This November: Part 7
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Give me Liberty
Rodger Williamson
Again, picking up from where I left off from last week, I continue with my thoughts regarding the candidates for governor of Alabama. Our second Democratic candidate for governor of Alabama Chad “Chig” Martin from Enterprise, Alabama.
In his youth, Martin earned a football scholarship to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he completed a Bachelor of Science degree in 1991. Mr. Martin now owns Martin Mobile Home Park in Enterprise; Thunder Industrial Supply in Dothan, a full line supplier of facility maintenance, safety products, machine shop services, and aircraft parts; and he co-owns Honeysuckle Hemp Company with his daughter Anna Marie Martin.
Martin is running as a Democrat, but he espouses many Libertarian ideologies. Martin apparently grasps the concept of the Free Market that seems to elude so many politicians. Martin wants to reduce the tax burden for Alabama citizens by recruiting businesses to our state; that would in turn improve our economy.
He said that he would like to rebuild the core of the State of Alabama and eventually point Alabama into a much more user-friendly state for citizens and for businesses to set up shop.
Martin advocates for a lottery in Alabama. He believes that our teachers should not be responsible for purchasing basic classroom supplies and that the lottery is the answer.
“We’ve got to have an education lottery here in Alabama,” Martin said. “It’s not a moral thing anymore, it’s business. Forty-six out of 50 states in this country now have a lottery. We’ve got money trickling out of the state in every direction all day long. I want to keep that money in our state.”
Martin also advocates for “natural” medicine (AKA medical marijuana). As the owner of the Honeysuckle Hemp Co in Dothan, the first hemp dispensary and CBD store in Alabama, it should come as no surprise that Martin supports natural medicine.
Martin stated that he would love to see a full decriminalization of cannabis in Alabama. He believes that alcohol is much more dangerous and addictive. He believes that this would not only help people suffering with a variety of illnesses, but it will also help clear a congested court system and ease the burden of overcrowded prisons. Martin stated that he wants to allow citizens to grow up to six plants at one time without the fear of being arrested. A small permit fee may apply.
He wants the free market opened up for the sale of cannabis in Alabama with a special cannabis tax being applied at the register to citizens. This money will help our cash-strapped state, as well as help citizens stay safe by not having back alley deals to acquire natural medicine. The Libertarian in me disagrees with his intended government controlled limitation and permit fee, but it is definitely a step in the right direction.
Martin stated that “our people are hurting with Alabama being one of the lowest ranked overall states in America and nearly last in poverty.” He said that he wants “to provide opportunities to improve quality of lives for families” and that he wants “citizens to have the healthcare that every American deserves,” and that he wants “…to educate our children while also growing high tech industry in our state. When these children graduate, I want them to have opportunities to stay right here in Alabama. I want to leave Alabama in better shape than I found her. I want to move our state up in the rankings. We currently average 49th in most categories. I would love to get us up into the 20s.”
Martin also added that he believes in the separation of church and state and will always protect every citizen’s constitutional rights.
I leave it to the people of Alabama to vote their conscience in the upcoming primaries, but as for me, Chig Martin gets a definite “maybe.” Let’s see if he can win the upcoming Alabama Democratic primary on the twenty-fourth of May.
Again, because of the limitations of space available for a weekly opinion column, I must stop here, and I will continue to sort through the Democratic Party candidates for the position of governor of Alabama in next week’s “Coosa County News.”
