Alabama’s three auto assembly plants combined to break a production record in 2013, surpassing the previous year’s total by 4 percent and stoking optimism that output can continue to rise.

The Alabama assembly plants of Honda, Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz produced a total vehicle count of at least 915,000 last year, beating the 880,114 figure set in 2012, the previous production record for the state, according to a report by AL.com.

Honda’s Talladega County plant assembled an estimated 333,531 vehicles in 2013, down slightly from 2012 due to the introduction of the Acura MDX to the production line. Hyundai, which added a third shift in September 2012, increased output by 10.6 percent in 2013 to 399,495 vehicles, a plant record. Mercedes, which won’t announce its 2013 production total until later, said it surpassed its 2012 record of 182,000 vehicles.

Bill Taylor, president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama and former head of the Mercedes plant in Tuscaloosa County, told AL.com that the auto industry’s growth has created new jobs and opportunities in the state. Airbus Americas Chairman Allan McArtor, in particular, mentioned auto industry growth in the state as a factor in the company’s decision to open a passenger jet production center in Mobile.

RELATED: Protecting the new age of southern automotive manufacturing

“Automotive is advanced manufacturing all day long,” Taylor told AL.com. “Industry leaders recognize that, and to be able to have an advanced manufacturing industry growing and successful, it speaks volumes about the work environment in the state.”

Taylor said adding new models to Alabama assembly lines helps bolster and boost numbers because of the flexibility it provides between models. He said the state’s industry has not yet “hit a ceiling” and continues to create growth opportunities.

With support from the Alabama Department of Commerce and others, automakers continue to expand their operations in the state, with Mercedes beginning to produce the redesigned C-Class sedan this year at its Vance plant. In Huntsville, Toyota’s engine plant is undergoing a $150 million expansion project to boost machining capacity and parts production for V-6 engines.

Meanwhile, suppliers such as Denso are moving into the state while others expanding their presence here, as REHAU is doing in Cullman with the opening of its first technical research center outside of Germany. “Having a high-tech company like REHAU choose Alabama for a U.S.-based research and development facility means new products will be born here in Alabama, which will lead to further growth of industry in our state,” Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield said about the project.

Made in Alabama is a publication of the Alabama Department of Commerce

By Cameron Smith & Terry Bowman

Since 1993, Alabama has become a powerhouse of automotive manufacturing.  With a strong market in the U.S., Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, and Honda continue to show signs of increased production.  That is great news for Alabama’s workforce and state economy. The good news does not stop there.

Because of Alabama’s legislative successes to create a welcoming environment for manufacturing business, new facilities and suppliers are positioned to spring up all around the state.  Others are taking notice.

In July of 2013, Business Facilities moved Alabama up to the number two position on its Automotive Manufacturing Strength Ranking.  Just behind Tennessee, Alabama so impressed the editor of the magazine that he said: “Mercedes-Benz’s long-term commitment to Alabama was followed by a parade of auto giants who have vaulted the state into the top tier in U.S. automotive production, with 880,000 vehicles produced in 2012.  The state has laid out the welcome mat for foreign investment and is working proactively to make sure a skilled workforce is readily available by offering on-site training.”

He added, “We expect Alabama to be a leading player in the U.S. automotive industry for years to come.”

Notably, both Tennessee and Alabama are right-to-work states that prevent employers from requiring union membership as a condition of employment.  The growth of automotive manufacturing in right-to-work states has been so compelling that even Michigan, a historic union stronghold, passed a right-to-work law in 2012.

Yet the United Auto Workers (UAW) remains intent on unionizing the South. The UAW has targeted the Chattanooga Volkswagen plant for a major organizing push.  UAW president Bob King, has acknowledged just how important it is to unionize the plants in the South.  “If we don’t organize the transnationals, I don’t think there is a long-term future for the UAW,” he said.

If the UAW is successful in its attempt to unionize Volkswagen in Chattanooga, the UAW will bargain to be the ‘Exclusive Representation Agent’ for everyone in the bargaining unit – guaranteeing for them that every hourly employee in the facility will have to accept the contract restrictions that they negotiate with the manufacturer.

In other words, every hourly auto-worker will then be associated with the UAW whether they want to be or not.  Conservative union members and manufacturing employees will quickly find that the UAW’s one-size-fits-all representation spends millions of dollars every year to advance an extremely liberal political agenda and influence elections from the presidential level all the way down to local school boards.

While Chattanooga may be the immediate bulls-eye of the UAW’s organizing attempt, its broader target encompasses Alabama’s manufacturing heart.  For all Southern workers, especially those with conservative perspectives, the threat to their freedom and opportunity is real.

When all is said and done, the UAW is a hyper-political organization with perspectives and policies that failed in Detroit and do not fit with Alabama’s mission to create automotive jobs and economic opportunity.  Even though some of Alabama’s auto workers have expressed their opposition to the UAW, the battle will continue.

Workers should absolutely have the opportunity to freely associate with each other and explore with their employers to improve their workplace and product quality. At the same time, Alabama’s workers building an impressive industry must not allow an old-Detroit political machine to come between them and their employers. If workers strive to maintain the current manufacturing climate, the new automotive era will continue to grow right here in Alabama.

Terry Bowman is a 17-year UAW member in Michigan, and the President and founder of Union Conservatives, Inc., a 501(c)4 non-profit organization with members in 35 states. Cameron Smith is Vice President and General Counsel of the Alabama Policy Institute, a non-partisan conservative think tank located in Birmingham, AL.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an effort to push back against Executive Branch overreaches, Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, today announced her support of a House resolution designed to bring legal action against the Obama Administration and compel the judicial branch to rein it in.

