Is America For Sale?
by Jesse J. Lewis, Sr.

The answer to the question is yes. The next question should be are the American people ready to sell? The next upcoming nationwide Senate race, has an outside influx of money, that no one knows where it came from – $5 billion. It is hard to believe but the Supreme Court decided this is legal. Just imagine if one of these billions had been given to research to find a vaccine for the Ebola virus.
If these people spent $5 billion on a senate race, how much money are they going to spend on the 2016 Presidential election? The Democrats are doing the same thing as the Republicans – collecting money and spending it. The difference is the Democrats have a message and whether it resonates with the voters is later to be seen. The only message the Republicans have is them trying to show President Obama is not qualified to be President – that he is totally incompetent and they want to tie him to all other Democrats to show they are also incompetent.
The polls clearly indicate that most of the races between Democrats and Republicans are too close to call. The research specifically states that the Democratic voters are too liberal and the Republican voters are too conservative. For the most part, the public has to go vote, put on a blindfold, hold their noses and mark the ballot. America has fought hard and long for many years to establish themselves as a free country that believes that everyone has a right to serve the God they so desire and everyone should be given every opportunity to vote. In fact, everyone should be encouraged to vote and voting made easy for people. This situation holds true unless you are Black or Hispanic. The Republican Party has decided that if you won’t vote for them, they will make it impossible for you to vote for anyone else.
Them making it impossible for Black people to vote should be an inspiration to Black people. I don’t care what time and where I have to vote, I’m going to show up. If the polls open on Saturday night at 12:01 in the middle of the ocean, I would attempt to swim to the polls though I have never swam in my life. The harder people try to discourage me from voting the harder I’m intent on voting. This should be the attitude every person in America should have regardless of their religion or sexual preference, etc. GO VOTE!!
I am thoroughly convinced that the three party system presently in place should build a bigger tent. Ninety-eight percent of the Independent voters are suburban white people. They should move forward to increase their numbers, bringing in Hispanics, Blacks, women…to have as many voters as the other parties. If 1/3 voters were Democrats, 1/3 voters were Republican and 1/3 Independent voters, then the Independent Party would have the deciding factor as to who wins the vote. The Independents should be so independent that the KKK, the non tax-paying voters, and the Independent Party should support the candidate that brings to the table a commitment to move this country forward with fairness to all.
I am personally an Independent voter. During my lifetime I have voted Democratic and Republican, and in this upcoming election I plan to vote for Republican Mike Hale for sheriff. My rationale is simple, based on what he has done and the commitment he has made to the entire community, he is the best qualified candidate.
In the event Mike Hale was running for Mayor of Birmingham against William Bell, I would vote for William Bell; for he is more experienced and qualified to be Mayor than Mike Hale. If Mike Hale was running against Terri Sewell, I’d vote for Terri Sewell, for she is the most qualified as a Representative.

Discussing football is a must!

Several weeks ago I wrote a column which said that LSU would beat Old Miss and Auburn would beat South Carolina which means I am batting 100. I am predicting this week that Auburn will beat Old Miss and Alabama will beat LSU.
If Alabama had to play Mississippi State next week, Mississippi State would beat Alabama by 10 points. It will be very difficult for Alabama to beat Mississippi State when there is a human bowling ball running back, Robinson with the quarterback, Prescott. If Alabama wins, they would be the No.1 seed in the Final Four. Their chances aren’t that great but conceivably it could happen.
I’m shocked at how Old Miss is rated this week in the College Football Top 25. Alabama should beat Old Miss easily. Ole Miss only scored seven points against LSU and at that time LSU was rated No. 25.
The weekend will change this picture.OLe Miss   or Auburn will be a two game loser. If Auburn wins, Ole Miss would be completely out of the running for the National Championship.

