by Hollis Wormsby, Jr.
There is No Easy Answer to Mideast Conflicts
When I was in college I had a friend who was from Iran that I used to play chess with a lot. He loved playing chess and he thought of himself as somewhat of a historian, especially when it came to Middle East history. He told me way back in the late seventies, in response to whatever the crisis of the moment was, that the reason that the United States and European countries always failed in their military efforts in the Mideast is that they fail to understand the history of the region.
My friend noted at that time that people like him did not recognize the territorial boundaries set up primarily by Europe after World War II.  To him there was no Iran, even though that was his home. There was no Iraq. There was no Turkey. To him and to countless like him the entire region was still Persia, as united under Alexander the Great and conflict in the region would continue until the land was united as Persia again.
Those conversations were more than thirty years ago, and I haven’t seen or spoken with my old friend since those days. But I think of some of the ideas he shared with me as I watch contemporary stories on the current Mideast crisis and flawed solutions proposed to address them.
Right now our immediate threat is supposed to be with the new Islamic State, which pledges to unite all of the Mideast in a caliphate.  This is my friend’s Persia idea, just with the added evil of driving out anyone who does not accept the beliefs of the latest bully in the region.  The trouble, as an outsider in getting into these fights, is the ever shifting alliances. The Islamic State is attacking Syria where Bashar al-Assad is President. The United States has quietly held a position that we want Assad overthrown. So do we let the Islamic State overthrow him and then go after them, or if we go after the Islamic State are we helping to keep Assad in power?
Another interesting problem in the region that the former Soviet Republic also experienced when they got stuck in a war in Afghanistan before us, is that the rebels don’t buy or build weapons – they steal them from what they would call the imperialists who invade their country. Right now the Islamic State is using weapons we provided to Iraq as they now try to conquer the region.
Western involvement in the fight against terrorism began rising with the advent of 911 and has continued through several never ending wars since. In my opinion there is no military solution to the crisis in the Mideast and at some point we need to think about bringing our troops home and letting those who live in the region figure this mess out on their own. As my old friend said many years ago, “The fight for control of the land here goes back to Alexander the Great and will probably go forward to the end of time.”  I am not an expert on Mideast affairs but even after all of these years his opinion seems to make more since than a lot of the talking heads I see on tv. Bring our boys home and spend a fraction of what we are spending waging war, providing humanitarian aid. That would seem to make since to me, or at least that’s the way I see it.
(Do you have a question or comment on this column? Look me up on Facebook/HollisWormsby or email me at hjwormsby@aol.com.)

Generation Next
By: Mahari A. McTier
The question I often ask myself, is Birmingham in good hands with generation next? Who is generation next? I define generation next as the post Dr. Richard Arrington, Earl Hilliard, William Bell, and others who either spent decades crafting the landscape of Birmingham or who have been political stakeholders for many years and are at the twilight of their careers.
I have thought about this time for many years. I can go back to my 20s when I worked for Congressman Earl F. Hilliard, Alabama’s first African-American Congressman since reconstruction, and with Congressman John Lewis, civil rights icon, through Faith and Politics. I would watch these men fight injustices and for equality with an unmatched vigor. It was more than going through the motions, it was a deep rooted passion that often led these men to tears in their private moments as they dealt with the challenges facing their constituents and the nation. Through my employment, these fights and challenges became my fights and challenges. If I was ready for them or not, I was in the game and was responsible for carrying the burden of working tirelessly for the disenfranchised and hopeless of our district. In retrospect, I was at a huge disadvantage and ill-prepared for the challenges before me. I had no emotional point of reference to injustice and the movement, since I was born post the civil rights movement. I never marched, went to jail for the cause, or struck by a brick at a protest. I was a young man who grew up in Montgomery, Ala.; attended a private catholic school; and had a diversity of friends from different racial backgrounds. Unlike Hilliard and Lewis, who saw things at a level much deeper than me, I saw the world more analytically and logically. I am human, so yes I had emotions, but without a real life experience to make it reality, it was only so deep I could go.
During these years I would think about what will it look like when these leaders are no longer leading and the keys to the car have been turned over to the next generation. I approached this thought with much trepidation, because I saw my generation, for the most part, as ego and agenda driven with no real connection to the grass root community in which they would be serving. I worried because I saw firsthand how real the problems were, and that the responsibility to govern and lead was one to not be taken lightly. To lead and govern the people means that your decisions affect lives, not stock prices or market share. We would be the first generation to have no personal or direct connection to the civil rights movement. How would we replace the emotional connection of the movement? How would we understand the plight of the people if we never experienced poverty or discrimination? Will we respect and seek wisdom from our elders who opened the doors for us to have the opportunities we have been given to live the lives we have been blessed to live?
I am proud to see my dream for Birmingham’s future in good hands. The keys to the car have been partially turned over and we are driving extremely well with our permits. We are fortunate to have our elders in the back seat and our big brothers and sisters in the front. Birmingham will see incredible growth over the next 30 years. We have a well-balanced mix of leadership, both young and old. We have a youthful and vibrant City Council that is connected first to their communities and understand and respect the wisdom, vision, and seasoned leadership of the Mayor’s office. I have worked with many of them in several capacities and can validate that their hearts are in the right place. They are young visionaries who pay homage to those who blazed the path for them to be where they are today. They are not arrogant, ego driven, know everything already leaders. They have been raised well, educated, and wise enough to listen to wise men. Our school board is headed in the right direction under our 33-year-old President, Randall Woodfin. Randall is humble and only cares about what’s best for the children of Birmingham. If he and the other generation next on the school board stay focused on the kids, the future of Birmingham Public Schools will accomplish greater heights under their leadership.
Not only in government is generation next exceeding my expectations. We have young pastors who have been mentored by elder pastors that are now leading thriving congregations.
We have generation next leaders in the corporate sector that are poised for greatness. With business leaders like Dr. Jesse Lewis, Sr. taking a hands on approach through his Innovator Program to ensure the success of small businesses owned by young professionals, this sector will continue to strive and be well prepared for the challenges they will face as they go from good to great. Generation next accepts the challenge and promises to do all that they can do to take Birmingham to the next level.
Birmingham, rest assured the car is in good hands. Generation next promises to keep the car clean, maintain proper maintenance, obey the law, and always make you proud. I no longer doubt the sincerity and passion of my generation to lead. We have proven ourselves thus far.

