Hank Sanders: Senate Sketches #1543: When we embrace struggle, we win victories

  “Senator Sanders, did you hear about the victory on the driver’s license offices?” This call came the day after Christmas and I considered it a gift. But it was a gift forged by continuing struggle. Victory often comes unexpectedly, but it never comes without struggle. To paraphrase the great Frederick Douglass, “Victory cannot come without struggle. It never did and it never will.” We struggled, and we won victories.

  The struggle started when the State of Alabama closed 32 driver’s license offices in 28 of Alabama’s 67 counties on October 1, 2014. It made no sense because driver’s licenses are necessary to drive, vote, board airplanes, participate in commercial transactions and much more. Driver’s licenses are critical but Alabama said certain citizens should go to other counties to apply. We struggled, and we won victories.

Craig Ford: Sinner or saint?

  If this mess in Montgomery has taught us anything, it’s that you can’t assume that just because a person is a Republican they share your values. We have to look past the party labels and look at who is actually on the ballot:

  This has been a disheartening week for the state of Alabama. The news of Gov. Robert Bentley’s relationship with Rebekah Caldwell Mason has embarrassed our state on the national level, and become a distraction for the legislature at a time when lawmakers need to be focused on solving the state’s problems.

Hank Sanders: Senate Sketches: #1483: DMV closures are purely about politics

  It’s about politics. It’s not about the budget. It’s about politics. It’s not about revenue. It’s all about politics, politics, politics. The closing of the driver’s license offices (DMVs) is all about politics, not revenue, not budgets. Let me tell you why.

  First, the fees for driver’s licenses were recently increased from $23.50 to $36.25. That’s a 54 percent increase. The Alabama Legislature placed explicit language in the budget requiring portions of these increased fees to be used to keep open all driver’s license offices. But the governor closed them anyway. It’s not about revenue. It’s not about budgets. It’s all about politics.