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Clark County Democrat Constitutional Reform
Bus visits |
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By Evan Carden Special to The Democrat May 22, 2003 The Constitutional Reform Bus paid a visit to Clarke County last Thursday, to spread the work for what many across the state believe is the need for a new state constitution. The bus visited two area high schools Clarke County High School and Jackson High School, and made a lunchtime stop at the Grove Hill United Methodist Church, where the group made its case to local government and community leaders. Speaking on behalf of the cause was Dr. Carl Ferguson, with the University of Alabama’s College of Business, who talked about the unbalanced economy within the state. He pointed out that the urban areas of the state are where the economy is strong, while the rural areas suffer high unemployment rates and smaller educated populations. “You need to decide if our current constitution affords you the freedoms to be successful,” Ferguson said. He explained that part of the problem is that there is no provision in Alabama’s constitution for home rule of local school systems. “Your right (for home rule) has been taken away from you,” he said. “If we don’t solve this problem today, our children will be in the same place 50 years from now. Ferguson pointed out that low educated populations in the rural areas of the state directly affect industrial development. He said the Clarke County Community Development Foundation is working to address those issues facing the county. Also speaking to those in attendance was Kevin Garrison, who is the assistant coordinator and education assistant for Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform (ACCR). He said Alabama has the longest constitution of any state in the U.S., and has more amendments than any other state constitution. “We need to pay more attention to what is going on so we can make the decisions that need to be made when it comes to rewriting our constitution,” Garrison said. “Those decisions affect all of us.” At the end of the meeting Garrison invited everyone who was interested to sign the Constitutional Reform Bus, which bears the signatures of people all over the state who are in support of creating a new state constitution. Return to: Constitutional Reform ~ In the News Return to: Editorial Index |
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| Alabama Citizens for
Constitutional Reform Foundation, Inc. P.O. Box 34 Montgomery, Alabama 36101-0034 E-mail: accr@constitutionalreform.org |
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