Politics as usual in Alabama, and in D.C.?

It’s a disheartening state of affairs to learn that even such accusations could even be considered partially, even possibly true. Where is our political “high road”? The more secretive our government becomes – and we are witnessing increased secrecy, much under the guise of “privacy,” or “executive privilege” – the more tyrannical and prone to corruption our government becomes. The Founding Fathers knew that well. Open government demonstrates to EVERYONE that accountability to EVERYONE is ongoing. When there are no “smoke-filled backroom deals,” no “cloak and dagger,” there is no reason to hide. Political partisans are are NOT enemies, we are brothers living in the same house.

Riley’s final days filled with checks, deals

Posted: Thursday, February 3, 2011 6:00 am
by Bob Martin, The Montgomery Independent, TheWetumpkaHerald.com

Palin reloads “blood libel”: “That’s exactly what was going on.”

Palin defends ‘blood libel’ description: ‘That’s exactly what was going on’

By Shane D’Aprile – 01-17-11 10:00 PM ET

In her first interview since accusing critics of manufacturing a “blood libel” by linking her political rhetoric to the mass shooting in Arizona, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin defended her recent video response to critics, vowing she will not be silenced.

Palin told Sean Hannity during an interview on Fox News that

AL Gov. Bob Riley to BP: No lawsuit waiver on final oil spill claims

Does it come as any surprise that the Multinational Corporation BP has no allegiance or loyalty to anyone or anything save their profit, executive compensation and shareholder payouts?

And yet – as astute observers note – politics makes strange bedfellows. Appointed by President Obama, Administrator Feinberg is being paid by BP in excess of $10 Million annually. But… would Democrats have expected this kind of “favor for the people” from their president?

Pressure on Kenneth Feinberg to disclose BP pay deal
By Moira Herbst
http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-53083520101122
NEW YORK | Tue Nov 23, 2010 2:03am IST
(Reuters Legal) – There has never been anything quite like Kenneth Feinberg’s $20 billion Gulf Coast Claims Facility. Established to compensate victims of the BP Plc(BP.L) oil disaster, it essentially invests one man with full power over how the money is distributed, while he is being paid by the company and unsupervised by any government body.

Gov. Bob Riley: No lawsuit waiver on final oil spill claims

Published: Saturday, December 11, 2010, 5:00 AM
Updated: Saturday, December 11, 2010, 12:06 PM
http://blog.al.com/live/2010/12/gov_bob_riley_no_lawsuit_waive.html
by Dan Murtaugh, Mobile Press-Register

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley has urged BP PLC and President Barack Obama to make sure that Gulf Coast residents don’t have to sign liability waivers to accept claims payments.

Oil spill claims czar Ken Feinberg recently launched the second stage of his claims process, in which he will offer people final settlements or interim quarterly payments.

The final settlements require the claimant to

“BP is in control of that.”

In response to my 0845 phone call, Gov. Riley’s ofc called: AL NG “troops are to assist citizens on Gulf Coast that are having troubles filing claims w BP.

They are not helping clean-up.

Riley has “no plans to activate” AL NG troops, even knowing BP will foot the bill wholly.

His office did say however, that “All options are on the table.”

AL NG troops now assisting are “going door to door to get information” from residents to facilitate a “very complex claims process.”

Gov. Riley has “no plans to declare state of emergency, or disaster.”

Claiming that declaring a state of emergency or disaster “could cause conflict,” the governor’s office said, “BP is in control of that.”

Gulf Of Mexico Oil Disaster Governors Refuse to Activate National Guard

GOMOD – Gulf Of Mexico Oil Disaster

UPDATE:

Alabama’s Certificate of Need Law

Wow!

With what I know about Alabama’s CON law, I could write volumes! And then, the title’s enough to get me started. I decided to use the “KISS” principle – Keep It Simple, Stupid.

