Speaking of Huntsville, Bob Riley's pet project--the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology--is taking shape in the Rocket City.
A $65 million wing of the facility opened yesterday to much huzzah.
"We said when we had the groundbreaking here that you're going to see an expansion in the biotech industry unlike anything that we have ever seen in Huntsville since the 1950s," Riley said. Never mind that Alabama already has a biotech center at UAB in Birmingham, and many experts opposed a competing facility in Huntsville.
No mention in The Birmingham News of the huge campaign contribution Riley received from supporters of the Huntsville facility, evidently in exchange for the governor's help in arranging $50 million in incentives and tax breaks.
Could that money have been better spent at UAB? Of course. Would that have helped Riley's campaign? Nope. Is there any difference between the quid pro quo involved here and the one that wound up putting Don Siegelman and Richard Scrushy in federal prison. None that we can see.
Now you are defending the conviction of Richard Scrushy? The sentence is only 10% of what he should have been given.
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