From: Jim.McCullars@f1.n373.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Jim McCullars)
Newsgroups: hsv.general
Subject: Re: Honorable Governor Hunt
Date: Sat, 02 Jan 93 02:23:05 CST
Organization: FidoNet node 1:373/1 - Net 373 Echomail Hu, Huntsville AL

In a message of <Jan 01 20:29>, Leah Wesolowski (1:373/2) writes: 
 LW> Second, Governor Hunt can't do tax reform by himself. It takes
 LW>a willing legislature to get it acomplished. Remember the Fob
 LW>James Constitution? That was a great idea which died because the
 LW>Legislature would not back it. 

    Yes, but as I recall, at least Fob could say that he really got out and led 
the campaign for the new constitution.  Hunt has not shown a willingness to 
stick his neck out and aggressively promote change.

    While we're at it, let's take a look at what the governor claims to have 
accomplished.  Allow me to quote from an article in Friday's Huntsville Times:

   "But Abbott said Hunt recorded numerous successes in 1992.
   "'The high point was Alabama being named first in the nation in industrial 
development for the third straight year by Site Selection magazine,' Abbott 
said."

   Nice, but I wonder just how much the governor had to do with it.  
Continuing...

   "He said the state budgets are in better shape than a year ago."

   I'm not too sure what Abbott means by that.  If he means proration was 
reduced, yes, it's true.  But it's because of increased sales tax collections.  
Again, I hardly see what Hunt had to do with it.  If I'm overlooking something, 
please explain.  Then, there's this...

   "Abbott said another of Hunt's top accomplishments in 1992 was 'to stand up 
for law enforcement officers across the country by asking record stores in 
Alabama to stop selling the album by singer Ice-T that included the song 'Cop 
Killer.'  As a result of his efforts, Warner Brothers and Ice-T removed the 
controversial song from the album.' "

   Don't get me wrong, but big deal!  The governor of Alabama gives a lot of 
free publicity to some West Coast "musician" (and I use the term loosely) who 
exhibits anti-social behavior, and his mouthpiece calls that the top 
accomplishment of 1992??  Well, thank God this state doesn't have any *real* 
problems, like overcrowding of prisons and schools, three years of proration, 
health department closings, infant mortality, teen pregnancies, etc, etc!  I 
think it's real nice that the governor is willing to "stand up for law 
enforcement officers across the country", but I'd just as soon see him stand up 
for school children of Alabama.

 LW> About Governor Hunt's agriculture position, I have never read
 LW>anything about it, I have done a lot of Microfilm reading at the
 LW>library and have not run across it yet. If you tell me the year
 LW>this ccured I would be happy to go back and check it out.

   It was just before the 1986 election.  His job before governor was head of 
the U.S. Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service's office in Alabama 
(sorry, I indicated before it was a state job - it was a federal job).  One of 
the things he was accused of was promoting his gubernatorial campaign on 
government time.  This was a long time ago, but I think there were also 
allegations of irregularities regarding his expense account, and some workers 
claimed he pressured them to support his campaign.  Were I doing research, I 
would look around early to mid 1986.

Jim
 


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