The Major Issues of 2014
by Jesse J. Lewis, Sr.

The following are the major issues we must face in 2014:

The Blame Game in Washington D. C.
Obama heads into his sixth year of his presidency with a growing economy and momentum toward winding down the longest American war; however, the nation’s first African-American president has the lowest poll numbers since he took office in 2009. The public has shown their dissatisfaction over the botched Obamacare rollout, the NSA revelations and the dysfunctional politics of Washington.
At the same time, polls also show record public dissatisfaction with Congress after two years of stalemates that culminated with the 16-day government shutdown in October.

The Budget
Despite slow but steady growth in 2013, a CNN/ORC poll released showed 70 percent of responders considered the economy in generally poor shape. According to the poll, Americans planned to curtail their Christmas gift- giving and charitable contributions due to economic concerns.
These numbers come as the stock market has surged, unemployment is at a five-year low, auto sales are at a seven-year high, gas prices have dropped and the housing sector that dragged the country into recession in 2008 is rebounding.
The Obama administration gets credit for the U.S. recovery from recession and the incremental growth of recent years, but Republican opponents argue its policies hinder stronger performance by failing to further reduce deficits and debt.
Since Republicans won back control of the House in 2010, no Washington fight has been more stubborn than the battles over budget and taxes. The October shutdown proved so politically damaging, especially for Republicans, that congressional budget negotiators subsequently worked out a compromise two-year spending framework intended to remove the possibility of a similar impasse until after the November election.
The first spending showdown of 2014 will involve extending long-term unemployment benefits that expired on December 28.

Affordable Care Act
Obamacare will be a major issue in 2014 and, according to some, will hurt Democrats. The prediction for the Affordable Care Act is in 2014 it will get worse. The GOP has pledged to make the Affordable Care Act one of the top issues for 2014. One fear is that people will think they signed up for coverage even if they didn’t take the final and vital step of paying the first premium and will seek care. Another problem: The system has been passing along erroneous information to insurers, something the Health and Human Services Department has been racing to fix.
Renewed focus will be placed on whether insurance coverage is working as intended or as expected. Democrats and the administration can be expected to emphasize disparities in coverage. Only about half the states elected to expand Medicaid to people who won’t be able to afford to buy health insurance. Because the ACA assumed all the states would expand Medicaid, millions of poor instates such as Texas, and Florida will be left with no coverage.
If the system gets in working order, “It could become a positive for Democrats, an emblem of how limited government involvement in social areas can improve the lives of the American people.”
If things are rocky, the issue could “cast a long, dark, shadow over Democratic prospers in 2016.

2016 Elections
The former Secretary of State could be a key influence on the 2014 political landscape even without declaring whether she will run for president in 2016. Hillary Rodham Clinton looms large as a potential 2016 presidential candidate, but she could be a major factor in the 2014 elections, too.
Ready for Hillary, the group organizing supporters nationwide for a potential Clinton campaign, says it will ask its members to support candidates endorsed by Clinton in the 2014 midterm elections, and to push her policy agenda over the next two years.
Clinton is not likely to become a candidate herself until after the 2014 elections. But political pundits can’t imagine her not campaigning in 2014 only because she has close ties to several candidates. If Clinton helps Democrats win in 2014, it would solidify the support of a pro-Hillary swath of the political elite well before the first 2016 primary, but if Democrats lose widely in midterm elections, that could tarnish her.
Getting Hillary supporters to work on 2014 issues and campaigns serves two goals: to help pass policy or legislation that matters to the supporters of Ready For Hillary, and it allows the development of the volunteer organization.

Same-Sex Marriage
At the end of the second year for gay and lesbian equality, continued progress in not inevitable. Further progress can’t be taken for granted. Six states legalized same-sex marriage this year, bringing the tally to 18 states and the District of Columbia.
It is unclear whether the wave of equality that has swept from state to state over the past two years, if national or regional, is bound to crash ineffectually on more conservative parts of the country. The Supreme Court stopped short of declaring same-sex marriage a constitutional right, so further progress can’t be assumed.
In 2014 the fight for equality will take hard organizing and patient persuasion.