If you’re a follower of Alabama politics – even casually – then you most likely have heard of, or remember former Governor Don Siegelman and former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy being convicted jointly of a “quid pro quo,” or more exactly, Siegelman was accused of accepting Scrushy’s bribe… to sit on the CON Board.

Never mind that the FBI extensively coached a known perjurer about what and how to testify – itself an illegal act – and never mind that Scrushy was appointed by two governors of two different parties to sit on the CON Board, and publicly expressed disdain for serving again. But that’s all water under the bridge. I only mentioned that because of its poignancy, and is relative to this post.

I sincerely doubt that most folks know that in Alabama, at least, not just anyone, or any organization can decide to build a hospital. For example, if Warren Buffett and Bill Gates decided that together, they wanted to gift the good people of Alabama with a hospital, they could NOT do it.

Why?

Read on to find out!

“Why do you want to work for Huntsville Hospital?” A Lesson in (dis)honesty.

Honesty… is it ALWAYS the best policy?

Recently, I’ve found that some search engine terms which have led to my blog include this question “Why do you want to work at Huntsville Hospital“?

In Huntsville, Alabama – where I’ve resided for many years – there are ONLY TWO hospitals in town.

One, Huntsville Hospital, is a public not-for-profit, and the other, a much smaller Crestwood Medical Center, is a private, for-profit hospital.

Many of the professors and instructors at the Nursing School from which I graduated have privately expressed their frustrations to their students, and to me, about Huntsville Hospital’s virtual monopoly on the hospital-based healthcare delivery in Huntsville, AL.

Part of that problem stems in large part from

Tornado Damaged Albertville Schools Forced to Reopen

“It’s ridiculous you can’t do that in Alabama; but we’ll do what they tell us to do.”

- Ric Ayer, Albertville City Schools Superintendent

In shocking news, Albertville City Schools – devastated by a recent tornado – will be forced to reopen next week, and WILL NOT be able to obtain a student attendance waiver for the five days they were closed this week because of the damage.

Albertville City School Superintendent Ric Ayer said that Alabama state law neither allows for any process – however extraordinary circumstances may be – to waive the 180 day scholastic year, which is mandated by law. Superintendent Ayer said

Tornado rips severe damage through Albertville, Alabama.

!*! – UPDATED – Tuesday, 27 April 2010, with aerial pics by Eric Shultz, Photographer, Huntsville Times – UPDATED – !*!

Saturday evening, April 24, 2010, around 9:30PM CST, a F3 category tornado twisted its way through the rural north Alabama community of Albertville, Alabama in Marshall County. Ironically, it was on the centennial-second anniversary of a 1908 tornado that devastated the town, nearly wiping it from the map.

Fortunately, though no lives were lost, there were about three dozen injuries reported, some severe, with one transported to another larger hospital facility out of the area.

Damage was severe, wreaking havoc and destruction in Albertville and the smaller, nearby community of Geraldine. Damage was so severe, that Albertville schools will be closed for this week,

AL Gov. Bob “Wiley” Riley: May I have your attention, please? THE SKY IS FALLING!!

“Montgomery is not like NASCAR.”

- Alabama Governor Bob Riley, (R), speaking in Huntsville, Friday, 05 March 2010

Alabama Governor Bob Riley (R), has called for legal reform in the state, disguised as election funding reform, specifically in the case of PAC (Political Action Committee) to PAC transfers.

While there is no doubt such reform is necessary, indeed beneficial and certainly long overdue, to have the lame-duck, er, make that “lame-brain” governor make that assertion demonstrates Wiley Riley’s own “ethics-only-when-it’s-convenient” attitude.

In recent days, Wiley Riley has raised a highly-publicized ruckus about electronic “bingo.” In fact, news of the row has reached other states, and there, no doubt, become fodder for raydeeo talk-show gabfests, and late-night teevee jokesters. But you see, when Wiley Riley came into office, electronic bingo was illegal.

Following is a brief overview of what he said and did about that problematic issue…