Kay Ivey Inaugural Committee announces 2019 theme: Keep Alabama Growing
Governor Kay Ivey and her 2019 Inaugural Committee, led by Cathy Randall and Jimmy Rane, on Wednesday announced the theme for her Inauguration: Keep Alabama Growing. “In less than a year and a half, Governor Ivey led Alabama to record job growth, improved education and set Alabama on a path of prosperity,” said Co-Chairs Rane and Randall. “The 2019 Inaugural theme, Keep Alabama Growing, underscores Governor Ivey’s promise to build upon these successes and grow more opportunities for Alabamians. We’re inspired by Governor Ivey’s bold vision for Alabama and look forward to celebrating this exciting new era.” The Inaugural Committee also unveiled the Kay Ivey Inaugural website and officially opened the application process for any individuals or groups who wish to participate in the 2019 Inaugural Parade. January 4 is the deadline to submit parade applications. Details regarding the Inaugural Festivities will be released and posted on the new website in the coming weeks.
Donald Trump’s push for tariffs squeezes a weakening global economy
The global economy was already showing signs of a slowdown when President Donald Trump reminded the world of his love of tariffs and sent a chill through financial markets. “I am a Tariff Man,” Trump announced Tuesday to signal his devotion to import taxes — a remark that served to downplay the likelihood of ending his trade war with China. Stocks sank across the world, in part over fear that an escalation in tariffs would choke off economic growth and possibly send a global slowdown into a recession. By Wednesday, Tariff Man had tweaked his message to suggest more optimism on the odds of forging a deal with President Xi Jinping. Their meeting last weekend at an economic conference in Argentina produced a 90-day truce, a suspension of further increases in U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods and a pledge by Beijing to buy more U.S. goods. “Not to sound naive or anything, but I believe President Xi meant every word of what he said at our long and hopefully historic meeting,” Trump tweeted. “ALL subjects discussed!” Still, Trump’s rattling of the global economy came at a precarious moment, with the economic outlook for 2019 dimming and concerns about a potential recession — if not next year then soon thereafter — rising. The economic stimulus from U.S. tax cuts is beginning to fade. Britain is struggling to leave the European Union. Italy’s debt is widening. China is trying to navigate a slowdown after decades of unsustainably fast growth. Germany, Europe’s largest economy, shrank in its most recent quarter. Global growth was already slated to slip to 3.5% next year from 3.7% even without accounting for the risks of escalating U.S. tariffs and China’s counter-tariffs, according to estimates by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, an intergovernmental think tank of 36 nations. Now, businesses, consumers and nations must account for the chaotic confusion injected by Trump’s evolving and conflicting messages about his administration’s trade relationship with Beijing, said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. Shepherdson worries that the president’s fondness for tariffs might itself be enough to further suppress growth. “The uncertainty caused by the whipsawing of his trade stance means that business investment will be delayed or canceled, marginal hiring decisions will be postponed and potential overseas business partners will look elsewhere,” Shepherdson said. Trump imposed tariffs of 10% on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods in September. Those tariffs were set to rise to 25% on Jan. 1. The president had also threatened to impose tariffs on essentially all the remaining goods from China that aren’t already subject to his higher tariffs. The Trump-Xi dinner negotiations, though, led the two sides to hit pause and agree to 90 days of negotiations. Trump says he wants to shrink a gaping $336 billion U.S. trade deficit with Beijing — the gap between how much America buys from China and how much it sells — and stop the Chinese from stealing or forcing the handover of U.S. technology and intellectual property. Complicating the problem is that all this is happening against the backdrop of weakening growth around the world. The economy of the 19 countries that use the euro currency, for example, stumbled in the July-September period. Its quarterly growth halved to 0.2%. Worries escalated after data showed that the economies of Italy and Germany, which relies on global exports, shrank during the quarter. “The global picture is getting murkier, and that’ll impact the eurozone via trade and sentiment,” Erik Nielsen, chief economist at UniCredit bank, said in a note to clients. Italy is suffering from uncertainty over its economic outlook under a new populist government. The government wants to raise public spending, thereby adding to its huge debt load of over 130% — and even rekindling concerns of a return of Europe’s debt crisis. Brexit, meanwhile, is an unknown, with Britain in the midst of political turmoil. It’s possible that it could leave the EU without any deal on future relations involving trade. That’s a worst-case scenario that