The STOP Resolution (Stop This Overreaching Presidency) is sponsored by South Carolina Republican Rep. Tom Rice. It would direct a civil action on behalf of the House of Representatives in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging particularly egregious, unilateral Obama Administration actions that flout Constitutional restraints on the Executive Branch, including:

· The lifting of Affordable Care Act-mandated requirements on the type of insurance providers can offer;
· The one-year delay of the health care law’s employer mandate;
· The adoption of a policy against deporting certain illegal immigrants, counter to U.S. immigration and naturalization laws; and
· The decision to waive compliance with “welfare to work” laws.

“Our Constitutional constraints on government are not always convenient for political or policy goals, but they are necessary for preserving the checks and balances that ensure government still derives its authority from the people,” Rep. Roby said. “The Obama Administration isn’t the first to overstep its Constitutional authority, but its actions over the last few years have been especially blatant and egregious. We must act to rein in the Executive Branch and restore our basic, cherished principle of separation of powers.”

Two recent judicial actions have thwarted the Obama Administration’s attempts to flout the law and act outside of the Constitutionally-prescribed role of the Executive Branch. One was a strong ruling overturning President Obama’s attempt to appoint National Labor Relations Board members without Senate approval. The other was a rare mandamus order from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejecting the Administration’s attempt to simply not enforce congressionally-enacted laws relating to Yucca Mountain and nuclear waste.

Additionally, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to take up a case arguing that federal subsidies for ObamaCare exchanges are unconstitutional. A ruling could be made soon.

“Working through the courts can take time,” Roby said. “But, the Judicial Branch has shown a greater willingness of late to rein in these overreaches from the Obama Administration. Attorneys General from the states have done a great job challenging these abuses, and now it’s time for Congress to take action as well.”

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According to a new map that shows what every state is “worst” at, Alabama has the highest rate of stroke in the country (3.8%). That alarming stat was gleaned from AmericasHealthRankings.org.

But, I suppose it could be worse — much worse, actually.

Washington state reported the “most cases of besteality,” and were recognized on the map accordingly.

Which reminds me…

With the Alabama legislature going back into session next week, will 2014 be the year that “The Craig Ford Bestiality Act” passes?

A few other disturbing details of the United States of Shame can be found below.

Colorado: highest rate of cocaine use per capita (3.9 percent total population)

Mississippi: highest rate of obesity (35.3 percent of total population)

BONUS facts: Mississippi ranks last in the most number of categories. These include highest rate of child poverty (31.9 percent), highest rate of infant mortality (10.3 percent) lowest median household income ($35,078), highest teen birth rate (71.9 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19) and highest overall rate of STDs.

Pennsylvania: highest rate of arson deaths (55.56 annually)

South Dakota: highest rate of forcible rape 76.5 per 100,000

Tennessee: chosen most corrupt state by The Daily Beast

Texas: lowest high school graduation rate (78.3 percent)

Utah: highest rate of of online porn subscriptions

One state they got wrong though is Idaho. How could you possibly be “worst” when you have the weakest government influence?

To get the details on what the rest of the country is worst at, check out the full explanation of the United States of Shame chart.

Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims

(Above: Bradley Byrne delivers his first House floor speech)

Newly elected Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Mobile, received a standing ovation from his colleagues yesterday after delivering his first speech on the floor of the United States House of Representatives.

“To the people of the first district o fAlabama, I promise that I will work hard every day to serve you and build upon the trust that you have placed in me to represent you in the nation’s capital,” Byrne said in his remarks. “To the members of this House, I’m ready to roll up my shirt sleeves and work with you as a problem solver, not a problem maker — as a work horse, not a show horse. This is a great country, Mr. Speaker. But over the last several years we have failed to live up to that greatness. I come to this House ready to work together with each of you to find solutions to find solutions that will make thsis country truly great again. … Now it’s time for me to get to work.

After his swearing in, Byrne immediately announced his first legislative act as a congressman: co-sponsoring H.R. 3121, the American Health Care Reform Act. This bill, championed by Republican Study Committee Chairman Steve Scalise (LA-1) and cosponsored by 118 House conservatives, repeals and replaces ObamaCare with what Republicans are calling “common-sense, market-based solutions.”

“This bill spurs competition by working through the market, instead of government mandates, allowing Americans to buy insurance across state lines, reforming medical malpractice laws, providing tax relief for families, and safeguarding individuals with pre-existing conditions from being discriminated against while barring all federal funding for abortion,” Byrne said.

He also announced that he would join the House Armed Services Committee and House Natural Resources Committee. Byrne’s office said he had aggressively courted House leadership for these two committee assignments because of their direct relevance to issues important to South Alabama.

“These assignments are a victory for South Alabama jobs,” Byrne said. “After speaking with friends and neighbors in our community, we concluded that these were the two avenues where we could do the most good for our home. I could not be more pleased to join these two Committees, and I look forward to working together with my colleagues to represent our community’s voice.”

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The Alabama Hospital Association commissioned a “study” last year claiming that 30,700 jobs would be created in Alabama if Gov. Bentley would just relent and agree to expand Medicaid under ObamaCare. Gov. Bentley, realizing that the Association’s member organizations stand to gain financially more than anyone from the expansion of Medicaid, astutely called the study “bogus.”

“The jobs are already there,” Bentley said. “You’re not creating new jobs. You’re not creating new people by bringing this money in. You have the doctors are already there. The nurses are already there. You don’t produce a new doctor in a year. I went to school 24 years to become a doctor. You don’t produce these type people immediately.”

That hasn’t stopped the mainstream Alabama media — who ideologically support Medicaid expansion — or others who stand to gain from the expansion from continuing to cite the study ad nauseam over the last several months.

RELATED: Hold the line on Medicaid expansion, Gov. Bentley, we’ve got your back

And they’re back at it again today. AL.com posted, without critique, a survey commissioned by UAB — which also stands to gain a significantly from Medicaid expansion — that says… wait for it… Alabamians REALLY want to expand Medicaid!

That’s right, Alabamians absolutely love the idea of piling more people onto the government’s healthcare rolls.

According to the survey, a small majority of Alabamians oppose ObamaCare (53%), but a whopping 63% said Alabama should expand Medicaid under the president’s healthcare law.

