|
|
|||
|
By Matthew Korade Star Capitol Correspondent March 22, 2002 MONTGOMERY — A proposal to let the public vote on whether to call a convention to rewrite the 1901 constitution died a fiery death Thursday in the House of Representatives. But the real reason the House black caucus joined Republicans to torpedo the issue came to light only after the debate ended. Rep. James Buskey, D-Mobile, said in an interview outside the House chamber that he and a few other black lawmakers, including Reps. Yvonne Kennedy, D-Mobile, and John Rogers, D-Birmingham, are giving Gov. Don Siegelman a little election-year payback. “My problem with the governor is he came down and campaigned against (Rep. Yvonne) Kennedy and me,” Buskey said, raising his voice. “I feel very personal about it, and I don’t care for him or any other white official in Alabama to attack a black person in his district. If he’s going to do that, we’re going to strike back at him.” Buskey was referring to last November, when Siegelman campaigned around the state to avoid a second year of education budget cuts by raising $160 million in corporate income taxes. The three lawmakers and others in the black caucus joined Republicans in opposing that plan too. The governor has since made the push for a constitutional convention the lynchpin of his legislative agenda. As a result of Thursday’s efforts, Alabama voters apparently will have to wait at least another year - well after the Nov. 5 elections - for a chance to vote on whether to call a constitutional convention. Despite the failure of the House to pass the resolution, Siegelman said Thursday he believes a new constitution is needed to create a tax system that would provide more money for education. “The fight for a new constitution is not over. In fact, it’s just beginning,” Siegelman said. “More Alabamians are aware that the constitution enshrines a tax structure where the people who make the least pay the most, and the big corporations who make the most pay the least.” The Alabama House debated the pros and cons of rewriting the old constitution for more than four hours Thursday. During the debate, legislators at times cheered or booed the speakers. When it became clear the majority of legislators opposed the resolution that would have given the public a vote on the convention issue, they took an unrecorded voice vote and delayed taking any action. The sponsor of the resolution, Rep. Marcel Black, D-Tuscumbia, said the delay apparently kills the constitutional reform movement for this year, but not permanently. “I think it’s an issue we’ll have to deal with. Obviously it won’t be today. The people will demand we deal with it at another time,” Black said. Earlier, Black told lawmakers that the people of Alabama had shown in numerous polls that they want a new constitution. “The question is, do you trust the people to determine this issue?” Black asked. “The decision needs to be made here today. It’s an issue that’s not going to go away.” But during the debate, Buskey and other legislators said the push for a new constitution simply is a way to raise taxes. “This is nothing but a grand design to raise taxes on the poor people of Alabama,” Buskey said. “When we get through with a convention, we’re going to have more taxes on the people of Alabama than in any other state in the South.” On the floor, Buskey reiterated the black caucus’s position that it fears blacks would not be adequately represented at a convention. Rep. Mac Gipson, R-Prattville, a longtime advocate of constitution reform, said it makes no sense to try to run the state using a plan drawn up two years before the first airplane flight, at a time when only white men could vote in Alabama. “What if I tried to run my business with my great-grandfather’s business plan?” Gipson said. He argued that the 1901 constitution handicaps government by earmarking certain funds, limiting flexibility and making it impossible to find a quick solution to funding emergencies. But Rep. J.E. Turner, R-Citronelle, said delegates to a convention would not have to face re-election and would have no motivation to write a responsible document. “This constitution we’re under today was voted on by the people. Every single amendment that’s been added was voted on by the people,” Turner said. “I haven’t had anyone come up to me on the street and say they want a new constitution.” Dr. Thomas Corts, president of Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform, said he doesn’t understand why legislators will not let citizens vote on the issue. “Ours may be the only state in the union where simply allowing citizens to vote becomes controversial. All we’ve asked is that the people be allowed to exercise their right to vote on whether to convene a constitutional convention,” Corts said. Another longtime advocate of constitution reform, Secretary of State Jim Bennett, said politics killed the resolution. “There wasn’t much statesmanship up there today, but I did see a lot of politics,” Bennett said. He said he believes the people have shown in numerous polls that they want a new constitution. “If you don’t trust the people, who do you trust?” The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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 | |||
|
