May 2016T H E O F F I C I A L N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E S H E L B Y C O U N T Y ( A L A B A M A ) R E P U B L I C A N P A R T Y

FEATURED:

The Electoral CollegeALSO:BUILDING THE REPUBLICAN BRANDGBTARS AWARDS & UPDATESLEGISLATIVE UPDATE

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Chairman’s Corner

This Political season is serious

The 2016 season is now in full swing and although it’s exciting it has long term ramifications. Alabama and Shelby County are not islands unto themselves. What Oregon and Massachusetts thinks and does politically has an effect on us. Perhaps the end result of their thinking and doing is not close to being as catastrophic as that done in the District of Columbia, but it affects us none the less. Is it not scary that for refusing to bake a cake, a couple is out of business in Oregon and now faces a big fine. Is it not scary to you that a confirmed socialist is openly and proudly seeking the presidency.

It’s the season for us to stay alert on candidate rhetoric and stay informed on the news of the day. But, we must go one step further and also be fully informed on the issues that ride below the surface of the daily headlines. Prayerfully and wisely choose your candidates, listen to their promises, plans and proposed programs. Then, ask them about their positions on issues that are not the lead issues of the day. Candidate positions on the issues below the surface tell us a lot about who we are asking to lead us.

Quarterly Executive Committee Meeting

The next meeting of the Shelby County Republican Party Executive Committee will take place

Tuesday, May 10th at 7 o’clock PM

at the Shelby County Services Building 1125 County Services Drive

Pelham. Alabama

Meetings are open to the public.

Featured SpeakerAlabama’s State Committeeman to the Republican National Convention, Paul Reynolds, will speak about the upcoming GOP convention this summer

The Republican Women of Shelby County have been busy working on our fifth year anniversary celebration slated for October of this year.

During this time we have had wonderful speakers such as Justice Tom Parker speaking on the connection of the Blackstone Books and how they relate to our Constitution. His presentation was a wonderful trip in time and should be required for every student in Alabama.

We have had retired Marine Gene Hopper who have us an eye-opening of the last days of Saigon. Some of his speech was military, but some was about the orphans he had to leave behind.

Paul Cleveland, a professor at Birmingham Southern, is a fiscal conservative, and gave an inspiring speech. He is author of at least two books, available on Amazon.

In two of our meetings, we had all the Shelby County/State candidates to speak to us about their platforms.

All are invited to the Shelby Services Building at 1pm on the third Saturday (June 18) when we plan to have Matt Fridy give us an Alabama Legislative Session update (that should be interesting!)

RWSC Update

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Table of Contents2 Chairman’s Corner

2 Featured Speaker: Paul Reynolds2 Republican Women of Shelby County Update

3 Greater Birmingham Teen Age Republicans Update

4 Building the Republican Brand

6 Legislative Update: What Passed, What Failed

8 ALGOPEC Election Info.

8 GBTARS Students win Multiple Honors

9 Trump Names Christie as Transition Chairman

9 Facebook and Conservative Censorship

10 The Electoral College

Editor-in-Chief Joan Reynolds

Executive EditorAlan Reyes-Guerra

Creative Editor Laura JosephPaid for by the

Shelby County Republican Party 1920 Valleydale Road, Suite 154

Birmingham, AL 35244 205-994-6497 • www.shelbycountygop.org

The last 3 months have been busy for the GBTARS!

Our February meeting included a teen lead discussion which was moderated by our Chaplain, Cameron Covington. The topic was the 4th Amendment - Privacy and Seizure concerns for High School students. A fee days later, several of the teens volunteered at the Senator Shelby Breakfast on February 20th.

The March meeting featured guest speaker, Gary Bradley, Shelby County Assistant District Attorney, who explained how the criminal justice system, and specifically about how the DA’s office works. On March 11, we volunteered at the state of Alabama GOP Minority Winter Dinner. The teens enjoyed meeting and hearing the keynote speaker, Star Parker.

