Taxing Larry...and Hillary's Momentum

I'm making up the number, but Patrick Cooper's support for his lawsuit to try to disqualify Larry Langford just increased 7 fold. Who knows, really, but Langford has been in office about two days and has proposed a 1 cent sales tax increase to build the dome.

There will be a revolt in the streets of Birmingham if this tax increase passes. He already passed the 1 cent sales tax for education as a county commissioner without a vote of the people.

Ed May and his lodging tax increase proposal...just about as bad. They think hotel guests don't look at that kind of stuff, but believe me, business travellers do. And the last lodging tax increase was passed to go to the Chamber of Commerce for promotion of tourism, with the blessing of hotel operators. But then the city took the money from the chamber for their own use leaving the chamber high and dry. Hotel operators are against this increase.

So I say...No to the lodging tax in Bessemer. No to the sales tax in Birmingham.

Hillary Clinton, who regained her momentum at last night's debate in Las Vegas, received another endorsement last night in Alabama. The Alabama Stonewall Democrats met and voted to endorse Hillary for president.

This meeting was at Los Amigos mexican restaurant, and the chips and little bowls of salsa reminded me of something I read in Parade Magazine this week. Professor Nancy Zeller of American University in D. C. tested whether double dipping is bad. "The professor and her students dipped, double-dipped , then triple dipped chips into salsa, guacamole, soft cheese and a spinich-cream spread. Surprisingly, after one hour, the salsa and guacamole had virtually no bacteria. The other two dips, which contained dairy, had some bacteria - but not as much as Professor Zeller, a microbiologist, had expected. 'Commercial dips have a fair number of preservatives,' she notes. 'In this case, that may have been a good thing.' "

Still...do your double dipping in private, please.

Hillary's greatest line last night in Vegas was, "They aren't attacking me because I'm a woman, they're attacking me because I'm ahead!" True.

And 39 drug and weapons arrests were made in and around Bessemer this week. Operation Blue Thunder on Channel 42. Bessemer was working in cooperation with DEA and AFT agents. Lt. Mike Roper said "We're not going to let up. We're taking back the streets of Bessemer and aggressiviely attacking the drug problem."

Let's just hope the police continue their efforts. The Bessemer Neighborhood Association gave the police department the benefit of the doubt when we were addressing crime and violence, in hopes a joint effort was being undertaken, and we were right.

More arrests are on the way, they say.