email: jjlewis@birminghamtimes.com

By: Mahari A. McTier
As a Licensed Stock Broker I spend a lot of time evaluating and picking stocks for the portfolios of my clients. I make decisions on a daily basis to buy or to sell. We classify stocks in several categories; growth, emerging, under-valued, etc. If Birmingham was a stock it would be an undervalued small cap stock.
An undervalued stock is defined as a stock that is selling at a price significantly below its assumed value. Stocks are also classified by size; large, mid, and small cap. Walmart is an example of a large cap company because of its enormous size, while amazon is classified as a small cap stock since it is still relatively small and emerging based on its market capitalization.
There are several major cities in the southeast. Some of these cities include Memphis, Atlanta, Nashville, New Orleans, and Charlotte. When you look at these cities you will see that they have all experienced major population and economic booms over the last 30 years while Birmingham’s population has dropped. I contribute these population booms to their ability to become destination cities that draw tourists from all over the world. Atlanta has become a mecca for entertainment, African-American entrepreneurship, and business. Atlanta has also benefited from professional sports teams that bring millions to the city annually.  New Orleans has also benefited from successful professional sports teams and the strong history that is so uniquely captured through the Bourbon Street experience.  Nashville is the country music capital of the world. Charlotte has become the second largest banking center in the United States. Memphis has Beale Street and Elvis Presley’s history, along with its professional sports team, that has taken the city to another level. Compared to these cities Birmingham is an undervalued stock that is poised to boom over the next five years.
When we evaluate a stock we usually begin with a fundamental analysis of the company, i.e. leadership, financial statements, management and competitive advantages. Let’s do a fundamental analysis of Birmingham. My analysis shows that the City of Birmingham has a strong CEO in Mayor William Bell. He has institutional knowledge with over 30 years of government experience. He is a big world thinker who understands branding and marketing. He is aggressively putting Birmingham on the national and international map as a city that is open for business. These moves are paramount in the future growth of this undervalued stock. The City of Birmingham has a competent, experienced, and forward thinking Board of Directors in its City Council. The strength of the Council is found in its diversity. They are not a rubber stamp body. You need this for growth. For the Board of Directors to succeed you need the wisdom of Steven Hoyt, the charisma of Jay Roberson, the deep thinking ability of Marcus Lundy, the grass root community compassion of Sheila Tyson, the strategic thinking of William Parker, the council experience of Valerie Abbott, the I’m going to make sure it passes the smell test of Lashaunda Scales, the analytical acumen of Kim Rafferty, and the strong leadership ability and always cool under pressure Johnathan Austin. For the most part Birmingham is financially sound and with the aggressive marketing of the city by both the Mayor and Council to the world, it’s just a matter of time before these business recruitment trips pay off.
We will eventually attract a mega event like the DNC. We will eventually secure the funding and go ahead on the construction of the dome stadium, which will poise us for a professional sports team. We will eventually find the answers to some of our public transportation and education issues.
Some of the major challenges faced by the City of Birmingham is how do we become a destination city and improve its education system. Birmingham has to figure out how do we become a destination city and attract tourists from other cities. Yes, we have the Civil Rights Institute, McWane Science Center, Splash Adventure, Birmingham Zoo, and the Birmingham Museum of Art, but these alone will never be enough to make Birmingham a destination city. We have to uniquely and strategically position ourselves to answer this question. Until we become some sort of destination city beyond having these tourist attractions, we will stay a small cap undervalued city.
The City of Birmingham has all the tangible and intangible qualities needed to grow. We have strong and competent leadership; comparatively low cost of living; a financially sound government; a committed corporate community; and a succession pool of more than capable leaders after Mayor Bell that will continue to push for the growth of Birmingham.
For these reasons I am advising you to buy Birmingham now while the price is cheap. There are great things to come and you don’t want to be on the outside looking in!
(Mahari A. McTier is a Financial Advisor with Tier 1 Advisors, LLC and can be contacted at maharimctier.tier1@gmail.com.)

by Hollis Wormsby, Jr.
Mid-term elections are notorious for their lack of voter turnout and projections are that this mid- term election will be no different. In Alabama the race for Governor is the top of the ballot race and to the extent that it is all but a foregone conclusion that Bentley will easily win re-election, that race is not generating much excitement.
In this area, Congressional District 6 is expected to go easily to Palmer, Sewell is running essentially unopposed, and this region is so partisan in its politics that for the most part all of the meaningful votes were cast in the primaries.
I consider myself an Independent, but one thing that stands out in this race as far as people of color are concerned, is that the right wing is not campaigning for the Black vote, they are working to make sure that we don’t vote. They are doing this on two fronts; on one front they tell you you have nothing or no one to vote for, and on the other hand they engage in voter suppression strategies designed to make it more difficult for you to vote.
First of all we have plenty to vote for, including here in Jefferson County. Even if you are not excited about the Democratic candidate for Governor, and you are a Democrat you should still be excited about voting because of the other races your vote can impact.
In 2008 when President Barack Obama was first elected, it was assumed that Senator McCain would carry the State of Alabama, which he did, but in Jefferson County the historical voter turnout to vote for the First African American President in our nation’s history, also meant that Shantae Owens, and Katrina Ross were swept into office over better financed Republican incumbents because of the number of African Americans who went to the polls and pulled the straight Democratic lever.
Voter turnout is also important because of the way it allows for parties to allocate resources. If a party doesn’t have to campaign for our votes because they feel they can count on us to just stay home then they can allocate the resources they might have spent courting our vote to court votes elsewhere. Here in Birmingham where our most recent turnout was less than 20 percent, it becomes easy for a candidate for Statewide Office to say I don’t really need to invest resources in Birmingham, they are not going to vote for me, but in point of fact they are not going to vote for anybody, so I’ll just worry about someplace else.
Voter turnout is important because it keeps our elected officials honest. Of course we would like to believe that all of our officials have integrity and will do the right thing simply because it is the right thing, but in the absence of that, having to face election is the ultimate balance sheet challenge for an elected official. We should not lessen that challenge by choosing not to exercise our hard earned right to cast a ballot.
No matter how you feel about the most recent election in the City of Mobile it shows what happens when one group turns out to vote and another does not. Sam Jones was the African American Mayor of Mobile for two terms in a city where the demographics are something like 54 percent African American, 46 percent Caucasian. And yet Jones lost his re-election bid because an overwhelming majority of Caucasian voters turned out at the polls, while turnout at African American polling stations was tepid at best.
This election will decide who controls the United States Senate. This election will decide who leads this state for the next four years. This election will decide some of the Judges who will be hearing criminal cases as well as presiding over Family Court cases like divorce and child custody. This election is too important to sit at home and leave the decision to others.
Or at least that’s the way I see it.
(Do you have a question or comment on anything shared in this space?  Look me up on Facebook at Facebook.com/HollisWormsby or email me at hjwormsby@aol.com .)

