“Really, Dad, shouldn’t you consider on a case by case basis,” I recall saying.

Nope. He says he has held firm to his “No” strategy over the years.

He now appears to be among the trendsetters.

The Birmingham News Editorial page appears ready to “gum up the works” in the name of constitution reform.

Wednesday the editorial board wrote:

“The fact counties must beg for permission to perform basic functions is the main reason well more than 800 amendments weigh down the Alabama Constitution. What we have isn’t a fundamental charter spelling out citizens’ rights and state government’s responsibilities, but a string of statutory laws for state and local governments.

It makes for inefficient government on a grand scale…. Starting this election cycle, The News’ editorial board will recommend “no” votes on virtually all constitutional amendments.”

The Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform email today:

“Many of us on the Board and supporters of ACCR, Inc., and its efforts to persuade the legislature to allow the people to vote on a constitutional convention, are considering and/or planning to vote “no” on all constitutional amendments next Tuesday.

Although the ACCR, Inc, Board has not officially adopted a Just Vote No strategy, we would like to hear your opinion on the subject as we consider our legislative and advocacy options for the upcoming legislative year.”

There are four statewide amendments on the ballot this year.

AlabamaVotes.gov offers a county-by-county list of sample ballots for Tuesday’s vote.

Read more of Rick Journey’s blog here.

During a satellite news tour provided by the Governor’s Office, Gov. Riley said he was most concerned that an Alabama lawsuit will take the state out of the room when BP splits up payments between coastal states hurt by the Gulf oil leak.

“I don’t ever want to get into the position where Mississippi and Louisiana and Florida and Alabama are all at the table and then they say, ‘well, Alabama, you’ll have to leave as we divide up this money because you have sued us.’”

During an interview on FOX6 News Good Day Alabama, Riley suggested that would leave the state without payment for “perhaps 5 or 10 years because we are tied up in litigation.”

Riley expressed those concerns in a Sebastian Kitchen story in the Montgomery Advertiser today.

King spokesman Chris Bence told Kitchen, “if British Petroleum will keep their word, which to date they have not, and they make the state and its people whole, the lawsuit can be dropped.”

Democratic nominee for governor Ron Sparks and his Republican opponent, Robert Bentley, both have said they support the lawsuit.

Read more of Rick Journey’s blog here.

Appearing on WSFA 12 News Alabama Live, Republican gubernatorial candidate Robert Bentley said when it comes to resolving the issue of gambling in the state, he trusts the people of Alabama.  Bentley promised to do away with the Governor’s Task Force on Illegal Gambling. “All these gambling laws were put in place by a vote of the people,” he said. “They were constitutional amendments.  The only way we can change these is by a vote of the people…that’s what I’m for. I trust the people of Alabama.”

Bentley then made the transition to what he considers to be the “real” problem in Alabama, “putting people back to work.”   The Tuscaloosa dermatologist said he wants to expand industry. “I want to have real jobs, clean jobs,” he said.  “I’m not going to concentrate on the gambling issue.”

So how will he create new jobs in a state suffering with 10% unemployment?  “We’ll give tax breaks to industries and let them hire the people,” he said.  “That’s who creates jobs in Alabama.  We need to allow companies to create new jobs.”  Bentley referred to the Reemployment Act of 2010 which he sponsored in the Alabama Legislature.  The bill gives tax breaks to businesses that hire unemployed Alabamians.  He says it can put “five or six thousand people back to work.”

On the broad subject of improving and funding education in the state, Bentley said, “This is a time where we can find deficiencies in government and see what needs to be continued and what does not.”  Bentley says the state needs to change its budgeting formula.  He said he favors a 15-year rolling average which “smooths out all the different ups and downs.” 

He believes something must be done to control health care costs for teachers.  “I love health saving accounts,” said Bentley. “Indiana and Michigan have tried that with teachers and saved $100-million.  We can do that in Alabama.”

He wants to “bring every unearmarked agency that we have in Alabama before the Education Appropriations Committee and make them justify their existence.”  He said, “If they’re not doing what they’re supposed to be doing they should be done away with.”

