Campaign Foundation

Enforce Amendment 509 of the Alabama State Constitution that makes English the official language of Alabama

While much of Alabama’s State Constitution is in need of a major overhaul, there are parts of it that have been enacted that are worthwhile. What really troubles me is that we enact laws that we never intend to enforce. One only has to question why these laws are there in the first place.

Amendment 509 - English as Official Language of State.
English is the official language of the state of Alabama. The legislature shall enforce this amendment by appropriate legislation. The legislature and officials of the state of Alabama shall take all steps necessary to insure that the role of English as the common language of the state of Alabama is preserved and enhanced. The legislature shall make no law which diminishes or ignores the role of English as the common language of the state of Alabama.

Any person who is a resident of or doing business in the state of Alabama shall have standing to sue the state of Alabama to enforce this amendment, and the courts of record of the state of Alabama shall have jurisdiction to hear cases brought to enforce this provision. The legislature may provide reasonable and appropriate limitations on the time and manner of suits brought under this amendment.

If one chooses to live in America, then he should adapt to our way of life. He should learn our language. That language is English. As Americans, we should not be forced to accomodate those that refuse to learn our language and our laws. Before anyone should get a drivers license, they must know how to speak English. How can anyone that does not speak, nor understand the language be expected to be able to read traffic signs? How can they be expected to be able to communicate with police at a traffic stop or accident? Laws such as this should have some muscle in them and enforced.

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Actively promote legislation to deal with illegal aliens

Theodore Roosevelt on Immigrants and being an American (1907):

In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man’s becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile…We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language…and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.

For so many years, dealing with illegal aliens was another state’s problem. I witnessed it first hand when I lived in California in the mid 1980’s as thousands of illegals crossed the border under the cover of darkness in search of a better life. I dealt with this problem on a daily basis as scores of illegals, in search of work, would congregate outside area businesses. Back then, I would flair my arms and speak in my high school Spanish, “No trabajo, no trabajo” and most would leave.

What part of illegal do people not understand? Illegal is illegal…plain and simple. Those residing in the United States illegally are breaking the law and should be dealt with accordingly. Deportation, not amnesty is the answer.

Those providing employment to illegals should face heavy fines. Existing laws should be enforced.

Anyone who enters our country legally, should be afforded every opportunity to be successful. They should be the rule, not the exception.

In Alabama, illegal aliens are draining our financial resources. It is costing over $1 billion dollars a year to provide free medical care, social services, educational programs to illegals and higher insurance premiums. We are diverting needed resources from law enforcement to deal with the criminal activity that comes along with this problem.

You and I are expected to obey the laws. If we don’t, we are punished as we should be. But shouldn’t this apply to all? In speaking with local law enforcement officials, if legal citizens have a traffic accident…we have to provide proof of identity and insurance. Otherwise, there are stiff penalties. Illegals are not on the same playing field as us. If an illegal is in an accident…they provide bogus identification, have no insurance, go to jail, post bail and then they are never to be seen again as they simple get another bogus identification card. Do we have to wait until someone is killed in an accident and the guilty party simply disappears before we put a stop to this?

A recent article in The Birmingham News stated that it is estimated that 1 in 20 workers in America is illegal. What is wrong with this picture? Much of the money paid to illegal workers is in cash and handed under the table to avoid paying taxes. Where is much of this money going? One place…Mexico. Untaxed American dollars being delivered or wired across the border ranks second to tourist dollars in the Mexican economy.

We must take a stand and draw a line in the sand. That time is now. If not now, when? We must do something before illegals bankrupt this country and our way of life.

Ronald Reagan said:

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.

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Promote legislation to enable teachers to have current technology in the classroom

Teachers are our future. They are molding the minds of tomorrow’s leaders. They should have every tool at their disposal to better educate our children. As your legislator, I will work to find the money to not only increase the pay of our teachers and increase the use of technology in the classroom…I will also do it without increasing the tax burden on the taxpayers of Alabama.

Education is my livelihood. On a daily basis I speak with educators all across the country and they all have the same problem…a lack of funding. I am open to new ideas that will afford us to bring our educational systems up to a level where they are considered second to none. Throwing money into a pot will not solve our educational problems. We must develop a comprehensive plan to elevate how we are teaching our children. Technology is the answer. Through programs like long distant learning, schools that cannot afford to offer accelerated classes to their students, now can by simply adding a laptop computer and a digital projector…a $2,000 investment. This is just one example of ways we can improve our educational system in Alabama.

While realizing that this money has to come from somewhere, let’s cut out some of the wasteful spending on pork barrel projects and divert the money where it is needed most…our children. I am not willing to mortgage the future of our children and grandchildren to fund projects that we have no means to pay for. As a businessman and an entrepreneur, I understand what it is like to operate a business and live within specific means. If the money is not there, then you can’t make it happen. More often than not, I will be found on the side of improving education in our state. The business side of me will always look at the fiscal side of the equation to make sure that the finances are available to fund these programs. Surely there are ways that we raise our educational standing from 47th in the nation to a higher level by working together to bring new ideas to the table for consideration.