(Mahari A. McTier is a Financaial Advisor with Tier 1 Advisors, LLC and can be reached at maharimctier.tier1@gmail.com)

assion that often led these men to tears in their private moments as they dealt with the challenges facing their constituents and the nation.  Through my employment, these fights and challenges became my fights and challenges. If I was ready for them or not, I was in the game and was responsible for carrying the burden of working tirelessly for the disenfranchised and hopeless of our district. In retrospect, I was at a huge disadvantage and ill-prepared for the challenges before me. I had no emotional point of reference to injustice and the movement, since I was born post the civil rights movement. I never marched, went to jail for the cause, or struck by a brick at a protest. I was a young man who grew up in Montgomery, Ala.; attended a private catholic school; and had a diversity of friends from different racial backgrounds. Unlike Hilliard and Lewis, who saw things at a level much deeper than me, I saw the world more analytically and logically. I am human, so yes I had emotions, but without a real life experience to make it reality, it was only so deep I could go.
During these years I would think about what will it look like when these leaders are no longer leading and the keys to the car have been turned over to the next generation. I approached this thought with much trepidation, because I saw my generation, for the most part, as ego and agenda driven with no real connection to the grass root community in which they would be serving. I worried because I saw firsthand how real the problems were, and that the responsibility to govern and lead was one to not be taken lightly. To lead and govern the people means that your decisions affect lives, not stock prices or market share. We would be the first generation to have no personal or direct connection to the civil rights movement.  How would we replace the emotional connection of the movement?  How would we understand the plight of the people if we never experienced poverty or discrimination? Will we respect and seek wisdom from our elders who opened the doors for us to have the opportunities we have been given to live the lives we have been blessed to live?
I am proud to see my dream for Birmingham’s future in good hands. The keys to the car have been partially turned over and we are driving extremely well with our permits. We are fortunate to have our elders in the back seat and our big brothers and sisters in the front. Birmingham will see incredible growth over the next 30 years. We have a well-balanced mix of leadership, both young and old. We have a youthful and vibrant City Council that is connected first to their communities and understand and respect the wisdom, vision, and seasoned leadership of the Mayor’s office. I have worked with many of them in several capacities and can validate that their hearts are in the right place. They are young visionaries who pay homage to those who blazed the path for them to be where they are today. They are not arrogant, ego driven, know everything already leaders. They have been raised well, educated, and wise enough to listen to wise men. Our school board is headed in the right direction under our 33-year-old President, Randall Woodfin. Randall is humble and only cares about what’s best for the children of Birmingham. If he and the other generation next on the school board stay focused on the kids, the future of Birmingham Public Schools will accomplish greater heights under their leadership.
Not only in government is generation next exceeding my expectations. We have young pastors who have been mentored by elder pastors that are now leading thriving congregations.
We have generation next leaders in the corporate sector that are poised for greatness. With business leaders like Dr. Jesse Lewis, Sr. taking a hands on approach through his Innovator Program to ensure the success of small businesses owned by young professionals, this sector will continue to strive and be well prepared for the challenges they will face as they go from good to great.  Generation next accepts the challenge and promises to do all that they can do to take Birmingham to the next level.
Birmingham, rest assured the car is in good hands. Generation next promises to keep the car clean, maintain proper maintenance, obey the law, and always make you proud. I no longer doubt the sincerity and passion of my generation to lead.  We have proven ourselves thus far.