Immigration Reform in 2014
Of the many issues left unfinished by Congress when they left town for the holiday break, an overhaul of immigration laws is one that is certainly not going away. 2013 saw the first major attempt at a comprehensive immigration reform bill since 2006. In the meanwhile, advocates who want to see Congress pass legislation that includes a path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants have gotten more aggressive in their efforts to convince the House Republicans leadership to put a bill to a vote, stopping by their homes, offices and breakfast spots, uninvited, to visit, pray, and demand a vote.
The pressure that built toward the end of the year will continue into 2014, making it a difficult issue for either the president or House Republicans to ignore. It seems that continued deportation will be at the heart of advocates’ grievances.
Advocates are certainly counting on the impending election to bolster their own pressure on Washington to act on the issue. The future of immigration policy in the House rests largely in the hands of the leadership, and especially Boehner. He has expressed a commitment to overhauling the nation’s law all year as long as it is done on the House’s terms, but has also failed so far to put a single bill on the floor.

Discrimination
It’s sad that we are still discussing discrimination in 2014, but as long as we have disproportional pay as it relates to men and women, as long as there are Stand Your Ground laws, as long as we permit people to carry pistols without background checks, as long as citizens can stand up and say that the President should ‘walk out of the White House with his hands up’ because he is Black, in the year 2064, 50 years from now, we will still be discussing it.

e-mail:jjlewis@birminghamtimes.com

As a new year approaches, the Federal Reserve announced it will start tapering its bond purchases.  The Fed has used the unconventional strategy in an attempt to stimulate economic activity in the wake of the Great Recession.
Through the program, the Fed has purchased about $4 trillion in Treasury obligations and mortgage-backed securities, currently at the rate of $85 billion per month, in three rounds of “quantitative easing.”  The initial reduction of $10 billion will take place in January 2014.
Why did the Fed decide to begin the taper?  What will be the impact on the financial markets?
To answer the questions, one should understand the Fed’s motives, criticized by many observers, for the purchases. Critics believe the large-scale printing of money will lead to inflation as the economy fully recovers.
Because other approaches had failed, the Fed used the unprecedented measure as a last resort. The intent was to provide liquidity to the financial system to stimulate the economy and lower long-term interest rates.  Through this action, both long- and short-term rates have been at all-time lows.
At this point, the only announced reduction will take place in January.  But others could occur as the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meets during the year.  The FOMC, comprising the seven Fed governors and five district bank presidents, is scheduled to meet eight times in 2014.  If it should decide to reduce purchases by $10 billion at each meeting, the program would terminate by the end of 2014.
The immediate impact on the financial markets was significant. As the decision was announced, the Dow-Jones Industrial Average surged to an all-time high.
The markets inferred from the Fed’s action that the economy is finally experiencing some growth. And this is borne out by the jump of 4.1 percent in gross domestic product for the third quarter of 2013 and significantly lower unemployment in November.
In the long run, much will depend upon the Fed’s actions during the year. If the purchases continue to taper off, long-term interest rates could rise if anxiety about inflation affects investors.
Short-term rates will not increase until the economy is strong enough – and unemployment  low enough – for the Fed to hike the federal funds rate.

Wayne Curtis, Ph.D., is a former superintendent of Alabama banks and Troy University business school dean. He is retired from the board of directors of First United Security Bank.  Email him at wccurtis39@gmail.com.

 The two most important issues that the state of Alabama will be facing in 2014 are education and job creation. These two issues are usually tied together because education is so critical to getting a good job, as well as recruiting and growing business.
But education and job creation are also connected to two other important issues: gaming and a statewide lottery.
Gaming and the lottery have been issues in Alabama politics for decades now, and they still have not been resolved.
I have frequently and publicly been in support of establishing a statewide lottery. Estimates from the Legislative Fiscal Office show that we could bring in $250 million for our schools from a lottery.
Alabamians are already spending millions of dollars on a statewide lottery. We are just doing it in other states. Tennessee, Georgia and Florida all have their own lottery and are more than happy to take our money and spend it on their children’s education.
Mississippi does not have a state lottery, but their casinos in Philadelphia are certainly making money off of customers from Alabama. And the Indian gaming facilities in Alabama are reporting record growth in gaming revenues.
The time has come to let the people of Alabama decide the fate of gaming and a statewide lottery. This is a commitment Gov. Bentley made in 2010 when he said, “I believe the people of Alabama need to decide at the ballot box on a YES or NO vote whether to allow gambling or abolish all forms of gambling.” And I am asking the leadership in Montgomery to honor that commitment.
State leaders in Montgomery have tried to go around the voters and use the courts to determine the fate of gaming. I think that is wrong. This is a democracy, and we need to let the people decide.
That is why I will reintroduce legislation this year that will allow the voters to decide if we will create a state lottery. Under my bill, the revenue brought in from the lottery will only be used for education, with $50 million being used to put a school resource officer (i.e., security guard) in every public school while the rest of the revenue will be used to provide scholarships to students who make the A/B Honor Roll. These scholarships can help our children afford an education at any university, two-year college or technical school of their choice.
It is also time to decide – once and for all – if we will allow facilities like VictoryLand to continue to operate, and if we will enter into a compact with the Indians on their gaming facilities.
Currently, the state of Alabama has not entered into a compact with the Poarch Creeck Indians. The Indian’s gaming facilities are permitted under federal law, but because the state does not have a compact with them, we are missing out on millions of dollars that could go toward our schools, economic development and other state needs.
We need to negotiate a fair compact that allows the Indians to continue their operations but also guarantees that the state benefits as well.
And by going after VictoryLand and other legal gaming facilities, the only thing the state has done is eliminate jobs and prevent these facilities from paying taxes and creating more jobs.
It is time to resolve these issues once and for all. It is time to move forward and for state leaders to keep their promise to the people of Alabama. It is time to let the people vote!
Rep. Craig Ford is a Democrat from Gadsden and the Minority Leader in the Alabama House of Representatives.

