Don't Bust The Trust--It's Not Necessary When Governors Commission Shows Savings Of More Than Needed!

The problem is our Legislature sought a quick fix for balancing this year's budget and how to pay the money owed by Education Trust Fund.  But it comes at the price of hurting the best thing Alabamians have had to help lower their taxes for years--to be destroyed by a vote when people are so panicked to vote for their own "only help" in the budget shortfalls--the Alabama Trust Fund.

This indeed is rather fishy when this amendment was read on the first day of the legislative session on Feb 7th.  It is really about the Rich Man vs Poor Man scenario.

We have heard a legislator say it is really putting money back in the ATF and it appears what they are saying is it is re-shufflling the money as they are going to pay back money owed to the ATF anyway.  However--they are talking about in essense borrowing the 437.5 million to pay back 437.5 million owed (as constitutionally required as in earlier borrowings wording) but this time around there is no wording for payback.  Wow--and then they berate citizens into passing this as the sky is falling and there will be loss of jobs, loss of care for elderly,mothers and children and release of prisoners when all it takes is their look at the proposals already given by the Governor's Commission done in January such as:

1.  Letting eligible state employees have early retirement--84 million save if 1,500 employees retire out of 11,000 eligible

2. By state making electronic payments vs check payments --can save 40 + million!

Here are articles that should convince reasonable people to voting No on September 18th

Alabama Forestry Assn.

Elois Zeanah--Pres of AFRW

Bussman Labels Amendment as Scare Tactics

Dick Brewbaker

 Definitions of General Fund and Education Fund

Sept18th Vote On Alabama Trust Fund Is Waking Voters About Education Budget of 5.4 Billion vs General Fund Budget of 1.67 Billion and the Redirecting of the 437.8 Million OWED by the Education Trust Fund. Is This A Shuffle Game And Will Alabama Voters Buy It?

Why is the vote on Sept 18th to raid the Alabama Trust Fund a Con Game by guess WHO?  Add it up for yourself!

1.  We are being told all sorts of horrible repercussions if we vote NO but yet Nov elections will contain moves for payraises for state employees (dire times indeed?)" href=""> Listen to this interview.

2. There is $650,000 in the state’s unbalanced budget for Weight Watchers programs for state employees and teachers! Page 152. Read this article.

3. $100,000,000  (100 Million) for Ipads/electronic tablets for 9th-12th grades.  Did you hear about this?  Read this bill--click on twice.  Hear why this is a bad idea from Silicon Valley Parents-see bottom video.

4. It asks voters to approve using Alabma Trust Fund 437.8 million to balance the General Fund budget for the next THREE years, not just for 2013 — by $145.8 million each year. (3) The $437.8 million effectively redirects the repayment of $437.8 million owed by the Education Trust Fund to the Education Trust Fund Rainy Day fund within the ATF.  As this Education Trust Fund Must BE Repaid within 3 years?  Is this what all the shuffle is about?!***!!!! 

READ And DEMAND WHAT IS RIGHT BY VOTING NO ON SEPT 18TH and Don't Bust The Trust.  It is the only thing propping up the General Fund and when it is gone--more taxes will take its place and in this dire economy who can afford that?

  Read this

Truth About Vote For Constitutional Amendment On Sept 18th--Hear New Info From Elois Zeanah of AFRW

Hear new information from Elois Zeanah on Sept 18th Vote On Constitutional Amendment

Also read a great article from a great Newspaper--what Patriots they are--A MUST Share!!!

Complete Article link

On Sept. 18, one of the most important votes in the history of Alabama will be decided by the people of this state. The Southeast Sun/Daleville Sun-Courier has never taken a position politically in 31 years of publishing, but we feel the present and future well-being of our state is at stake and it is too critical for us not to let our readers know how we stand on this issue.

Originally, under the law, the Legislature in Montgomery could only spend 99 percent of the interest earned on our oil and gas reserves that go into the trust with the remaining 1 percent going to the conservation and lands division. Small changes were made over the next few years to increase the re-investment to 10 percent on the interest. We were using our money wisely, earning interest on interest already earned.

Then along came amendments 666 in 2000 and 709 in 2002. These amendments were approved, making the first moves on the capital, or principal, funds. Under the former law, only the interest on our oil and gas reserves that go into the trust could be spent but these two amendments started to chip away at the fund. Now don’t get us wrong. Amendment 702 created the Education Trust Fund Rainy Day Account , which was a good thing, but in the event funds were withdrawn for our education systems, an additional amount equal to 25 percent of the withdrawal had to be transferred from the principal in the Alabama Trust Fund to the County and Municipal Government Improvement Fund. What this fund had to do with education is beyond us except to provide another carrot for our politicians to wave in front of voters in their districts.

