By David Sher
I don’t get the logic.
I read the headlines and excuses, but they make no sense.
Read this recent headline.
“Pelham raises sales tax for the first time since 2013” Continue reading Pelham, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook flimsy excuse to raise taxes
By David Sher
I’m going to talk about Alabama’s license plate codes to belly-ache about our Birmingham regions lack of growth.
When I was a child traveling out of state and I saw an Alabama license plate beginning with the number 1, I would proudly proclaim to my family that the folks in that car were from Birmingham, and I would think to myself: Birmingham, the #1 city in Alabama.
Continue reading Is Jefferson County about to lose #1 license plate?
Today’s guest columnist is Richard Friedman.
During my long tenure as Executive Director of the Birmingham Jewish Federation, an Israeli Consul General told me something I’ve never forgotten. “You know,” he said. “We consider Alabama the most pro-Israel state in the country.” Continue reading Alabama may be the most pro-Israel state in the country
Today’s guest columnist is Karen Musgrove.
On April 1, 2022, the children at our school, the Magic City Acceptance Academy (MCAA), were attacked.
MCAA, a free public charter school founded in 2021 by BAO (Birmingham AIDS Outreach), opened with 250 students grades 6th through 12th. Continue reading What do you do when your children are attacked by an Alabama politician?
Today’s guest columnist is Bill Ivey.
There’s no way to understand Birmingham until you know its history.
Slavery was never practiced in Birmingham because it wasn’t founded until 1871, six years after the Civil War.
But after its founding Birmingham took an ugly turn. Continue reading The ugly turn Birmingham took after its founding
Today’s guest columnist is Billy Field.
I first learned about reputation, at least the reputation of a state, in the summer following my 7th grade year, the summer of 1963.
My mother loaded up my sister, my half-blind grandfather (meaning he couldn’t help with the driving), me and my good friend Reid, and we set out across America in a 1961 straight-shift Rambler with a canvas cargo carrier on top, packed with a five-person tent, sleeping bags and fishing rods. Continue reading Are the ghosts of George and Bull keeping Alabama poor?
Today’s guest columnist is Ryan Hankins.
The purpose of expanding Medicaid is to provide access to medical care for a population of adults who don’t have employer-provided insurance and whose incomes are too low to qualify for a subsidy on the healthcare exchange.
Continue reading Alabama paying the cost of Medicaid expansion but getting none of the benefits
Today’s guest columnist is Michael D. Waters.
Less than one month after Fob James was first inaugurated Governor of Alabama in January 1979, I answered my home telephone on a Saturday afternoon and a friendly voice on the other side said: “Hello, is this Mike Waters, the governor’s legal adviser?” Continue reading A startling phone call from an Alabama segregationist governor
Today’s guest columnist is Ryan Hankins.
“I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.” This is the title of the second-longest-running Off-Broadway musical (according to Wikipedia, at least).
The phrase also seems to summarize Alabamians’ thoughts about our state constitution. Continue reading Our Constitution out of control
Today’s guest columnist is Daniel Coleman.
“We must cultivate our own garden.”– Voltaire
If we want to address Birmingham’s growth issues, we need to take charge of our future.
Growth is in our control if we are willing to tend to it. We should not expect economic growth to come from somewhere else. Such growth is ephemeral. Continue reading Birmingham must take charge of its economic future