Governor Bentley, in his
state of the state address on Tuesday night continued to reject Obamacare, Medicaid expansion, and federal
government intervention. Instead, he showed the nation what Republican ideals
of low taxes and small government can do for a state. After all,
Alabama was practicing
low taxes, small government and resistance to federal programs long before it
was Republican cool, way before there were Tea Party rallies – and it has really paid off. “The poorest county in the
United States of America
is located just 73 miles from where we sit tonight," the governor
proclaimed. "If we were to drive a little over an hour from this historic
hall we would find ourselves in
Wilcox
County where the median
household income is below that of any other county in this nation.”
To the governor’s credit, he has refused to accept a salary until his state
achieves full employment. According to the official Alabama Governor
website,
“To date, Governor Bentley has never accepted a salary as Governor.” Many
Alabama citizens are of
the opinion that Gov. Bentley is worth every cent they pay him. In 2012,
Alabama ranked 39th in
the nation in job growth. 2013 saw a dramatic change as the state moved to
49th in job growth (wait a minute – a larger number is not really better in this
case is it?).
Finding the Right Government Is the Key
The governor expressed pride in refusing Medicaid expansion and the jobs and
benefits that would come with it. Dependence upon the federal government is no
way to improve our state, Governor Bentley maintains. Instead, he would rather
depend upon the Japanese government, stating that, “There are over 60 Japanese
companies in
Alabama.
Two months ago I had the opportunity to travel there to recruit more jobs and
strengthen relationships with
Japan's
biotech industry.” In other words, Governor Bentley would much rather his state
be a vassal of an Asian economic power than to be beholden to what he sees as an
increasingly socialist Democratic regime centered in Washington, D.C.
Would it be possible for our own government to invest in
Alabama? There was actually one
Democrat still on hand in Alabama who took issue with Governor Bentley's
aversion to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion. The Democrat, a
businessman who wished to remain anonymous stated that Governor Bentley is
passing up an opportunity to give
Alabama
a number one ranking. Currently,
Alabama
ranks among the top ten states that
receive more in federal aid than they pay
in taxes, which amounts to a positive return in federal tax investment. Currently,
however, the state ranks number nine in the country. If the Governor would
accept Medicaid expansion and buy into Obamacare, then
Alabama would have a chance to be number one
in something besides football. It could be number one in substantial economic
returns on taxes paid into the federal government.
The Democratic businessman went on to explain that
Alabama should think of Medicaid expansion
and The Affordable Care Act as an investment strategy. Since the demise of the
iron and steel industry, healthcare is actually the state's largest industry,
already employing more people than any other single industry. Furthermore, it
has been estimated that
Medicaid expansion would bring an influx of 35,000
additional new jobs. It could be such a boon that the Governor might actually
be able to allow himself a salary and could take credit for achieving full
employment in the state (which by the state's own definition would be equal to
5.2% unemployment rather than the current 6.2%).
Campaigning for Tomorrow
The Governor expressed pride in the hard-working people of Alabama who are
privileged to live in a state that espouses better than any other state the
Republican ideals of low taxes, small government, and state’s rights (Gov.
Bentley made sure to emphasize the Tenth Amendment in affirming state’s rights
and rejecting federal government intervention). These are the principles that
will bring true pride and prosperity to the people. When asked why
Alabama remained at the
bottom in terms of jobs, income and education, the Governor responded that if
the problems of unemployment and education were solved today, there would be
nothing to campaign against tomorrow.