The April meeting was lead by treasurer Anna Hill who discussed the two democratic presidential nominees and their political philosophies of progressivism and socialism. Then on Sunday, April 17th we participated in our spring community service project. We fed over 75 homeless men, women and children in downtown Birmingham. We served them a homemade nacho bar and it was a big hit with those who came to eat. On April 19th, six of our teens volunteered and assisted the Jefferson county GOP with their Jubilee for Jabo dinner and fundraiser.

Our end of the year party and May meeting is this Thursday night at Hoover Church of Christ. Our very special guest speaker is Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill. The Shelby County GOP will award the two $1,000 scholarships which they so generously fund to two of our outstanding seniors. We will also elect new officers for the upcoming year and celebrate 3 full years of being a club!

GBTARS Update

RWSC Update

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By David E. Wilson

Is the Republican brand broken? Is it safe to call yourself a republican in public? If so, what KIND of Republican are you? Conservative, Establishment, RINO, Constitutionalist, etc.? Is the

Grand Old Party still truly “grand”?

It is an understatement to say that this year’s political climate has been bizarre for both Republicans and Democrats. However it is safe to say that the Republican primary race has been an emotional roller coaster (and it ain’t over yet!). Personally, I have been through the emotional sausage grinder; everything from happy, sad, angry, afraid, and yes, sometimes even ashamed.

Well, I’ll put my cards on the table right now, I am a bit of a “unicorn” in the GOP. Since we are used to slapping labels on everyone, let me slap some on myself for you. I’m a constitutional conservative, minority, Reagan-era US Air Force veteran, in a multi-racial family, 26 year husband of my veteran best friend, father of four, Southern Baptist, corporate executive, entrepreneur, and a Boston-born Yankee (born 8.9 miles away my hometown hero, John Adams). P.S. Southerner by the grace of God!

Oh, yeah and I’m a State Delegate to the GOP convention for Ted Cruz (won 61% of the votes at 106,796). So much for the democratic line that all Republicans are racist, eh? And thanks if you voted for me!

So why Republican? I really don’t know why I became a Republican. My mother is a die-hard Democrat, no one else in my family talked about Republican values, however everyone worked hard. I have always believed in hard work. I started working at about 11 years old delivering newspapers, have worked ever since. After I joined the Air Force at 19, I became a huge fan and subscriber to National Review, and Bill Buckley was one of my favorite people. As I got older, I drifted more and more to the right and a proponent of limited government, traditional family, a strong military, etc. After Ronald Regan came along, he inspired and motivated me. Once I enlisted and he became my Commander in Chief that sealed the deal!

Anyway, from my perspective, the GOP’s value and potential is as great as it has ever been! I will tell you that I’m not always happy with the strategies, lack of branding or messaging from the party, BUT, in terms of our foundational principles and platform, the GOP is at least trying to uphold the intentions and spirit of our founding fathers.

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How so you ask? Let’s take a look at why you can be proud to be Republican. I think the preamble to the GOP Platform is a good refresher to remind us about what we can be proud of.

Since my wife, Amee and I are military veterans, let’s just focus on the Wilson’s favorite, Section 7 of the GOP platform: American Exceptionalism. The GOP’s stance on our exceptionalism alone is a great reason to be proud of what our party stands for. Take a quick read:

”We are the party of peace through strength. Professing American exceptionalism – the conviction that our country holds a unique place and role in human history – we proudly associate ourselves with those Americans of all political stripes who, more than three decades ago in a world as dangerous as today’s, came together to advance the cause of freedom.

Repudiating the folly of an amateur foreign policy and defying a worldwide Marxist advance, they announced their strategy in the timeless slogan we repeat today: peace through strength – an enduring peace based on freedom and the will to defend it, and American democratic values and the will to promote them.

While the twentieth century was undeniably an American century – with strong leadership, adherence to the principles of freedom and democracy our Founders’ enshrined in our nation’s Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and a continued reliance on Divine Providence – the twenty-first century will be one of American greatness as well.”

That should excite and inspire!

What about a positive perspective from a younger person’s point of view?

