Sam Fulwood III: At long last, a wrong righted for disenfranchised Virginians

  In a stunning demonstration of political propriety and fairness, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) used his executive authority last week to restore voting rights to 210,000 convicted felons who have lawfully served their time and parole obligations in the state. It was long overdue.

  Governor McAuliffe’s order effectively negated a century of mean-spirited and misguided laws, including felon disenfranchisement, that were set in place by Reconstruction-era lawmakers intent on denying African Americans the right to vote. While the Voting Rights Act of 1965 eliminated the once-onerous poll taxes and literacy laws written into the Virginia Constitution following the freeing of slaves at the end of the Civil War, laws forbidding felons from voting in the state survived—until McAuliffe, with a sweep of his pen, changed the law.

Hank Sanders: Senate Sketches #1507: Overcoming poverty of circumstances and spirit

  I know the power of poverty. It encases our hopes, our dreams, our spirits, and our lives so they can’t grow. I also know the power of escaping from poverty. I escaped, therefore, I understand how critical it is for us to extend a helping hand to those caught in the throes of poverty. I shared some of these facts in my brief remarks concerning poverty at the American Bar Association Conference on Poverty and Homelessness at Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma.

  I know poverty firsthand. I grew up in poverty. We were not just poor; we were “po.” At one point, 11 of us – nine children, a mother and a father – lived in a three-room house. I don’t mean a three bedroom house. I mean a kitchen, a middle room and a front room. There was no bathroom, no running water, and no electricity. The middle room did not have heat of any kind. With two beds in a small room, there was no space for a heater. In the cold of winter, we heated rocks and smoothing irons, wrapped cloth around them, and placed them under the covers to keep our feet warm. We were “po.” Yes, I know the experience of poverty.

Craig Ford: Throwing money at prisons won’t solve the problem

  This $800 million super prisons bill is the kind of thing people go to jail for; the kind of bill loaded with kickbacks for elected officials. And it won't even solve our problems in the prison system!

Steve Flowers: Inside the Statehouse: Alabama citizens deserve a lottery vote

  As the budget hearings began for the 2016 Alabama Legislative Session in January, the largest Powerball lottery sweepstakes in American history was playing out. It was one of the biggest news stories of the year.

  Legislators were hearing the same song, second verse, that they heard last year. The General Fund is about $200 million short. If the money is not found, we will lose $500 million in Medicaid federal matching dollars, most state highways will be without state troopers, and most counties - not just in the Black Belt - will be unable to grant or renew driver’s licenses. In addition, the federal courts will take over our prisons and more than likely release hundreds of convicts on the streets, and state employees will either be let go or have their take home pay cut again for the eighth straight year.

Darrio Melton: The prison bill is a bad investment

  As elected officials, looking for solutions to our state's problems is often a delicate balancing act. We have to determine the best way to use the resources we have while maximizing the benefit per dollar to the taxpayers. In the business community, this is called "return on investment."

  It's clear Gov. Robert Bentley didn't go to business school, because his $1.5 billion prison bill would get laughed out of a boardroom.

  Bentley wants to put $1.5 billion on the state's credit card so we can build new prisons. By the time the money comes due, we'll owe double the amount we borrowed.  Meanwhile, the Alabama Senate has voted not to repay the $437 million we borrowed back in 2012, and yet they want us to believe they'll make good on this $1.5 billion credit card bill for new prisons.

Michael Josephson: The disease of low expectations

  The serious damage done to our economy, social institutions, and personal relationships by widespread cheating and dishonesty is bad enough. But widespread acceptance of such behavior as inevitable threatens to make our future a lot worse. In effect, our culture is being infected by a disease: the disease of low expectations.

  The disease is manifested by the corrosive assumption that human nature can’t be expected to withstand pressures or temptations. In other words, when there’s a conflict between self-interest and moral principles, self-interest – in fact, short-term self-interest – will generally prevail.

Gene Policinski: Getting ‘SLAPP’d’ for getting involved — new protections considered

  Have you ever been SLAPP’d?

  SLAPP stands for “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation,” and it’s a technique as old as lawsuits to stifle competition brought by the rapacious moguls of the early Industrial Age, and as modern as lawsuits against online critics.

  A section of the Communications Decency Act shields online sites from defamation suits and other kinds of civil actions over content posted by third parties — but not the people who post the material. Nearly one-half of states provide some protection against SLAPP lawsuits – some limited only to communication with the government – but a new U.S. House proposal, HR 2304, would add to those defenses, proponents say.

Three reasons why we should certify all paid tax preparers

  Filing taxes can be complicated. As a result, many people get help from tax preparers. According to IRS data, 81.2 million Americans paid tax preparers to help them complete their returns in 2011. Some of these paid preparers base their fee on a refund percentage or claim that they can provide larger refunds than their competitors.

  While one might assume that all paid tax preparers have special training that enables them to offer high-quality tax assistance—and an obligation to adhere to certain professional rules—neither is the case. In fact, the federal government currently lacks the authority to license or regulate most paid preparers.

Hank Sanders: Senate Sketches #1506: The squeeze of reality

  It was all coming to a head. I knew I would have to play a role. I did not expect to play the central role. I did not want to play any role. However, new realities moved in from several directions. Sometimes the squeeze of reality makes us do what we don’t want to do.

  It’s the Greene County gaming constitutional amendment, masquerading as a local constitutional amendment. It is not local and would have a far-reaching impact across the state. I had to step into a central role. Sometimes the squeeze of reality makes us do what we don’t want to do.

Craig Ford: The case for impeachment

  The House is supposed to vote this week on setting up a committee to investigate the charges for impeaching the governor. Impeachment is serious business, and I wanted to lay out the reasons why many of us in the Alabama Legislature are calling for the governor's impeachment:

  I’m not a lawyer, but I believe it’s important for those of us calling for the governor’s impeachment to make our case to the public and the legislature.