(Mahari A. McTier is a Financaial Advisor with Tier 1 Advisors, LLC and can be reached at maharimctier.tier1@gmail.com)

By James Strong

People say stupid things when pushed into a corner. One of the latest examples of this tendency is Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. The NFL superstar was recently indicted by the Montgomery County, Texas, District Attorney’s office for whipping his 4-year-old son with a tree branch.
The DA says that the whipping exceeded “reasonable discipline,” which is why Peterson has been charged with felony child abuse. Upon hearing about the indictment, the Vikings organization deactivated Peterson from team activities and from playing team games, for which the organization received praise from the league, fans, community and sponsors.
But after not playing Peterson for games one and two, the Vikings reinstated him for its third game. The decision was so shocking and so badly received that the Radisson Hotel dropped its sponsorship of the team, the beer company Anheuser-Bush publicly condemned the reversal and infuriated Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton trashed the decision as nonsensical.
Within 24 hours of the ruckus and complaints, however, Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf reversed his reversal and suspended Peterson indefinitely, admitting that “We made a mistake, and we needed to get this right.” Though some criticize this decision by Wilf as excessive, it still merits congratulations.
The Vikings fans, community and sponsors justifiably condemned the Vikings for the Peterson reinstatement. Therefore, the Vikings are justified in undoing their error and suspending Peterson indefinitely.
In a statement released by Peterson’s lawyer Rusty Hardin, the language presents a Peterson contrite and humbled: “It is important to remember that Adrian never intended to harm his son and deeply regrets the unintentional injury.” But as revulsion at the beating continued to spread like wildfire, Peterson tweeted this response:
“COME TO ME AND REST. Give your mind a break from its habitual judging. … But I created you to know Me and to live in rich communication with Me. When you become preoccupied with passing judgment, you usurp My role.”
The tweet quotes from Christian author Sarah Young’s book Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence. On NFL pregame shows and in other tweets, Peterson also sermonizes about God.
When Peterson publicly confessed that he was wrong to whip his son so severely and that he was not perfect, we all sympathized with him. But with a tweet as selfish as it is imprudent, we now realize that his public contrition was not an unselfish confession.
By condemning others for judging him, Peterson, in essence, judges others. And because of the flagrant hypocrisy, he invites others to judge him until their sweat becomes a storm.
He also gives the impression that he is using Christianity to soften or excuse his child abuse and defend a character full of glitches. Whipping your 4-year-old son with a tree branch such that it leaves welts on his thighs, bruises his battered buttocks and swells his testicles as though they had been munched on by flies clearly is criminal. But using Christianity to lessen guilt is the tendinitis of the Christian faith.
In this regard, Peterson’s actions rival that of megachurch prosperity gospel preacher Creflo Dollar, who also used Christianity as way of subduing criticism of a child abuse incident. Dollar was arrested and booked by Georgia’s Fayette County Sheriff’s office in 2012 for punching, slapping and choking his 15-year-old daughter. The police charged him with simple battery, family violence and cruelty to children.
Regarding the incident, Dollar wrote on his Facebook page pious words that themselves should be flogged, gagged and caged: “The fight has already been won. We are just walking it out. It’s already been determined that the devil is defeated through the victory Jesus won. Now we must walk in that victory in our own lives.” Dollar even forced his 19-year-old daughter Alexandria, who called police out of concern for her sister, to later deny the beat down occurred as she originally stated on the 911 call.
When ferried across a few hours of time, praise for Peterson’s confession sank before reaching the shores of final applause, all because of a sanctimonious tweet. We don’t know what Peterson hoped to accomplish with the tweet. But if he wanted to trumpet a plea for fairness and understanding, the notes he played were flat and sour.
When fed up with criticism, you shouldn’t soothe your anger with an angry response. Thus, Peterson’s use of religion to mitigate his crime and save his character –we say “religion” because we get the impression that if he were a Hindu or Buddhist or Muslim, he would do the same – Peterson’s abuse of religion has made all Minnesota puke.
And, after weighing his holier-than-thou attitude on the scales of honesty and sincerity, the whole sports world has seen that the merits of Peterson’s character do not match his exploits as a Viking.

