LETTERS

— Reaping rewards of work

People are marching on Wall Street and other areas in protest of the unequal division of money in society. There are some who say they can’t get a job, yet while they are protesting, marching and setting up camps, they are certainly not applying for jobs. I am sure they would be very happy to work for one of those greedy companies that make all that money they want distributed. One way to get the rich man’s money is to work for him. It’s called a job.

A few years ago, Wal-Mart was attacked because it did not offer some employees insurance, yet if they did away with the part-time workers who are part of those not covered by insurance, many college and high school students would be without a job. No money they need to finish their education. If Wal-Mart were to close, who would lose first? The workers, then the whole community.

If you destroy the financial power of the upper profiteers, who are you going to work for? Where I live, we can drive by huge houses belonging to successful doctors, lawyers, community leaders and business owners. Why not protest to force them to share their wealth? I can almost hear every mayor and city official shudder all the way to Congress. If no one can have what their work rewards them, they won’t even bother to open a business there. Cities, counties and states would receive greatly reduced benefits such as taxes.

In the situation the marchers are trying to promote, why would anyone make the effort to be successful at all?

SANDRA THOMPSON White Hall Our corrupted system

Mike Masterson’s sycophantic defense of our corrupted financial system is emblematic of the kind of problems groups like the Tea Party face in next year’s congressional election.

Recent polls show that Masterson’s “let them eat cake” philosophy is dying a slow death, even among Republicans. In fact, about half of all Republicans polled now support raising taxes on people who earn over $250,000 a year, a figure likely to increase in the coming year.

Instead of wasting time conjuring up clever nicknames disparaging the working people of this country, Masterson should climb down from his ivory tower over at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and interview some of the teachers, firefighters and veterans who support the idea of an economic system not tilted toward the elite 1 percent.

Maybe he might learn that there are people out there who are not interested in being Donald Trump or Mitt Romney, but are only interested in providing for the needs of their family.

Then again, I’m not holding my breath.

JOHN LANCASTER Donaldson A possible terrorist?

I was in agony as I contemplated my responsibility to call the FBI to report my having identified a possible terrorist.

She didn’t fit the traditional picture of a terrorist. She was in her 70s, walked with an arthritic limp, had reared three children and had two grandchildren currently serving in the U.S. Army. She regularly attends a Christian house of worship and Bible study classes. Overall, a perfect cover for a terrorist.

Although she never previously engaged in any terrorist or criminal activity, some of our political leaders have branded her as a terrorist, a person whose very existence is hazardous to our nation’s health and future. It’s heartbreaking to think that I should be the one to call Homeland Security and turn her in, yet what else can I do? Would she or her friends figure out that I was the snitch and retaliate?

But it’s been made clear that she poses extreme danger to our country. In agony I decided that before turning her in to the FBI, I should attempt to verify that she really was a member of a terrorist cell. I summoned up the courage, and in a face-to-face encounter conducted in a public place to ensure my safety, I ventured to verify if she was actually one of them.

I asked her, “Are you really a member of the Tea Party?” HAMMOND SATTERFIELD Little Rock Headlines inaccurate

I have noticed many of the headlines published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette are very questionable in their accuracy or in their helpfulness in describing the story that follows.

The latest is “Social Security increase to be about $39 a month.” Itshould have stated that the Social Security increase was to be 3.6 percent, or that the average increase was to be about $39 a month.

Frank Fellone will most likely be able to rationalize this inaccuracy.

CYRUS NUNN Hot Springs Village Unsafe at any speed

I feel so vulnerable driving today. Folks with a phone to their ear driving in the fast lane 10 to 20 miles below the speed limit; making turns without properly signaling; running red lights and stop signs; and making wide turns crossing the white line because they have only one hand on the wheel.

With so many Bluetooth handsfree devices available, no one should be driving with a phone to their ear. Period.

I doubt anyone uses a power saw or electric knife with a phone to an ear-after all, that’s unsafe!

STAN JAROS Cammack Village Our desperate times

So Mike Masterson thinks the people that are demonstrating are just a bunch of dirty, unemployed, no-good moochers?

I think it is great that someone is taking the time and making the effort to do something peacefully (so far). Unfortunately the politicians still don’t get it. People are sick and tired, and yes, it is class warfare. When CEOs are making $50 million and more? And some of these companies are losing money.

If a company can afford to pay one person that amount of compensation, why not pay them less and pay some Americans a fair wage and bring the jobs back here? They would be paying the same in compensation but spreading the wealth and many more people would be spending the wealth.