A “diverse sample” of Alabamians were polled in October of last year, according to UAB’s Lister Hill Center for Health Policy.

But CNN, hardly a bastion of conservative ideology, polled over that same time frame and found 56% of Americans disapproving of the Affordable Care Act nationally.

So you’re telling me that Alabama is more supportive of ObamaCare than the rest of the country?

The UAB analysis of their survey also noted that “Affordability of health insurance seems to be the key to the law’s success.”

Remember, this survey was in the field before Alabamians all over the state got letters informing them that their health insurance premiums were going through the roof — if they were going to be able to keep their current health insurance plan at all. So by UAB’s own logic, the law as a whole is undoubtedly even more loathed around the state today than it was in Oct. of last year when they polled it.

As a matter of fact, CNN polled again in December and found 62% of Americans disapproving of ObamaCare, up six points from October.

In short, just like the “study” last year, this “survey” is bogus.

The coalition of organizations who stand to gain financially from the expansion of Medicaid and their ideological supporters are waging a well-financed, organized public relations campaign to pressure Gov. Bentley to cave and expand Medicaid under ObamaCare. And the state media are going right along with it.

As I said in November, hold the line, Governor Bentley. Conservatives are behind you.

Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims

A source close to Gary Palmer’s congressional campaign told Yellowhammer today that Palmer’s soon-to-be-released first campaign finance report will show he raised approximately $250,000 in the first fundraising period of the campaign.

“What I found most interesting about it was that it’s almost all in-state donors,” the source said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on behalf of the campaign. “And with the exception of about $5,000, it’s all from individual donors.”

Palmer, the longtime head of the Alabama Policy Institute, has proven his fundraising chops over the years while running his non-profit think tank. His network of conservative policy shops around the country was also widely believed to be fertile ground for his fundraising efforts.

But one of the main question marks of Palmer’s campaign was whether he would be able to translate the in-state support he’s received for API into campaign cash for his congressional bid.

If Palmer did indeed raise roughly a quarter million dollars from Alabama donors in the first fundraising period, that will go a long would toward answering that question.

The first fundraising period of the AL-06 race ended on Dec. 31. Each campaign must file their campaign finance disclosures with the Federal Elections Commission by the end of January. Republicans Will Brooke, Paul DeMarco, Chad Mathis and Tom Vigneulle are also vying for the AL-06 seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Spencer Bachus.

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Former Auburn Tigers, Birmingham Barons and Chicago White Sox slugger Frank Thomas today joined Atlanta Braves legends Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine in the Baseball Hall of Fame’s class of 2014.

Maddux, a four-time Natioinal League Cy Young Award winner and arguably the best pitcher of his generation, lead the way with 97.2 percent of Hall of Fame voters casting a ballot in his favor.

Glavin, a two-time Cy Young award winner, followed Maddux with 91.9 percent of the vote.

With 83.7 percent of the vote, Thomas was the only position player selected to The Hall this year. He won back-to-back American League MVP awards in the mid-90s.

Here are a few other Frank Thomas career highlights:

• 5× All-Star (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997)
• 4× Silver Slugger Award winner (1991, 1993, 1994, 2000)
• 2× AL MVP (1993, 1994)
• 1997 AL batting title
• 2000 AL Comeback Player of the Year
• 1995 Home Run Derby champion
• Chicago White Sox #35 retired

After high school, Thomas initially accepted a scholarship to Auburn University to play football. He decided to also join the baseball team and promptly hit .359 and led the Tigers in runs batted in during his freshman year. An injury early on in the college football season compelled him to make baseball his primary sport. It paid off. The Chicago White Sox drafted him seventh overall in the 1989 draft. He spent some time playing first base for the Birmingham Barons before going on to star in the majors with the White Sox and later the A’s and Blue Jays.

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On January 8, 1994, “Two Sexiest Fat Men Alive,” Rick Burgess & Bill “Bubba” Bussey, began an on-air partnership that today is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The Rick & Bubba show, which is produced in a Birmingham, Ala. studio, is now available on 60+ radio affiliates and 50+ television affiliates around the country.

In celebration of their two decades on air, the current Rick & Bubba team, past/present show interns, and related show contributors announced today that they will be performing live during at least 5 special one-night only events in concert halls/theaters in select cities beginning in May.

“Each ’20th Anniversary Tour’ event will include hilarious, unforgettable Rick & Bubba moments, show favorites such as Good ‘ol Boys Theater, Willie & Wanda, The Giant Game of Rick & Bubba Knowledge, The Wacky World, Fact or Crap, and more,” Syndicated Solutions, the company that syndicates Rick & Bubba’s show, said in a press release. “There will be prizes, video tributes reliving the past 20 years, musical performances, special Q&A sessions and more.”

Each event will also be filmed with the promise of a documentary to come later in 2014.

“[W]hat’s funny is most ‘experts’ said The Rick & Bubba Show wouldn’t be on the air for 20 days and here we are, 20 years,” Rick Burgess said. “I’m not sure what that says about the ‘experts’ or our audience.”

“We are so grateful for all that’s happened from the show these past 20 years,” Bill “Bubba” Bussey added. “We’re most thankful for our audience, our affiliates and our sponsors because none of it would be possible without their incredible support.”

Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims

Yellowhammer reported several months ago that former Democratic State Rep. Steve Flowers was considering running for the Alabama Public Service Commission as a Republican.

This morning Flowers will make it official. He’s running for the PSC Place 2 seat currently held by embattled Commissioner Terry Dunn.

Flowers was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 1982. He boasted a perfect attendance record in the legislature for four consecutive terms before deciding to not seek re-election in 1998.

He now writes a column on state politics that runs in local papers around the state. He also teaches a class on southern politics at Troy University and hosts weekly television and radio shows produced by the university.

Other Republicans challenging Dunn have been on the campaign trail for several months. However, Flowers has roughly $60,000 left in his old state campaign account to help him close the gap.

