Thursday, March 26, 2009

"You Know You Are Poor If," By Rep. Joseph Mitchell

One might ask what on earth the title of this blog has to do with the Alabama Legislature?

Well, after sitting for hours at the Alabama Statehouse today listening to filibusters in both the House and Senate, Representative Joseph Mitchell enlightened us all this afternoon with his rendition of Jeff Foxworthy’s “You Know You’re a Redneck If” and replaced it with his list of “You Know You’re Poor If”. Please note that this is only a partial list from his speech.

“You Know You are Poor If”:

1. “You have to shake the ants off your laundry before taking your clothes in from drying.”

2. “If your supper is the same as what you ate for breakfast.”

3. “If you eat your lunch out of the same bowl and with the same spoon you ate your breakfast with.”

The following was yelled from the House floor adding to Rep. Mitchell’s list after he apologized for wearing sneakers to work this afternoon because he stepped in a puddle outside on his way in.

“You know you are poor if you wear white sneakers with your black suit to the floor of the Alabama House!”

Laughter throughout the House immediately followed. I think some college co-eds can relate to this list as well. Oh, our tax dollars hard at work!

In case you missed earlier blogs this week, the filibuster by the Black Caucus began in the House Tuesday after the bill which would remove the tax on groceries failed to garner enough support to go before the House membership for a vote.

Filibuster Continues in the House Due to Grocery Tax Bill

As soon as the special order calendar was introduced in the House this morning, Representative Buskey (D) expressed his disappointment in not seeing HB 116 on the calendar that would remove the grocery tax. This is the same bill that shut down the House on Tuesday after it failed to receive enough votes to move forward for a vote on the House floor.

It appears that the Black Caucus will continue to filibuster indefinitely in the House today.