Al Melvin: You’re on your knees while I’m galloping toward the cliff

by David Safier

Just over a year ago, Al Melvin was reveling in the pain caused by the economic downturn and the state's impending revenue catastrophe. He told Dave Perry, the Explorer's Publisher and Editor,

"When everyone is on their knees, so to speak, from the adverse economic situation, you can get more accomplished in a fundamental way than you can if you're flush with revenue and cash."

Last week, talking with Howard Fischer, Melvin embraced rigid ideology as a governing style, even when it takes us to the brink of disaster.

"I love political, philosophical purity, and I will ride that horse at a full gallop all day long until we reach the cliff."

You might wonder why Melvin is willing to admit he'll gallop full speed toward the cliff he can see looming in front of him. It's because he's patting himself on the back for being a moderate compared to some of his ideological colleagues who won't stop at the cliff's edge.

"Some of my friends, some libertarians, go off the cliff with the horse."

The topic of the conversation was Melvin's support of the texting-while-driving ban, one part of his "Bless the Beasts and the Children" campaign to show what a caring moderate he is.

Melvin, who carries a grudge, will never forgive the Pachyderm Coalition for the bad rating it gave him for his "nanny state" tendencies. He's fond of referring to libertarians as "loser-tarians."

It's good to know Cap'n Al won't take us over the cliff. He'll stop right at the edge and let his compatriots like Russell Pearce give us that final push.