It will be worth watching to see how Flowers’ candidacy is received by conservatives. He was initially elected to the Alabama legislature as a Democrat. He then ran as a Republican in 2002 and lost. Campaign finance disclosures show he’s been periodically active since then donating to Democrats, including State Sen. Roger Bedford’s U.S. Senate campaign in 2004 and The Alabama Democratic Party in 2005. Today, he’s running again on the GOP ticket.

The PSC race is perhaps a bit more ideologically driven this year because of heightened awareness about environmental issues among conservatives. It’s the main reason Dunn is in such trouble. Flowers’ biggest challenge will be convincing the Republican base that he’s one of them — a viable conservative alternative.

Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims

State Rep. Lynn Greer, R-Rogersville, who was first elected to the Alabama legislature in 1974, announced in mid-December that he would be seeking another term in 2014.

Since then, former Lauderdale County District Court judge Deborah Bell Paseur has indicated that she’s weighing the possibility of running against Greer as a Democrat. Unfortunately for Paseur, a polling memo obtained by Yellowhammer News over the weekend shows that she would have a very difficult time unseating the popular incumbent.

The survey, which was conducted by nationally known public opinion research firm McLaughlin & Associates, shows Greer leading Paseur by 13 points in a head-to-head race, 49% to 36%, with 15% undecided. Among voters who have a firm opinion of both candidates, Greer’s lead goes up to 15 points, 55% to 40%.

Alabama House District 2 is solidly Republican, but Independents are also breaking hard for Greer, 51% to 31%, with 18% undecided.

With both Republicans and Independents firmly in Greer’s camp, it’s tough to see Paseur gaining significant traction in the race.

“I am proud of the progress we have made in the legislature over the last four years,” Greer said. “Alabama is leading the region in job creation, we have cut wasteful spending, passed new ethics laws and invested millions of dollars in new roads. We need to continue this progress over the next four years and we have to keep conservative leadership in Montgomery to make that happen.”

The table containing Greer’s head-to-head numbers again Paseur can be seen below. (Click to enlarge)

The McLaughlin survey polled 300 likely general election voters in Alabama’s 2nd State House District. It has an accuracy of +/- 5.7% at a 95% confidence interval.

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QUICK HIT:

• Alabama’s prisons are currently operating at twice their capacity
• The vast majority of Alabama inmates are non-violent offenders
• The cost of housing inmates ($400 million/year) is busting the state’s budget
• The Supreme Court ordered the release of 46,000 criminals in California because their prisons were overcrowded
• The same could happen in Alabama if state lawmakers don’t act

Bringing real reform to Alabama’s congested prison system may be an idea whose time has finally come.

To say the state’s prisons are overcrowded would be an understatement. They’re currently operating at almost twice their capacity.

While 1 in every 190 Americans is serving a prison sentence of a year or more — which is absurd in the “Land of the Free” — in Alabama that number jumps to 1 in every 148.

As of July 2010, only 43 percent of Alabama’s prisoners were serving time for violent crimes. So the vast majority of Alabama’s prisoners are locked up for non-violent, typically minor drug offenses.

The costs of housing these inmates is skyrocketing.

Alabama has seen a 95 percent increase in the cost per inmate over the last two decades. As of 2008, the state was spending $15,178 per inmate each year. That’s $41.47 for each inmate every single day — cash that’s coming straight out of our paychecks.

This is putting a huge strain on the state’s beleaguered (i.e. disastrous) General Fund Budget. But it’s the overcrowding issue that Alabamians should be most concerned about right now.

To put it plainly, Alabama has the most serious prison crowding problem in the country. It’s so bad that we’re running the risk of federal courts stepping in and ordering the haphazard release of thousands of prisoners from the state’s lockups.

That’s not fear mongering, just ask the State of California.

In the 2011 Supreme Court case Brown v. Plata, the Court effectively required the State of California to remove 46,000 criminals from its prisons by forcing The Golden State to cut its prison population to 137.5 percent of “design capacity.”

The Public Policy Institute of California found that property crime increased by 7.6 percent the year after the mass releases. Car thefts rose almost 15 percent. In short, 24,000 more people had their car stolen in California in 2012 as a result of the state not being able to get its prison overcrowding problem under control.

And remember, Alabama’s prisons are currently at roughly 187 percent capacity, 50 percent higher than the level the Court mandated for California.

This week, the situation inside Alabama’s prisons got national media attention due to inmates staging protests at several facilities. Some of the prisoners refused to cook food or do laundry. Some even demanded pay for their work. That’s silly.

However, a corrections officer called into talk radio station WYDE on Monday and said he believes the protests may have been organized from outside the prison by activist groups looking for an opportunity to introduce a lawsuit or to simply gain the attention of the courts.

“Last night felt like it was about to get out of control,” the officer said. “Tensions are real high. They’re trying to draw us into a confrontation so they can sue us.”

The protests have already gotten the attention of State Senator Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, who has been one of the Alabama legislature’s leading advocates for prison reform.

“We’re dealing with a box of dynamite in our prison system,” Ward told AL.com’s Mike Cason Tuesday. “I would rather us as a Legislature deal with it … as opposed to a federal judge coming in slashing and burning.”

Ward said he believes Alabama’s prison system is the “greatest threat to state budgets” and suggested following the lead of other states that have successfully reformed their prison system in recent years.

One such state could be Texas, which opted not to build new prisons about 5 years ago. Instead, the state improved its probation and parole systems and in-prison reform programs. They saved over $3 billion dollars by not building new prisons and saw their crime rate hit its lowest point in a half century.

North Carolina is another state that achieved a significant reduction in its prison population by prioritizing space for violent offenders, strengthening probation and parole supervision and sending low-level drug offenders to drug courts.

Katherine Robertson of the Alabama Policy Institute said it best, “(Our) leaders must act to improve and expand alternatives to incarceration for low-risk and nonviolent offenders to ensure that costly prison space is focused on those who pose a long-term threat to our public safety, not those we are simply mad at.”