would immediately establish tariffs and customs checks on hundreds of billions of dollars in exports between Britain and the 27 other EU nations. White House aides have suggested that Trump is promoting tariffs merely as a tool to forge agreements that would actually eliminate all import taxes. And at the opening of this week, the administration was already claiming progress with China on the purchase of $1.2 trillion worth of U.S. goods — even though White House officials couldn’t supply any meaningful details. “President Trump regards himself as a trade reformer,” Larry Kudlow, director of the White House National Economic Council, told reporters Monday. “He wants a world of zero tariffs and zero non-tariff barriers and zero subsidies.” Then, on Tuesday, Trump seemed to thumb his nose at that White House talking point by dubbing himself “Tariff Man.” “When people or countries come in to raid the great wealth of our Nation,” he tweeted, “I want them to pay for the privilege of doing so.” Those words helped trigger a dizzying sell-off Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed about 800 points — 3.1%. U.S. financial markets were closed Wednesday for the funeral of former President George H.W. Bush. But stock indexes in Britain, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Japan, Australia, South Korea and India tumbled. The problem for the global economy is that tariffs tend to inflate prices, depress trade and reduce the incomes of everyday workers. That’s because companies must either absorb the higher costs created by tariffs or pass them on to their customers. The Tax Foundation, a conservative think tank, studied the $42 billion of tariffs already imposed by Trump, which include taxes on steel, aluminum, washing machines and the duties being charged on Chinese imports. Its analysis, released Wednesday, concluded that these tariffs had reduced incomes by an average of $146 for taxpayers who earn between $27,740 and $43,800. The tariffs also cut U.S. hiring by the equivalent of 94,300 full-time jobs. If Trump proceeds with
Alabama among states with highest food insecurity; more than 1 in 5 kids growing up hungry
822,109 Alabamians went to bed at night not always know where their next meal was coming from during the three-year time period of 2015-2017 making it the fifth most food insecure state in the country. That’s according to a new report released Monday by Hunger Free America, a New York-based nonprofit, based on an analysis of federal data. The report — the first ever “U.S. Hunger Atlas” found Alabama was consistently in the lists of the top ten states with the highest rates of food insecurity for employed adults, children, and older Americans (ages 60 and older). It also found nearly 22 percent of all children, or 237,572 kids, in Alabama lived in households that couldn’t always afford enough food during that same time period. Working adults While many would think only the unemployed are hungry, the report shed a light on the fact that 12.6 percent of working adults, or 256,923 people, in Alabama suffered from food insecurity from 2015-2017. Without a state minimum wage, most Alabama employees are covered under the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Meanwhile, the increased state minimum wage nationally correlated with declined hunger among working people in other states. “It’s no surprise that we again found that states with higher minimum wages have less hunger among working people and states with lower minimum wages had more hunger among working people,” said Hunger Free America CEO Joel Berg. “The claims of opponents of wage hikes — that such increases will harm employment rates and thus increase poverty and hunger — are clearly unfounded. This report should be a wake-up call to elected officials at the federal, state, and local levels that we need bold, comprehensive new economic and public polices to raise wages and ensure an adequate anti-hunger and anti-poverty safety net.” Berg added, “While the nation rightfully focuses on whether a blue wave or a red wave changes our political leadership any given year, we must also focus on the reality that, since the 1980s, a red, white, and blue wave of hunger has submerged each of the fifty states of the U.S. in suffering, making America the only Western industrialized democracy with this level of food hardship. We simply cannot let mass deprivation be considered any sort of ‘new normal.’” Additional Alabama findings The report also found: 11.4 percent of older Americans living in Alabama, a total of 122,400 people, were hungry during 2015-2017. In states with a minimum wage set at $10 or above, an average of 8.6 percent of employed adults were found to be food insecure — more than a full percentage point below the national average of 9.7 percent. In states with a minimum wage set at $7.25 or below, an average of 9.9 percent of employed adults were food insecure. Food insecure Alabama residents would need more than $428 million in additional food purchasing power each year to meet their basic food needs, spending as much on food as do non-hungry Alabama residents. The increased food purchasing power could take the form of a combination of higher wages and increased federal nutrition assistance spending.
