FM Talk 1065 Podcasts
House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter - Jeff Poor Show - Monday 7-08-24
He said, "I tried it all. When I was young and in my natural mind. Now it's old dogs and children. And watermelon wine. Old dogs care about you even when you... Welcome back to the Jet pours shoulder here on FM Talk 106-5. Thanks for staying with us on this Monday. The guest of honor here for today's program puts it he and leader Livingston in the Senate put this together about nine years now but a house speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter joins us a speaker. Good morning are you? I'm good Jeff. Good morning. Glad to have you in the cab county. I always pledge for you to be here. This is the first broadcast. We're not live but this will be broadcast later. Let me start here with this. Tell us a little bit how this came to be this breakfast you do every 4th of July. I knew about it when I was on the air and so I just never got to make it here. Finally last year made it up here but now here we are doing a radio show. Yeah well I appreciate that. I appreciate you being here. We started out I guess it's ten years ago. We just some friends and got together at a little cabin here in the cab county and had more people anything we could hold so we thought we know maybe we need to move it somewhere else because people wanted to do it every years. So we come to Hennigar where they had the 4th of July celebration and were able to be part of it and start out in the morning with breakfast. I was kidding them this morning. I remember very well I'm in Central East and started it and the first year we had it here at the Hennigar Park. About the time everybody got here we probably had the coffee ready so as about it we didn't have anything. So we certainly got some great help in people that do it. Last year we fed over 300 people and I suspect more people was here than that. That's just how many that you know got the plates. We were able to know about the number of plates it was used. So it's turned into a great event. Look forward to it every year and it's kind of like I told them this morning that it's a blessing to me. It really is to see that many friends and people that live in the community. It's really pretty neat. Well it's become like kind of a who's-who thing in politics to come and like you know I expect next year this will be much more crowded on it. I think you're probably right. Certainly we've got people today from all over the state starting the lieutenant governor hadn't missed one. Of course Will and I've been friends for years and glad him and his family come each year and and so they're going to be in the pray-through on that candy I think. So I think Jack Williams from Mobile's here and we got a lot of our representatives here and this just continues to grow Secretary of State here and Wes is a good friend sort of with him as you know in the house and always good to see him here. Well it's a cool event and I'm glad I'm glad you do something like this. Fourth of July but kind of marrying the two. I mean it's our system right it's politics is inherently part of the American system and I mean I did this as a political event. It's more of a fellowship kind of thing but there's some political overtones here. Well sure there is. I mean you know the thing about this I guess and Scott had mentioned this morning is kind of like old-timey politics. Right. Stumped speeches and things like that just on the picnic grounds and having everybody here for breakfast before the festivities get started. So yeah I'd say this is more like an old-timey country political event. They don't do a lot of these anymore. No it's also a thing of the past you know and the thing about it is I'm kind of excited to see ours grow like it has. I mean we had set up tents outside last year and have got them set up this year and they added on to the building. This is a new part we're in because we they needed the space and you know they have an event here kind of allowed them to do that and so you know we're excited about it. It's something that we look forward to and we've got a great group of people that cook all the food and they show up here at five o'clock in the morning on the fourth of July and they could be in Horton World and whatever they won't do their families or whatever but they used to be here. Well let's get into the politics of the day. Federal politics, national politics right now is what do you what do you make of what's going on especially you know with an election coming up in November? Well you know it's interesting especially after the debate the other night. I mean you know it's it questions Biden's ability to lead and I think Trump did an outstanding job of course I'm probably biased in that and then I'm okay with that but the thing about it is to me this makes me wonder if there wasn't more planning to this because I'm having that early so you almost wonder if they did it intentionally to try to put somebody else to fill his shoes. I know I'm not a conspiracist I know means but it's awful coincidental and now it seems like the drum beat is getting louder and louder. It's just not something out of the realm of possibilities other than they do say. There's at least a possibility you know? I think so. I mean you know the thing about this if it's not possible harsh meaning that he's been thrown out that might take the spot. So you know I know they got an August is coming pretty quick and I know it's when that convention is but I feel good about Trump's chances. I think he's in a good position regardless of who it is. If it's Biden or if they put a surrogate in I feel like he's gonna do fine. As a matter of fact I think he's gonna be the president again and we need it. I mean for what's going on with inflation and things just happening around the country we need that type of leadership back in the wild house. Well let's move it back to the state of Alabama real quick. You and I talked a couple weeks ago about gambling and all that but I guess looking ahead and you've accomplished some big things so far this quadarium. This is the halfway point. I know ethics is still out there. What do you think the next two years really look like? I mean the fourth year of a quadrarian's kind of you get the bud you get in early get the budgets done and go people go back to their districts but next year will be I guess the consequential year of of this quadrarian that's left. Yeah I think we'll see a lot of positive legislation. We had some bills you know passed out of the house last year that I hope we can get through the Senate you know what is a woman being one? I'm the library bill being the other one at our moving hand so we got we got some of those things I think we need to finish up and I think Matt's worked too hard to select the ethics lingo. I think we need give him a chance to see what we can work out. I know the workman's conversation for teachers. I know Sam has worked on that really harsh family van and and we look forward to working with him to to get something done when they have. There's a lot of I believe at my house I have got a sheet of notebook or a notebook beside my recliner and I've got a list of items that's on it and every time something comes up I just ride it down so I can remember what we're what we're going to be doing and looking at. So I'm excited about it. I think we've had two really good sessions and I feel blessed to be the speaker and honored that the members put me in that position and I feel like that over the last two years we've passed a lot of good legislation. Well and looking at your leadership here I mean there's a difference in your predecessor Mike McCutchen but like things definitely feel more structured. Everything starts on