Campaign Fun in Alabama

This will only make sense to my fellow Axis of Weevil types, but I am doing some research on the current ad campaigns in Alabama from the groups oppossed to the Riley plan. One of the major funders of the main opposition TV ads is ALFA Mutual Insurance (i.e., the Alabama Farmers Association's insurance company). They are one of the biggest interest groups in the state, and benefit from insanely low property tax rates. Yet, they have the gall to finance commercials that talk about how the Riley plan is only for "insiders"--like they are some grassroots organization.

Of course, if you check out the anti-Riley site, there is no reference to ALFA to be found (or to the major paper companies who don't want to pay fairer (and still quite low) property taxes).

Amazing and hypocritical. And what is more frustrating is that there are plenty of voters who would benefit from the tax package with tax cuts (indeed, the vast majority of Alabamians would get tax cuts), but who think that the anti-Riley groups are looking out for the "little guy".

Not to mention that the upshot of all of this is to help keep the state's economy firmly in the 19th century.