House GOP campaign arm targeted by ‘unknown entity’ in 2018
Thousands of emails were stolen from aides to the National Republican Congressional Committee during the 2018 midterm campaign, a major breach exposing vulnerabilities that have kept cybersecurity experts on edge since the 2016 presidential race. The email accounts were compromised during a series of intrusions that had been spread over several months and discovered in April, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. At least four different party aides had their emails surveilled by hackers, said the person, who was not authorized to discuss the details publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The committee said an “unknown entity” was behind the hack but provided few other details. A cybersecurity firm and the FBI have been investigating the matter, the committee said. The FBI declined to comment. Politically motivated cyberespionage is commonplace across the world, but Americans have become particularly alert to the possibility of digital interference since Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election. The theft of Democrats’ emails is still fresh in the minds of many political operatives and lawmakers, who have stepped up defensive measures but still struggle to protect themselves. Foreign spies routinely try to hack into politicians’ emails to gain insight, ferret out weaknesses and win a diplomatic edge. But hackers often launch sweeping spear-phishing campaigns to gain access to a variety accounts — with no political motivation. With no immediate suspects and few technical details, it’s unclear what the significance of this latest incursion is. In August, the Democratic National Committee thought it had thwarted an attempt to break into its massive voter database — but the effort turned out to be unauthorized test that mimicked what an attack would look like. CrowdStrike, a California-based cybersecurity company, said Tuesday the NRCC asked the company in April to “perform an investigation related to unauthorized access” to the committee’s emails. Before that, the company had been helping the committee protect its internal corporate network, which wasn’t compromised. “The cybersecurity of the committee’s data is paramount, and upon learning of the intrusion, the NRCC immediately launched an internal investigation and notified the FBI, which is now investigating the matter,” the committee said in a statement. The hack was first reported by Politico. Earlier this year, NRCC Chairman Steve Stivers said the committee — which raises money to support Republican candidates for the House — hired multiple cybersecurity staffers to work with its candidates and promised to do more. “We’re starting to advise campaigns, but we’re not ready to roll the whole thing out. We’re working on it,” Stivers said in March. “We’re working on the technology-based stuff to try and make sure that we know what’s out there — which is hard, too — and then we try to defend against it the best we can.” During the 2016 presidential campaign, Russian state-aligned hackers organized the leak of more than 150,000 emails stolen from more than a dozen Democrats. The FBI later said that the Russians had targeted more than 300 people affiliated with the Hillary Clinton campaign and other Democratic institutions over the course of the presidential contest. Special counsel Robert Mueller is now investigating the whether people close to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign had advance knowledge of WikiLeaks’ plans. U.S. officials have expressed concern about foreign interference in U.S. elections. This weekend, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis accused Russia of trying to “muck around” in the November midterm elections. Mattis did not offer specifics and would not elaborate. In October, the Justice Department unsealed criminal charges detailing a yearslong effort by a Russian troll farm to “sow division and discord in the U.S. political system” by creating thousands of false social media profiles and email accounts that appeared to be from people inside the United States. The complaint provided a clear picture that there is still a hidden but powerful Russian social media effort aimed at spreading distrust for American political candidates and causing divisions on social issues such as immigration and gun control. The campaign season saw several examples of digital mischief, although none with the impact of the 2016 hacks. In August, Microsoft alerted the public to attempts by government-backed Russian hackers to target U.S. conservatives’ email by creating fake websites that appeared to belong to a pair of think tanks, the Hudson Institute and International Republican Institute. It also confirmed an attempt similarly attributed to Russian hackers to infiltrate the Senate computer network of Sen. Claire McCaskill, the Missouri Democrat who lost a re-election bid in November. Google later confirmed in September that the personal Gmail accounts of multiple senators and staffers had recently been targeted by foreign hackers, though it did not specify the cyberspies’ nationality nor the party affiliations of the targets. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Ceremonies for George H.W. Bush draw together presidents, world envoys