The high-cost, low return system we currently have is broken. Instead of improving the state’s infrastructure, adequately funding our judicial system, or any number of other potentially beneficial uses of General Fund dollars, Alabama is spending just under $400 million a year (!) on a corrections system that doesn’t even work.

This is a tough issue that is not going to be solved in one bill or even one session. It’s going to take years.

But it’s a huge opportunity for Alabama legislators to step up and get us headed in the right direction before a federal judge swoops in and does it for us.

Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims

(Note: much of the data in this article came from excellent research done by the Alabama Policy Institute. It can be found here and here.)

It may have been a rough month for Alabama on the football field, but it’s going to take a lot more than that to convince students in Tuscaloosa they have reason to worry. As a matter of fact, according to rankings compiled by The Daily Beast, The University of Alabama is one of the happiest colleges in the country — win, lose or draw.

“Student happiness is one of the most sought-after characteristics of four-year colleges and incoming students,” The Daily Beast wrote. “To measure how well the nation’s schools are doing, we considered full-time freshman retention rate according to the National Center for Education Statistics for 25% of the methodology. For the remaining 75%, we turned to College Prowler for student ratings on the overall student experience and whether they would do it all over again, as well as the quality of the student health center.”

Bama came in at number 17 on the list. Here’s how The Capstone scored in each category —

• Full-time Freshman Retention Rate: 86% (Stanford and Brown tied for the highest with 98%)
• Best Student Health Center: 9.2 (Central Florida pegged the meter with a perfect 10)
• Best Overall Student Experience: 9.7 (Johnny Football led Texas A&M to the only perfect 10)
• Would Do It All Over Again: 9.7 (Oklahoma St. alumni rated their school a perfect 10)

The study was part of The Daily Beast’s annual “Down & Dirty Guide to the Best Colleges.”

Other SEC schools on the list included Texas A&M (1), Florida (6) and Georgia (8).

The newly crowned BCS champs at Florida State came in at number 4. You can check out the full list in a slideshow on The Daily Beast’s website.

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Janet Yellen made history on Monday when she was confirmed as the first woman to head up the U.S. Federal Reserve. The Senate voted 56-26 to confirm Yellen as Ben Bernanke’s successor. His term expires at the end of this month.

Among the 26 dissenters were both Alabama Senators, Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions.

Shelby, a longtime member of the Senate Banking Committee, has been one of Yellen’s most outspoken critics in recent months.

“Since 2008, the Fed’s printing presses have generated a backdoor stimulus nearly four times greater than the $787 Obama stimulus,” Shelby said after voting against Yellen’s nomination in committee. “The Fed is the world’s largest holder of U.S. Treasury bonds and the biggest enabler of our exploding debt. These actions also present massive risks for sharp price increases on every single product that Americans buy. I voted against President Obama’s nominee because I have no confidence that she will change course.”

Yellen will take over on the heels of the unprecedented maneuvers the central bank has undertaken in recent years to prop up the economy.

Staffers who attended a private meeting between Yellen and Shelby last November told Yellowhammer that she did not have a definitive answer when asked how she would “unwind” the Fed’s balance sheet, which now tops $4 trillion.

“Her biggest potential challenge… (is) the eventual unwinding of the massive Fed asset positions and rolling back of the Mount Everest of reserves the Fed has created,” said Kevin Hassett, a senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute and a former economist at the Federal Reserve. “If the economy picks up a bit from here, that challenge will be a difficult one, as inflationary pressures will begin to ramp up.”

Other Republican Senators voiced their concerns on Monday as well.

Sen. Chuck Grassley said Wall St. has become addicted to the Fed’s “easy money” policy, while the benefit to Main St. has been “questionable at best.”

“Unemployment remains high. Bank lending remains tight. And savers are discouraged,” Grassley said on the Senate floor.

Other notable Republicans voting against Yellen were Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and marco Rubio of Florida. All Democrats voted in favor of her confirmation.

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Henserling, R-TX, announced last month that his committee is launching “the most rigorous examination and oversight of the Federal Reserve in its history.”

“Congress is our boss,” Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke responded.

“The boss” just hired Yellen, but is indicating that she may be on a tighter leash than her predecessors.

We may have more on this soon. Hill sources say Sen. Shelby is considering delivering remarks on the Senate floor later today regarding Yellen’s confirmation.

Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims

Florida State managed to keep their mistakes to a minimum in their 34-31 victory over Auburn in the BCS Championship game on Monday night. Unfortunately, FSU’s merchandising department wasn’t able to do the same the day after the game.

The official online store of Florida State athletics put a shirt up for sale Tuesday morning encouraging fans to “Commemorate an exciting win for the Noles in the 2013 BCS National Championship with this Straight tee. It features custom Champs graphics and the final score of the game, so you can show off your FSU pride in style!”

Unfortunately, the final score of the game was different than the score shown on the shirt.

As a matter of fact, Florida State didn’t even win the game according to the shirts they are selling.

“Tigers – 34 Noles – 31,” the shirt proudly states.

Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs said earlier this week that Auburn is considering claiming additional national championships from 1910, 1913, 1914, 1983 and 2004. It’s unclear whether he’ll use this shirt as a basis to claim 2013 as well.

It’s only a matter of time before FSU takes the shirts down, but you can see them in the FSU online store if you click over soon. A screenshot can be seen below.

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A thrift store in Wetumpka, Ala. found new meaning to the phrase “the buck stops here” over the weekend when a young deer crashed through a storefront window and ran amok for several minutes inside the store.

The buck, guessed to be a little under a year old, ran through the window of the Adullam House Thrift Store early Saturday morning while a few customers were browsing inside.

The manager said they asked the customers to step outside for their safety while they spent the next few minutes figuring out the best way to corral the terrified and confused animal.

“We think he bust through when he saw his reflection in the glass,” store manager Eric Thomas told Yellowhammer.

