Alabama's Great Economy

      I've been shaking my head since last night's State of The State, trying to figure out how Governor Riley will come up with a budget that includes no cuts, despite that Legislative Fiscal Office projection of a $600-Million dollar hole in the General Fund, which pays for most non-education expenses in the state. The Education Budget is $1.4 Billion less than just two years ago.

I know you've read the same dire predictions and heard the same horror stories that I have. You've heard nothing awaits us in this session but doom and gloom. The lobbyists and the gambling interests have told you over and over that we must find new revenue, somewhere, or the sky's going to fall.
Ladies and gentlemen, that's what we in Clay County would call a crock.

      Representative John Knight (D-Montgomery) told the Montgomery Advertiser he had "no idea what Bob Riley was talking about," and Knight is head of the budget writing committee!
     Enter Dave White, Birmingham News reporter with the answer.
     It's the Obama Administration and the Democratic controlled U.S. Congress coming to the rescue with stimulus money, the same money the GOP is constantly blasting for increasing the debt.
      That money, and some pretty sunny weather expectations for the state's investments, allow the no-cuts budgets.