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Opinion Columnist Tom Scarritt January 26, 2003 One Alabama. That is the vision expressed recently by two of the state's newest officeholders the white Republican governor and the black Democratic congressman. It is a hope we all can share. "Let us make a clear and decisive break from the past, once and for all, putting aside our differences and coming together as Alabamians united in a common cause," Gov. Bob Riley said in his inaugural address. "We have a very divided society," Rep. Artur Davis told the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama. That needs to change. "Alabama cannot exist half poor and half rich," he said. These two very different men each recognize the dangers of a divided state. They are right, and they deserve our support. We should all do everything we can to help them work together with the rest of our elected leaders to unite our state. It is true the two new officeholders have somewhat different views of the source of our divisions. Riley puts at least part of the blame on those "who have sought to divide us along both racial and economic lines, working against the better angels of our nature." Davis sees the divisions as already existing in our society, and worries that they will stay. "The first thing that happens when we have a divided society is that those divisions become permanent, they become entrenched" he said. "Before we know it, we start to say, `Well, those people will always fail, those people will always struggle, those people are not like us.'" The most important issue is not how we came to be divided, though, but rather how we can come together. We must make sure all Alabamians, wherever they live and whatever their circumstances, have an opportunity to succeed. The concept of a shared future is as important for people in the prosperous suburbs of Birmingham as it is for the struggling souls of the Black Belt. We must understand what Riley and Davis are telling us. We cannot build a just society around islands of affluence in a sea of poverty. We must work together to raise the aspirations and the achievements of the entire state. The problems we face are clear. Riley described them in his speech. Our schools are inadequate. Our economy is faltering. Our state government faces financial crisis. Our shameful tax system "continues to unfairly prey on the poorest among us." These are daunting challenges, but as Riley said, they are not too great for the great people of Alabama to overcome if we "put aside politics, race, religion or any barrier that stands between us and our goals." United, we can prevail. "Our problems did not spring up overnight, but have grown through many seasons of neglect," Riley said. "They will not be solved by temporary fixes or patchwork solutions, but through fundamental change and reform." Our hope is that we have elected fundamentally different leaders, who will reject the politics of division and who will work, with our help, for reform. With a new constitution that works for all of us, quality schools that offer opportunities for all of our children, and a fair tax system that meets our needs and supports our hopes, we can move forward together, as one Alabama. Tom Scarritt is editor of The News. His e-mail address is tscarritt@bhamnews.com. Return to: Constitutional Reform ~ In the News Return to: Editorial Index |
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