By Dr. Robert G. Wilkerson

Amendment Number One on the November 4th ballot prohibits Alabama Courts from considering foreign, international, or religious law, which in turn could interfere with the freedom of many religious groups. Alabamians who believe in religious freedom should vote against it because:
·        It would make it against the law for some religious
leaders to perform marriages according to their own
religious traditions.
·        It poses potential threats to international adoptions,
marriages performed overseas, and could cause
nightmares over questions of property rights.
·        It could be applied to the by-laws and rules churches
use to hire and ordain, and restrict how they govern
themselves.
·        It would contradict Federal and international laws concerning the rights of persons married in other states and countries. This would lead to many unnecessary lawsuits for which taxpayers would be forced to pay the legal costs.
·        It is unnecessary. The Supremacy Clause in Article 6, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution states, “The U.S. Constitution, federal statues, and treaties are the supreme law of the land” and therefore take precedence over any foreign laws.
·        As Americans, we believe in freedom of religion, not
just ours, but others as well. As Christians, we believe
we should “love our neighbors as ourselves.” This
amendment does not reflect either belief.
·        It is a violation of an old established truism: “If it isn’t
broken, don’t fix it.”

The real danger in this bill is that it is an intrusion on religious freedom. It may be someone else’s religion today, but once the precedent is set, it could be yours.  Vote “NO!”

