7 Things: Everything continues to be more expensive, dueling gambling/lottery bills in Alabama and more …

7. They broke it, you buy it

• Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives are proposing a $100 per month payment to Americans to compensate for the higher price of gas since the national average is up significantly. The Gas Rebate Act of 2022 was introduced by U.S. Representatives Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) and Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.). This would be taxpayer money.

• The rebate outlines who would qualify for payments every month through the Economic Impact Payment. Individuals making less than $75,000 per year would be eligible, and couples making less than $150,000 per year would qualify. There is no funding information given in the proposal.

6. Tuberville endorses Herschel Walker in Georgia

• Former University of Georgia star football player Herschel Walker is running for U.S. Senate and has picked up U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville’s (R-Ala.) endorsement. Tuberville, however, has remained consistent that he won’t endorse in the U.S. Senate race in Alabama.

• Tuberville said, “We need Herschel Walker in the United States Senate. We need him representing our sister state of Georgia and our country. Plus, as an old football coach I need a great running back in Washington, D.C. Herschel will be a great addition and he has my full endorsement.”

5. Brooks taking credit for Space Command coming to Huntsville

• U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) touted the economic activity in his district after a weakly and poorly written column from columnist and sketchy former government employee Steve Flowers claimed without evidence that Brooks has been bad for his district. This is despite the obvious population and economic growth. Brooks and Representative Brian Babin (R-Texas) were visiting the Marshall Space Flight Center and Redstone Arsenal. Babin also announced his endorsement of Brooks for U.S. Senate.

• Brooks stated, “There are a number of people that you could say ‘but for that person, Space Command would not be at Redstone Arsenal.’ Mo Brooks is one of those people. But for Mo Brooks, Space Command would not have been at Redstone Arsenal. I want to emphasize though that it’s a team effort. there are multiple people that you could say that about.”

4. Ending the federal mask mandate

• Alabama’s U.S. Representatives Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville), Jerry Carl (R-Mobile), Barry Moore (R-Enterprise), Gary Palmer (R-Hoover), Mike Rogers (R-Saks) and Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) have signed a letter demanding the federal mask mandates for transportation be ended.

• The letter says the decision to extend the mandate another month was an “arbitrary” one, and adds, “It is far past time that we relieve both the traveling public and frontline transportation workforce of this unnecessary burden and get our nation’s transportation system back to normal.” On an unrelated note, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has COVID-19 and is touting vaccines and masking.

3. U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson has tried to explain her pornography sentencing stance and thoughts on Critical Race Theory

• Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has been nominated by President Joe Biden to the United States Supreme Court. During day two of her confirmation hearing, she dodged questions on Critical Race Theory while her views on sentencing guidelines with child sex offender cases have come under criticism since she’s been found to support light sentences for those who consume child pornography content.

• Jackson said, “As you said, the guideline was based originally on a statutory scheme and on directives, specific directives by Congress at a time in which more serious child pornography offenders were identified based on the volume, based on the number of photographs that they received in the mail, and that made totally, total sense before. When we didn’t have the Internet when we didn’t have distribution, but the way that the guideline is now structured, based on that set of circumstances is leading to extreme disparities in the system because it’s so easy for people to get volumes of this kind of material now by computers. So, it’s not doing the work of differentiating who is a more serious offender in the way that it used to.”

2. A simple lottery bill will only make issues worse according to the comprehensive gambling package sponsor

• State Senator Greg Albritton (R-Atmore) has sponsored gambling legislation and recently claimed that State Representative Chip Brown’s (R-Hollinger’s Island) simple lottery bill would only make current issues with gambling worse. The dueling bills mean a bill is not likely to pass during this session.

• Albritton outlined, “My feeling is that a lottery does not solve the problem. It only increases the difficulty. A lottery doesn’t provide any benefit to the state. It only provides a small position there. It doesn’t help with mental health or any other issues. A lottery will only exacerbate the problem and won’t solve it.”

1. Putin must be making your groceries more expensive, too

• It’s been reported that while gas prices have been increasing, grocery stores are now also seeing an increase. The current average price for gasoline across the United States is $4.24 per gallon, but groceries are currently the most expensive they’ve been in 40 years.

• According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there was a 33-cent increase in the price of whole milk last month just in the Southeast, making the Southeast average for a gallon $3.72 and the national average $3.56. Eggs had a 31% increase over the last month, and the St. Louis Federal Reserve has reported a steep increase in the price of coffee, bacon, chicken and orange juice.