The nation’s capital bids its final farewell to the late former President George H.W. Bush on Wednesday in a service of prayer and praise that is drawing together world envoys, Americans of high office and a guy from Maine who used to fix things in Bush’s house on the water. A viewing for the 41st president at the hushed Capitol Rotunda closed Wednesday morning. A ceremony at Washington National Cathedral, the nexus of state funerals, will cap three days of remembrance by dignitaries and ordinary citizens as they honored the Republican president who oversaw the post-Cold War transition and led a successful Gulf War, only to lose re-election in a generational shift to Democrat Bill Clinton in 1992. The four living ex-presidents are coming — among them, George W. Bush will eulogize his father — and President Donald Trump will attend but is not scheduled to speak. Also attending: one king (Jordan), one queen (Jordan), two princes (Britain, Bahrain), Germany’s chancellor and Poland’s president, among representatives of more than a dozen countries. Also expected in the invitation-only crowd: Mike Lovejoy, a Kennebunkport electrician and fix-it man who has worked at Bush’s Maine summer estate since 1990 and says he was shocked and heartened to be asked to come. On Tuesday, soldiers, citizens in wheelchairs and long lines of others on foot wound through the Capitol Rotunda to view Bush’s casket and honor a president whose legacy included World War military service and a landmark law affirming the rights of the disabled. Former Sen. Bob Dole, a compatriot in war, peace and political struggle, steadied himself out of his wheelchair and saluted his old friend and one-time rival. After the national funeral service at the cathedral, Bush’s remains will be returned to Houston to lie in repose at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church before burial Thursday at his family plot on the presidential library grounds at Texas A&M University in College Station. His final resting place will be alongside Barbara Bush, his wife of 73 years who died in April, and Robin Bush, the daughter they lost to leukemia in 1953 at age 3. Trump ordered the federal government closed Wednesday for a national day of mourning. Flags on public buildings are flying at half-staff for 30 days. As at notable moments in his life, Bush brought together Republicans and Democrats in his death, and not only the VIPs. Members of the public who never voted for the man waited in the same long lines as the rest, attesting that Bush possessed the dignity and grace that deserved to be remembered by their presence on a cold overcast day in the capital. “I’m just here to pay my respects,” said Jane Hernandez, a retired physician in the heavily Democratic city and suburbs. “I wasn’t the biggest fan of his presidency, but all in all he was a good, sincere guy doing a really hard job as best he could.” Bush’s service dog, Sully, was taken to the viewing, too — his main service these last months since Barbara Bush’s death in April being to rest his head on her husband’s lap. Service dogs are trained to do that. The CIA also honored Bush, the only spy chief to become president, as three agency directors past and present joined the public in the viewing. In the midst of the period of mourning, first lady Melania Trump gave Laura Bush, one of her predecessors, a tour of holiday decorations at the White House, a “sweet visit during this somber week,” as Mrs. Bush’s Instagram account put it. And the Trumps visited members of the Bush family at the Blair House presidential guesthouse, where they are staying. Former President George W. Bush and his wife greeted the Trumps outside before everyone went in for the private, 20-minute visit. Although Trump will attend Bush’s service, he is not among the eulogists. They are, in addition to Bush’s eldest son, Alan Simpson, the former senator and acerbic wit from Wyoming; Brian Mulroney, the former Canadian prime minister who also gave a eulogy for Ronald Reagan; and presidential historian Jon Meacham. People lined up before dawn to pay respects to the 41st president, a son and father of privilege now celebrated by everyday citizens for his common courtesies and depth of experience. “He was so qualified, and