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Thomas Spencer News staff writer September 27, 2001 Gov. Don Siegelman called on Samford University students Wednesday to join the fight to replace Alabama's constitution and to carry the message to other students. "The children of this state, they are going to judge us by this: Did we fight for them?" the governor said. Siegelman met with former Gov. Albert Brewer at the Samford campus to voice his support for a constitutional amendment that recently passed the Legislature. The amendment would require that any new constitution be ratified by voters. The current constitution is unclear about whether a vote of the people would be required to approve a rewrite of the constitution. "The people of Alabama, when this is adopted, will have the final say," Siegelman said. If voters approve the amendment on the November 2002 ballot, it will join more than 700 amendments already made to Alabama's 1901 constitution, which is by far the longest constitution in the United States. Siegelman said the archaic constitution has serious modern-day consequences. For example, the constitution funds education with sales taxes, an "unstable and unreliable source of revenue," the governor said. And when the economy contracts, as it has recently, the constitution mandates cuts in the school budgets, Siegelman said. Meanwhile, the constitution also requires local people to go to Montgomery and "beg the special interests" to be allowed to vote on tax increases for local schools, Siegelman said. "It was written that way so people would fail," so that government would remain a hostage of special interest groups, Siegelman said. Brewer, a professor at Samford's Cumberland School of Law and a leader of Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform, praised lawmakers for putting aside partisan differences and voting unanimously for the proposed amendment. Along with Brewer, Samford University President Thomas Corts is involved with the reform effort, and their enthusiasm has spilled over to students. Samford student Christopher Ward said 100 to 150 students on the campus have been involved in rallies and other activities related to reform efforts. Ward said today's students are naturally apathetic, but some are coming to realize the fundamental importance of reform. "Those of us that want to raise our families in this state, we don't want to have to deal with these problems when our children are in school." Jamie Gibson, a junior, is taking a Samford class called "The Alabama Constitution: 100 Years of Controversy." Gibson believes more people are joining the cause, "I think it is spreading," he said. 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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