I’ve been meaning for a week now to post this highly moving account of the tornado damage in Alabama, penned by conservative state think tank leader Gary Palmer, one of the great forefathers of the state think tank movement.Churches from a multitude of denominations across Alabama and from neighboring states began loading trucks with food, clothing and other badly needed supplies and sent them to the town. Volunteers came with chain saws and equipment for removing debris while others served food or helped with the unloading of trucks.

This is what self-government is really all about: people taking responsibility to help one another without being made to or told to. They do it because it is who they are, it is how they were raised. There are countless examples of people loading up whatever supplies and equipment they could and going to help. The Hackleburg Tornado destroyed buildings and houses and took precious lives in a little town that Country Music Television had designated one of America’s hometowns, but it has not taken the life out of the town or destroyed the desire of the survivors to rebuild it. They do need some help and I believe they will get it….

On a different note, conservative state policy networks received what amounts to a tremendous compliment, in the guise of what was meant to be an attack, when lefty Ed Schultz of MSNBC did a piece warning his viewers of the horrible power the think tanks were amassing. Oh, the humanity!  What it really meant is that the conservative think tanks, including the Alabama Policy Institute, are becoming increasingly effective players in the public policy realm. My hat is off to them.