Go ahead, Senator Orr.

Well, good to be with you, Dale.

You saw it probably a year ago in 2025 where it's like the Democrats huddled up And they came up with the magic word affordability.

That's the big issue.

It's what's affordable.

And it's a magic word in that, heck, I complain about prices up and down.

Everything's always unaffordable or expensive or wish it were less, whether it's a new car or whether it's a house or whether it's, A slab of bacon at the grocery store.

I'm just wondering if you've heard anything about on this front or are we basically saying in alabama these things need to go in other places around the state and again economic development that comes along with it is great tax revenue all that other stuff is that the future because we we've got 17 different uh moratoriums more trying to be put on place even though the the county commission board's like oh no please don't give us any more power we'd hate to have more power don't do that you know is is it other places other than tva and other than north alabama

they were given

back when they crossed over.

is absurd.

And what it does, Dale, is it makes them disrespect our laws, our system of order, because they know nothing's going to happen to me.

I'm cool.

I'll just hang out and work and start, you know, have a family and be a lawbreaker all the while and disrespect the laws of this country because they're not going to enforce them.

They don't really care.

I'm just wondering if you've heard anything about on this front or are we basically saying in alabama these things need to go in other places around the state and again economic development that comes along with it is great tax revenue all that other stuff is that the future because we we've got 17 different uh moratoriums more trying to be put on place even though the the county commission board's like oh no please don't give us any more power we'd hate to have more power don't do that you know is is it other places other than tva and other than north alabama

Where were you that day? What do you remember? Tell me about that day for Arthur Orr.

Well, it's certainly a day you'll never forget, and mainly glued to the television.

And people were trying to figure out what in the heck just happened and what's going on.

You and I have talked about it before, but the following day, uh, I was up at the hospital, uh, when my son was born, uh, that morning on the 12th of September.

And we had been up there for quite some time during the delivery, but everyone was still glued to the televisions thinking as they dig through the rubble, How many survivors will there be? And the more they dug, the more it became clear there weren't going to be any survivors.

But the Orr family, as far as the birth of my son, who incidentally deploys at the end of this month to go over to the Middle East and will be there for a year, he'll leave in a couple days.

It still reverberates in our family, but it's certainly a somber day.

And I mean, you've got to believe that Americans are incredibly naive.

Is there any return to normalcy, or is this where we are from here on out?

Well, I think I don't want to wax too philosophic, but I think a lot of it today, Dale, is we have this sense of independence that we are in self-sufficiency that we can – pretty much if we get sick or get cancer, we can, we can get a, you know, we take a pill and we can get better.

Uh, there's always going to be plenty of food around.

Uh, we, we live in a very militarily strong country.

We're safe here.

The lights, when we go to turn them on, we'll always come on.

You know, those kinds of things where we're, um, I think rolled into a false sense of security because when that security is, is taken away, people start scrambling.

And I mean, you've got to believe that Americans are incredibly naive.

What, What should we expect here? Do you have any idea?

Well, again, the speculation, I think, is you intimated that it is that it's for an acquittal.

And if that's the case, she'll always, if that one last juror ends up caving because of all the pressure, even from the judge even, if that ends up happening, and we're all speculating here, and she'll obviously have a cloud over her head for the rest of her life without a doubt and be a marked person.

And I would say probably rightly so for what she did.

I hadn't heard all the evidence, but looking at it from an outsider's point of view, it's certainly pretty damning to murder your three children.

Am I wrong on that?

Well, the cost goes up.

day one with the state match, and it's several hundred million dollars to the general fund, and that's a significant amount in our state budgets to try to come up with.

What, What should we expect here? Any idea?

Well, again, the speculation, I think, as you intimated, that it is that it's for an acquittal.

And if that's the case, she'll always, if that one last juror ends up caving because of all the pressure, even from the judge even, if that ends up happening, and we're all speculating here, and she'll obviously have a cloud over her head for the rest of her life, without a doubt, and be a marked person.

And I would say probably rightly so for what she did.

I hadn't heard all the evidence, but looking at it from an outsider's point of view, it's certainly pretty damning to murder three of your children your three children

Am I wrong on that?

Well, the cost goes up.

day one with the state match, and it's several hundred million dollars to the general fund, and that's a significant amount in our state budgets to try to come up with.

working on.

You know, I don't have a bill.

There's no question, you know, we'll get rolling on it and it'd be the starting point.

But on the warrants, here's what I think is important to know.

It can be done.

I've talked to local judges.

They said it takes a minute or two or three, and that's it.

nobody care i

working on.

You know, I'll have a bill.

Uh, there's no question, you know, we'll, we'll get rolling on it and it'd be the starting point, but on the warrants, um, here's what I think is important to know.

It can be done.

I've talked to local judges.

They said it takes a minute or two or three, and that's it.

Now, if we're in Perry County and the one district judge of Perry County is out on the golf course or wherever, they have a who's on standby for warrants.