My daughter Claire, 17 and the Chelsea High School Drum Major, is excited about how the GOPs dedication to morality and tradition holds hope for the next generation. She also made a point to remind me that the Democrats have dropped God out of their platform; something she and I believe the founding fathers would abhor!

My daughter Meg, 17 and Chelsea High School’s salutatorian this year, says that, “I feels that the GOP is a party that stands for tradition, logical solutions, and the preservation of the true meaning of the American dream. The values and ideals that the Republican Party stands for allow young people to stay hopeful about their futures and that of future generations, because they are tried and true. The GOP is all about change through righteousness, not change by dissolving our nation’s morals. You can be proud to be a republican because although our party leaders don’t always articulate it well, we are a party of innovative, hard-working, problem solvers, who, above all else, love our God and country”. Pretty good, no?

My oldest daughter Taylor, recently married and a UAB grad believes that despite the GOP leadership drift of the decade or so, as long as faithful and dedicated members of the Republican Party continue to participate in and contribute to the party, Americans can find our way back to our foundational principles, and back to what the founders had in mind for our country. I agree with her.

So get (or stay) proud of our Grand Old Party, and keep fighting the good fight!

David Wilson is a member of the Shelby County Republican Steering, Executive Committee, Marketing Committee Chair, and Alabama National Delegate to the Republican Convention in Cleveland in July. He can be reached at dwilson6771@gmail.com. For real-time info from the RNC Convention follow “Delegate Dave” on Twitter at @ProudPatriotUSA

A limited number of tickets are available, $50 per person.

Pre-reservations are required. To make a reservation, please call (205) 665-3535 x 1031 or email patriotgiftshop@americanvillage.org

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TEACHER RAISELegislators approved a 4 percent pay raise for teachers and school employees making less than $75,000 a year. Employees making more than that would get a 2 percent raise. The increase is the first net raise for educators since 2008.

GENERAL FUND/MEDICAID CUTSLawmakers approved a general fund budget that was $85 million short of the $785 million the Alabama Medicaid Agency said was needed to adequately fund the agency. Republican legislative leaders said they could no longer cut other agencies to support Medicaid. Commissioner Stephanie Azar said the agency will be cutting services without additional funding.

MARIJUANA OIL Gov. Robert Bentley signed into law legislation to decriminalize marijuana oil for people who use it as a treatment for debilitating medical conditions. The law, which will decriminalize possession of cannabidiol produced in other states, will go into effect June 1.

ABORTION RESTRICTIONS Lawmakers approved legislation to ban abortion clinics within 2,000 feet of schools. The bill would close a Huntsville clinic and possibly one other. Lawmakers also passed a “dismemberment” abortion ban to prohibit a second-trimester abortion procedure. Both bills are before the governor.

LOCAL MINIMUM WAGE BAN Lawmakers approved a bill to prohibit cities from setting their own minimum wage. The legislation was quickly approved and signed into law in the wake of a Birmingham City Council vote to raise the hourly minimum wage to $10.10.

KRATOM BAN Lawmakers passed a bill to ban substances commonly known as kratom and vivazen by putting them on the list of Schedule I controlled substances. Law enforcement sought to make the over-the-counter substance illegal saying it is as dangerous as narcotics. Bill opponents argued the plant-derived supplement helps with pain relief and isn’t dangerous. The bill is before the governor.

SELF DEFENSE/STAND YOUR GROUND A pretrial hearing would be required for defendants claiming self-defense so a judge could decide if they should be immune from prosecution. The bill would allow judges to dismiss charges if they find the use of deadly force was justified. Defendants could continue to claim self-defense if the case goes to trial.

IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES Lawmakers obtained 23 signatures, enough to file impeachment articles against the governor in the wake of a scandal involving a former aide. The House Judiciary Committee, under a process established this session, will vet the claims to see if there are possible grounds to remove Bentley. The committee chairman said members are trying to determine how to proceed.

MEDICAID MANAGED CARE DELAY Lawmakers voted to allow the state to delay implementation of a managed care system at the state Medicaid Agency. The approval came after state officials said funding troubles threatened the implementation of regional care organizations next fiscal year.

