I graduated from the University of Alabama in 1965.
If you are a college football fan you may remember that between 1961 and 1965 UA won three NCAA College National Championships.
Joe Namath was our quarterback, but more importantly, our coach was the legendary Paul Bear Bryant.
No need to give a history lesson on Coach Bryant, but unless you’re of a certain age, you may not know one important fact about the Bear. Continue reading Birmingham: Bear Bryant may be turning over in his grave
We in Birmingham should be growing weary.
Another national publication has punished Birmingham with a low ranking.
Our self-esteem drops and our reputation is damaged.
But this is ironic, because the ranking, like many others, is neither accurate nor fair.
Continue reading Birmingham embarrassed by another key national ranking
Oh no!
I had to go to the Jefferson County Courthouse to transact some business.
Based on my previous experiences, I would rather have a ‘root canal.’
The last time I went to the courthouse there were people lined up around the block. The hallways were filled with angry folks with tempers flaring.
Some citizens were compelled to hire surrogates to stand in line so they wouldn’t have to miss a day of work to transfer a license tag. Continue reading Something strange at Jefferson County Courthouse
I love to read positive national stories about Birmingham…and there have been a lot of them lately.
So I couldn’t wait to read the article in City Lab titled, “How Birmingham thrived despite a county bankruptcy in Alabama’s largest city–a story of economic confidence in an unlikely place.”
“A story of economic confidence in an unlikely place.”
Yes, the piece bragged about Birmingham. It described how we’ve thrived since the Jefferson County’s bankruptcy.
But then the author hit us in the face with a pie… Continue reading National publication embarrasses Birmingham
Last year who would have predicted that Donald Trump might win the Republican Primary?
Last year who would have thought that Bernie Sanders would still be giving Hillary Clinton heartburn?
People have become so unhappy with the status quo that they are willing to vote for outsiders and non-traditional candidates.
It’s become totally impossible to predict elections and that may be true for Birmingham also.
What’s wrong with Jefferson County?
We suffered through a very public bankruptcy and then had a parade of County Commissioners convicted of crimes–with many serving jail time.
We’re now paying the price with punishing sewer rates that are projected to increase for the next 40 years.
How did we get ourselves into this mess?
Are Jefferson County politicians more corrupt than others? Continue reading How we in Jefferson County got screwed
Surprisingly Awesome is my favorite podcast. Each episode explores topics that would put most people to sleep, but the show makes boring topics interesting and fun.
Subjects like pigeons, mold, or concrete become fascinating.
Birmingham, Alabama would be the perfect topic for the show.
Birmingham may sound boring—but Birmingham is Surprisingly Awesome. Continue reading Birmingham is surprisingly awesome
If you want to measure the financial vitality of a region–look at job growth.
Our Birmingham seven county metropolitan area* has fewer people employed today than in 2007.
That’s nearly a decade with a net loss of jobs.
Nashville, Charlotte, and Austin have had double digit increases.
According to the Birmingham Business Journal, (Metropolitan) “Birmingham is down about 19,100 jobs from its pre-recession peak.”
Much of the blame belongs to our racial divide–provoked by our fragmented government structure.
Angry blacks rail against white government Continue reading When white people tell black people what to do
Each year from 2002 to 2008 approximately 100 business and political leaders from Birmingham traveled to cities across the U.S.
The Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce BIG trips were designed to discover ideas that were successful in other cities that could be implemented here in Birmingham.
Much was learned, but every year we came home and lamented Birmingham’s stroke of misfortune.
Continue reading Birmingham’s misfortune (and how we’re overcoming it)
Before you folks who favor raising the Birmingham minimum wage start beating me up…please listen to what I have to say.
This piece is not about whether raising the minimum wage is a good idea or not. I’ve read arguments for and against and I’m not taking sides.
This is about raising the minimum wage specifically for the City of Birmingham. Continue reading Why raising the minimum wage won’t work for Birmingham