In the Youtube video above, the deer can be seen struggling to gain traction on the slick floor and knocking over store racks.

“What are we going to do?” A man in the video can be heard saying. “We’ve got to do something or it’ll tear the whole store up,” a second man responded.

Thomas said it took them about 15 minutes to finally snare the frightened fawn.

Once it was finally captured, they released it outside.

“When we let him go outside he was able to get his bearings,” Thomas said. “He then bolted across Highway 231 into a wooded area.”

Store managers determined there was no real damage other than the broken window. The store was cleaned up and back in business shortly after the incident. A crew came in late Monday afternoon to replace the window.

The Adullam House is a non-profit business that helps fund homes that take in children whose parents have been arrested. The items sold at the thrift store go to those families.

Follow Adam on Twitter @AdamYHN

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley was elected in the great Tea Party wave of 2010, an election cycle when the calls for reductions to the size of government were louder than ever. The first-term governor responded with a plan he dubbed the “Road to a Billion Dollars in Savings,” which sought to “right size” Alabama’s state government.

A new study released Tuesday by Conservative Intelligence briefing found that of the 26 new governors elected nationwide in 2010, Bentley has managed to reduce the size of his state’s bureaucracy at the third fastest pace.

Here’s a chart that shows the ten states that have reduced their number of state government employees between Jan. 2011 and Nov. 2013.

But Alabama’s bureaucracy still has some room to shrink. As you can see in the chart below, Alabama continues to have a relatively high number of state employees compared to the state’s population.

Alabama has one state employee for roughly every 47 residents. That’s more than any other state on the list below with the exception of Hawaii, which has a bloated bureaucracy of one state employee for approximately every 20 residents.

“Republican Gov. [Robert] Bentley promised to save $1 billion by the end of his first term with a plan that involved ‘right-sizing’ Alabama’s state employee workforce through attrition,” David Freddoso of Conservative Intelligence Briefing said. “He got it done a year early… So far, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says he’s shed about 8,100 state workers. Alabama is still well-staffed with one state employee for every 47 residents.”

Unfortunately, less than half of governors elected in 2010 have less state government employees today than they did the day they were elected.

“The few governors who downsized in hard times are defying a political law of gravity,” Freddoso concluded. “They deserve credit.”

Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Martha Roby is pressing the Department of Veterans Affairs for answers after reports surfaced about homemade holiday gifts and treats being denied to veteran-patients at the Montgomery, Ala. VA facility because they contained the word (Gasp!) “Christmas.”

According to a WSFA News 12 report, Jordan McLendon, 20, of Wetumpka, Ala. made more than 100 cards, gifts and treats to distribute to veterans in the VA hospital on Christmas Eve, but was told rules did not allow gifts and cards containing the word “Christmas.” After seeing the news report, Rep. Roby contacted McLendon to hear the full story, and is now pressing the VA for answers.

“I was touched by the thoughtfulness and patriotism Jordan had to want to do something special for veterans on Christmas, then horrified to learn that such an act of kindness would be restricted in the name of political correctness,” Rep. Roby said. “We try to teach our children to respect and honor those who serve our country, and to show kindness and compassion to others. What kind of message is our government sending by discouraging selfless acts of giving unless they are sterilized to remove anything remotely religious?”

In a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, Rep. Roby explained that Christmas is a federally-recognized holiday and asked if such a “senseless” policy exists.

“My frustration is not with the VA staff at the local facility, who appear to have reluctantly enforced what they believe to be an existing regulation,” Rep Roby wrote. “I understand that similar incidents have occurred at other VA facilities in the past.

“Rather, my concern is that such a senseless policy exists to begin with, or, in the case that no such policy expressly prohibits mentioning Christmas in cases like this, that the culture of bureaucracy at the VA would encourage facility administrators to err on the side of suppressing religious expression and discouraging acts of kindness toward veterans.”

Rep. Roby went on to request the text of any policy that might prohibit the distribution of Christmas cards, and asked what affirmative steps the VA is taking to rectify the situation.

“In this increasingly self-consumed world, a young woman selflessly tried to bring joy and comfort to those who have served our country, many of whom don’t have surviving family members to visit them,” Roby wrote. “I imagine these veterans would be sickened to see the very right to religious liberty they fought to defend diluted and denied by bureaucratic rules. If this is a rule, written or unwritten, within the VA, it needs to change.”

Florida Congressman Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, joined Roby in questioning the VA. Miller pointed out that similar issues were reported in other areas of the country during the holidays.

Here’s a partial list of incidents reported at VA facilities over the Christmas break (via FoxNews.com):

* The VA medical center in Augusta, Ga. Banned high school carolers from singing Christmas songs containing religious references in public areas of the hospital. The students declined to perform from a government-approved list of secular songs.

* VA officials in Iowa City, Iowa, told American Legion volunteers they could not hand out gifts to veterans if the wrapping paper included the words “Merry Christmas.”

* VA personnel in Montgomery, Ala., prevented a young woman from delivering gift bags to veterans because they included the words “Merry Christmas.”

* The Dallas VA medical center refused to accept the delivery of handwritten Christmas cards from local school children because the cards contained phrases like “Merry Christmas” and “God Bless You.”

Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims

In 2013, the Alabama legislature passed a budget that included a 2 percent pay raise for public school teachers, the first raise they’d seen since 2007 due to the downturn in the economy.

Gov. Robert Bentley says he will push the legislature to pass another teacher pay raise during the upcoming session. Unfortunately for teachers, ObamaCare could prevent that from happening.

The legislature appropriated roughly $5.75 billion for education-related expenses in the current Fiscal Year. After considering economic projections and taking into account the Rolling Reserve Act — which caps spending to force the state government to live within its means — budget chairmen expect to be able to appropriate an additional $135 million next Fiscal Year.

