Recent editorials from Alabama newspapers:
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June 20
The Cullman Times on proposed import tariffs possibly harming Alabama’s economy:
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, leader of a state that is third nationally in automobile exports, has warned proposed import tariffs could harm the state’s economy. In likely the first time since becoming governor, Ivey has taken a stance opposing President Donald Trump.
The Trump administration has threatened to impose tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese imports, plus steel and aluminum from China, the European Union, Canada and Mexico. Trump has also proposed imposing duties of $400 billion more if China doesn’t further open its markets to the U.S. companies and reduce its trade surplus with the U.S. China says it will retaliate with its own tariffs.
Alabama has been climbing the ranks of the nation’s leading auto producers since the arrival of Mercedes in Vance under the administration of former Gov. Jim Folsom Jr. The ability of Mercedes to work effectively from Alabama because of a trained workforce and the rise of industries that are major suppliers to manufacturers has brought other major automakers to the state, including Hyundai and Honda. Recently it was announced that a combined Toyota-Mazda facility employing thousands will open in Limestone County.
Ivey’s concern, shared by Democrats, Republicans and business leaders, is that the administration’s wading into tariffs will cause retaliatory tariffs from other countries, thus driving up the cost of items made in Alabama sold abroad.
The tariffs have already impacted other companies using products from abroad. Many of those businesses buy aluminum and steel both domestically and from overseas. The quality produced overseas is superior for some products, while United States production is down overall for those metals.
Trump had been concerned about trade deficits before coming into office, which is understandable. On the other side of his concern is the fact the American economy is intertwined with other countries. It’s a global economy in which jobs created in Alabama and elsewhere are tied to investors and products from overseas.
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Across Alabama, some 60,000 jobs are tied to the auto industry. Because of those investments, Alabama is more active in job training education and is a major player in an industry that years ago was suffering nationally.
The path that led to a global economy was blazed with treaties that were approved in Washington. Many of those deals led to a decline in manufacturing across the U.S. In time, some have come back in smaller, more efficient operations. But those companies’ success is tied to reasonable access to products from Asia, Europe, Mexico, Canada and elsewhere.
Paraphrasing Ivey, to embark on a possible trade war with what seems to be little concern for the impact on an economy is short-sighted for Alabama. If the price of products coming from Alabama and other auto-strong states goes up, the demand will decrease and could create job loss and financial hardships.
We hope the president listens to many members of his own party who disagree with him on this issue and assess other options to correct the current trade imbalance.
Time is needed to weigh what’s best for the nation and its workers and companies. By using the recent downturn in the nation’s financial markets as a barometer, it’s clear the proposed implementation and bantering over possible tariffs is not serving the nation well
Online: http://www.cullmantimes.com/
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June 18
The Dothan Eagle on taking precautions in hot temperatures:
Around this time several years ago, a woman stopped to do some shopping at Walmart in Dothan, leaving several dogs in her car. When she returned, four were dead. A fifth dog died later. The animals died because they were left in a car and became overheated.
We posed a question at the time: What if those animals had been children?
Unfortunately, children are unlikely to survive such a scenario, too. Sadly, that, too, has happened in our area during the summertime heat.
We shouldn’t forget a pair of tragedies from 2014, when two fathers - one in Rockledge, Florida, and one in Atlanta - apparently forgot they had their children in the car with them and, instead of dropping the children off at daycare, went on to work. The children were discovered unresponsive at the end of the day. Both children died. The Atlanta father - Justin Ross Harris, whose 22-month-old daughter died after spending the day enclosed in her dad’s car - was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. Ironically, the Atlanta toddler’s death came just three weeks after the state had launched a campaign, “Look Back,” designed to raise parents’ awareness so they don’t accidentally leave any children in a vehicle.
We revisit these tragedies because temperatures are expected to hover in the mid-90s during the coming week, and it doesn’t take long for what’s uncomfortable to become life-threatening. Even on comparatively mild days during the Southern summer, temperatures in a vehicle can rise 40 degrees or so above ambient temperature, and the heat builds quickly.
We urge residents to be vigilant about the comfort of children, the elderly and infirm, and animals, ensuring that they stay hydrated and cool when the temperatures rise.
Online: http://www.dothaneagle.com/
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June 15
The Decatur Daily on Alabama Democratic gubernatorial nominee Walter Maddox wanting a debate with incumbent Republican Gov. Kay Ivey:
Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, the Democratic nominee for Alabama governor, wants to debate. Good luck with that.
His Republican opponent in the November general election, incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey, won her party’s nomination in a landslide, garnering 56.1 percent of the vote to claim the nomination without a runoff. Her closest competitor, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, topped out at just 24.9 percent, winning only his home county and four others within shouting distance.
Maddox, who as mayor led Tuscaloosa during its recovery from the 2011 tornado that tore through the city center, got a similar result in the Democratic primary, taking 54.6 percent of the vote to second-place finisher Sue Bell Cob’s 29 percent. In this case, Cobb was the one who entered the race with statewide name recognition, but with that came a lot of baggage, including her abrupt resignation as state Supreme Court chief justice.
Maddox had an opportunity to debate his primary opponents. Republicans running against Ivey did not. She avoided every debate, sometimes claiming scheduling conflicts that were flimsy at best. But it was a deliberate strategy: Ivey didn’t debate her GOP opponents because she didn’t have to, and the primary results are proof enough her strategy worked. Voters didn’t penalize Ivey for ducking questions from her opponents and the press.
As he seeks to become the first Democrat to win the governorship here since Don Siegelman in 1998, Maddox faces an uphill battle. Alabama Democrats would love to repeat Doug Jones’ upset of Roy Moore in last year’s special election for U.S. Senate, but Ivey is no Moore. Maddox needs a game-changer to have a chance.
Debates sometimes provide such game-changing moments; or they can reassure voters to stay the course. It’s a gamble.
Ronald Reagan’s political career provides many such examples. In a GOP presidential primary debate in New Hampshire in 1980, Reagan took command of the fractious race for the party’s nomination with his “I’m paying for this microphone” outburst. Having secured the nomination, he reassured voters who thought he was a loose cannon with his debate performance against President Jimmy Carter. In 1984, a debate stumble against Democratic nominee Walter Mondale gave the Democrats a flicker of hope, which subsequently Reagan snuffed out in the next debate.
Sometimes candidate debates are so structured they amount to little more than joint press conferences, but done well they can illuminate candidates for who they really are and how they react under pressure. They can also force candidates to answer unwelcome questions - or at least expose them as ducking the issue. As such, they’re a valuable tool for voters.
Ivey’s campaign has not ruled out her debating Maddox, but the language coming out of the campaign so far isn’t encouraging.
“There will be plenty of time for these discussions and decisions in the months ahead. Right now, the governor is focused on keeping Alabama working,” Ivey campaign spokeswoman Debbee Hancock said, echoing what Ivey’s Republican opponents heard when Ivey was too busy to debate them.
We can see why Ivey doesn’t want to take the risk of a debate when she doesn’t have to, but voters deserve to see their options face tough questions.
Probably the only way Ivey and Maddox will be forced to answer those questions is if Ivey feels some heat from those likely to fill in the bubble beside her name.
Online: http://www.decaturdaily.com/
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