West Alabama Tuesday Briefing

Good morning West Alabama! it is Tuesday, April 8, 2025. This is the 98th day of the year with 267 days remaining.

Tuesday Morning Observations:

One of my heroes, Winston Churchill, in the British House of Commons in 1947, uttered one of the most accurate statements in history about democracy, "Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…"

Historians say Churchill expropriated his words from someone else, but his sentiment is correct. Democracy is a form of government in which the people elect representatives to make decisions, policies, laws, etc. according to law.

To maintain democracy, we need to participate in it. Too many elections in this country produce extremely low voter turnouts. For instance, a handful of voters in the City of Tuscaloosa were able to defeat a property tax increase that would have benefited city schools at a time that prices are rising on everything.

Polls over the last few years reveal many young Americans prefer a socialist society over a democratic one. Part of that shift may come their definition of socialism.

When young Americans today express support for socialism, what they really mean is more expansive government. Specifically, 58 per cent of Americans define socialism as the government providing more services and 47 per cent define it as the government guaranteeing a minimum income for all citizens.

The classic definition of socialism is a government that controls everything, that is, raw materials, plants, equipment, technology, living accommodations, groceries and even the labor unions. That model was so expensive and destruction that the socialist Soviet Union collapsed under its own weight.

Socialism is expensive but the same young people who want it don't want to pay for it. In Europe where some countries are hybrid socialist democracies and governments provide far more welfare state services; taxes must be much higher than they are in the United States.

For example, the general national sales taxes in both Denmark and Sweden are 25 per cent. The highest state sales tax in the U.S. is in California at 7 per cent. And in the U.S., the top federal income tax rate applies to individuals with incomes just over $578,000 compared to approximately $58,000 in Sweden and roughly $83,000 in Denmark. That means the middle class pays the freight for government programs.

Democracy has its problems and can be improved but socialism in any form is not the answer.

(Opinions expressed in Morning Observations are those of the author and not necessarily those of the ownership, management, staff or sponsors of Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa.)

Weather:

A Frost Advisory will be in effect between 1 and 9 tomorrow morning for Bibb, Tuscaloosa, Pickens and counties southward. Lamar, Fayette and Walker counties are under a Freeze Warning during the same time period.

Be prepared to protect people, pets, plants and pipes.

Today

Sunny, with a high near 66. Light north wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning.

Tonight

Areas of frost after 5am. Otherwise, clear, with a low around 35. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Wednesday

Areas of frost before 8am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 71. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph.

Wednesday Night

Clear, with a low around 47. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Thursday

A 20 percent chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon.

Thursday Night

A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 51.

Friday

Sunny, with a high near 70.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 43.

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News:

Mayor Maddox Organizing Action by State's Top 50 City Mayors

Alabama’s cities are being shortchanged by the state’s 8¢ online sales tax. That fact prompted Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox to bring the mayors of Alabama’s top 50 cities to the Tuscaloosa River Market Monday to discuss what they believe is unfair distribution of the state’s Simplified Sellers Use Tax.

Maddox told the mayors, "Last year, we believe we lost $12.1 million to internet sales tax, and when I say lost, I mean dollars earned right here in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, that were exported out of our community. Those dollars could have gone towards police officers, firefighters, paving roads. Those are dollars that we're losing that our community has earned and should get to keep."

Since 2017 the tax has grown over 1,100% generating more than $600 million during the last fiscal year.

The Alabama Association of County Commissions opposes the legislative push by the cities.

UA Senior Dies on Camping Trip

Bama Catholic Campus Ministry has posted online that UA senior Malachi Crain died Saturday in an accident while camping - the post did not share details of where or how the tragedy happened. Crain was studying mathematics and computer science, according to his LinkedIn and a personal website.

New "Adopt-A-School" Alliance Formed

As part of the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama’s “Adopt-A-School” program, a new partnership between the Tuscaloosa County Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Englewood Elementary School has been formed. The collaboration is designed to foster student and educator support through meaningful engagement and initiatives.

Jasper Improves ISO Rating

The Public Protection Classification program was developed by the Insurance Services Office to grade a community's fire protection based on its fire suppression capabilities. The Jasper Fire and Rescue Service has announced it has improved their ISO rating from a 4 to a 3 with 1 being the highest rating. The classification is used by insurance companies to determine property insurance rates.

Lottery Legislation Looks to be Dead Again

I looks like special interest groups such as the Alabama Citizens Action Program and Alabama Policy Institute who oppose a lottery in Alabama will be successful in again thwarting potential legislation. A lottery only bill looks unlikely as the 2025 regular session hits the 3/4s complete mark.

The Alabama House, last year, moved a comprehensive gambling package to the Senate where it failed by a single vote.

Various estimates set annual revenue from a lottery at $270 million to $438 million for Alabama.

Illegal gambling in Alabama is a major untaxed money producer.

Senate Bill 85 Would Make School Vaccine Exemption Easier

Senate Bill 85 introduced by Senator Arthur Orr and Sen. Donnie Chasteen would make religious vaccine exemptions easier for parents.

It has passed the senate and how heads to the house.

Under the current law, parents have to submit a form to the public health department sharing the reason behind the exemption. Senate Bill 85 would cut that step out completely, no longer requiring parents to explain their reasoning.

This means more children could be exempt from the currently required measles vaccine at a time that measles is spreading and has killed at least two children.

ADPH Dr. Wes Stubblefield said the vaccine is the only way to stop the spread.

Click TuscaloosaThread.com throughout the day for the latest West Alabama news, sports and weather. Better yet, download the app.

Sports:

Gators Come From Behind to Win National Title

The Florida Gators overcame a 12-point deficit to edge the Houston Cougars in the final seconds of last night's NCAA Men'd Basketball National Championship Game in San Antonio, TX.

With a largely partisan home state crowd, the Cougars led most of the game. But a Houston turnover with seconds left kept Kelvin Sampson's team from attempting a game winning shot.

Florida become the first team in the modern era to win the National Championship without a top 100 recruit on the roster. They are also the first school to win three titles in basketball and football.

SEC. SEC, SEC! The game marked the 20th time a current Southeastern Conference school has reached the title game, and the 12th National Championship earned by current SEC schools. The last being Kentucky in 2012.

Bama in Critical Midweek Baseball Action Against Nationally Ranked USM

No. 12 Alabama baseball returns to "The Joe" tonight for a midweek contest against No. 23 Southern Miss. Since 2015, the Crimson Tide has won three its last five matchups over the Golden Eagles in Tuscaloosa.

First pitch is set for 6:00pm.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP

RHP Aeden Finateri (UA) vs. RHP Matt Adams (USM)

Stillman Basketball Coach Honored

From Stillman Athletics: Stillman College Assistant Basketball Coach Montego Hoskins has been named to the Achieving Coaching Excellence® elite list of alumni of the Program.

The former Tiger point guard joined the staff in August of 2022. A decorated student-athlete at Stillman, Hoskins helped lead the team to a program-best 27-5 record, an NAIA Association of Independent Institutions (AII) championship, and its first NAIA national tournament appearance in 2018. In addition to team success, Hoskins was also named the 2018 AII Co-Defensive Player of the Year.

Hoskins will have the opportunity to experience mentoring and professional development opportunities that demonstrate the fundamentals associated with engaging them as leaders.

Click Tide100.9 for the latest sports news

Have a terrific Tuesday. Stay warm tonight and don't forget to protect people, pets, plants and pipes.