However, PEEHIP, which provides health insurance benefits for Alabama’s active and retired education employees, is publicly saying they are facing a $220 million shortfall in the coming year. Privately, they’re asking legislative leaders to increase their line in the budget by at least $85-90 million.

Regardless of what the final number ends up being, PEEHIP is going to have to find additional dollars to account for cost increases attributable to ObamaCare, and teachers’ health insurance premiums could increase to pay for those added costs even if the Legislature can provide additional funding. (Editor’s note: premiums are set by PEEHIP, not the legislature)

And why, exactly, is PEEHIP in such trouble?

ObamaCare.

Even the typically left-leaning Anniston Star noted that PEEHIP is desperately in need of additional money “largely due to increases in costs under the Affordable Care Act.”

“ObamaCare is driving up the cost of healthcare for citizens and employers in Alabama, and the State of Alabama employs a lot of people, including teachers,” Poole said. “It is going to put a lot of strain and stress on the state’s budgets to try to pay for these added costs.”

Poole noted that the legislature also has a constitutionally mandated obligation to repay the state’s Rainy Day Fund, which could be owed as much as $128 million, depending on how much money the state ultimately brings in this year.

“Given the constitutional obligation we have to pay back the Rainy Day account, we’re trying to determine how much revenue will be left to appropriate not just for PEEHIP, but also for teacher salaries, classrooms, textbooks, transportation and other essential education functions,” Poole said.

Democrats are already lining up to propose tax increases, but both Gov. Bentley and legislative leaders have indicated that tax hikes are off the table.

Rep. Craig Ford, D-Gadsden, has also trotted out the state lottery again, saying the state could siphon off lottery revenue to give teachers a raise.

Republicans say the lottery is a non-starter.

The legislature is about a week away from the start of the 2014 session, meaning Alabama lawmakers will soon find themselves in the unenviable position of implementing cuts necessitated by a law they had nothing to do with passing.

Families all over the state are feeling the pinch of ObamaCare, now it looks like teachers may be the next to get hit.

Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims

As I write this at 9:00 a.m. central time on Monday, Jan. 6, 2014, the U.S. Federal Debt stands at $17,315,591,424,039 — over $17 TRILLION.

During George W. Bush’s eight years in the White House, the debt soared by $4.9 trillion — which is bad enough — but it is has already increased roughly $6.7 trillion in President Obama’s first five years in office.

But we have a hard time wrapping our heads around just how much money that is. At some point — probably somewhere in the hundred million range — everything just sounds like “giant mountain of cash.”

So how much money is $17 trillion?

The Heritage Foundation released an interesting graphic this morning to help us understand.

For a little bit more context, here’s what $1 trillion dollars would look like if it were stacked up in $100 bills. (click image to enlarge)

Last year, when the debt was a measly $16.3 trillion, the fine folks at Demonacracy put together this stunning visualization of what the entire U.S. debt would look like stacked up in $100 bills. (click image to enlarge)

Now let’s go on a little “Debt Road Trip.” The highly recommended Political Math Blog released this excellent short video back in 2012, comparing the increase in debt to a road trip across the United States.

Now, the following video is from 2009, but I think it helps us even better understand what D.C. politicians are really talking about when they crank up the rhetoric about cutting spending. It’ll make your head explode.

So, next time Nancy Pelosi says something brilliant like this:

The cupboard is bare. There’s no more cuts to make. It’s really important that people understand that.

…remember this post. In the mean time, share it with everyone you know.

Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims

As we begin the new year, I wanted to share with you five major items that you will want to follow in 2014.

1. ObamaCare Oversight
There is no doubt that the rollout of ObamaCare has been an utter failure. You knew it was bad when PolitiFact, a leading fact-checking blog, named President Obama’s “If you like your health plan, you can keep your health plan” as the 2013 “Lie of the Year.” Don’t forget that President Obama originally sold this law as a way to help middle class Americans get more affordable health insurance. But the exact opposite is happening, as many middle class families are being forced out of plans they liked into new ones with higher costs and fewer choices.

With more mandates and taxes coming down the pike, 2014 will be a crucial time to expose what a flawed and damaging law ObamaCare truly is. I am particularly concerned about the effect on small businesses and their employees, as provisions affecting them go into effect. In the House of Representatives, oversight of the Executive Branch’s actions in regard to ObamaCare will be a top priority.

Perhaps most importantly, 2014 will provide an opportunity to present alternatives to ObamaCare that can actually lower costs and improve access to quality healthcare. I look forward to working with my colleagues to develop and advance proposals that offer Americans a patient-centered healthcare system that isn’t run by the government.

2. How Washington Operates with a Budget
With a budget agreement in place, Congress will return to operating under set spending levels. This is really important, and let me tell you why: For the first time  in three years, Congress will reclaim the true “power of the purse” and the check on the Executive Branch that comes with it. Because the government had been operating on temporary spending bills based on previous years allocations, Congress had surrendered its Constitutional authority to oversee executive agency spending. Now, by returning to regular order, we regain the authority to appropriate funds based on smart budgeting principles and exercise oversight of the whole range of federal spending.

In 2014, it will be important for the House majority to utilize this authority to bring unprecedented accountability to the Obama Administration. In my new role on the House Committee on Appropriations, I will be closely examining budget requests, past spending decisions, and agency activities to ensure the taxpayers’ money is spent wisely. I firmly believe we must reduce overall federal spending levels to finally get our debt under control. Getting domestic spending back down to Bush-era levels in this budget agreement is certainly a good start. But, it’s not enough just to reduce spending. I also believe we need to make sure government activities and expenses are truly justifiable.

3. Farm Bill
For three years we’ve been working on a new Farm Bill that would meet this country’s agricultural and economic needs, while enacting important reforms to farm and food stamp policy. I’m pleased that the process may finally come to a conclusion in 2014. This Farm Bill has been a top legislative priority for me because it is important to the people of Alabama’s Second Congressional District and the state of Alabama, where agriculture is the number one industry.