When asked about his connection with the Alabama Education Association and whether he thought his win in the primary was becasue of attack ads on Bradley Byrne, Bentley said, ” There was a personal battle between Bradley Byrne and the AEA, but that had nothing to do with my winning.  Our polling  shows that all the people, or almost all the people that voted for me would have voted for me regardless.”

Bentley faces Democrat Ron Sparks in the November General Election.

During an interview on WSFA 12 News Alabama Live, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ron Sparks said, “The state of Alabama is broke.  I am a candidate for governor that’s trying to find some solutions to the problems we have in Alabama.”

For Sparks, the quickest and perhaps the most popular approach to improving the state’s finances  would be through taxes and fees from gambling.  From the beginning, the current Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries has campaigned on establishing an education lottery and taxing existing electronic bingo operations.

Sparks vows his first act after taking office will be to scrap the Governor’s Task Force on Illegal Gambling. “I’ve been against it the whole time,” he said. “I will dismantle the Task Force and put these people back to work.  We’re going to start taxing and regulating this industry.”

When asked if he thought the electronic bingo machines are illegal, Sparks said, “I don’t think they’re illegal.  I think you’ve seen judges all across the state of Alabama that have ruled that they are legal.  I think you’ve seen District Attorneys that have said that they’re legal.  Certainly, the governor and the (Alabama) Supreme Court have deemed that they are illegal…but I disagree.”

Sparks took another swipe at Governor Bob Riley saying, “There have been more video and gaming machines come to the state of Alabama under governor Bob Riley’s administration than all the governors put together.  He has sat back and watched these facilities be built.  He knew what was going on.  And in the last months of his campaign he’s decided that he’s going to go out and be relentless and put these folks out of work.”

The Ag Commissioner concluded saying, “…the people of Alabama need a choice and we’re going to give them the opportunity to vote on it.”

When asked about funding schools and other state agencies suffering from the sluggish economy, Sparks said, “I don’t look at going into the governor’s office to start cutting.  That’s an easy thing to do.  What we’ve got to do is find a way to fund some of the problems we’ve got in this state.”

Sparks faces Republican candidate, Robert Bentley in the November General Election.

“No one is above the law and today’s ruling from the Supreme Court reaffirms this basic principle of our state and our nation.  By removing Judge Hardaway from this case, our highest court has sent a message out loud and clear:  no longer can casinos in this state run to their favorite local judges to try and stop law enforcement officers from enforcing the law.”

Riley’s office added: 

“Upon today’s lifting of the injunction, the Task Force discovered that Greenetrack’s slot machines had been emptied of all their cash during the time Judge Hardaway’s illegal orders were in effect. This shows why the casino bosses pushed Judge Hardaway to issue those injunctions even though they knew they were illegal. The casino bosses wanted to abscond with the hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash these illegal machines had already taken from hard-working Alabamians.”

Riley says he watched the president during his visit to Alabama this week.

And that’s why he calls last night’s speech “disappointing.”

This morning on FOX6 News Good Day Alabama, Riley said it was disappointing to see the president “morph this into a political debate about alternative energy.”

“We need compensation and protection… now,” Riley told Good Day.

Riley is reacting to President Obama’s Oval Office speech from Tuesday night.

During that speech, the president vowed to restore the Gulf and called for the nation to support an energy agenda that ends the nation’s “addiction” on fossil fuels.

Riley’s argument: focus on the immediate needs of the Gulf.

The governor also raised questions about newly announced deputy commanders assigned to Alabama, Florida and Mississippi to oversee cleanup and response efforts.

Riley said again this morning on Good Day the process needs to be streamlined.

“If they give this new deputy commander that kind of authority where he can make an immediate decision that does not have to be approved, then maybe it helps. If not, then its another level of bureacracy we have to contend with.”

Tuesday, Riley’s press office released a statement that seemed much more upbeat about the deputy commander.

“’I’m very hopeful this will eliminate some of the problems that have been experienced since the beginning of this disaster,’ said Governor Riley. ‘I appreciate the President’s understanding that the more we streamline this effort, the quicker and more effective the response will be.’”

The release went on to state:

“Governor Riley said having one federal official in charge of each state’s response will help address problems as they arise on the ground in the states.”

