Showing posts with label alabama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alabama. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

La La is at it again.....

I obviously didn't get to see my Selig moment last night during the all-star game and I am definitely paying for my decision to stay up and watch all 15 innings last night, but it was worth it.

Now, on to more important matters such as more initiatives proposed by the mayor of our fair city, Larry Langford. I no longer am surprised by anything I hear come out of city hall, seriously, so why should I be surprised when I hear this morning that La La is "looking into" the possibility of a high speed train that would run between Birmingham and Atlanta and Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. Yes, you read it correctly - a freaking monorail from Tuscaloosa to Atlanta is the newest brainchild of La La.

I must give credit where credit is due and it looks like one of La La's initiatives will actually become reality - Birmingham International Airport will be renamed in honor of civil rights leader, Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth. This is a wonderful idea and I'm happy to see this is one of Langford's initiatives that can be crossed off the list as completed, HOWEVER, this check mark has unfortunately come along with another addition to the uncompleted list - the monorail.

As I have said about the numerous prior initiatives proposed by Langford, this idea alone may not be a bad idea, but it is not alone. It is placed on an ever-growing list of initiatives/ideas that are themselves ever-growing in their scope and grandiosity. Where will this end? Could Birmingham possibly host the Iditarod one day? What about the next G8 Summit? Has the United Nations seen what Birmingham has to offer over New York??

I guess it is totally logical for a city that can't even afford to follow through with their promise of free rides on city buses to now consider building a monorail from Tuscaloosa to Atlanta. I am really beginning to get frustrated and embarrassed over this spectacle La La is making of Birmingham. These ideas may come from a good place, but when you are the mayor of a struggling city you can't afford to offer crazy/unattainable proposals and there should be no need for these. We have more than enough problems in Birmingham currently to keep Langford busy creating initiatives for the next 20 years, but instead of trying to build our city up from the inside out he has chosen to tear it apart from the inside out.

Someone needs to inform Langford that the natives are becoming very restless and this increases with each of these ridiculous proposals. I have no idea what the solution is or how the La La-era will ultimately turn out, but I feel like this city is being cheated of its potential by this nonsense. Birmingham is/was a city that I felt was ready to make a huge push forward in every sense - socially, financially, culturally. Instead, it appears we have chosen to ignore this wonderful opportunity in pursuit of ideas that are not even feasible. I only hope the city will still be ready once La La is done with it.......

I have updated my Squidoo lens on La La to reflect the new initiatives and I've also added some pretty funny videos. Check it out HERE Sphere: Related Content

Friday, July 11, 2008

Birmingham Area Drivers

I have known that the ALDOT Traffic cameras have been streaming images from several Birmingham area roadways, but I must have missed the day when cameras were placed in every conceivable spot. If you haven't checked them out, you should, especially if you are planning your afternoon drive home in a few minutes.

ALDOT Traffic Sphere: Related Content

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Is Troy King Resigning?

The Alabama political rumor mill is running at full speed right now over a rumor that has been building throughout yesterday and overnight......that State Attorney General Troy King will be resigning in the near future. I may be updating this story very soon if something breaks, but for now I will let you draw your own conclusions based on the reports that are currently leading this story on the web....

The Locust Fork Journal Sphere: Related Content

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Langford says Birmingham Olympic bid no joke

This was the title of an article in The Birmingham News this past week. This comment is a perfect example of why Birmingham citizens' blood pressure has been on a steady increase since La La, aka Larry Langford, has taken office as the mayor of the Magic City. So, according to La La, we should not think for a second that the rumors of a bid for the 2020 Olympics by Birmingham is a joke. Why would this be a joke? $500K just to APPLY isn't anything when you are as rich as the city of Birmingham and Jefferson County...........oh yeah, they aren't rich at all. That may be why some people could think these rumors are a joke. Actually, they are so NOT rich that Jefferson County is on the verge of filing the largest municipal bankruptcy in US history.

The thing that makes this potential gigantic bankruptcy filing especially important to this discussion is the fact that La La served on the Jefferson County Commission from 2002-2007 and until 2006 he was the Commission President and Commissioner of Finance and General Services. As the Commissioner of Finance, La La orchestrated a series of complex bond swaps that were proposed as solutions to the County's ever-compounding debt......stay tuned for more on this saga. Sphere: Related Content