By Steve Flowers

With each passing day it becomes less likely that Gov. Robert Bentley will get any serious opposition in his reelection bid. We are only five months away from the June 3, 2014 GOP primary. It would be very difficult for someone to mount a significant challenge to the popular incumbent in that time span.
It also appears that Sen. Jeff Sessions and Attorney General Luther Strange will have smooth sailing towards their reelections. Young Boozer and John McMillan also appear to be headed towards reelection to second terms as Treasurer and Agriculture Commissioner.
Under our state constitution, the aforementioned statewide incumbents are term limited after two four-year terms. However, U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions has no limitations on the number of six-year terms he serves. This lack of competition portends a quiet and dull 2014 election year. This is disappointing to those of us who thrive on following political races. Therefore, political pundits will begin their speculation of who will follow Gov. Bentley as governor in 2018.
Political junkies are already thinking about the 2018 races since the 2014 contests will be sleepers. All four of the major constitutional officeholders will have to move up or out. That means that speculation will obviously focus on Luther Strange, Kay Ivey, Young Boozer and John McMillan as possible entrants into the 2018 horse races.
None of the four could be called spring chickens. McMillan and Ivey will be over 70. Strange and Boozer will be in their mid-60s. However, by today’s standards that is not old. Therefore, if they have the fire in the belly for a chase at the brass ring their age should not be a deterrent.
One major player, who has opted out of the 2014 races, is Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard. Some Goat Hill observers say he would lose power moving from his position as Czar of the House of Representatives.
Meanwhile, most of the action surrounding next year’s elections will center on Hubbard’s legislative election activities. It is expected that the legislative races will be the best contests in 2014. Hubbard has amassed his power and control of the House of Representatives by garnering the money doled out by lobbyists and special interest groups. He has corralled the lobbyists to give the money to him or his PACs and he doles it out to his friends and loyal subjects.
The state has become so divided when it comes to partisan allegiances and voting patterns that it is fairly predictable whether a Republican or Democrat will occupy a House or Senate seat in the legislature for the foreseeable future. The legislative lines were drawn two years ago for the upcoming 2014 elections. They will be in effect for the remainder of the decade. These district lines are designed to keep the GOP in control of both the State House and State Senate by about a two to one majority.
There are only a handful of seats that will be in play on a partisan battle basis. The districts are drawn to provide for 65 safe Republican seats and 35 safe Democratic seats in the House. There are about five seats that could go either way. If they split, it remains a two to one Republican advantage. The Senate is drawn about the same way. It is designed to be a 25 to 10 Republican advantage in the upper chamber. There are only three or four seats that are in play on a partisan basis.
Therefore, the liveliest challenges next year will probably be within the GOP ranks. There will be intraparty battles to see who sits in these solidly safe Republican seats. Hubbard may attempt to purge some districts that have not totally followed his reactionary orders.
This super majority Republican legislature has emasculated the only Democratic friendly organization, the Alabama Education Association, during this quadrennium. They have driven daggers into the heart and soul of this once vaunted union. In three short years, they rolled back 30 years of union accomplishments under the leadership of the legendary King of Goat Hill, Dr. Paul Hubbert.
It will be interesting to see whether the AEA will roll over and play dead or fight back. If Hubbert were still in charge, my guess is that he would fight back with a vengeance. His approach would be to strike strategically within the GOP primary.

See you next week.

Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His column appears weekly in more than 70 Alabama newspapers. Steve served 16 years in the state legislature. He may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.