FUNERAL LICENSING Bentley signed a bill that amends a section of a state law that restricts the sale of caskets, urns and other burial materials to licensed funeral directors. The move came after a lawsuit was filed by a north Alabama woman who runs an environmentally friendly cemetery and was blocked from selling biodegradable burial materials because she isn’t a licensed funeral director.

Alabama Legislative Session

WHAT PASSED

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PAYDAY LENDING REGULATION The Senate approved a bill to enact a Colorado-style law that would give borrowers up to six months to pay back payday loans. However, a House committee watered-down the bill. It did not get a floor vote in the final two days of the session.

PRISON CONSTRUCTION The governor’s proposed $800 million prison construction bill died on the final night of the session. Senators approved a scaled-back plan, but Bentley did not get House approval before the session ended at midnight.

OIL SPILL SETTLEMENT Lawmakers did not approve the plan to dictate how $1 billion in old spill settlement money will be spent. A feud erupted between coastal lawmakers, who said the region should get a larger share, and lawmakers elsewhere who said the region had been compensated from another pot of settlement funds. A plan to use the money for state debt payment, would have freed up $70 million to help fill a Medicaid funding gap.

LOTTERY/GAMBLING Proposals to establish a state lottery did not get a floor vote in either chamber. While lawmakers began the session saying it was time to look at legalized gambling as a revenue source, the bills stalled under a mix of opposition to gambling, disagreements on how state lottery revenue should be used and a push to include casino gambling.

GASOLINE TAX INCREASE A proposal to raise the state’s gasoline tax to pay for road and bridge construction failed to make it out of the House. The bill sought to raise the gasoline tax 6 cents per gallon to bring Alabama in line with neighboring states. The tax would have been adjusted every four years to equal the average tax in Alabama’s four border states.

HISTORIC TAX CREDITS A state tax break that provided $20 million in tax credits for historic building renovations will expire after a bill to extend the program failed to make it to Senate committee. Some say the three-year program, first approved in 2013, sparked a renaissance in downtown Birmingham and beyond. The Senate president pro tempore and budget chairmen said they were concerned about the program’s cost.

TEACHER EVALUATIONS The Senate president pro tempore shelved a bill that would have changed teacher tenure and evaluations. Several state education associations opposed a provision to link student test scores to teacher evaluations. The bill also sought to extend the time teachers wait to attain tenure from three years to five and provide recruitment bonuses to teachers working in low-income areas.

CONFEDERATE MONUMENT PROTECTION The bill sought to prevent the removal of historic monuments without permission from a new legislative panel. The House did not vote on the Senate-passed bill after a threatened filibuster risked shutting down the House.

GAY ADOPTION/RELIGIOUS FREEDOM The bill would have prevented the state from refusing to license childcare service and adoption providers that decline services that conflict with their religious beliefs. Another bill that would have done away with marriage licenses signed by probate judges also did not win final approval. The bill was pushed after some probate judges stopped issuing marriage licenses to anyone in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling effectively legalizing same-sex marriage.

GUNS IN AUTOMOBILES The bill would let people carry loaded handguns in their vehicles without getting a concealed carry permit.

INNOCENCE COMMISISON The bill would have established a state innocence commission to investigate claims of innocence in death row cases.

FANTASY SPORTS REGULATION A bill to regulate and legalize fantasy sports leagues won the “Shroud Award” in the House of Representatives for the “deadest” bill of the legislative session. The bill was a bid to regulate and legalize fantasy sports.

Alabama Legislative Session

WHAT FAILED

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ALGOPECElections

At the May 2016 SCGOP Quarterly Meeting, an election will be held to fill 2 vacancies on the Alabama Republican Party Executive Committee (ALGOPEC). In order to cast a ballot, your dues must be in current standing. If you received an email from Melody Warbington regarding outstanding membership dues, you can pay those prior to the start of the meeting to Tim Wolfe.