So

You were talking about it, and it didn't seem like a lot of people wanted to listen.

No, they didn't.

And, you know, it struck me when I found out where it was happening, you know, across the country.

And we had done nothing here in Alabama, the idea that, you know, the government could just be recording your movements any given day or night.

And there's no limitation on it.

There was nothing.

It was just the wild, wild west here in Alabama.

Do you think the pushback is going to be, oh, well, Senator Orr, he wants to not give law enforcement all the tools they need to do their job?

Where's his car?

... during his workday.

Yeah, and so, a- anyway, the, the mischief was there.

No restrictions on how long they could keep the database, you know, the access, et cetera.

The, the, the list is long.

And so, you know, tried to do something back then.

People really, uh, weren't interested.

Yeah, he wants to not give law enforcement all the tools they need to do their job?

And what did you see?

Well, I, [laughs] I see what people are now seeing today.

[laughs] And I hate to say I was prescient or something, but, you know, unfortunately back then, Amy Beth, the, the public was just, and, and my colleagues in the legislature had a very, they just weren't interested in the issue.

And the issue back then was, uh, the usage of these flocking cameras, these digital, uh, plate re- readers, uh, license plate readers that, um, you know, were being spread around the state in various places.

And a, a high part of it was for commercial purposes.

In other words, they would have your license plate, and, uh, they would be able to market, uh, to you if you drove under one, and it could have a commercial purpose where you drive under one on the interstate and it says, "Hey, Amy Beth, you, you got a, uh, Starbucks two miles ahead at the next exit.

Pull on over." And the idea that they would be using government right of way for commercial purposes was, uh, you know, totally [laughs] unacceptable.

But are these readers even constitutional? Do you see a problem with the Fourth Amendment?

And what did you see?

Well, I, [laughs] I see what people are now seeing today [laughs], and I, I hate to say I was prescient or something, but, you know, unfortunately back then, Amy Beth, the, the public was just...

You know, and, and my colleagues in the legislature had a very, uh, they just weren't interested in the issue.

And the issue back then was, uh, the usage of these flocking cameras, these digital, uh, plate re- readers, uh, license plate readers that, um, you know, were being spread around the state in various places.

And a, a high part of it was for commercial purposes.

In other words, they would have your license plate, and, uh, they would be able to market, uh, to you if you drove under one, and it could have a commercial purpose where you drive under one on the interstate and it says, "Hey, Amy Beth, you, you got a, uh, Starbucks, uh, two miles ahead at the next exit.

Pull on over." And the idea that they would be using government right of way for commercial purposes was, uh, you know, totally [laughs] unacceptable.

But are these readers even constitutional? Do you see a problem with the Fourth Amendment?

I- is that i- is that happening in the other race, or is that solely in the governor's race?

No.

Well, I think it, it polls well, so therefore, y- you know, the, the, the politicians are gonna talk about it.

When I say it polls well, there's, going back to AI, there's a, a real fear of the unknown.

Now, uh, it's very well known to those, uh, individuals where it's happening in their community.

Like, uh, well, you and I have discussed, I have one, a crypto mining facility popping up in the very, well, outside of the very small town of Somerville in rural Morgan County.

And, uh, where people live all around the 15-acre site that this company is buying and putting a 10-acre building on, and, uh, it's, it, there's some real concern there and bout- and rightly so.

Yep.

I- is that, i- is that happening in the other race, or is that solely in the governor's race?

No.

Well, I think it, it polls well, so therefore, y- you know, the, the, the politicians are gonna talk about it.

When I say it polls well, there's, going back to AI, there's r- a real fear of the unknown.

And now, uh, it's very well known to those, uh, individuals where it's happening in their community, like, uh, we, you and I have discussed, I have one, a crypto mining facility popping up in the very, well, outside of the very small town of Somerville in rural Morgan County, and, uh, where people live all around the 15-acre site that this company is buying and putting a 10-acre building on.

And, uh, it's, uh, there's some real concern there, and bo- and rightly so.

And I think, you know, for local governments not to have any control over where these, uh, data centers or crypto mining facilities go, um, you know, I think we have certainly something we need to look at, and I intend to push that in the, uh, next legislative session.

Yep.

Okay.

But then let's, let's move on.

Let's move back through time in a serious, serious way, and let me tell you, you know, how funny it is the human brain works or interesting.

So when, uh, your...

When Bugsy a- told me the question of the day two minutes ago, I, uh, this is what popped in my mind.

Back in the, I think it was the '70s, and some of your listeners are gonna know this, there was some kind of toy that was introduced that would, two glass ball, round balls connected by a string, and they were called clackers.

And you would move the string back and forth anyway to make the balls hit each other and just make this clacking sound.

Sure.

through

time in a serious, serious way.

And let me tell you, you know, how funny it is.

The human brain works are interesting.

So when, uh, your, when Bugsy told me the question of the day, two minutes ago, I, uh, this is what popped in my mind back in the, I think it was the seventies and some of your listeners are going to know this.

