6/30/2003 11:50:00 PM

For Theirs Is The Kingdom

it still blows my mind that 70% of Alabama is corporate owned...

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley's $1.2 billion tax reform plan aims to restore his state's fiscal responsibility, while also turning the nation's most regressive tax structure into something more fair. Riley, a conservative Republican, has framed this effort in religious terms -- saying that justice for the poor is not just prudent policy, but also in keeping with God's will, correcting the grievous sin of Alabama's oppressive system (see here).

This hasn't escaped the notice of Alabama's powers and principalities -- such as the timber industry and other corporate interests who own more than 70 percent of the state's land but pay only 2 percent of its property taxes.