Reward mediocrity?
Okay, how about this? Mediocrity is rewarded at the university--they won as many games as they lost. Everyone deserves a raise. Money is no object when it comes to paying for the excellent football team. If they ever move into the top echelon, I don't think there is enough money available.
Oh, wait, this is football after all.
JOHN LEONARD
Fayetteville
The costs of free milk
Joe was going to the store for milk, stewing at the cost, inconvenience and time spent. A brilliant thought occurred. Why not buy a cow?
Cow in hand, so to speak, Joe discovered that, in addition to buying food for the cow, there were cleanup chores to keep the neighbors from complaining about the smell. Also, the cow took every opportunity to kick Joe. Sometimes in the shin, sometimes in the stomach, and sometimes it even managed a glancing blow to the head. Joe's neighbors figured out that, literally, there was no reason to buy the cow if you could get the milk for free. So picture a bruised, battered and concussed Joe sitting on his patio with his shotgun protecting his free milk.
Joe was going to the post office, seething about the need to drive across town to check his post office box and the cost of stamps when a brilliant idea occurred to him. He stopped by Best Buy on his way home and bought a computer. When he got home he called to sign up for the Internet ...
ROBERT LEWIS
Fayetteville
To save the economy
Since the Great Depression, devices have been built in to prevent severe business declines. For example, unemployment insurance provides most workers with some income when they are laid off. Social Security, together with the pensions given by many companies, furnishes some livelihood to the increasing number of retired people.
Trade unions are a powerful obstacle to the cumulative wage drop that aggravated previous depressions. Government support of farm prices shields the farmer from disastrous loss of income. The stock market is now regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Reserve in order to prevent a recurrence of the disastrous financial collapse of 1929.
The U.S has escaped a serious depression since 1933, at least in part because of the federal government's exercise of anti-cyclical measures including wage and price controls. Inflation and unemployment, however, increased greatly in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and anti-inflationary and job-producing efforts were not always successful. An important concern in attempting to deal with these problems is the fear that inappropriate or drastic measures might precipitate a severe recession or even a major depression.
I believe Republicans had very little effort concerning the 1929 depression corrections or any malfunction after. So why do the people of Arkansas vote so vastly for them?
ROBERT HYMER
Little Rock
Judged by character
President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder have a responsibility to respond to the killings of unarmed blacks. Neither has promoted the use of violence against any citizen in or out of uniform.
Black Americans have a different perspective regarding our citizenship rights in this country. We are not exposed to the same kind of policing in our communities as a majority white community. We do not feel the same protect-and-serve mentality. We are oftentimes placed in a position of being feared and suspected, and also treated as such.
Will there ever be an instance when the police will admit they have not made the right decision in a fatal shooting? Why should they be immune to criticism when one of them has made a wrong decision? They wear a uniform, not a halo.
Why is the black community expected to praise the police when we are killed, unarmed and unprovoked? All police are not right, nor are they all corrupt. But do blacks ever get the benefit of the doubt before we are shot?
When violence is turned on the police, they blame it on instigation. We could say the same for the media.
Black Americans want to be treated as humans, individuals, and justly. We want to be judged by our individual character, and not as though we all are criminals.
DEBORAH SPRINGER SUTTLAR
Little Rock
It's the same old rant
Oh surprise--a snarky editorial on Cuba the day after the announcement of a new dialogue. (I mean, really--"(in)Justice Department!) Once again, I am asked by your writer to accept the same old, outraged rant about demonic Cuba. No new insights, no evidence of actually finding out what is going on--it seems all we get is the Rubio-Cruz line of righteous indignation.
Let's face it--there are a few real truths. I believe the embargo is about votes, keeping a small population of Miami Cubans happy and not being too obvious about our support of a controversial leader. And yet, what about China, Burma ... the list goes on. Our treatment of Cuba hurts American and Cuban families, American and Cuban farmers, and abuses the rights of an independent country. No, it's not perfect. But what about the CIA report and our policy of torture, what about the so-called criminals who are freed after decades of incarceration because they were wrongly convicted? And what about our low-expectation two-party system?
We need to stop casting stones. We need to help in the right way.
Too few realize that there are good-spirited American churches that provide support and assistance to the growing number of Cuban Christians. Why are they forgotten? Why not tell their story?
Your editorial writers need to educate themselves more fully. Real knowledge makes a more believable, honest rant. For a change, extend a hand and give yourselves a healthy dose of enlightenment.
MICHAEL PREBLE
Camden
Arena could do better
Pulaski County was treated to fantastic basketball games last Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.
But why was the Razorback men's game said to be sold out through the media and on Ticketmaster? There were empty seats in many sections of the upper level. I have spoken to many fans that did not attend because they could not get tickets online in advance.
And when will the scoreboard operator learn to operate the board? Many times Saturday night the numbers for the players on the floor were not accurate, nor were the number of fouls and timeouts left. This is not the first time this has happened.
MIKE McWILLIAMS
Little Rock
Wrap just discipline
Today's juveniles need to learn discipline. We see undisciplined acts everywhere. Discipline is a core value in this great nation. Having discipline tells a person when to show restraint and what "right" looks like. Discipline leads to goodness. I believe the Wrap method is not barbaric.
What is barbaric are beheadings and the murdering of over a hundred children in a Pakistani school.
ROBERT PITTS
Cabot
Editorial on 12/26/2014