Each member of the ALGOPEC must be a resident and duly qualified elector of the county/precinct and a regular financial contributor, per the ALGOP Bylaws posted at algop.org. ALGOPEC meetings are held twice per year, and special meetings may be called by the Chairman. Members are also members of their respective Congressional District Committee, which holds meetings twice per year. ALGOPEC members from Shelby County are members of the District 6 Committee.

GBTARS President Grace Friedman to Participate in U.S. Senate Page Program By Molly Davidson, Staff Writer, Shelby County Reporter

A local high school student will spend the summer on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., as part of the U.S. Senate Page Program.

Spain Park High School junior and law academy student Grace Friedman was appointed to the historic Page Program by Senator Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama.

The First U.S. Senate Page, a 9-year-old boy, was appointed by Senator Daniel Webster in 1829. The first female pages were appointed in 1971.

The Page Program today looks different than it did in the past. Today, pages must be high school juniors and must be appointed and sponsored by a senator. The highly selective program only offers 30 Senate page positions.

During the program, Senate pages deliver documents between members of Congress, prepare the Senate chamber for business each day, assist members when Congress is in session and deliver bills and amendments to the floor.

Pages live at Webster Hall, near the U.S. Senate offices, throughout the summer program.

GBTARS Member Named 2016 Eagle Scout of the Year GBTARS Member Patrick Kennedy was honored by the Birmingham Sons of the American Revolution and Bob Thomas as being the 2016 Eagle Scout of the Year.

GBTARS Member Lupita BilboaReceives Bob Finley Character Award

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New York, NY– Donald J. Trump announced Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) will serve as Transition Team Chairman. Mr. Trump is the presumptive Presidential nominee for the Republican Party and continues to take critical steps to gear up for the general election against potential Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, or whoever.

Mr. Trump stated, “Governor Christie is an extremely knowledgeable and loyal person with the tools and resources to put together an unparalleled Transition Team, one that will be prepared to take over the White House when we win in November. I am grateful to Governor Christie for his contributions to this movement.”

Governor Chris Christie will serve as Transition Team Chairman, overseeing an extensive team of professionals preparing to take over the White House, and all that

DONALD J. TRUMP ANNOUNCES GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE WILL SERVE AS TRANSITION TEAM CHAIRMAN From donaldjtrump.com

Photos by Nigel Perry for CNN

entails, in the fall. Governor Christie has been a loyal supporter and confidant to Mr. Trump and the campaign. He has been entrusted to oversee this important task with the goal to implement this team in an official capacity in November.

Governor Christie said, “I am honored by the confidence being placed in me by Mr. Trump and look forward to putting together a first rate team to assemble an administration to help best serve the President-elect and the nation.”

Mr. Trump has begun shifting towards a general election strategy and implementing an infrastructure capable of securing a victory including making key hires, building a finance operation to benefit the Republican Party and unifying the party by working with several Republican leaders now voicing their support for Mr. Trump and his candidacy.

#MAKETHISTREND: FACEBOOK MUST ANSWER FOR CONSERVATIVE CENSORSHIPFrom gop.com

Facebook is a social community platform that has become a major source of news and conversation for conservatives and liberals alike.

Recently, the social media giant has tried to play up its value as a news source by highlighting “trending” items. According to Facebook, the items on its “trending” list are generated by an algorithm that analyzes which stories are popular that day among users.

But in a chilling new report, former Facebook employees admit to manipulating the “trending” feed and blocking conservative items from being featured.

According to one employee, who kept a log of items that were curiously omitted, Facebook curators kepts topics like the IRS scandal suppressed. They would also omit coverage from conservative news outlets in favor of MSM sources like the New York Times and the BBC.

With 167 million US Facebook users reading stories highlighted in the trending section, Facebook has the power to greatly influence the presidential election.

It is beyond disturbing to learn that this power is being used to silence view points and stories that don’t fit someone else’s agenda.

Censorship in any form should give Americans who value their fundamental freedoms great pause.