Don’t ever forget one rule: politicians will spend every cent we send them and come back for more to support or start new programs. Remember the tobacco settlement of the late 1990s? From 1998 until 2001, the state received $254 million and is continuing to receive funds from the big tobacco companies. Have our politicians banked this money? No. They’ve propped up Medicare, created new programs, expanded current programs and found ways to use the money to get re-elected through photo opportunities. The programs created will still require funding when the settlement ends in 2025. Where will this money come from? The taxpayer’s pockets.

Vote No On September 18 Constitutional Amendment--It's the Right Things To Do--Print and Share

Why Vote NO on September 18th Vote On ALabama Trust Fund--Because The Truth Is Out!

Here is a link from Alabama Forestry Commission that sums it up rather well. 

http://www.forestryed.com/ftp/AFA--political4Newsroom.pdf

Also ask yourself if this was such a gut wrenching --end of the road decision then why was it placed at the start of the legislative session on February 7th?

Also ask yourself if this was to save this year--why are they raiding the Alabama Trust Fund for 3 years?

We have this "sky is falling" tactic as before with Amendment 1--let's not let them get away with it as the next time it will be your pocketbook as the Alabama Trust Fund will be emptied!!!

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The Answers To Why--please note CA stands for Constitutional Amendment and ATF is Alabama Trust Fund:

SYNOPSIS: The State General Fund (GF) budget for FY 2012‐2013 of $1.67 billion is short $145.8 million. The State must either cut more spending or find funds to cover this deficiency.
The Legislature voted to balance the 2013 GF by taking money from the Alabama Trust Fund (ATF), CONTINGENT on voters passing a Constitutional Amendment (CA) on Sept. 18.
The CA has become controversial for several reasons:

(1) It takes money from the principal but there is no legal obligation to repay it.

(2) It asks voters to approve using ATF funds to balance the GF budget for the next three years, not just for 2013 – by $145.8 million each year.

(3) The $437.4 million effectively redirects the repayment of $437.4 million owed by the Education Trust Fund to the ETF Rainy Day fund within the ATF. This ETF debt must be repaid over the next three years.

ANALYSIS: SEPTEMBER 18, 2012 SPECIAL ELECTION to Amend the Alabama Constitution
SHOULD THE STATE USE THE ALABAMA TRUST FUND TO BALANCE THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS? The proposed Constitutional Amendment would take $437 Million from the Alabama Trust Fund
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT Q & A:

Why does the State want to raid the principal of the ATF since the ATF has a General Fund Rainy Day Account? This account is depleted due to borrowing to bail out General Fund budgets in past years, and these funds have not been repaid.

Why is a Constitutional Amendment necessary? To change the formula for distributing ATF funds and to amend the Constitution which currently requires repayment when Rainy Day Funds are transferred to the GF.  This Constitutional Amendment allows the State to transfer $437.4 million without repaying the money.

Read complete analysis from Elois Zeanah (Pres of AFRW) here.

Here's a short video to share from SGP:

 And another from nationally acclaimed journalist Quin Hillyer:

Vote No on Sept 18th and tell the Legislature you know the truth and it's time to do it right.  Stealing from the future of Alabama's children is not the acceptable way to go.  They must do better.

Read article on "Rich Man And Poor Man"

Alabama Trust Fund--Constitutional Amendment Sept 18, 2012 To Allow Breaking A Trust For Sake Of Education, Medicaid etc?

How State in Fear Pours More Money But It's Unbalanced Budget--Keeps on Tipping To The Breaking Point

Alabama like most states are being pushed by fear--it comes from everywhere from fears for the health of its citizens (hence the need for Obamacare) or for better education for children (hence the call for the common core standards also known as federalized take-over of education) etc.

Here is an example on education:

1.  Alabamians have tried to show their love for children by pouring more money.
" Alabama's fiscal year begins in October and ends in September.  Alabama's budget is unique in that 84% of tax revenue is set aside by the state constitution or state law for specific purposes, which is the highest percentage of any state budget in the nation."  Read more...


2.  Alabama has a General Fund Budget of $1.67 billion and an Education Budget  of 5.4 billion
"Lawmakers approved both a General Fund budget (the operating budget spends $1.67 billion from the General Fund) and a $5.4 billion education budget for FY2013 on May 17, 2012. "

3.  "Alabama has a total state debt of $60,412,502,000, when calculated by adding the total of outstanding official debt, pension and other post-employment benefits (OPEB) liabilities, Unemployment Trust Fund loans, and current budget gap."  Read more...

