ABC 33/40 got it wrong
by Jesse J. Lewis, Sr.

Last Thursday on the 5 o’clock news, ABC 33/40’s opening statement was:

A former employee with the Birmingham Housing Authority filed a complaint today (10/24/13) against the Agency. The former employee filed a document with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office. He claims a supervisor with the Authority falsified Section 8 documents. He says he worked as an inspector with the agency until he was terminated last year. He alleges a supervisor cleared houses and apartments for use even though they failed inspection. We received response from the executive office for the Housing Authority. It says, quote, the allegations are completely inaccurate.

On last Wednesday, ABC 33/40 sent a request to the Housing Authority to respond to the allegation. It’s the policy of the Housing Authority to not make statements refuting the claim or never to comment on an employee’s dismissal. The reason for this is just plain old common sense: (1) There might be litigation; (2) They do not wish to destroy the credibility of an employee or former employee.
What’s wrong with the statement is the person in question stated that they ‘were going to file a complaint with the District Attorney’s office.’ The former employee attempted to file with the D.A. and was advised that before the D.A. could take a complaint they must have filed a complaint with the City.
The following day 33/40 reported that they erred when they stated that the person had actually filed with the D.A. 33/40 showed the person in question on TV coming out of the police headquarters stating he had filed a complaint.33/40 reported:

We reported yesterday that the former employee filed a complaint with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office. That was incorrect. Although the former employee went to the D.A.’s office – he was apparently told he had to file police report before any steps could be taken. That’s what Coke did today.
The executive office of the Housing Authority says the agency sticks by its original statement that the allegations are completely inaccurate.
Jesse Lewis, who handles public relations for the agency, also tells ABC 33/40 the former employee filed a similar complaint with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. But it found no truth in the allegations.

In another ABC 33/40 update on the story:

A former employee with the Birmingham Housing Authority has now filed an incident report against the Agency. This morning the former employee filed the report with the Birmingham Police Department.

The problem with this is they never produced the document filed. I have called the police department on three different occasions requesting the documentation and they have said no claim has been filed against the Housing Authority. Something is wrong. Incidentally, this same person had presented his case to Six On Your Side and they refused to run it because it was a two-year-old case and there was no evidence of filing.
If 33/40 reported that the person in question had filed a document with the police department and there’s no copy produced, this is terrible news reporting. In the event they reported that he had filed a document knowing he had not filed is even worse.
I want to make this perfectly clear, I have not seen such a document from 33/40 and the Birmingham  Police Department says no document has been filed.
Speaking of the media, the problem in this story is Brandel Chamblee made his announcement on the Golf Channel that Tiger Woods should receive an “F” as a cheater even though he won five tournaments, stating that any victories should be considered invalid because Woods was caught for rules violations, each of which he was penalized for.
Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, voiced his frustration earlier in the week:
“There’s nothing you can call a golfer worse than a cheater. This is the most deplorable thing I have seen. I’m not one for hyperbole, but this is absolutely disgusting. Calling him a cheater? I’ll be shocked, stunned if something is not done about this, something has to be done. There are certainly things that just don’t go without response. It’s atrocious. I’m not sure if there isn’t legal action to be taken. I have to give some thought to legal action.”
Chamblee tried to remove the taste of his foot from his mouth by making a public apology on Twitter:

Golf is a gentleman’s game  and Im not proud of this debate. I want to apologize to Tiger for this incited discourse. And on –– I wish to ask to apologize.

The problem is if he made the announcement on The Golf Channel he should apologize on the Golf Channel, but he tweeted his apology. Some people question Chamblee’s sincerity, his dislike for Tiger is very obvious for he consistently criticizes Tiger at every opportunity. I don’t know he has done enough to be fired, but I do think that the spokesperson for the Golf Channel should say that words from Chamblee are not the opinion of the Golf Channel but his personnel comment.
If he wanted to make a public apology, Chamblee should have done so the same way that he made the initial comments – in an article of actual statement. While Twitter has clearly become a means for writers and athletes alike to have their voices heard, it is not the correct stage to apologize to the best professional golfer on the PGA Tour this season. Not only were the comments offensive, but a Twitter apology seems like yet another slap in the face to Woods.