I hope the politicians and leaders of these corporations start listening before things get out of hand. Desperate times make desperate people.

JERRI RAY Lowell Moneyed miscreants

When the Occupy Wall Street pro tests started, I mistakenly believed the protesters were simply spoiled 20-somethings who were becoming petulant at not having been handed everything they want. Now I realize that a large number of these people are anti-Semitic, anti-capitalist and anti-American. They want to disman tle America and remake it in some (as yet) undefined image. They are a hate group without any sort of posi tive message.

I am appalled to read that hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations are pouring in to these people. Who would give money to these miscre ants? Also, after demanding that oth ers pay more in taxes, will the recipi ents of this windfall pay the income taxes they owe?

FRANK LATIMER Little RockA stay-out-of-jail card

Why did Lu Hardin plead guilty, without reservations, to two federal charges?

In my opinion, he and his attorneys probably feared that the evidence against him would result in a guilty verdict in a jury trial of his peers. Even a federal judge would likely find it hard to reduce his sentence to five years’ probation. This was the first step to his stay-out-ofjail card.

The follow-up was some dozens of letters of character affirmation and the support of people including an ex-governor, step two to obtaining the stay-out-of-jail card.

Hardin then agreed to testify for the FBI in another investigation, step three in obtaining the stay-outof-jail card.

As an attorney (a sworn officer of the court), a state senator for 14 years and president of a state college, why didn’t Hardin offer his testimony to the FBI before he left town and took another college job in Florida? Did he think he had done no wrong?

Hardin’s sentence is an insult to our judicial system, even if he claims the devil made him do it. It’s an insult to late comedian Flip Wilson and to those who remember him.

HAROLD SCHWERIN Bella Vista An important cause

When our elected officials inWashington stand up for what is right, they should be recognized and applauded.

As a small retail business owner, I am proud that Congressman Steve Womack has introduced legislation dealing with Internet retailers that don’t collect sales taxes.

Over the years we have seen the proliferation of Internet sales and know from experience that it is a major competitor to local retailers inArkansas and across the country.

I believe that competition is usually a good thing, except when some players get a government-sanctioned advantage. Giving online retailers a competitive advantage not only hurts my business, it also hurts our local economies by reducing economic growth and local job creation.

Womack’s legislation would give the states the authority to address this inequity and help level the playing field once and for all in the retail industry. I hope that the rest of the Arkansas delegation joins him in this important cause.

BYRON BLACK Rogers Jobs, tax rates linked

Republican President Ronald Reagan lowered tax rates on themega-rich-at a time of recession and savings and loan failures. Since the mega-rich save much more than they spend, little job creation occurred. Reagan’s trickle-down “supply-side economics” failed, and our national debt increased 186 percent.

Democratic President Bill Clinton raised taxes slightly on the mega-rich during the 1990s. This resulted in four of the only five balanced budgets in the past 50 years. Clinton’s advisers understood the very nonlinear response of the national economy when planning federal budgets.

Republican President George W. Bush, learning nothing from Reagan’s mistakes, again tried supply-side economics. Not only was the national debt doubled during Bush’s eight-year tenure, but deregulation resulted in our economy losing jobs at the incredible rate of 750,000 per month.

President Barack Obama took office on Jan. 20, 2009, facing a battered economy and job market. With 60 Democratic senators, Republican filibusters stopped and Obama moved ahead with job creation. In less than a year, the U.S. was again adding net jobs.

In 2010, Republican Scott Brown filled the deceased Teddy Kennedy’s seat and Democrats were unable to stop Republican filibusters. The recovery stalled, and again, jobs are disappearing.

W.J. BRAITHWAITE Little RockFeedback Move to the right

Recently, I witnessed something I thought was disturbing.

As an ambulance approached the intersection of Daisy Gatson Bates and Martin Luther King Drive in Little Rock, it was forced to stop at a red light and yield to traffic, despite the fact that the ambulance had its red lights flashing and siren blaring.

I had always assumed that emergency vehicles, such as firetrucks, police cars and ambulances going to a call had the right of way and could legally run a red light. I always assumed that motorists had to yield to an emergency vehicle, even if it ran a red light. Whatever happened to the saying, “If you see flashing lights, move to the right?”

They could be coming to your house one day or to the house of someone you love.

JANET WAGES Jacksonville Give same respect

Alice Walton deserves no special consideration because she is Alice Walton.

But Walton should also be accorded the same respect as every other person unless the newspaper plans to run 12 inches of ink and the mug shot of every bozo who is charged with driving drunk.

THOM LAKSO Russellville

Editorial, Pages 13 on 10/24/2011

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