One thing about educational funding is to realize that by investing in our children today, we are going to have an educated workforce that understands the technology of companies that will be looking for when they locate here. An educated population equals more jobs in the future and higher revenues for our state.

We need legislators that understand the needs of teachers in the classroom and will work to make our schools the envy of the country. That is one of my passions and I will work tirelessly for the future of our children.

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Provide law enforcement the technology and tools necessary to battle crime

Armed with my educational background in law enforcement and limited involvement in police work, I have a better understanding than most on the needs of law enforcement. I have been told by local police officials that local law enforcement agencies presently do not have a voice in Montgomery to represent their needs. At Long’s Electronics, my job also involves working with police agencies all across the country. I see the new technology that is available to battle crime. I understand that to most law enforcement agencies, these new technologies are merely a pipe dream. It is difficult to protect and serve when you have one hand tied behind your back. Today’s law enforcement are out gunned and underprotected when it comes to battling crime. I will be their voice.

Law enforcement personnel, along with firefighters and teachers are among the most underpaid professionals. It is a calling to many and they have a love for their job that keeps them doing it every day. I hold these people in the highest esteem and feel that if they are willing to dedicate their lives to these jobs…that they must have the tools to sharpen their skills. I will work to promote the use of technology to enable our crime fighters to make our communities safer.

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Propose anti-bullying legislation for our schools

Alabama is one of 25 states that has not passed any anti-bullying legislation in our schools. I would rather be proactive, having a plan in place before something happens at one of our schools than enacting legislation after the fact. After my election, one of my first pieces of legislation will be to introduce a proposal to protect those that cannot protect themselves.

In every school in our country, there is at least one bully preying on someone because he is different. That victim may be singled out because he is more intelligent, disabled or just marches to a different drummer. Think back on your school days…remember anyone being picked on by a class bully? It could have even been you.

Almost every time there is an incident at a school…it is later discovered that the guilty party was a victim of bullying and in many instances had no one to turn to for help. Our children, in many cases, spend more time with their teachers than they do their own parents. A teacher is the logical one to turn to. Some will say that it is the responsibility of the parents to deal with bullies. Bullying is a learned behavior…chances are that one or both of the parents are/were bullies and will do nothing to change their child’s bad habits.

We need to have a plan in place where victims have someone to turn to in their time of need to be their voice. I will work with like minded legislators to present a proposal that will be the best in the land and looked at by others to model their plans by.

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Be an advocate for our senior citizens

A little known fact about Shelby County is that we have more senior citizens than we have school age children. Today’s seniors seem to be much more active than seniors were when I was a child. Facilities must be available where they can meet and organize. Retirement homes must be affordable and allow our seniors to have the quality of life that they deserve.

I will work with individuals in both Jefferson and Shelby counties that are actively involved in senior citizen programs in all areas of District 43. I will see that those who are considered a part of America’s greatest generation are not forgotten.

My almost 90 year old grandmother resides in a retirement apartment at St. Martin’s in the Pines, where she receives the best of care. Since I have lunch with her almost every day during the week, I see first hand the quality care she receives…the kind that all of our seniors deserve.

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Aggressive supporter of medical research

We are so fortunate to live in an area where there is an abundance of quality medical care. Our medical facilities are second to none. Thousands of people from across the globe travel to Birmingham to seek out help for a variety of medical problems. An integral part of our medical community involves medical research which has benefitted so many.

I am thankful for having access to the finest medical care…right in my backyard as I have a manageable chronic illness that could be life threatening if it goes untreated. I am an insulin dependent diabetic. With the help of local professionals and research that is performed right here in Birmingham, I am a living testimony to the advances of medical research improving the quality of life for patients.

The economy in our area has changed over the years from a manufacturing orientation to one that is driven by medical research. I understand the value and the return on investment on medical research as I am living proof. I will work tirelessly to continue the flow of both federal and state money, along with private investment into our medical community for research.

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Eminent Domain

The only time that Eminent Domain should be used to seize private property is when the property is to be used for the public good for such things as hospitals, parks, public roads and schools. Eminent Domain should never be used to seize property that will be re-sold for private development.

When Eminent Domain is used to take property, the property owner should be made whole. He should be given the fair market value for his property and be compensated justly to cover all expenses involved…including and not limited to appraisals for new property, capital gains and closing costs. The property owner should not be penalized for the taking of his land.

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Constitutional Reform

The Alabama Constitution of 1901 needs to be modernized and updated. The citizens of Alabama deserve to have a code of law that is current and removes the antiquated language of a bygone era. We are in need of a constitutional convention to begin the process of writing a new constitution. One question that seems to be a sticking point…“Who will be a part of a constitutional rewrite?” To me, the answer is quite clear…the authors of a new constitution should be bipartisan and be free from special interests. Representation should include individuals from all walks of life and from all points of the state. I feel that participation by elected officials should be limited as many of the problems in dealing with the Alabama Constitution have been a direct result of partisan politics and meddling by special interests.

The citizens should have the opportuntity to vote one way or another for constitutional reform. Until we are able to change the laws to allow the citizens to vote on such matters, I will lead the fight to make it happen.

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