Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:18):
This is the Uncle Henry Show here on News Radio
seventy ten WNTM. Thank you. I appreciate very much you
being a listener. Now in this half hour of show,
I've got some news items I want to get to
that I don't know nothing about, and also some voicemails
from listeners that I ain't listened to. So let's do it.
(00:42):
Let me start with a news item. This has to
do with public education in the state of Alabama, some
that we pay a lot of money for. Now this
story from WBrC UP in Birmingham, a stepsisters station to
Fox ten. They are reporting that there are fewer students, Yes,
(01:06):
fewer students in Alabama classrooms. Let's listen together and learn together.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
News on the four fewer students showing up to class
in Alabama could put hundreds of teachers out of a job.
State Superintendent of Education doctor Eric Mackie says our state
is seeing the biggest drop in enrollment in decades, and
most concerning, he says, thousands of students are unaccounted for.
Doctor Mackie sharing that data with the state Board of
(01:33):
Education and says while final enrollment numbers will be released tomorrow,
they expect to lose about five thousand students. Around three
thousand are now in private schools or being homeschooled through
the new Choose Act program.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Ah okay or the new Choose Act program. Now, I
don't believe the public schools. I don't believe that many
of the people in the public schools felt too kindly
toward the Choose Act.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
The rest have vanished.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Well, you have about twenty one hundred kids that were
in Row last year that have just disappeared.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
They are not on the right arm anywhere.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
They did not.
Speaker 5 (02:10):
Show up for school public or private, and they did.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Not transfer to a school in another state.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
They're just gone. Now who could that? Now? Is that?
Are these undocumented the children of the undocumented? How it
just vanished?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Doctor Macie did not speculate why these students are no
longer enrolled, and he says he's imploring parents to please
send their kids to school if they're still living in
our state.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
How about that?
Speaker 6 (02:41):
Hmm?
Speaker 1 (02:42):
All right, Well, I'm not broad enough to solve this mystery.
And interesting that the state school superintendent would not speculate,
he would not use his speculatory knowledge.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
I don't know that, but they're just speculation you may
like everybody.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Knowledge.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Yes, it was the caller named Dave that introduced the
concept on the Uncle Henry Show several years ago of
speculatory knowledge. That's when you don't really know something for sure,
but you have your own speculation based on your life experiences,
creating a speculatory knowledge. These school superintendent refused to use
(03:22):
his speculatory knowledge. All right, Well, I guess you have
certain standards you must uphold when you're an official like that.
All right. So a few weeks ago, I got a
voicemail from longtime caller Buford, and he expressed that there
were some problems with the Choose Act allowing people to
(03:44):
get money to put their kids in private schools. He
is bufford Is called back with an update on that.
Let's find out together. The update on the Choose Act
from Beaufording pod.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
I come across the episode I had missed live. And
when you blame a borsmail about the school choice them
schools raising tuition and you have some questions, yeah, apologize.
I have been behind in their shows. Henry dude to
this life being extremely busy. It's very, very busy for
(04:21):
the Rupid household. In the fall of the year with
the children and the sports and all that kind of
not kind of stuff. And yeah, also a lack of
initiative to try harder. I promised remedy to that. But anyway, Henry,
what I was trying to get across is there's already
been talks at several private skulls my the one my
children go to, in particular, that the school wants to
(04:46):
double tuition. Really, and it's not to make it that
is more exclusive, because see, these private schools that are
taking this money, they're gonna be exclusive anyway who they
let in. They're not gonna let at that many in.
It's basically just to fleece those of us whose children
has been in that school for years. Really, for example,
(05:11):
bless you.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Now, I'm sorry, I'm not doubting you, but that would
be a terrible Why would you want there to be
a fleecing if you are running a school, an already
existing private school that was around many years before the
Choose Act, why would you want to fleece? And I
(05:32):
know money is very very attractive to many people, but
it doesn't seem it seems like it would hurt you
in the long run to fleece, for example.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Let's just say the tuitions seven thousand dollars a year, okay,
and whatever school you're at, state government's going to give
you up to round seven thousand dollars a year in
school choice money. The talks that's going around some of
the schools one my children go to, the idea has
(06:05):
been proposed that they will double tuition, so basically for
sake of numbers, raising it up to fourteen thousand dollars
per kid of a year, and the reason being that
they will still collect full tuition amount on you know,
(06:26):
each child, plus the state maximum amount that they just
sock away in the bank somewhere. So basically, nobody's really
gonna end up with any type of tuition cut or
you know, tuition relief. You're gonna pay the same tuition
you're paying now. It's just that the schools will then
(06:51):
you know, collect the state money at the maximum amount,
and then you know, they'll shove it away in a
bank account and you know, see whatever it is they
going to do with it. But that's that's the worst
case scenario, and I'm afraid that's the route we're headed down.
Unless some of these state legislate tours past some sort
(07:15):
of amendment or law making it to where these schools
cannot do that. And when I was discussing this with
a state legislat tour, he told me that they knew.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Oh and then and there the voicemail cut him off,
but he did call back. He did call back. Let
me let me jump in and try and get the
end of the story.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Anyway, Henry is not saying for the horsemill cut me off.
I think I'll run over the time limit. But anyway,
it was, uh, I was mentioning this to the state legislatur.
He was telling me that they knew that was going
to happen. Really, nobody wanted to address it. They just
wanted to get it passed. And so I don't know, Henry.
