By Glynn Wilson –
MONTGOMERY. Ala. – Governor Robert Bentley issued a statement on Wednesday in response to the Obama administration’s announcement of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Transportation into the proposed closure of state driver license offices in mostly poor counties populated by minorities.
Bentley claimed there were no offices closed and accused the Obama administration of practicing politics. Really?
“In an ongoing attempt to politicize a resolved issue, the United States Department of Justice informed my office Tuesday of an impending investigation by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) that is in its early stages and no findings have been made,” Bentley said in a statement on the governor’s Website and posted on Twitter.
Due to legislative budget cuts, he said, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) reallocated driver license examination personnel back to the district drivers license offices on a full time basis in September 2015. Prior to this budget decision, these examiners, who are state employees, were traveling to each county level probate office or courthouse once or twice a week to provide the service of examination.
“I made the decision in October 2015 to ensure that an examiner report to each county level office at least once a month to continue providing this service,” Bentley claims. “Despite what the Obama Administration claims, there were no driver license offices closed in Alabama.”
The embattled governor, who is going through a divorce and has lost the confidence even of his own party, said he was confident that the USDOT investigation will find no basis for the claims of discrimination. He went on to attack Democratic Party front runner for president Hillary Clinton and the president himself.
“Despite facts to the contrary, opportunistic politicians such as Hillary Clinton have politicized an Alabama budgeting issue to serve their own agenda, going so far as to travel to our state for the sole purpose of political pandering,” Bentley says.
Critics think he is looking more and more like Montgomery Burns from the Fox animated series “The Simpson” every day.
“This USDOT investigation is nothing more than a weak attempt to embarrass the people of Alabama and exploit our state in the name of a political agenda,” said Burns, I mean Bentley. “It is time for the Obama Administration and aspiring national politicians to listen to facts, stop wasting taxpayers’ dollars and put the political agendas away.”
Maybe its time for Mr. Burns to step down as governor and walk away before he ends up in prison.
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No one ever cites how many customers on a monthly average that we are talking about with the potential closures. If there’s less than twenty people a day showing up…..there’s no reason for a full-time operation. So, can’t we get some facts to base judgement upon?
If by customers you mean taxpayers then they OWN this. Government should be run like a social service, not a business. Otherwise, why would the fire department help the poor? Because you don’t want the entire town to burn down. Freaking republicans, I swear