Alabama’s 7th district congressman Spencer Bachus, a Vestavia Hlls Republican, echoed Riley’s criticism of last night’s speech.

In a statement emailed to reporters last night, Rep. Bachus argued “President Obama’s attention should be on the critical situation in the Gulf and shoreline states including Alabama, not on pushing ‘cap and tax’ or other costly energy proposals.”

The current Agriculture Commissioner and Democratic nominee for governor, Ron Sparks, praised the president’s speech.

“I am heartened by President Obama’s remarks tonight, particularly the appointment of Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus to head up an unprecedented program for the recovery of the Gulf Coast states.”

Sparks met with President Obama during his visit to the Mobile county town of Theodore.

Read more of Rick Journey’s blogs here.

The North Carolina-based firm released the findings of its March 27th-29th poll of 1,270 Alabama voters this afternoon. View the complete poll here.

In a Davis- Kay Ivey matchup, Ivey leads 44%-33%.

Ouch! considering sources point to Ivey leaving the Republican field this afternoon to seek the nomination for lieutenant governor. PPP reported Tuesday she was tied for a distant third with Robert Bentley in the Republican primary (neither Bentley nor Bill Johnson were included in this survey).

PPP gives James a 42%-33% edge over Davis.

The Democratic congressman performs best in a matchup with Roy Moore, trailing the “10 Commandments Judge” 43%-37%.

Sure to be a Team Sparks email this afternoon, Ag Commissioner Ron Sparks fares better in hypothetical matchups by PPP (but still trails).

Byrne 43% Sparks 30%
Ivey 39% Sparks 33%
James 38% Sparks 33%
Moore 42% Sparks 37%

The survey also finds Gov. Bob Riley seeing a drop in his support. Fifty percent of voters now disapprove of him, compared to 36% who give him good marks.

Among the candidates, Davis has the highest “unfavorability” at 36% with Moore second highest at 34%.

Of those polled, 50% identify themselves as “conservative,” 37% as “moderate” and 13% as “liberal.”

On the topic of party id, 43% say they are Republican, 36% Democrat and 21% Independent/Other.

The margin of error is 2.8%.

Read more of Rick Journey’s political blogs here.

 Two days after a private, one-on-one meeting with Alabama’s Attorney General, Governor Bob Riley is talking about the outcome of the talk with King.  They met Wednesday to talk about electronic bingo in the state and the governor’s Task Force on Illegal Gambling.

We have a similar situation at Greenetrack where the sheriff and district attorney have warned of violence if Greenetrack is raided. The clear implication is that officials may not be willing or able protect the task force and state troopers from local citizens who may get violent.

So, on the one hand you have Governor Bob Riley who believes gambling laws are being broken and that neither the state attorney general nor local officials in the two counties will enforce the law. On the other hand, those officials assert there are no violations and that the governor has no constitutional power to intervene.

It’s a standoff the likes of which we have not seen in Alabama in a very long time. Historian Wayne Flynt told me it is similar to what happened when federal and state agents tried to enforce moonshine laws and when the Confederacy tried to draft soldiers into the army.  In some counties local officials stood with their local citizens against the forces of the state.

What do you think will happen next? How do you think it should be resolved?

Carroll considered the options this morning on FOX6 News Good Day Alabama. Watch here.

The AG’s office won’t provide any more information before the noon news conference. Watch it live here.

The governor’s office put out a “pre-response” of sorts last night.  The statement reads “Troy King’s close relationship with gambling bosses has destroyed any relationship he might have had on this issue.” Read the story here.

A letter from the Alabama Legislative Black Caucus dated February 16 asks King to “answer the following questions: (1) Does the governor have the authority (to) establish and direct task forces? (2) Does your office endorse the methods of the governor?”

That letter is signed by caucus chairman Rep. John Rogers (D-Birmingham). He tells me he has not talked with King this week. Interesting, the letter, which raises familiar questions about the governor’s authority to operate the task force, was dated two days after a George Altman story in the Press Register. That story quoted a source inside the AG’s office who said King was ready to intervene. Read the story here.

Read more of Rick Journey’s blogs here.