There was some kind of toy that was introduced that was two glass ball, round balls connected by a string and they were called clackers.

And you would move the string back and forth anyway, to make the balls hit each other and just make this clacking sound.

it and

So what's the Alabama game plan here? Do we have one?

The Alabama game plan is just be selective.

If we're talking about location, like you and I talked about last week, and Somerville, give some options there about where we're going to locate these.

Calculate the impact on the grid.

and the load factor of whether we can sustain it, whether we have the capacity, is that going to come to the expense of future projects in a particular area? And again, the load around the state varies and it just takes so long to create or generate more power, go build another nuclear plant, go build, you know, solar is kind of limited on how much output you get there.

Natural gas is good, but it, takes a while to construct all these power generation plants.

And so you just got to be methodical and very calculating about it.

Am I crazy to ask that question as opposed to how much money can we get?

So what's the Alabama game plan here? Do we have one?

The Alabama game plan is just be selective.

If we're talking about location, like you and I talked about last week, and Somerville, give some options there about where we're going to locate these.

Calculate the impact on the grid.

and the load factor of whether we can sustain it, whether we have the capacity, is that going to come to the expense of future projects in a particular area? And again, the load around the state varies and it just takes so long to create or generate more power, go build another nuclear plant, go build, you know, solar is kind of limited on how much output you get there.

Natural gas is good, but it, takes a while to construct all these power generation plants.

You just got to be methodical and very calculating about it.

Am I crazy to ask that question as opposed to how much money can we get?

Answering the $50 free-for-all Friday question of the day is what would people say if you woke up on Monday and Dale Jackson was dead? What would they say about him, Senator Orr? Good morning.

Hey.

Good morning, Dale.

Uh, good to be with you.

Uh, [laughs] I don't have a lot of time to prepare for this one.

Um, but I would say this.

A, a couple thoughts.

Okay.

Is it earnings? Is it the number of people employed? Is it meeting demand employers have? Or is it something else?

Well, that's something that we discussed several, several times here at the conference.

And there are states that are examining their return on investment.

I chair the Appropriations Committee in Alabama and consequently tend to look at things through the fiscal lens.

And when I look at our colleges and universities, One of the things that my ears perked up was the ROI on our students that are graduating.

How are they benefiting the state? And, of course, themselves.

It's not all about the state.

It might be a question you're going back to Alabama with, or maybe it's something else, but what would you say to that? What's the most important takeaway for you?

for them?

Well, as I said, it certainly beats what they had in 2022.

Walt Maddox may tend to disagree about the, you know, he's 2018 gubernatorial nominee, and he may disagree with the assessment that this is the best governor candidate they ever had.

But anyway, all that to say this race across up and down the ballot, Dale, is going to depend on turnout.

The Democrats are very energized.

You know, they've got their Trump derangement syndrome, you know, mindset.

And on, and then the Republicans, uh, you know, it depends on their turnout.

know, and

for them?

Well, as I said, it certainly beats what they had in 2022.

Walt Maddox may tend to disagree about the, you know, he's 2018 gubernatorial nominee, and he may disagree with the assessment that this is the best governor candidate they ever had.

But anyway, all that to say, this race across up and down the ballot, Dale, is going to depend on turnout.

The Democrats are very energized.

You know, they've got their Trump derangement syndrome, you know, mindset.

And on, and then the Republicans, uh, you know, it depends on their turnout.

know, and

It's become more complicated, correct?

Here's the variable, though, as you focus in on the votes in the legislature, who's up, who's down, et cetera.

I think with a Tuberville administration, you've got someone who wants to be very engaged on this issue, unlike Governor Ivey.

who did not want to spend the political capital getting into the mud to try to hammer out some agreeable package because it is such a difficult issue.

But I think with a Governor Tuberville administration, you will find an engaged governor who wants to come to some resolution.

And what that means is, pushing votes this way or that way to get some kind of final deal that gets it across the finish line.

And I think that's the dynamic that you probably ought to be focusing on, not, you know, are we up one or down one, whichever side you're on.

Have you heard about this? Is this working its way through other state legislatures?

It's become more complicated, correct?

Here's the variable, though, as you focus in on the votes in the legislature, who's up, who's down, et cetera.

I think with a Tuberville administration, you've got someone who wants to be very engaged on this issue, unlike – Governor Ivey, who did not want to spend the political capital getting into the mud to try to hammer out some agreeable package because it is such a difficult issue.

But I think with a Governor Tuberville administration, you will find an engaged governor who wants to come to some resolution.

And what that means is pushing votes this way or that way to get some kind of final deal that gets it across the finish line.

And I think that's the dynamic that you probably ought to be focusing on, not, you know, are we up one or down one, whichever side you're on.

Have you heard about this? Is this working its way through other state legislatures?

I mean, here's what we have, Dale, and this is what I found really concerning in the years ahead.