time and and the thing is like really you really see the biggest difference like some of the vote totals you're accumulating and we got to work together as a body it seems very well. Yeah one thing I and I think it's important is important to me when I come in as a freshman it's important I think for our members and also for everybody that's in the body is to try to give them as much information as we can. If it's a tough issue if it's hard issue regardless of what it is try to give them as much information as they possibly can yet and I think that helps. I think that helps us with the votes. I think letting both sides and working on both sides of the aisle helps us and you know we're not going to agree on everything. I mean that's just the way it is but I think we can work together for the common good for this day. Yeah well and the the I don't think about your leadership role speaker now DeKalb County it's it's the very north corner or the eastern corner of the state but what's the learning curve been like kind of getting around the state. I mean like you're on a mobile radio show right now understanding how this whole state kind of comes together it's a I always talk about it like this this tribal but once you figure it out it fits together like a jigsaw puzzle. It really does. I mean we were in the Taiwan County last week and Mobile County just come back from there and you know spend a lot of time down there through the year and travel all over the state like you said. You know the thing with me is I wish that people could see what I see and see the drive that people of this state have to be successful in business or to be successful in their whatever they're doing for their community and and for their surrounding area because it is different you know it's it's you know I was in the mobile last week with Chip Brown and we were talking about everything down there in the culture and what it is based on what the culture is here in north Alabama so it's it's it's refreshing to see that alabamians are working hard to be successful in their community and be successful in business and their churches but getting to see that first hand and hearing the stories of people that really come up from the shoe straps to be successful in whatever venture they're in it's uh it's really pretty neat. Well and I tell you like historically mobile feels like it's like under red at his tip chowman so does the shoals or dothan or wherever and what do you say to those people that feel like they're just I'm streaming it in this part of the state feel that way sometimes about my camera because my camera just seems so far away to people. No you're 100 right we complain here because we don't get enough road money. You know we don't spend this true everywhere right? That's right yeah well it's everywhere and everybody in it I think that's a good thing because everybody fights for their area. There's nothing wrong with that and and certainly you know when I know chairman Reynolds is here this morning and chairman Garrett when they look at their budgets I try to make sure that they spread down as fairly as they possibly can but sometimes you always would like to do a little better for your certain district or right so I think that's just human nature. Well uh tell me this then uh looking uh the other thing looking for I guess we need to talk about because it's just it is the state issue everyone is it's just a situation in Montgomery the city there the crime there and I saw a picture the other day of uh you know a shattered glass from a bullet hole in a government building one of those green rooftops I mean like that's getting close to home right I mean I mean from a state approach I mean are you how concerned are you what do you think it needs to happen? Yeah we you know you know I talked about I think last time I was on the show and there's certainly something these happened and there's conversation going on and I had met with a delegation from Mobile and in Jefferson County during session last year because of it and we did two or three things and we thought it would help around the ages but the end of the day you know when you're half of the police force I mean it's pretty simple to me you got to get feet on the ground I mean right now when they're down by over 200 police officers in Montgomery I think I just read that this week Jeff and I think they're down that many in Birmingham you know I know it's hard to hire police officers now I get it but I do think that makes a difference I mean being the visible being out there being you know being able to have people in the streets makes a ton of difference I think they got to continue to do that and if there's anything we can do you know we won't help but we there's got to be something well well last question we're happy to put this on Capitol Journal a couple weeks ago Darryl Bailey was the DA in Montgomery County he was like with the legislature he put some of the owners on legislature obviously it was like parenting in the back up in the judiciary but it wasn't the usual like it's constitutional carry it was this it was like do we need to have higher penalties for gun crimes in this state I mean doesn't that persist the other problem where he put all these people but like is that does is that a deterrent that would really be effective in this scenario yeah I think anything we can do and look at is possibility you know we've done that with Fennel you know I don't know how much it's really held you know you see all the crimes and what's going on with it now but I'm open and certainly will be you know the thing this is my thing from the from the standpoint of where it's Jeff from county or whether it's in Montgomery or Mobile or whatever the crime rate is you know the people in those positions have got to take responsibility and I have seen firsthand in news reports and everybody else or some of the leadership wants to blame everybody else right you know I think there's comes a time when you got to stand up and you got to be a leader and you got to take responsibility for what's going on well it is uh it's it's perilous times I mean and you know but the other problem is with this and this will be really be the last question if you pose rules for a place where because we were just talking about everything's not the same it's very tribal if you try to impose like a one-size-fits-all state solution to something that's very Montgomery centric or Birmingham centric or wherever the problem may be I mean is that the right approach do you need the same kind of like governance or the same kind of policy applied to like Scottsboro or wherever that you would Montgomery no you're 100 right I think you got to look at that and I think you're you're 100 right I mean I can tell you right now you can park your car whole we're sitting right here and leave it for a week unlocked with anything you want to leave in it and when you come back it's gonna be in it I mean it's so it's totally different in different parts of the state and I think the more rule there is we don't see as much crime based on populations as much as anything but no you're 100 right we need to make sure we're we do a new diligence we do the right thing when you're trying to race it speaker you're always very kind you've been good to this program over the years when you were a leader but thanks for coming by thanks for having us today hey thanks for being here you know I told Scott this morning that when you show up once you guys show up every year so we look forward to seeing you back next year for office yeah that's right well speaker the title of the letter thanks again speaker thank you to let that happen again so this is where it is and this is where it is. 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