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Americans are very concerned about the Electoral College. The People seem so shocked by the process, one might think the parties dreamed the scheme up recently to pull a fast one on the public. In reality, the Electoral College has been with us from the beginning of our democracy and reflects the tenuous balance between the ideals of democracy and a republic

Shock and disgust come over people when the bare fact is laid out before them: a voter does not vote for a candidate, but for a delegate (in the primaries), and an elector (in the general election). In the words of late Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, “the Constitution does not provide for the popular election of anyone.”

The Constitution also does not mention parties, though parties have been a natural way for people to organize and elect representatives. Under the First Amendment, parties have the right to make rules for their organizations that cannot be infringed upon by the government. Elections are, by design, left to the People to organize. Courts and government agencies have limited authority to direct how the People organize.

The questions that should follow shock and disgust over the electoral system are why do the People organize this way, and how should the People organize differently, if the current system is unacceptable. The trouble is, these questions lead to a very complicated problem that has plagued civilizations: How does society prevent tyranny — tyranny of the masses, or majority; and tyranny of factions, or minority?

The Founders of the U.S. came up with a solution, however tenuous: representative government, decentralized power, and weighted votes.

REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENTRepresentative government is supposed to ensure that qualified individuals make the important decisions, not

THE ELECTORAL COLLEGEa hallmark of representative government By Kathryn Bullington, The Independent Voter Project

uninformed masses who may be encouraged by any sentiment. Delegates and electors serve this purpose. Delegates serve as representatives in private political parties, and electors are enshrined in the Constitution as part of our national representative government.

In the 1980s, after selecting several untenable candidates, the Democratic Party adjusted its rules to allow for superdelgates — elite figures whose purpose is to ensure that a winning candidate is selected for presidential elections. As Ann Lewis, an adviser to the Democratic Party since the 1970s, stated on a panel in 1984,

Superdelegates do not influence the general election, and don’t exist in Republican Party rules, but serve a purpose for the Democrat’s private political club.

DECENTRALIZED POWER & WEIGHTED VOTES

Decentralizing power is an important theme in U.S. politics, most notably in the tenant of separation of powers between branches of government. According to Professor Emeritus Donald Robinson, of Smith College, one virtue of the Electoral College is its function of decentralizing the power of the majority.

In an interview for IVN, Robinson explained:

This function of decentralizing what can be called the fourth branch of government — the People — provides protection against the tyranny of the masses. Each state, even small states with small populations, must be taken into account, and separately considered by those wishing to represent the People.

THE VALUE AND THREAT OF THE ELECTORAL COLLEGEArguments against the Electoral College bring the People back to some very complicated problems.

“The ConsTiTuTion does noT provide for The popular eleCTion of anyone.”

- Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart

“The purpose of a parTy is To win elecTions and To govern.”

“insTead of [candidaTes] Thinking of The The u.s. as a greaT big whole, [candidaTes] have To Think

abouT The counTry as a number of elemenTs.”

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The main argument against the Electoral College is the danger of electors voting against the will of the People. In a very real and important sense, this speaks to the U.S.’s value of representative government.

The Electoral College functions as a safety valve in two ways. One is to protect against the tyranny of the masses, as a function of representative government. Second, and more practical, is to allow for representation in case of an abnormality, such as death of a candidate late in the election process.

There is also a real danger: tyranny of factions. Electors can be selected by parties with no rules binding qualifications of electors, nor an elector’s votes to the People. In this sense, a small number of private party operatives have the power to select who they wish to the executive branch.

THE PEOPLE’S PROBLEM The Electoral College is part of the Constitution, and can only be abolished by a two-thirds vote in Congress. Parties, however, are not in the Constitution.

There is no easy solution for how the People should organize to elect representatives. Parties and the Electoral College are the solutions that generations past have used.

No matter the path, society will have to face the threat of tyranny, and if all goes well, guard against it.

SCGOP Members Tim Wolfe and Bob Caliento register voters and sign up vollunteers at the

Helena Founders Day event April 23rd at Buck Creek. If you’d like to get involved and get

motivated for the Republican Party, contact your zone director today about upcoming

service opportunities!