to a news release, Hall and Sanford want to discuss the state budget, Alabama A&M University trustees, charter schools and other legislative issues. The event is free and open to anyone.

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  8. Just take a stroll through the campaign contributions on Glover, Beason and Sanford; PAC after PAC after PAC!!!!
    Who's zooming who here?

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  9. Mr. Beason and Mr. Sanford are rats of the same ilk, no surprise they are so tail in tail with each other now on everything, really.

    An Alabama state senator who went to the FBI two years ago to blow the whistle on corruption in the legislature says the indictments this week of four colleagues and a group of lobbyists are a "dream come true."

    Mr. Sanford Goes to Montgomery ABC News

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  10. Cut your pay! This is a no-brainer. You sorry rascals work part time, if you can actually call it work. Set the example. While everyone else is making sacrifices, you idiots want to shut down the Capitol so you can really fester in your kingdom while you make way too much money off the taxpayers and the extra perks from the lobbyists. Earth to Al. "Reps." you are ordinary citizens, no better than anyone else. You were voted in the produce change. You will be voted out in the next election because you are no different than the last bunch.

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  11. Sanford's bill is designed to delay the issue until next session hoping people will just forget or accept what these mongrels have done.
    We won't forget!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Where's the grocery tax bill this year Beason? Don;t you think us average we'uns could use that tax break?

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  12. I think it's official now "Handshake With Alabama" is really "Shakedown Alabama."
    Get a rope....

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  13. It is not even a part-time position. It is three months out of a year and even then - who is working 40 hours in a week during a session? And it is temporary. They have to get re-elected to go for another stint - four year minimum on representatives. So, let's call it what it is. It is a temporary, part-time position.

    These lazy good for nothing so-called conservative candidate bums would not know work if their lives depended on it. What work? They are mostly busy running off at the mouth. And there are no qualifications for that. Most of them don't even sound half-way intelligent. And this new useless jargon is just as sickening as the old.

    Name calling and hurling insults like bed-wetters and calling the opposition a bunch of liberals and I'll make that moron Beason think Liberals.

    What I have seen in my lifetime with the big-mouthed politicians - the bigger they are the harder they fall and the ones who get too big for their britches usually lose their asses.

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  14. What a bunch of clowns and losers. I recall back in the day, about 20 years ago, the original Shelby County Development Board and Commission or Authority or whatever they called it back then, was talking about the 280 double decker super toll road highway. And when the Shelby County Economic Development Council was formed, they talked about a super-duper double decker new and improved Highway 280. They even sent some folks to Seattle to study the stack highways in Washington.

    I remember. I was there. I heard all the talk about the solution for the problem.

    And this was 20 years ago. All the while, many of the same players are still around. Lindsey Allison, Dan Acker, Larry Dillard, Butch Ellis, all still with us working for the county. Mary Sue McClurkin was in that group from the SCEDC. Of course, back in those days she had yet to become a representative. Alex Dulcolax was there - somewhere. Doing something. What? I just don't know.

    So this talk about the 280 Corridor or whatever they decide to call it this week is nothing new. Politicians have used this topic for 20 years plus now to look busy and act like they are really working hard on fixing this traffic problem, all the while the city, the county and the state continue to rake in all that money from all those businesses for whatever strikes their fancy, I suppose. As the beat goes on, the traffic jams get worse and the business continues to grow and the county counts the money, but they have not counted the cost.

    And obviously they have forgotten about those of us who are still around and have the memories of this subject - over and over - year in and year out. Same - same. And they act like it's all so new and how they came up with this original idea which has been re-cycled so many times now -it's funny to someone like me. Someone who remembers.

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  15. Take the pay away and tell these low-downs it is a privledge to SERVE the State of Alabama and while we are at it - we might as well charge them higher taxes and take away all the expense accounts and remind them about the wonderful world of charity. Seems to me 90% of them claim to be Christians.

    Do unto others, I say. Might as well. These fine conservative republicans can preach it to us - we might as well preach it back at them.

    I wonder if the people voted for shorter terms and few representatives and with no pay and no expense account how many of these people would scatter like rats on a sinking ship?

    I suppose we could pay them ten cents a mile or maybe fifteen and pay them like a jury member - by the day and hold them there until they get the work done - I sure enough would be willing to bet there would be some changes made in Alabama.

    Take away. I like the sound of that one.

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  16. Awwww Max - this is so good I hated to see the ending of it.

    Beason is not going to be around a lot longer talking like this. The people in Alabama know he is a loser. He may have some big bucks and deep pockets in his neighborhood, but one thing is for sure...loose lips - sink ships. This one is going down.

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  17. Being able to cook bbq equates to a man we have to have in the state house? Are f**ing kidding me with that Beason?

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  18. One termer is sounding better all the time these days. Same old stuff, different faces.

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