LETTERS

LITTLE ROCK — Adjust director’s pay

The director of the Arkansas lottery needs a reduction in salary. Ernie Passailaigue is the second highest paid lottery director in the United States. He may be third if Georgia’s lottery director qualifies for a bonus.

Passailaigue makes $324,000 a year. To give you an idea of how overpaid Arkansas’ lottery director is, please consider the following.

He makes $25,828 more than the combined salaries of the New York lottery director ($164,440) and the California lottery director ($133,732). New York and California have a combined population of about 56,764,000 people and Arkansas has a population of less than 3 million. Passailaigue’s salary exceeds the combined salaries of the lottery directors of Ohio ($109,241), Missouri ($107,155) and Arizona ($105,000). These three states have a combined population of about 24.1 million.

There is no logical reason that Arkansas’ lottery director should be paid such an exorbitant salary. His salary should be adjusted as soon as possible. And to make matters worse, if his assistants were ranked with the rest of the nation’s 44 lottery directors, they would be tied for sixth place.

JIMMY BRYANT Conway

Socialism at the root

The important thing to understand about Jeremiah Wright’s ministry is that it is based on black liberation theology, which adulterates Christ’s gospel of God’s love with a racialized version of Karl Marx’s ideology of class hatred.

It refocuses Marxism’s hatred of the bourgeoisie, middle-income people, on whites in a manner similar to the Nazis refocusing hatred of the bourgeoisie on Jews. Wright’s theology mimics the Nazis by depicting Jews as oppressors of Palestinian Arabs, explaining his affinity for anti-Semitic types like Louis Farrakhan.

In contrast to traditional Christianity’s spiritual redemption of the individual in the hereafter, black liberation theology promises collective redemption in this world presumably by means of an exploitative powerful government that objectifies its citizens. The belief in redemption through politics informs the suite of ideologies known as collectivismthat never deliver on their promises.

President Obama’s life story shows that his real religion is socialism. Calling it Christian doesn’t make it Christian any more than calling a dog’s tail a leg makes it a leg.

WILLIAM WOODFORD Little Rock

Originality is lacking

The following statement in your paper reads: “The Democrat-Gazette welcomes your opinions. Unfortunately, not all letters received can be published in the space available. Clarity, brevity and originality are particularly valued in letters to the editor.”

In my humble opinion, “Unfortunately” should be changed to “Fortunately.” A small percent that appear are thought-provoking and enlightening, enough so that they make this part of your paper worthwhile. But so many are so dogmatic and see nothing beyond their narrow confines.

There is little originality in letters that insist that their point of view, be it political, religious or whatever, is the only one a reasonable person can have.

GLENROY EMMONS Hot Springs Village

Decision was terrible

I was appalled and disgusted at the Cabot schools requiring a written note from parents to allow their child to watch President Obama’s televised address regarding education in America. Whose decision was it to require a note?

What kind of message does this send to those students? That they should not respect the office of the president or be patriotic?

If those parents don’t like the public schools, perhaps they should just home-school where they can ensure that their kids only watch Jerry Springer, NASCAR racing, WWE Smack-Down wrestling and radical, irrational speeches by tea-party candidates.

I am ashamed of you, Cabot. I suppose you will require written approval to observe Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday also. Oh, in case you are wondering, I am an old white man who finds this type of subtle racism very disturbing. I used to think Cabot was a progressive, nice place to live. Not anymore.

JIM WALKER Conway

Legislator out of line

After a disturbing incident with a state senator, I decided it might be a good idea to get some folks thinking. You see, I confronted a state senator when he parked his vehicle in a fire lane outside a local department store.

Politely, I thanked him for his service to our state, but told him that I thought it was wrong and rude to park illegally as he’d done. Not only did he disagree with me, which means hedisagrees with the law about no parking in a fire lane, but he became very rude and arrogant. He actually asked me, “Who are you to question me?”

I’d like to clarify who I am. I am a responsible citizen who has been passionate about this country and our government since I was 10. I am disgusted by the abuse of power in some officials and by the cynical attitudes of some citizens. It’s hard to blame fellow citizens. My goodness, a state lawmaker doesn’t even feel obliged to follow a simple traffic law. What are the people to think?

So I ask you, are lawmakers above the law?

Most disturbing about this incident was the attitude of the senator. He went on the offensive immediately until I was saved by an unknown witness who stepped in and backed me up. Jesus said that you must be trusted with the small things before you can be trusted with the big things. Can we trust our lawmakers?

ROXANNE McNULTY Sherwood

Aliens being ignored

First of all, I am an independent voter. Anyone who would vote for Blanche Lincoln is a few bricks shy of a load.

What I want to complain about is our state government. It takes one qualification to be governor: Be popular. This is so evident by the last two we’ve had. Neither of them has tried to do anything about illegal immigrants. This is doing nothing but bleeding Arkansas dry.

For all of these politicians who want them to stay in the U.S.A., let them donate half their salary to help support them or give them a 30-day notice, and if any got caught after 30 days, they would be shipped to Guantanamo for a year. I’ll bet either solution will work.

Another thing is our state’s double standards. They supposedly put tax on tobacco to get people to stop smoking, but we all know it was to get more money for the state Capitol. The vehicles do much more polluting than smokers. An inspection would be very beneficial for our air, and the money could be put toward our highways. But most likely an inspection would causethem to find out about all the illegals.

Don’t you just love the attention our governor was paying to the state vehicles and how they were being used at taxpayers’ expense? He has done very little. We need to give someone else a chance. There is always the possibility that he might do better instead of just having a free ride at the taxpayers’ expense.

JACK ENGLAND Siloam Springs

Shakeup is overdue

The Republicans and Democrats are freaking out. People, just plain ordinary people, are running and winning elections and primaries. Wonderful, great! The time for a real shakeup is long past. Those of us who do not trust either party rejoice when we hear pundits for both parties cry about the results.

Both parties sold us out long ago. Maybe there is some hope for America. Maybe people are starting to wake up.

Karl Rove said that this Christine McDonnell woman was not to be trusted because it took her 12 years to pay off her education loans. Well, wake up, big boy. It has taken a lot of ordinary people a long time to pay off school loans. We are not all rich.

I am looking forward to the next election. Maybe the good guys will win some.

RONALD GRAHAM Monticello