(08:05):
I'm sure if the schools are smart, they'll take some
of that money that they're banking from the state and
kick some of that back to their state legislators as
an effort to pay them off to keep this gravy
train running once it gets started. Anyway, Henry just goes
(08:25):
to show it's in my life experience, and I've been
on this earth thing there fifty year.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
All right, I'm going to pause you there because you're
about to share with me what you've learned in your
life experience. And I want to hear that, but I
want to be able to absorb it. And I've got
to go into the commercial break, and I'm anxious about
that being done properly. So let's take the break. I'll
be right back. Take the break. Uncle Henry's Shaw here
(09:09):
on news Radio seventy ten WNTM. We have news headlines
coming up in ten minutes, and I've got I think
I got a news item or two. I want to
try and get to in this segment, but first I
want to finish up with Beauford. He called in, left
a message and in the last segment of the show
he was telling me something about it what he's learned
(09:31):
in his life experiences. So let's see maybe we can
learn something from what Bufford has learned. So let's listen
here Beewford telling me what he's learned in his.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Life to pay them off to keep this gravy train
running once he gets started. Anyway, Henry just goes a show.
It's in my life experience. I've been on this earth
thing there fifty years, but nothing, and I mean nothing
(10:02):
is changed in government or corporate America that helps the
working man. Everything is every change they make just burdens
you that much more if you're in the working fellars.
So anyway, Henry, we'll see what happens. As old Fredrickson said,
(10:24):
time holds the answer to all things, and in time
we'll all know.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Yes, you have a good day, beautif thank you for that.
And I hate you hate to be cynical. I know
you do. You're a family man, you got a wife
and beautiful children. You hate to be cynical, I'm sure.
But your assertation that nothing has ever done to help
the working man, now, Beauford, I know you may listen
(10:52):
to this months from now as a podcast, The Uncle
inders Show podcast available on the iHeartRadio app or on
news radio seventyen dot com. Whenever you hear this. I
have another question, because you're saying that you don't think
you've seen anything done by the government that's ever helped
the working man. What about the recent no tax on tips? Now?
(11:17):
Is that a trick? And I'm genuinely ignorant about this
because I don't get tips. Unfortunately, I'm not tipped. When
people like the Uncle Henry Show, there's no tip, there's
no tip jar. Do you think that is some type
of sleight of hand? Is it a worthless gesture or
does it help some folks? I'm just curious, Beford, are
(11:39):
you suspicious about no tax on tips? All right? The
voiceman of her by the way, you the listener, you
might have a thought on this as a listener two
five one two one six, nineteen seventy six, if you'd
like to leave me a message two five one two
one six, nineteen seventy six to leave a message for
the uncle show. That's two five one two one six,
(12:02):
nineteen seventy six. Now, before we're out of time, I've
got a news item. Yes, I got a Fox tendus item.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
The Mobile City Council meets tomorrow and it looks like
they're going to be voting on this antip blite proposal
from Mayor Stimpson. Fox ten did a report on this.
Let's let's listen together on what may be going on
tomorrow at the city council meeting about blight in Mobile.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
Council set to vote on Mayor Stimpson's anti blake proposal.
There could be some changes.
Speaker 5 (12:34):
And the mayor first proposed this last month, addressing vacant
commercial properties downtown are Brintan Kirby joining us now in
the Studio Brendan.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
The proposed ordinance would impose new regulations and some fees
on owners of downtown buildings that remain vacant.
Speaker 6 (12:48):
Yeah, that's right, Lindyson Cameron.
Speaker 7 (12:50):
The proposal has widespread support amongst city and business leaders,
even some owners of vacant properties, but some say changes
are needed to the ordinance before Tuesdays. This fire at
the Hoffman Furniture building that raged on Dauphin Street in
twenty twenty three and nearly spread to other buildings helped
(13:11):
motivate Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson to propose an ordinance to
nudge owners to make productive use of their properties or
sell to others who will. The proposal, modeled after programs
in many other cities, would require property owners to register
commercial properties in the downtown area that have been vacant
for at least six months. There would be new requirements
(13:33):
to secure entrances and install fire alarms, and owners would
have to pay annual fees. Tom Townsend, who co owns
the Hoffman Building and four other vacant structures downtown, says
many long vacant properties have been owned for decades by
families whose current owners don't have the money or time
to redevelop them. He says, priding them to sell is good, but.
Speaker 8 (13:57):
If you bought them for an investment use, you probably
paid a lot of more money for them. You need
to set up loans to develop the property, and so
you're going to be more motivated more than likely if
you've recently purchased the buildings, as opposed to being given
the buildings.
Speaker 6 (14:13):
Townsend says he's hoping council members ensure that the rules
aren't too ownerous for owners who are trying to do
the right thing.
Speaker 8 (14:20):
One of the buildings we have a couple of them
have never had indoor plumbing or electricity. Most buildings two
hundred years old didn't need parking, they didn't have cars.
So yes, if you have one of the old some
of the older buildings in Mobile, that adds the complexity
and costs to trying to get those buildings back functional.
Speaker 6 (14:40):
City councilman Ben Reynolds is sympathetic. He says he'd like
the ordinance to be amended to exempt owners if they've
been marketing a property for a year instead of six months.
In the Mayor's proposal, Councilman Reynolds also says that rather
than requiring owners to self report, it should be up
to the city to notify them, and he says he'd
(15:01):
like a graduated fee so that owners of figure buildings
pay more.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
My goal is to take some subjective subjectivity out of
the ordnance, make sure that the property owners in downtown
Mobile have a very clear idea of what they're expected
to do and follow. And no individual or government personnel
can put their thumb on you, just unnecessarily or arbitrarily.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
All right, And now I'm in favor of not having
a thumb put on me by anybody. All right, Well,
we'll find out tomorrow how if they vote or not
on this thing at the count's council meeting tomorrow. All right,
out of time, Thank you for listening to the Uncle
Henry show. As they say in sarah Land, have a
good one. It's say same Theodore, take it evesy
Speaker 8 (15:45):
All right later