Andrew Sorrell
ShoalsInsider.com recently sat down with Andrew Sorrell and asked him why our readers should send him to Montgomery. We asked Andrew about some topics and issues close to our reader’s hearts. Below is his response:
#1. I will fight to eliminate government waste. In any multiple-billion-dollar budget, there is bound to be hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of waste. I intend to find, eliminate, and repurpose that money to a better use. A small, streamlined government is best!
#2. I support tough ethics laws. As a member of the Republican Steering Committee in 2017, I voted to ask Governor Bentley to resign. The resolution passed and the next day, he did. I do not care what political party someone is a member of. If they commit ethics violations as a public official, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Alabama passed many new ethics laws in a 2010 special legislative session. I support these tough laws that have convicted many top Alabama lawmakers over the past 8 years and I will make sure they don’t get watered down by career politicians in Montgomery.
#3. Speaking of career politicians, I support term limits. I do not believe the founders of this country ever intended for elected officials to have a permanent job at taxpayer expense. These positions should be limited to 2 or 3 terms immediately. No one should serve in the same position for 30 years.
#4. I support the animal shelter. The shelter is vastly underfunded, but they are doing a great job with the resources they have been given. Not only will I help the animal shelter raise funds, I will sponsor legislation to toughen the penalties for people convicted of animal cruelty.
#5. I support eliminating the grocery tax. Many other states do not tax groceries because it disproportionately affects the poor and seniors on fixed incomes. Poor families could literally buy 9% more food with the same amount of money if we were to eliminate this tax.
#6. I will fight to bring dollars back from Montgomery to build an overpass over the train tracks on Avalon Ave. in Muscle Shoals, and Montgomery Ave. in Sheffield. Other areas of the state have no problem getting infrastructure dollars to their districts, and I want to make sure District 3 receives its fair share. This is a huge public safety concern, as the tracks routinely block ambulances on the way to Helen Keller hospital.
#7. I will fight illegal immigration because it hurts the working man in Alabama. All illegal immigrants pulled over by state troopers should be turned over to immigration officials immediately. Illegals not only take Alabama jobs, but they don’t pay taxes on their earnings. That means that working men and women in Alabama must pay more than their fair share to make up for the ones who cheat the system. This is also a public safety concern, as some of these illegals are committing violent crimes.
#8. I will protect the RSA retirement fund from politicians who want to cut benefits to state employees. I believe retirees should get every penny of the money they were promised when they entered the system.
