|
Fairness is the issue,
|
|||
|
Editorial July 17, 2002 Expert speakers at this week's forum on the Alabama constitution provided some strong arguments for reforming the state's governing charter. So-called conservatives who oppose reform should especially pay heed. It is conservatives, after all, who regularly argue that local governments are more to be trusted than are big, centralized governments. But the Constitution of 1901 severely restricts local home rule in favor of stultifying control by PAC-controlled state legislators in Montgomery. Randolph Horn, an assistant professor of political science at Samford University, told the Alabama Citizens Commission on Constitutional Reform that local governments can provide services more efficiently and pay for them more fairly than state government can. He said that Alabama is one of only two states that puts such obstacles in the way of home rule -- the other one being super-liberal Vermont. Meanwhile, the lack of home rule means that rapid growth in rural areas is proceeding with little planning or management, creating logistical headaches that in the long run will do more to harm economic development than to help it. Unmanaged sprawl is also a recipe for a declining quality of life. And lack of home rule is just one of the many problems with the current constitution. Other meetings of the Citizens' Commission will focus on other failings, including some regarding issues of state debt and spending. When the commission meets in Mobile on Oct. 21, it will concentrate on issues relating to education and economic development. The commission is performing a highly useful public service, and the state's voters and politicians alike ought to listen closely. Return to: Constitutional Reform ~ In the News Return to: Editorial Index |
|||
| Alabama
Citizens for Constitutional Reform Foundation, Inc. P.O. Box 34 Montgomery, Alabama 36101-0034 E-mail: accr@constitutionalreform.org |
|||
| Home Page | Return to Top of Page | |||
|
