By Chip Beeker
Over the last several years, I have found myself angered on a daily basis by the continued erosion of the rights, liberties, and values that Alabamians, in particular, hold so dear.
Barack Obama and his liberal cronies in Washington are not only attempting to change the face of our nation at the federal level, but they are ignoring the 10th Amendment to the Constitution and infringing upon our rights at the state level, as well.
At this very moment, radical bureaucrats in Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency are working to kill Alabama’s 5,000 coal industry jobs by increasing regulations and handing down unreachable mandates without Congressional approval or oversight.
Their efforts in neighboring Georgia have already led to the closing of 15 coal-fired power plants, the loss of scores of jobs, and utility rates that may likely skyrocket as a result. We must not allow that situation to reoccur here, in Alabama.
These are the same environmental extremists who screamed a few years ago that our planet was experiencing “global warming,” but when studies showed weather patterns have actually gotten cooler, not warmer, over the past several decades, they subtly changed the phrase to “climate change”.
I believe that no matter what you call it, a myth is still a myth, and the so-called “climate change crisis” is about as real as unicorns and little green men from Mars.
In Greene County, where I live and operate a catfish farm, liberal environmentalists are attempting to shut down our local steam plant, which is the lifeblood of our small county and provides most of the tax base for the poverty-stricken area.
These activists have absolutely no concern about the economic damage their actions will inflict or how closure of the plant might affect the men, women and families who depend upon the jobs and income that it generates and provides. They simply pursue their leftist agenda with blinders on their eyes and radical ideas locked firmly in their heads.
As a proud Alabamian and a committed Ronald Reagan conservative Republican, I can no longer stand on the sidelines while federal bureaucrats, out-of-state liberals, and their misguided allies attempt to run roughshod across out state.
It is time for like-minded conservatives to band together and fight these attacks on our beliefs, our values, and our economic well-being, and for that reason, I decided to run as a candidate for the Alabama Public Service Commission.
I pledge to you that I will do all in my power as a PSC commissioner to protect our state from the overreach of the federal government and the job-killing agenda of the liberal environmentalists who are standing arm-in-arm with Barack Obama.
The foundation of our campaign will be built upon three simple themes, which include protecting consumers and keeping utility rates affordable, creating jobs and improving Alabama’s economy by protecting existing industries while recruiting new ones, and fighting the unconstitutional actions of the Obama Administration and his out-of-control EPA.
If we are going to win this battle, it is important that we elect a PSC commissioner who is willing to take action now, not one like my opponent, Commissioner Terry Dunn, who is content to serve as the liberal environmentalists’ tacit enabler.
I believe our state is under threat from outside liberal forces, and our country is at an historic crossroads that could determine the direction we take for the next several decades. If you agree that it is time to join the battle and that environmentalists have their interests, not our interests, at heart, I ask you to stand by my side help me enter the fight.
By working together, we can continue improving our economy, maintaining affordable utility rates, and keeping Alabama a special place to live, work, and raise our children.
I appreciate your support.
Chip Beeker is a small businessman, the former Republican chairman of the Greene County Commission, and a candidate for Public Service Commission Place 2 Associate Commissioner.
