AEA Power Grab Is Not Amusing

I always knew that the Alabama Education Association wielded an extraordinary amount of influence on the government in Montgomery, but I never imagined that the teachers union would be so bold as to support a bill to make themselves a part of that government.

From Friday's B'ham News:

Gov. Bob Riley on Thursday said he planned to kill a bill designed to use tax breaks to lure theme parks and other tourist attractions to Alabama.

Riley said the bill, passed last week by lawmakers, would give the Alabama Education Association teachers' lobby too much power...

The bill, pushed by Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, and Rep. Sue Schmitz, D-Toney, would create the Alabama Tourism Development Finance Authority to review requests for tax breaks from companies building tourist attractions that would cost at least $1 million...

Riley noted that under the bill, the governor would appoint three of the authority's seven members, but could only appoint people nominated by the executive secretary of the Alabama Education Association.

Also, the authority could approve a sales-tax refund for an attraction only if five or more of the seven members approved. Riley said that, in effect, would mean AEA's nominees could reject any proposed tax break.

"I can't be a part to giving absolute veto power to any group," Riley said.

This power grab by Paul Hubbert and the AEA is just plain mind-boggling. Even more disconcerting is the fact that both houses of the legislature consented to it in the first place.

The AEA is a private association. Its leadership is not accountable in any way to the citizens of the state. To give it or any other non-governmental body appointment powers within the government is an affront to democracy and an invitation to corruption.

Luckily, Gov. Riley put a quick end to this foolishness. Could we trust that Don Siegelman or Lucy Baxley would have done the same?