The bold headlines of late summer – the emergence of ISIS, the vote on Scottish independence, the initial public offering by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba –overshadowed a piece of noteworthy research. Slipping under the radar was a critical study by the Urban Institute, a think tank that provides nonpartisan analyses of problems facing the nation.
The findings are alarming. Many Americans are in financial distress in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Thirty-five percent have debt in collections. This consists of debt so far past due – typically 180 days or more – that the account has been closed and turned over to collectors.
Average debt in collections is $5,178. It comprises such items as credit cards, child support, medical bills, and utility bills.
As might be expected, the effects are not equally distributed across the nation.  States with the highest debt in collections are in the South. And this part of the country generally has the lowest household income.
The problem is most acute in the West South Central area. This encompasses Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.  About 44 percent of residents have debt in collections. This is followed by the East South Central region – Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee – at 41.3 percent.
New England is lowest at 25.3 percent. Significantly, this region has the highest average household income of $86,242, well above the national level of $72,254.  By contrast, Alabama’s average household income is $58,210.
What conclusions can be drawn from the study? Part of the explanation for the large number of households with debt in collections is stagnating personal income, particularly among the middle class. Median household income today is more than $2,500 below the peak level reached in 1999. Many people have added debt with the expectation that income will rise as the economy recovers.
But the problem goes far beyond declining income. A lack of understanding of financial matters persists. Many people have no concept of budgeting and spending. Nor do they understand the consequences of accumulating excessive debt, especially credit card debt.
That mindset is especially prevalent among the Millennials, those born between 1980 and 1999. As a group, they have a startling lack of knowledge regarding personal finance.
The long-term solution to the problem is increased financial literacy.

Wayne Curtis, a former superintendent of Alabama banks, is a retired Troy University business school dean.  Email him at wccurtis39@gmail.com.

by Steve Flowers

This week our 39th President, Jimmy Carter, turns 90 years old. In my lifetime, he is the most ethical, moral and Christ like president to occupy the Oval Office.

Most, if not all of our presidents, have espoused to be Christians. However, Jimmy Carter truly walked the walk. There is no spectre of hypocrisy surrounding his life. Everything he did while in the White House was above reproach and his life after his presidential tenure has been an example of living your life humbly and being a true Christian servant.

Carter is the sixth of our past presidents to reach the 90-year-old club. President George H.W. Bush reached the 90-year-old milestone in June. Bush celebrated his 90th birthday with a parachute jump.

Four other presidents also reached or exceeded the 90-year-old plateau. John Adams, our 2nd president, and Herbert Hoover, our 31st President, both lived to 90. Two of our modern day Republican Presidents, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, round out this 90-year-old elite club. Reagan, who was our 40th President, lived to 93, as did our 38th President, Gerald Ford.

I always marvel at how much our presidents appear to age during the four or eight years they are in office. Their before and after pictures are amazing.  You can actually see them age right before your eyes. It is distinct and telling how stress ages someone.

The Wall Street Journal did a study of the past presidents and compared their longevity to the average life expectancy of males during the same time period. Their research revealed that despite the stress related to being the leader of the free world, our presidents live longer than other men of their era.  The Journal’s hypothesis is that the primary factor for their longevity was their financial affluence. The study noted that most of our presidents had considerable wealth and had access to the best medical care available.

In the case of many of our most recent presidents, they have parlayed their presidency into wealth. The prime examples are Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton. Johnson did not wait until he left office. He began amassing wealth through his power as a U.S. Senator. There must not have been any ethics laws or brave prosecutors willing to take on the ruthless LBJ. For example, as Senate Majority Leader, Johnson got the FCC to grant a license to one and only one television and radio station in Austin, Texas. Guess who owned it? None other than LBJ. That was only the tip of the iceberg for Johnson.

In the case of Bill Clinton, at least he waited until he left office. He has parlayed his presidency into garnering half a million dollar checks for speaking engagements here and abroad. His wife, former New York U.S. Senator and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, is following in Bill’s footsteps with speeches and books. Even the Clintons’ daughter, Chelsea, has a lucrative $600,000 contract with NBC simply because she is a first family daughter.