Alabamians also recognize that any new Farm Bill must to contain the kind of reforms that show Congress is serious about changing the culture of spending and government dependence. We need regional equity that allows the same opportunity and protections for all types of commodities, not just those in certain states. And it is time to consolidate duplicative programs administered by the USDA. As you know, I have long-advocated smart reforms to the food stamp program that help lift up those who have hit bottom, not keep them there. 2014 will be a make or break year for passing a new Farm Bill, and I hope that we can do right by our nation’s farmers and get it done.

4. Future of our Military
2014 will be a challenging year for our military. Abroad, our troops and commanders will face heightened threats as conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq come to an end. At home, budget cuts are still having an effect on military readiness. We were able to restore some but not all the sequestration budget cuts to the military, more than $30 billion in total.

Going forward in 2014, I expect some important discussions to take place about the future of Army aviation, which will certainly affect Fort Rucker. My staff and I will also be closely monitoring the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission as they evaluate possible changes to military compensation and benefits. Despite my move to the Appropriations Committee, I will remain highly engaged on military issues and continue looking out for Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base and Fort Rucker.

5. Dealing with our Nation’s Debt
It is expected that we will run up against the debt limit in early March, but that date may change. As I said back in October, the debt debate is the appropriate place to advocate for reforms to mandatory spending programs. Washington’s addiction to spending is a serious problem, and piling on more debt while ignoring the spending problem is exactly the wrong approach. I have pointed out for years the threat mandatory spending poses to our military and other national funding priorities like education, agriculture and transportation. I am optimistic that this year’s debt debate will offer a real chance to begin making reforms to mandatory spending programs and return fiscal sanity to Washington.

Martha Roby represents Alabama Second Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. Her Washington, D.C. office can be reached at (202) 225-2901.

…and so it begins. Incandescent bulbs are out. From this point forward any time you get an idea be ready to wait a while for the bulb over your head to warm up to full illumination.

Follow Scott on Twitter @SStantis

(Above: Michelle Pritchett shown making derogatory hand gestures before taking flight)

Oklahoma fans who have watched the internet explode after a video of Alabama fan Michelle Prichett “going off the top rope” hit YouTube are starting to speak out against her explanation of what happened.

In an exclusive interview with Yellowhammer on Friday, Pritchett said that the Oklahoma fans were verbally antagonistic toward her son, which is what compelled her to attack.

Oklahoma fans contend that Prichett was extremely intoxicated and that her young son was yelling obscenities and threatening them throughout the game without much correction from his parents.

Today, the Oklahoma fans uploaded another video showing Pritchett flipping them off and her son yelling at them from a few rows up, all of which happened prior to Pritchett taking flight.

Kevin Spicer, one of the fans who Pritchett dove over, reached out to Yellowhammer to tell how things went down from his perspective.

“I can attest to Mrs. Pritchett’s state and assure you that 90 percent of what she has said in her Yellowhammer interview is false,” Spicer said. “I know things can get heated and you say and do things that you know are wrong. Emotions can get the best of you, it happens to all of us. But for her to come out and not take responsibility for her actions and to say she was defending her child is ridiculously untrue and sad.”

Spicer especially took exception to Pritchett’s accusation that the Oklahoma fans had been throwing bottles and had already had a run-in with security prior to her attacking them.

“No bottles were thrown and I never saw security until the ‘Superman punch,'” Spicer said. “To say you would ‘do it again’ shows your lack of class and your ignorance. This type of behavior is the only thing wrong with sports. Businesses evolve, cities, towns, and even monkeys evolve, but fans that would ‘do it again’ obviously don’t.”

Spicer can be seen in the raw footage below in the “Pour it on” t-shirt trying to restrain Pritchett’s legs when she starts bicycle kicking.

“If an apology is going to be taken seriously it needs to be directed to the people she assaulted,” Spicer concluded, “with sincerity and complete honesty.”

[Update: Mr. Spicer wants to clarify that he is not an Oklahoma or Alabama fan, he just ended up in middle of the mayhem.]

Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims

(Above: Video of Michelle Prichett fighting Oklahoma fans at the Sugar Bowl)

Yellowhammer has learned that the female Alabama fan who flew through the air to attack an Oklahoma Sooner fan during Thursday’s Sugar Bowl is Michelle Pritchett, a local photographer from Sweet Water, Ala.

Yellowhammer spoke with Mrs. Pritchett on the phone this afternoon in an exclusive interview, becoming the first outlet to get her side of the story.

“Everyone’s making me look like such a bad guy,” Pritchett said. “What I did was probably not the thing to do. But they were taunting us. They began by going after me. But then they crossed the line and started taunting my 16-year-old son.”

At that point, Pritchett says she walked over to the Oklahoma fans to ask them to “leave her son out of it.”

As Pritchett’s husband pulled her back the first time she approached the Sooner fans, Pritchett says one of the Sooners called her a “stupid b****” and that’s when she ran across the aisle and dove on top of them.

“The security people had already gotten on to those guys for throwing bottles at people,” Pritchett said. “When they escorted me out, the security guard told them there was no reason to be pressing charges on me because those guys were out of control the whole game. I defended my son. If they had kicked those boys out to begin with, it wouldn’t have happened the way it did.”

Pritchett said she regrets that things escalated the way they did and said she wanted to apologize to “Bama nation.” Her biggest concern seemed to be what Coach Saban’s reaction would be when reporters question him about it.

“I’m embarrassed. I love The Tide and I apologize to all the players and to Coach Saban and to the entire fan base. I’m sorry. Coach Saban’s going to say ‘those crazy fans don’t know how to act.’ And I wasn’t intoxicated either. I want people to know that. I’d had a couple of drinks, but I was not intoxicated.”

But Pritchett says she’d do it all again if she had to.

“I hate to say it, but I’d do it again if I had to. I’m not going to let anyone go after my son.”

RELATED: OU fan says flying Bama mom was drunk and acting ‘like a monkey that hasn’t evolved’

Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims