Return on investment
We have a whole new class of people in this country called ... the donor class.
I know that sounds insane, and to me it is, but quite frankly I am hearing the term being used as if it's the most natural thing in the world. Twice I've heard a Republican guest on a talk-radio show mention that after the New Hampshire primary the donor class will probably choose, or pick their candidate. That statement was not challenged.
How is this not absolutely insane? We now have billionaires who "invest" in politicians. They "invest" a few million and the resultant repeal of regulations or new tax cuts that favor them show a return on "investment" of billions.
This is the result of several Supreme Court decisions that, as far as I'm concerned, are really bad decisions, and we're living the results of those now.
We need every politician who wants to be elected or re-elected to sign a statement saying they will support a constitutional amendment that says corporations are not people and money is not free speech. Then you'll see who has the best interests of the people at heart or would rather serve the interests of the "donor class."
JUDITH K. ZITKO
Hot Springs Village
But what about cars?
Automobiles injure and kill more people in this country than firearms. High-capacity automobiles (buses) are potentially more deadly than low-capacity automobiles (two-seaters and motorcycles).
Curiously there are no background checks for automobiles. You can buy one if you are legally insane, have a felony record or have been accused of domestic violence.
Some have proposed that gun manufacturers should be held liable for death or injury from their products. I propose that the same standard and logic should be applied to auto manufacturers, be they foreign or domestic. High-capacity automobiles should be illegal to possess and should be confiscated.
If we were to limit the capacity of autos to one or two occupants, think of the lives we would save annually. Conversely, anyone who says "automobiles don't kill people, people kill people" should be labeled as heretics.
JIM LITE
White Hall
Out here in real world
I find it offensive that actor Danny DeVito, who operates in a make-believe world--that would be Hollywood--has the audacity to label as racists those of us who reside in the real world. I think this is a typical Hollywood reaction to an atypical set of circumstances--that would be the Oscars.
If Mr. DeVito truly believes his environment is racist, he needs to take steps to change it. Further, this does not require, nor should it include, a blanket indictment of the rest of us as a bunch of clueless bigots.
Step out into the real world and meet the folks, Mr. DeVito. You will be pleasantly surprised, I promise.
BRENDA LEE JOHNSON
Hot Springs Village
Doesn't bode well ...
In reference to the students who are feeling so overburdened in school, I wonder how they expect to be successful in the job market with their dire need for leisure time.
SARA GARRETT
North Little Rock
Repetition necessary
In the Republican debate on Feb. 6, Marco Rubio was ridiculed for his "robotic" repetition concerning President Barack Obama's record. Rubio and other GOP presidential candidates condemn Obama's domestic and foreign policies as disastrous.
The difference in views between Rubio and other candidates pertains to perceived motivations of Obama. Other candidates attribute Obama's perceived failures to his incompetence stemming from lack of experience, noting that he was elected to the presidency while serving as a first-term senator. Rubio, now also a first-term senator, is accused by competitors as also lacking necessary governmental experience to be president.
Rubio disclaims the notion that Obama's lack of experience is responsible for his decisions. Instead, Rubio claims that Obama is fulfilling his campaign promise to fundamentally change America. From this perspective, and as viewed by the so-called progressive movement, I think Obama may be the most successful president since Woodrow Wilson. It seems the Democrat Party has never been further to the left politically, as witnessed by the enthusiastic response of young Democrats to the candidacy of Bernie Sanders, a self-identified socialist who spent his honeymoon in the USSR.
In defense of Rubio's repetition, I believe the reality of the threat facing our country cannot be overemphasized: Not ineptitude, it is a deliberate plan to change the very nature of our country. Like mules, we are oftentimes too stubborn to face the truth. It is said that to get a mule's attention, he must be whacked on the head with a 2-by-4. I view Rubio's repetition as a 2-by-4.
DENNIS LEGGETT
Searcy
Alleviate the suffering
I believe the first priority for the new head of the Department of Human Services should be looking into the conditions of youths attending Bryant School District.
Judging by the recent letters from these students in this section, it seems the conditions are deplorable. Apparently, teachers in the district are not only requiring the students' attention during class, they have the audacity to assign homework and study lessons for the kids to do after school. Unbelievable.
Then, according to the letters, some of these kids' parents are actually asking them to do chores and help around the house.
What kind of sweatshop has Saline County become?
Finally--and this is an unconfirmed rumor--a parent actually took a child's smartphone away for a 48-hour period.
Please, new Human Services chief, investigate these crimes against humanity, and to make up for all these atrocities, give all the kids a trophy.
ANTHONY LLOYD
Hot Springs
Editorial on 02/12/2016