The Clintons have become wealthy after leaving the White House. It looks like the Clinton reign may not end. Hillary Clinton is the odds on favorite to win the presidency in 2016. Therefore, future studies of past presidents years from now will have to use actuarial data about men and women, not just men. Hillary Clinton is set to break the gender ceiling on the presidency.

Interestingly, an observation of our past presidents since World War II reveals two stark contrasts in presidential integrity. Using four Democratic presidents of the past 70 years, two of these men, Harry Truman and Jimmy Carter, exemplified humility and a strong moral compass. Truman refused to take money for speeches or anything remotely associated with his presidency. The same has been true of Jimmy Carter. Both of these men’s character and time in office were scrutinized thoroughly and their public service exemplifies a high level of moral character.  In contrast, the lives of two of their Democratic brethren, Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton, could be typified as not only immoral but more succinctly amoral.

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.

Governor Robert Bentley’s recent comments regarding Hiawayi Robinson were quite troublesome.  Eight year old Hiawayi was reported missing on Tuesday, September 16, 2014 when she did not arrive at her aunt’s home as expected. A missing report is filed by her family on Tuesday and an alert issued by the Alabama Department of Public Safety. Two days later her body was found on the side of a road not far from her home in Prichard, Alabama.
Governor Bentley was asked for a comment after the news of Hiawayi’s death. Typically when a family suffers a loss, a tragedy has occurred, or a child is murdered, elected officials immediately offer condolences to the family. Governor Bentley did not offer prayers, condolences or comforting words of support to the Robinson family or to the community.  Instead, Governor Bentley insinuated that Hiawayi’s family difficulties are to blame. “There are things that happen that we just don’t understand,” he replied, “There are difficulties in families.” The Governor further compounded the matter when he added, “We don’t know if it’s – you never know – maybe drug related. Maybe alcohol related.”
There have been no reports from the police department that the family’s dysfunction, drugs, or alcohol is related to Hiawayi’s death. Except Bentley is privy to the information regarding the investigation, his statements are baseless.
Governor Bentley did nothing short of spitting on Hiawayi’s grave with his insensitive, inappropriate, and shameful comments. The Governor’s office initially stated that Bentley was commenting on domestic violence and his statements were taken out of context. It is a fact, however, that Bentley was in Point Clear, Ala. on a campaign tour to speak to the annual meeting of Manufacture Alabama when a reporter asked him about Hiawayi.
The Governor has offered no apology for his comments. It is a sad day in Alabama when the very governor can make such comments as if it were a sport. Bentley’s comments were sinful and he should be ashamed.

Lamartra January
Birmingham, AL  35222

 Persistence has finally paid off for Walmart, the world’s largest retailer.  After trying unsuccessfully for several years to obtain a banking charter – the last time was in 2005 – it now has a bank that will offer FDIC-insured checking accounts to its customers. Walmart’s previous attempts to secure a traditional bank charter met with strong opposition from commercial banks as well as banking regulators.
The new institution, called GoBank, will provide a limited number of products and services in Walmart stores by the end of October. In addition to checking accounts, GoBank will offer bill pay, free money transfers, and a debit MasterCard.
The bank will charge a service fee of $8.95 per month. But the charges will be waived as long as customers have a monthly direct deposit of $500 or more. All other charges, including overdraft fees, will also be waived. And customers will have access to 42,000 ATMs without paying withdrawal fees.
Banking services will be offered through a partnership with Green Dot, a firm located in Pasadena, California. Green Dot is an issuer of prepaid MasterCard and Visa cards. These products currently are available at more than 60,000 retail stores, including Walmart,  CVS. Rite Aid, Walgreens and Radio Shack.
GoBank’s target customer base will be individuals who are known as the “unbanked.”  They generally obtain financial services through network of high-cost providers such as payday lenders, storefront check cashers, money order issuers, and other high-fee providers. This group needs the kind of services – money orders, in-person check cashing, and other face-to-face transactions – that banks cannot profitably offer.
Requirements to open an account will be minimal. Individuals will not have to undergo a credit check, and accounts will be available to anyone 18 years of age and older with proper identification.
Why is Walmart pursuing this strategy? The company is attempting to attract more customers. Traffic at its stores has declined for seven straight quarters. Banking services could bring in additional customers, many of whom will purchase Walmart products.
At first glance, Walmart’s strategy seems to be a win-win for the company and its customers. By offering banking services, Walmart will be serving a need that currently exists.  And it can place its financial centers in existing stores without substantially increasing its costs.

Wayne Curtis, former superintendent of Alabama banks, is a retired Troy University business school dean. Email him at wccurtis39@gmail.com.