Op-Ed Columns

Suggested questions for candidates ahead of Monday's statewide debate between major party candidates for governor (Bob Riley and Lucy Baxley), lieutenant governor (Luther Strange and Jim Folsom) and attorney general (Troy King and John Tyson). The debate airs on Alabama Public TV starting at 7 p.m.

For Riley and Baxley: The matter of no-bid contracts issued from the governor's office is a perennial election year debate, usually raised by the challenger. After the campaign, the matter is typically dropped. Will both of you pledge to closely examine the process of no-bid contracts and issue a thorough report to the residents of this state after the election?

For Riley: You are someone who in 2003 was labeled a liberal by some of your fellow Republicans. Yet your campaign has insisted on trafficking in the same sort of smear against your opponent, someone whose record is hardly one that could be tagged liberal. Governor, given your own history with unfounded charges about your ideology, why do the same against an opponent?

For Riley and Baxley: Sticking with the liberalism theme for one more question, what is it precisely that is so troubling about liberalism? Is it such liberal causes as the establishment of the 40-hour work week, worker safety laws, child labor laws, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Voting Rights Act, civil rights legislation, voting rights for women or environmental protections to ensure clean air and water for all of us?

For Baxley: The governor's application of annual property tax appraisals is a big issue in your campaign; you've called it a “back-door tax increase on Alabama working families.” But annual appraisals are the norm for states with a property tax, and Alabamians pay their property taxes annually. So why wouldn't we expect appraisals annually?

For Baxley: The statehouse is propped up by plenty of powerful special interests. None of Montgomery's Big Mules represent workers at the bottom of the food chain. Given that, how do you propose to convince the Legislature to increase the state's minimum wage?

For Strange and Folsom: There's a lot of talk about changing financing laws to ban PAC-to-PAC transfers. Yet there are hurdles to maneuver through. Given that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that money equals protected free speech, how would you eliminate shady PAC transfers without running afoul of the courts?

For Strange and Folsom: With campaign ads focusing almost exclusively on the religious morals of the candidates and on cutting taxes, one might mistakenly believe that Alabama is free of the lingering worries that dog our state. Yet anemic per-pupil spending, lack of home rule, unfair tax policy and poor social indicators such as infant mortality and a high divorce rate keep Alabama from reaching its mighty potential. What will you do to correct these underlying problems?

For Strange and Folsom: Will you pledge to encourage the Legislature to free the state Constitution of racist language, including the 1956 amendment which was intended to keep Alabama public schools from complying with the court-ordered end to school segregation?

For Strange and Folsom: Both of you have private sector jobs with companies that do work for the state; Strange is a lobbyist for a large Alabama law firm and Folsom is an investment banker. How can you assure voters that you will divorce your old job with its ties to state government from your new influential one inside state government?

For King and Tyson: Very few criminal appeals in Alabama are decided in favor of the defendant. Why? Does it have more to do with the quality of Alabama's lower courts or with the tremendous workload of the Court of Criminal Appeals?

For King and Tyson: According to state prison officials, as many as three out of four new inmates are connected to illegal drugs, either purchasing them, selling them or stealing to get more of them. As chief law enforcer, what would you advocate to get to the root of this narcotics problem?

For King and Tyson: We've yet to fully test the new open-meetings law passed a few sessions back. Likewise, a panel of lawmakers, experts and advocates is currently examining a rewrite of the open records law. Given that the public has a right to know what its government is doing, what do you think of the state of Alabama's open government laws and how would you improve them?

For everyone: Will you pledge tonight to lead an effort to rewrite Alabama's unjust, racist, outdated, undemocratic, anti-home rule 1901 Constitution? Why or why not?