The education budget provides enough money for state-funded teachers to maintain class sizes in elementary and secondary schools at current levels.  It would spend $5.42 billion from the Education Trust Fund in fiscal 2013, a cut of $208 million, 3.7 percent, compared to this year's expected trust fund spending.

4.  "Besides the Education Trust Fund, the education budget next year also appropriates $7.77 billion in federal grants, other state taxes and other funds." (more).


5.  Alabama feels the loss of stimulus funds:
The loss of federal money includes $313 million in stabilization money that will be spent this year and definitely won't be available next year: $185 million for public kindergarten through 12th grade, $19 million for public two-year colleges and $109 million for public universities, according to the Legislative Fiscal Office. Also $149.5 million directly to Alabama's K-12 public schools, for the schools to spend this year or next year (more...)

6.  What does Alabama's Education Budget buy?
Where state-by-state rankings are concerned, however, the Quality Counts report by the magazine Education Week may offer the most reliable single overall score. The organization takes a number of factors and gives each state’s schools a letter grade.
In 2011, Alabama gets a C-plus. Some of that score is derived from areas like school finance — important for a school system’s health, but not the nitty-gritty most parents care about.
On K-12 Achievement, Alabama gets an overall D, ranking 43rd. But a few years ago, Alabama hovered around 47th place.  Read more...

7.  Reality check--how much money is enough and when will Alabama voters stop the path of hoping more money will fix the education system?---Apparently another 100 million more is needed for tablets for 9-12th grades as approved in HB 165--Alabama Ahead Act.  The legislature felt it would save money by buying tablets, computers vs textbooks.  Unfortunately they have not fullly weighed both sides of the story.

8.  Who wants computerization? 

Obama.  Guess why...read this and this  and this sums it up for parents--from Donna Garner. 

Also the cost to our First Amendment, our children and culture of today's trend in education--read this and beware!!!
 
9.  And guess who do not ...

Parents in Silicon Valley but in this back to basic school 94% of their students go to college (watch video)

Listen to this interview with John Rice--there is a better way if Legislators will try to see through the fears...

Alabama Trust Fund--Its Demise Maybe Set on September 18,2012 in a Constitutional Amendment--Alabamians can't be misled by the Pelosi-Like Plan of Passing Something So We Can Know What's In It. Find Out Now!

Alabama along with all states throughout are finding it very hard to stay afloat in today's Obama-owned economic meltdown (is there another term for it as Bush blame is now lame).  So how does its legislators fix things?  By scaring its citizens to pass laws that would in essence legalize unconstitutional depletion of its Trust Fund.  Some have placed harsher labels (read this link) to the Alabama Sept. 18th vote for a Constitutional Amendment.

Hear an interview with Elois Zeanah, President of Alabama Federation of Republican Women and get a better perspective on what your vote or lack of it will mean after Sept. 18th in Alabama.  The Alabama Trust Fund set aside royalty money from oil drilling to earn investment income that helps fund yearly the state budget but this amendment will use almost half a billion of the 2.5 billion Alabama Trust Fund to help fund the State's Medicaid problems?  I guess that will happen if Alabamians believe such a fairy tale exists--"half a billion will help the State's Medicaid problems"--wonder how long that will last!  It has been said and---it is true that Medicaid is the biggest drain on the nation's budget and it is certainly a big drain for the states to come up with their share. 

Common sense seems to have gone out the window and instead of reforming--truly reforming--all the states will be caught up in the "Man-Made Entitlement Tsunami".  Obama is so busy passing laws and executive orders that are  increasing the number of unemployed and on Medicaid (and other entitlements) that indeed only a truly informed, active and prayerful citizenry can stop a bankrupt America.  May our legislators ask God for wisdom and may "We The People" do the same.

Other Food for thought

 --Alabama just passed the Alabama Ahead Act or HB 165 which is for $100 million to fund computer equipment--tablets etc. for grades 9-12.  Anybody care to guess how long those equipment will last and how much the ongoing upkeep will cost.  Some teachers who already have tried it in other states talks about the frustration with the maintenance (never mind with kids losing or damaging it.)  Did anyone hear a debate on this issue and now we are told the state budget is in trouble and we need more money?  At some point Alabamians will have to think and push for reforms in earnest- while they can from the State Legislatures all the way to the White House (other states waking up too.)

The Two Paths In Education

Alabama Ahead Act HB165