Leaders should look to Alabama as model for running government
Bentley says national leaders should look to Alabama as model for running government
CHATOM, Alabama – National leaders would do well to look at the Heart of Dixie as a model for how to run a government, Gov. Robert Bentley said Wednesday.
Bentley, who answered questions from audience members and later the media after his keynote address at the Delta Regional Authority's workforce development summit in Washington County, said the next president should come from the ranks of the nation's governors. He did not offer up himself but said the federal government has a lot to learn from Montgomery.
"The federal government does not create jobs. They can impede jobs. But they don't create jobs," he said. "The federal government needs to look at Alabama. I'll tell them how to run the government."
In addition to dispensing some unsolicited advice to the federal government, Bentley pontificated on subjects ranging from Tuesday's federal court rulings on the Affordable Care Act to Alabama's prekindergarten program. He also defended the state's huge delegation to an international air show in London.
Bentley said he was proud that Alabama's contingent at this month's Farnborough Air Show, at nearly 100 public officials and business leaders, dwarfed that of competitor states. He said he was the only governor who was "working the show."
http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2014/07/bentley_says_national_leaders.html#incart_m-rpt-2
The following is a list of America's most miserable states:
4. Alabama
> Life expectancy: 75.4 years (tied-2nd lowest)
> Percent obese: 28.1% (tied-20th highest)
> Median household income: $41,574 (4th lowest)
> Percent with high school diploma: 84.0% (6th lowest)
The median household income in Alabama of just $41,574 in 2012 was fourth lowest in the nation. The relatively low income of many state residents may have made it difficult for them to access basic necessities. Relatively few Alabama residents said they had enough money to afford medicine, food or adequate shelter. Alabama residents also had among the worst physical health in the nation. High blood pressure and diabetes in particular were much more common in Alabama than in most other states. Also, there were 236 deaths per 100,000 people due to heart disease, the second-most nationwide.
The gap between Alabama's richest and poorest is the second largest in the nation.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/02/23/most-miserable-states/5729305/