Every penny of state income tax is earmarked for education. Raising more revenue making out-of-state corporations pay at least something will directly affect the largest employer in the town, JSU, whose budget has been cut 25 percent in two years.
I will also be in constant contact with the Alabama Development Office to make sure they prioritize our industrial sites for companies wanting to locate in Alabama.
What kind of infrastructure update or repair will you work on getting funds for first in Jacksonville? Right now there is a bill by state Sen. Lowell Barron, D-Fyffe, would spend $1 billion over 10 years for infrastructure improvement in Alabama. Funds would come from the Alabama Trust Fund to improve roads and bridges in the state. Right now it is being filibustered by Republicans in the senate, one being our own Del Marsh, and I would certainly vote for it.
One quarter of these funds would go directly to cities and towns, and Jacksonville could absolutely use the funding. With the upcoming completion of the Eastern Bypass making the industrial sites in and around the Jacksonville area more accessible, there will be a need for improvement in traffic flow. I would consult local and county officials on what projects we should focus on, but one possibility would be a small bypass around the square to enhance its scenic as well as commercial value. Moreover, many of our county roads leading to and from Jacksonville need repair and widening.
Given that most of you stated at the beginning that you wanted to run clean Campaigns, how do you feel the election has progressed? Politics is tough, I expect to get attacked. But they went after my boys and I am disgusted that Koven Brown didn’t stop them.
On February 1, the Birmingham operatives running Brown’s campaign put out a press release of grainy picture of one Brown sign in the back of a truck that looked like Jack’s, and I was told I must call out my boys out for stealing. The picture was a set up, one Brown sign, in a truck, and they huffed and puffed.
I got angry, but it got worse when I saw Koven not only allowed this, but was quoted in their press release. He knew they were attacking Jack and Nathan, and instead of being a Christian and a neighbor and telling those Birmingham operatives “no, family is off limits,” he went right along with it.
It was an absolute low for their campaign. I won’t forget it. [Find the press release at: http://algop.org/node/512]
4.According to Jacksonville City School’s Superintendent, Dr. Eric Mackey, our schools are losing $25,000 per month from our reserves as we continue to fill the hole caused by back-to-back proration and years of over-estimated state revenues. What will you do to help our schools? There is no doubt funding is the biggest issue in Alabama education. We will spend $1.4 billion as a state on schools than we did just two years ago. JSU has been hit 25 percent, and Jacksonville City schools 18 percent in cuts over that period, a historic drop.
The reason for the drop is the state sales and income taxes. 100 percent earmarked to education by the Constitution, are the most vulnerable to an economic downturn. In the recent past, we have tried to close loopholes like big box stores pay themselves rent and taking a deduction, or paying themselves to use their corporate name and logo to a subsidiary in Delaware. These kinds of tricks and loopholes cost Alabama schools more than $500 million. Alabama families already pay their fair share, but when major companies pay less income tax than a teacher, you know something is wrong.
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