I think he was just a decent man,” said Sharon Terry, touring Washington with friends from an Indianapolis garden club. Said her friend Sue Miller, also in line for the viewing: “I actually think I underestimated him when he was in office. My opinion of him went up seeing how he conducted himself as a statesman afterward.” Fred Curry, one of the few African-Americans in line, is a registered Democrat from Hyattsville, Maryland, who voted for Bush in 1988, the election won by the one-term president. “Honestly I just liked him,” he said. “He seemed like a sincere and decent man and you couldn’t argue with his qualifications.” Inside the Capitol, Sully, the 2-year-old Labrador retriever assigned to Bush, sat by the casket in the company of people who came to commemorate Bush’s signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the 1990 law that, among its many provisions, required businesses that prohibit pets to give access to service dogs. “After Mrs. Bush’s death, general companionship was a big part of Sully’s job,” John Miller, president and CEO of America’s VetDogs, said in a phone interview. “One of the things that I think was important to the president was the rest command, where Sully would rest his head on the president’s lap.” The law was just one point of intersection for Bush and Dole, now 95, who was one of its leading advocates in the Senate. They were fellow World War II veterans, Republican Party leaders, fierce rivals for the 1988 Republican presidential nomination won by Bush (“Stop lying about my record,” Dole snapped at Bush) and skilled negotiators. Dole, an Army veteran hit by German machine gunfire in Italy, has
Shelby County Chambers join forces, to begin 2019 united as one
Two organizations that represent business interests in Shelby County will join forces in 2019 under a new name, but the same common goal: championing Shelby County as the premier place to live and do business. The Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and the South Shelby Chamber of Commerce on Thursday announced they have decided unify and will be known as the Shelby County Chamber as of Jan. 1, 2019. “Both organizations have embraced the synergy that has emerged as they collaboratively worked on and jointly attended events around the county over the last three years. This is really a natural next step,” said Jacqueline Gardner of St. Vincent’s One Nineteen Health and Wellness and the South Shelby Chamber Chair. “Both organizations share a vision for Shelby County.” The decision to join the two organizations was unanimously approved by the board of directors of each chamber, on November 27 and November 28. “There is tremendous support from members of both organizations. I believe they recognize and are excited about the opportunities a united effort can mean for Shelby County businesses,” said Joe Meads of Sain Associates and Chair of the Greater Shelby Chamber. Currently, some people serve on the Board of Directors for both Chambers and some Shelby County business are members of both organizations with a different representative on each Board. According to the Chambers, the businesses that currently have multiple representatives will ultimately have the choice to decide who sits on the newly combined Board. “The decision was made to combine the board members from both existing organizations into one leadership body. Over time, through attrition, one Board of Directors will emerge,” explained Kirk Mancer, President and CEO of the Greater Shelby Chamber. Paul Rogers of NobleBank & Trust and the task force team leader, explained the process has been very deliberative with significant outreach to all segments of both organizations and to the local governments involved; adding that the mission of partnering with community stakeholders to support the stability and foster economic vitality throughout Shelby County has been a common theme in all deliberations. “As County Manager, I view the movement to one Chamber, one voice, as very positive for Shelby County,” said Alex Dudchock, Shelby County Manager. “Working together, each one bringing strengths to the table; will energize support for businesses and strengthen the current workforce development efforts that are critical to our future,” he said. Months of deliberation by task teams made up of members from both Chambers resulted in the obvious name for the new entity. The unified Shelby County Chamber will showcase a new logo when it begins operations on Jan. 1, 2019. “These two organizations have energetic members and visionary leadership, there is strength in unity. This is an exciting progressive move for the overall business environment in Shelby County,” said Bill Connor of America’s First Federal Credit Union and the Chair-Elect of the Greater Shelby Chamber.
