LETTERS

More space for letters

Another rambling column last week on the Voices page explained that “there is simply not enough space” to print all the letters received from readers. In it Brenda Looper wrote, “You may ask or request, but you may not demand that a letter be printed … because bullying is not an option.”

Brenda’s column contained 942 words and covered 26 column inches according to my count. The seven letters that did get printed contained 820 words total for all seven. Hmm, I wonder where the Voices page could find more space to print readers’ letters. Any ideas?

PHILIP WARNER

Garfield

All part of the family

For the past week I’ve been feeling more and more isolated and excluded. While reading the Voices page one morning, I realized the source of my frustration. I’ve unwittingly put myself in a very, very small minority: those who haven’t written in about“The Curl.” In order to re-establish my feeling of camaraderie with the readers and contributors to the letters section (and to eliminate my feelings of detachment and isolation) I happily submit my Pro and Con on the issue.

Pro: It may just be my perception, but it seems to me that the newspaper in its present composition lights more easily, and burns hotter than previous versions. I use it to start the fires in my wood-burner stove and have been very pleased with the prompt heat generated during this long and bitter winter.

Con: My cat, Owen the Terrible, visits me at the breakfast table every morning and he finds “The Curl” to be almost irresistible, causing an occasional early morning confrontation.

All in all, I would have to say that the Pro outweighs the Con.

Now that I’ve contributed, I’m feeling much more connected, much more involved, and even empowered once again. Geez.

PAUL GRISSOM

Bella Vista

Shouldn’t be a debate

Democrats can be Christians. Everyone is entitled to whether they want to be religious or not. Richard Strickland cannot decide who should worship God. According to Strickland, “Democrats can’t be good Christians-they just don’t support all of the Ten Commandments.”

The First Amendment protects religious rights in America, and prohibits the government from establishing a religion. The free exercise clause protects citizens’ right to practice their religion as they please.

I believe God is more concerned with feeding the needy and healing the sick. Democratic members should be able to be Christians and worship God-not only God, but whatever religion they desire. Choosing whether to love God should not be debatable. Everyone is entitled to their personal opinion, but me personally, I worship God. If I was member of the Democrats, I would not be able to continue to be a member. I strongly disagree with this issue.

All Christians do not follow all the Ten Commandments, but they can only strive to. There is not a rule or punishment I know of for a person if they desire to be a Christian that they have to specifically follow all Ten Commandments.

TYESHA JOHNSON

Sherwood

Didn’t have to be hard

It was a great thing to see that the private-option Medicaid expansion that is a part of the Affordable Care Act was reauthorized by the state Legislature. It received the supermajority vote of 75 percent of both the House and Senate. This groundbreaking change to the Medicaid system is attracting attention nationwide and could become a model for other states in the near future.

Arkansas is a poor rural state and as such is more dependent on services and aid per capita than many of the richer states. Like it or not, that’s the way it is. Arkansas also ranks near the bottom of health-care rankings in comparison with other states. The Department of Human Services estimates around 250,000 low-income Arkansans are eligible for basic coverage under the expansion, and around 110,000 have signed up so far according the latest figures I’ve seen. This is encouraging not only for the uninsured in our state, but also the medical providers who will at least be relieved of some of the costs of uncompensated care.

One thing that was disheartening in this whole episode was that it took so long to be reauthorized. Instead of having to have a lot of pressure and heavy arm-twisting to get it through, this program should have sailed through the Legislature. It seems those who opposed it did so for purely political reasons and nothing more. Many in this group coldly used the dog whistles of racism to justify their actions. Politicians manipulate deep prejudice to rouse hostility against minorities and the government and thus the Affordable Care Act. Is this the sorry pass we have come to as a country? God help us all.

RICHARD MOORE

Camden

Their boundless love

I was just thinking about my animals, a dog and two cats who consider me as their pet. They have the right to do so, for they give me much more than they receive. Not to mention they have trained me much better than any success I’ve had with them.

Only children and animals can give such unconditional love as to point out how shallow your own capacity is.Who can possibly master or improve on an animal’s greeting when you arrive at home? This animal might have been thinking, seconds before, how it was hungry or was low on water, or even that it needed to go outside, but at the mere sight of you, all is forgotten and there is nothing to forgive, for the sheer joy of you being there outweighs all other considerations.

I only wish I’ve loved humans a tenth of the degree that my so-called pets love me! But even worse, I suspect that I don’t have the capacity to love animals to their own standards. My pets love me and I can’t help but know I love them in a totally inferior manner.

PHILLIP A. RAMBIN

Bigelow

Editorial, Pages 17 on 03/12/2014

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