Senator Hank Sanders
*******************************
A Giant lived among us. He has now transitioned to a fully spiritual state. Even in this spiritual state, he is still a Giant. I am proud that I knew the Giant and called him friend.
The Giant was born on Christmas Day. Some of us smile as we say that it was no accident that he was born on this day. He inspired great devotion and great antipathies. Those who loved him truly loved him. Those who hated him truly hated him. These powerful loves and hates bring to mind another spiritual being born on this same day.
I knew the Giant first hand for nearly 31 years.  knew him up close and personal for 20 of those 31 years. I chaired the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee (F&TE) for 16 years from January 1995 to December 2010. F&TE handles the annual multi-billion dollar education budget. I knew what it was like to work with the Giant. I also knew what it was to be on opposite sides. He was a Giant whether he worked with or in opposition.
Somewhere along the way, we became friends. I don’t know exactly when or how. I never once called him Paul. He never once called me Hank.  me, he was always Dr. Hubbert. To him, I was always Senator Sanders. These titles were neither barriers nor facilitators of friendship.  When I called Ann Hubbert, his wife of 58 years, the first thing she said was, “Paul really loves you.”  I said, “I really love him.” He was a Giant in love of people.
The Giant truly knew how to work across lines of differences. That ability allowed so many other things to develop that made Alabama a better place in which to live.  I don’t know where or how he learned to work across such chasms of differences.  I know that as Interim Superintendent, he helped desegregate the Tuscaloosa City Schools in 1965 when fires of resistance were strongly raging.  I know that in his first year as Superintendent of the Troy City Board of Education, he helped desegregate the school system in the face of stiff opposition. I know that in 1969, his very first year heading AEA, he and Dr. Joe Reed facilitated the merger of the all-white Alabama Education Association and the all-Black Alabama State Teachers’ Association when nearly everyone thought it was impossible. He was a Giant in working across age-old chasms.
The Giant helped build the Alabama Education Association into the most successful state association in the country. It became a model for NEA state associations across the country.  AEA not only lifted teachers, school bus drivers, aides and others associated with the organization, but also lifted the entire state. He was a penetrating visionary and powerful implementer. Rarely do these two talents inhabit the same person. Both traits aligned as one in the Giant.
The Giant understood that power is necessary to forge visions into reality. To implement his visions, he became a Giant in politics, the most powerful person in Alabama. Some even called him “Governor” because he was perceived as the most powerful person. However, he did not abuse his power and did not use his power to advance himself. He used his power to make Alabama and America better places in which to live. He was a Giant of integrity.
In 1989, the Giant was facing certain death. His liver had ceased working because of an inherited trait. It could not be further treated. He received a liver transplant that might give him just a few more years to live. However, he lived 25 more years, becoming one of the longest living liver transplantees in the world. He worked to help others receive transplants so they could live longer. Even in the medical realm, he was a Giant.
The Giant ran for Governor in 1990 and 1994. He was the Democratic nominee in 1990, and I supported him. In 1994 he ran against a sitting Governor for the Democratic nomination. I did not support him. The explanation is complicated. However, I have been sorry ever since for I know Alabama would have been better served if the Giant had become Governor.
Dr. Paul Hubbert loved his wife Ann, and she loved him. He loved his children and grandchildren, and they loved him. He lifted family by his example and his living. He was a Giant in family.
I am glad that I helped give a few flowers while the Giant yet lived. In 2009, on his 40th Anniversary with the Alabama Education Association (AEA), he refused to participate in any celebration. So many wanted to celebrate his great service during this milestone, but he forbade it. They respected his decision. However, I insisted on the celebration. I told him it was as much for others as for him. He reluctantly agreed. I believe he appreciated the celebration. He was humble in spite of being an acknowledged Giant in so many arenas.
After Dr. Hubbert retired as Executive Secretary of AEA in 2010, he struggled with various illnesses. Ann says that he was in the hospital too many times to count. He was constantly under doctors’ care, and, more importantly, under Ann’s care. I believed that God looked into the future and saw even more pain and suffering. I believe God said, “Paul Ray Hubbert, you have served well. You are indeed my good and faithful servant. You have suffered much. I don’t want you to suffer anymore.” I believe that on Tuesday, October 14, 2014, God reached down, coupled the Giant in his hands and lifted him higher and higher and higher. The Giant is now at peace, and we must be at peace with his peace. The best we can do is to follow the examples of leadership and living he demonstrated as he walked among us.
EPILOGUE – A few people are just bigger than life. That makes them Giants. Dr. Paul Hubbert was a Giant, but he never acted like a Giant. He was always a gentle Giant. That made him an even bigger Giant in our minds and hearts.

By Andrew Garfield

Congress recently rejected the White House’s attempt to kill off one of this country’s most storied missile technologies.
The Senate defense committee instead approved a 2015 draft bill adding nearly $80 million for production of Tomahawk cruise missiles. And earlier this year, the House Armed Services Committee passed a defense bill boosting Tomahawk production.
Congress’s enthusiasm for this missile system is in defiance of the White House, which tried to cut next year’s funding for the Tomahawk and completely strip its financing by 2016.
Legislators were smart to preserve the system. The Tomahawk missile is an essential technology for protecting Americans. But this fight is not over. Appropriations expire after one year. Lawmakers must continue to fight for the Tomahawk.
Tomahawk cruise missiles remain a mainstay of our forces. They have been fired more than 2,000 times in combat, including the 2011 NATO-led effort against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
But the White House wanted to shelve this system and gamble billions on an unproven replacement called the “Long Range Anti-Ship Missile” (LRASM).
Such speculative investments have a history of not panning out. The Pentagon spent $11 billion on the “Crusader,” which was supposed to be a next-generation howitzer. Instead, it ended up in the scrap heap after it turned out to be immobile and imprecise.
Then there was the “Comanche” helicopter, which included stealth technology. After plowing $7 billion into the project, the Army killed it.
The precursor to LRASM is not exactly confidence-inspiring. It grew out of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, which began development in 1995. After numerous failed tests and costly refinements to the design, the missile finally made it into service in 2009.
Given this troubling record and today’s budgetary limits, it’s disturbing that the White House would want to go down the same road.
The plan to replace the Tomahawk also runs the risk of creating a gap in our missile capabilities. The old, proven system would have been shuttered. The replacement would almost certainly have suffered delays. And in the interim America’s military would be without a core defense technology.
Without a fully operational missile program, American interests would be far more vulnerable to attack. When considering a strike, our enemies know to expect a U.S. missile response. As a submarine-based system, the Tomahawk can deliver surprise attacks by remaining completely hidden until a missile is launched.
What’s more, missiles have none of the drawbacks of manned aircraft. Using manned aircraft to take out targets necessarily risks the lives of the air crew. The Tomahawk not only keeps American military personnel out of harm’s way; it delivers the same level of accuracy as manned aircraft at a lower cost.
And while drones might be effective against terrorists, they are no match for the defense systems of nations like Iran. As Gen. Mike Hostage, chief of the air service’s Air Combat Command, said last year, “Today … I couldn’t put [a Predator or Reaper] into the Strait of Hormuz without having to put airplanes there to protect it.”
By contrast, the Tomahawk was designed for heavily-defended targets, including integrated air defense systems.
Americans must remain vigilant against efforts to scrap what’s tried and true. As an older program, Tomahawk often finds itself on the chopping block during budget deliberations.
We need to focus on investments that offer high payoffs at relatively low cost and risk. Replenishing and upgrading our supply of Tomahawks is the best way to meet our requirements in an era of instability.