Ohio-based manufacturer Hyster-Yale to move some operations to Alabama
An Ohio-based lift truck manufacturer plans to move part of its operations to west Alabama next year as part of an expansion plan. Al.com reports Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. announced Tuesday that its Bolzoni line’s North America attachment manufacturing will move from the company’s Homewood, Illinois, facility to its Sulligent, Alabama, facility. A company statement says the move to the larger Sulligent facility will start in January. It says Bolzoni will control the facility’s product manufacturing, and the range of products manufactured at the facility will be expanded. Employees at that facility will become Bolzoni workers. It says production will be phased out at the Homewood facility, which employs 70 people. The statement says the company intends to maintain a Bolzoni distribution center near Homewood. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Steve Flowers: Further analysis of general election – winners and losers
Now that the dust has settled on this year’s elections, let’s look back at who are the big winners and losers of the year. The obvious winner in the Heart of Dixie is the Republican Party. The GOP retained the reins of the state’s highest office and every other statewide Constitutional position. Kay Ivey was elected governor, overwhelmingly, as was Will Ainsworth as Lt. Governor, John Merrill as Secretary of State, John McMillan as State Treasurer, Rick Pate as Agriculture Commissioner, Jim Zeigler as State Auditor, Jeremy Oden and Chip Beeker as PSC members. Our entire judiciary is Republican, all members of the Supreme Court, and Courts of Criminal and Civil Appeals. There are 29 statewide office holders and all 29 are Republican. However, more importantly the Legislature is overwhelmingly Republican. More than two-thirds of both the House and the Senate are Republicans. That’s what you call a super majority. Our Republican legislature can pass anything they want without a Democratic vote or letting Democrats speak. Our Congressional delegation is made up of six Republicans and one lone Democrat. Folks, that makes us a pretty red state. Several years ago, I had the honor of being a keynote speaker at the Boys State 75th Anniversary. I had attended Boys State 45 years earlier as a high school leader and aspiring young politico. I shared with these future political leaders this advice, “If you plan to run for statewide office in Alabama even if you believe you are a Democrat, you will need to run as a Republican.” This year’s election reaffirmed and confirmed that truth. Winning the GOP Primary in Alabama is tantamount to election. Therefore, to pick the biggest individual winner of the year, you have to look back to the GOP Primary. Young Will Ainsworth, a 37-year old Sand Mountain Legislator/businessman emerges as the Gold Star award winner of the year in Alabama politics. His victory as Lt. Governor has propelled him onto the state political scene as the most prominent rising star. He was the top vote getter in the state on November 6th. He is a clean-cut, successful, family man who has been vetted by a high profile, statewide race. The second biggest winner of the year was the loser of the GOP Primary for Lt. Governor, Twinkle Cavanaugh. In all my years of following Alabama politics, I have never seen a more graceful and gracious second place finisher. She only lost by an eyelash. She genuinely smiled on election night and said she had not gotten the most votes, even though she could have contested such a closely defined outcome. She had entered the race as the favorite having been elected three times statewide. During October, she held a fundraiser for Will Ainsworth in her Montgomery home. She will never be seriously challenged in her post as President of the PSC. Speaking of rising stars, the third runner up is a young 18-year old fellow from Geneva County. Weston Spivey became the youngest elected official in the state by winning a County Commission seat in his home county. He won the GOP Primary before he was graduated from high school at Ridgecrest Christian School in Dothan. Young Spivey is also a volunteer firefighter with the Slocomb Fire Department. You should keep your eye on young Weston Spivey. He may become Governor of Alabama before he is 30. Besides Will Ainsworth, there were two other Republicans who were top vote getters. Governor Kay Ivey and Secretary of State, John Merrill. The biggest loser has to be the Democratic Party and our current anomaly, junior Democratic U.S. Senator Doug Jones. Mr. Jones won this seat until 2020. Because he was on the other side of the ballot than Roy Moore in the 2017 special election. Every left wing, ultra-liberal group and individual in the country gave to Jones to beat Moore. Jones has never hidden the fact that he is a liberal, national Democrat. He showed his true colors when he voted against President Trump’s Supreme Court appointee, Brett Kavanaugh. Jones voted against this highly qualified jurist to appease his contributors in San Francisco and his like-minded Democratic buddies, Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren, and Diane Feinstein. We essentially have only one U.S. Senator. We have ceded our second seat to California. Jones believes in the old adage, “You dance with the one who brung ya.” Hope he is renting in Washington because Alabamians are the ones that vote in 2020. By the way, if you have Richard Shelby as your Senior Senator, you really don’t need a second senator. See you next week. ••• Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in more than 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
