By Floyd Madrid, Chair of the Dale County Democratic Party
*This is an opinion-based essay written by a resident who is not employed or affiliated with the Dale County Chronicle. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and NOT those of the Dale County Chronicle.
Did you know there is another active political party organization in Dale County? As a proud Democrat, I’m amazed at the number of people who don’t recognize or don’t believe there is another party other than the Republican Party in Dale County. As a Democrat, I’ve found it difficult to discuss issues with some members of the Republican Party who are hard-core defenders of the Trump administration. It’s an unfortunate circumstance when, as adults with differing opinions and beliefs, we are unable to sit and discuss, debate, and decide on ideas to better the community in which we all reside.
Being a new resident of Dale County, I’ve also found people to be fair and personable in their everyday business, but somewhat biased in their politics. Many blindly follow the talking points and positions of their party leaders, often working against their own interests, in a manner like the product brand loyalty induced by clever marketing executives. More telling is the support for President Trump even as his approval ratings are down across virtually every category which impacts our daily quality of life. His administration has increased our National Debt to $38 trillion, increased the cost of gas to $3.98 a gallon as of 29 Mar 26, and the average cost of a gallon of gas in Alabama is $3.64.[1] As for groceries, we in Alabama have seen an increase of 5.8%, just above the national average of 5.3%; however, it’s a lot better than 2022 when it was 25.5%….ouch! Touted as the One Big Beautiful Bill, the President’s budget is chock full of tax cuts for the top 1% households and cuts support for Medicaid, SNAP, and other citizen support programs. Sources are projecting Medicaid and SNAP funding being reduced by approximately $120-$295 billion, removing over 10 million people from the programs.[2] Just how many Dale County citizens will be adversely impacted by these cuts is still unknown, but based upon the County’s poverty rate of 17.3% to 18.72%[3], the impacts could be extreme. Dale County citizens deserve better, and we in the Dale County Democratic Party strive to provide information and resources for citizens to make informed decisions in upcoming elections and beyond.
The Dale County Democratic Party is a thriving organization of Dale County citizens who believe in democratic values and a practical and efficient government. We are dedicated to empowering our community and fostering a better quality of life for all citizens. We strive to promote social justice, equality, and sustainable progress through inclusive dialogue and grassroots action. Together, we champion the values of compassion, integrity, and collaboration, inspiring each other to create a brighter future for Dale County. By uniting diverse voices and advocating for the needs of our community, we build a strong, vibrant, and equitable society where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
We work hard to better our community through interaction with citizens, advocating for our elected representatives for an enhanced quality of life for Dale County citizens. We ask our elected representatives to strive for an inclusive economic policy, expanded healthcare, an improved climate and environment, fair and equal justice on social issues, enhanced education opportunities, and a strong foreign policy which stresses diplomacy.
We look forward to interacting with our Dale County neighbors. and encourage them to join our efforts to better our community through debate, discussion, and social interaction. We meet monthly at the Ozark-Dale County Library, 296 N Union, Ozark, AL, 36360, on the 2nd Monday of each month. For more information access our website at https://www.dalecodemocrats.com/home, or email us at [email protected]
Floyd Madrid, the author of this article, serves as the County Chair of the Dale County Democratic Party.
[1] AAA Fuel Prices: https://grasprices.aaa.com/todays-state-averages/
[2] Ku, Leighton, Kwon, Kristine Namee, Krips, Maddie, Gorak, Taylor; Cordes, Joseph J.; (2025) “How Medicaid and SNAP Cutbacks in the One Big Beautiful Bill” Would Trigger Big and Bigger Job Losses Across State; https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2025/jun/how-medicaid-snap-cutbacks-one-big-beautiful-bill-trigger-job-losses-states
[3] United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts, Income & Poverty, (2024), https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/dalecountyalabama/PST045225#:~:text=Mean%20travel%20time%20to%20work%20(minutes)%2C%20workers,Per%20capita%20income%20in%20past%2012%20months