Andrew Garfield is a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, where he works on national security.

by Steve Flowers

The 2014 General Election is Tuesday. It is set to be uneventful. I predicted over a year ago that this election year was going to be dull and, folks, my prognostication has come to fruition. This year has been a yawner from the get go.
Even the GOP and Democratic primaries in June were void of any drama. As the results trickled in from the summer primaries, there were absolutely no surprises or upsets. Even in the face of historic low voter turnout, every favorite or incumbent prevailed and usually by the margin suggested by polling.
The low voter interest and predictability were for obvious reasons. There have simply not been any close or interesting statewide races this year. The governor’s race is generally the paramount premier political show every four years, but not this year.
Gov. Robert Bentley began the year with incredible approval ratings in the polls. His popularity does not stem from his job performance as much as it does from his likeability factor. Alabamians simply like the retired physician. Most importantly, they trust him. He reminds older Alabamians of the country doctors who once made house calls. Bentley feels as comfortable as an old shoe.
The Democrats have become the minority party in Alabama state politics. So much so that winning the Republican primary for governor is tantamount to election in the Heart of Dixie. Bentley won the Republican nomination in June with an amazing 90 percent of the vote against two token opponents.
The Democrats fielded a credible candidate in Parker Griffith. Ironically, both Bentley and Griffith are retired physicians. I doubt that will ever happen again in Alabama history where two 72-year-old retired physicians are the two candidates for governor. At least whoever is elected governor will be intelligent.
Griffith has governmental experience. He has served one term in the State Senate and one term in Congress from Huntsville. Being from Huntsville is one of the reasons Griffith’s name identification remains fairly low. Most voters do not get much news from Madison County, which itself probably feels a closer kinship to Nashville and Tennessee.
Nevertheless, Griffith has run a valiant campaign. He has attacked Bentley on the issues. He has stressed several major topics on which the two doctors’ differ. Griffith supports expanding Medicaid and starting a state lottery for education. He describes Bentley as a nice man but too beholden to the extreme right wing. He has also criticized Bentley for signing a school choice bill that Griffith says has “choked and bled dry” the state’s public schools. Griffith’s sharpest attack against Bentley has been on Bentley refusing to expand Medicaid. He says, “Our people are without health care only because Gov. Bentley doesn’t like who’s in the White House.” Regardless, the polling has shown for months that Gov. Bentley commands a 20-point lead over his Democratic challenger, Dr. Griffith.
Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey should have no trouble disposing of former Cullman State Representative, James Fields, in her bid for a second term. Popular State Treasurer, Young Boozer, will waltz to a second four-year term. John Merrill, who ran a spirited race for Secretary of State in the Republican primary, will have little trouble turning back a challenge from Democrat Lula Albert-Kaigler and Jim Ziegler should easily defeat Miranda Joseph in the State Auditor’s race.
All Republicans have an inherent advantage on a statewide ballot. This should help incumbent Luther Strange in his bid for reelection as Attorney General. However, this will be the closest race to watch next Tuesday.
Strange is being challenged by Montgomery State Rep. Joe Hubbard. Young Mr. Hubbard, who is the great grandson of Senator Lister Hill, has run a well-financed and organized campaign. If he falls short, it will be because he is a Democrat and a good many Alabama voters may mistake him for the embattled Speaker of the House, Mike Hubbard, who has been bombarded with negative publicity for over a year.
Do not forget to vote next Tuesday.

See you next week.

Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His column appears weekly in 72 Alabama newspapers. Steve served 16 years in the state legislature. He may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.