e-mail: jjlewis@birminghamtimes.com

    The recent fiscal fiasco brings to mind Winston Churchill’s famous quip that “democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” The imbroglio that took place in Washington during the first 16 days of October, a common occurrence in recent years, represents the worst elements of democracy.
And unless drastic changes take place, we can expect to see more insanity in the future. While the legislation signed by President Obama funds the government until January 15 and increases the debt ceiling until February 7, it leaves the nation’s debt crisis unaddressed. In the words of some, this creates a permanent state of government dysfunction.
The good news is we avoided hitting the debt ceiling and risking a possible default on the nation’s debt for the first time in history.  The bad news, however, is that the deal did not provide any clarity.
The legislation signed by President Obama leaves unfinished any long-term agreement over the nation’s fiscal future. The national debt has $17 trillion, and the amount is increasing every day.  This currently represents $53,642 per person that must ultimately be repaid.
About 6.5 percent of the federal budget represents interest on the debt.  As the economy finally recovers and expands, interest rates will rise. And interest on the debt will increase.
What we witnessed in October is a horror movie that will play again – at least until after the 2014 elections – if lawmakers continue to practice “government by crisis.”   In such an environment, consumers will curtail spending, and businesses will curb investment. This will create a dark cloud over an already-sluggish economy.
From this vantage point, the drama that occurred is a national disgrace. It made this nation the focus of international concern as central banks around the world prepared for a possible default by the U.S. government.
As the politicians continue to squabble over every issue, this represents a lack of statesmanship. They act as if they have never heard of civility and compromise.
Surely there are still men and women who are willing to place the welfare of the nation above their own interests. Now is the time for them to step up to the plate.

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.

     Without a doubt, the biggest issue our state is facing is creating jobs and getting our economy back on track.
Recent reports show that our statewide unemployment rate is at 6.3 percent, which represents more than 134,000 Alabamians who can’t find a job.
We have seen thousands of jobs leave the state, while the jobs that we have been creating do not pay a livable wage or come with benefits.
Alabama’s textile industry – one of the largest segments of our economy – has been decimated, while plants, mills and factories across the state have been closing shop.
Recently, International Paper announced they are closing their mill in Lawrence County – one of three mills owned by International Paper in Alabama. This closure will cost the state 1,100 jobs.
Our construction industry is hemorrhaging jobs at a faster rate than nearly every other state in the country. In 2011, we lost 2,700 construction jobs in one month alone!
Under Gov. Bob Riley’s leadership, Alabama granted over a billion dollars in tax incentives to ThyssenKrupp to bring a steel plant to Mobile. After less than two years in operation, ThyssenKrupp closed the plant and is now trying to sell it to the highest bidder.
Over the past three years, our state has lost nearly 6,500 education jobs, including 2,000 teachers, and lost 3,000 state employee jobs. State leaders have celebrated these job loses, which they call “rightsizing.” But these state leaders don’t seem to understand that these educators and state employees are customers and taxpayers that our economy relies on.
The loss of these jobs has had a devastating impact on our economy. What makes it worse is that what few jobs we are creating are not the kind of jobs that pay a livable wage or come with benefits like health insurance or a retirement plan.
For example, Medicaid enrollment in Alabama has gone up 20 percent over the past five years, which means that the jobs we are creating do not come with benefits like health insurance.
Another indicator is the rise in the number of Alabamians receiving food stamps. Over the past five years, food stamp enrollment has increased 61 percent, which means that the jobs we are creating don’t pay enough to feed a family of four.
At the same time, state leaders have cut funding for education by more than 20 percent over the past five years.
Alabama’s economy is struggling because we have relied on low-skill, low-wage jobs as the backbone of our economy. Now these jobs are being shipped overseas or are being phased out of existence.
The jobs that are being created in this country now require a higher degree of education and training. That is why so many businesses look at Alabama and then move on.
With one of the largest high school dropout rates in the country, and with fewer than 24 percent of Alabamians holding a college degree, it is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit business and industry to Alabama. These businesses need a workforce that is able to do the high-skilled jobs they offer, and that requires education.
If we are going to get our economy back on track, we have to do three things.
First, we need to use targeted tax incentives that come with job commitments and allow us to get our money back if the business does not bring the jobs it promises or does not keep them here for a minimum of 10 years.
We need to go back to the way we recruited businesses like Mercedes and Hyundai, instead of the way we recruited ThyssenKrupp.
Second, we need to invest in our infrastructure. This creates jobs today and helps recruit and expand business for the long-term. By improving our roads, bridges, sewers and water systems, and electrical systems, we can create jobs immediately. But doing this will also update our infrastructure to accommodate newer technologies and make doing business more efficient and affordable, and that makes Alabama more attractive to potential employers we are trying to recruit.
Third, and most important of all, we need to return to investing in our public education and vocational schools. This is a business-friendly state, and nobody works harder or has a better work ethic than the people of Alabama. But without the right tools, they cannot get or perform the jobs that are being created.
If we are going to create more jobs, we have to give our workers and our children the tools to succeed. And there is no tool more important than a good head on their shoulders.