The president's legacy
Seven years ago when President Barack Obama was inaugurated, unemployment was about 10 percent; it is almost half that now. The deficit is now 70 percent less than when he took office. Wars and tax cuts had made the deficit increase by billions. The stock market is now 10,000 points higher. The auto industry that Republicans wanted to let die while saving investment banks is now thriving, saving thousands of jobs. There have been 69 straight months of private-sector job growth. We have an increased minimum wage, and it seems without losing any of the jobs always predicted when the minimum is raised. Even the voters in Arkansas knew better. In Arkansas over 200,000 people have health insurance thanks to Obamacare.
All this while Republicans fought him at every turn.
ED PARKS
Rogers
Was a gross injustice
With all due respect to Kipp Woodbury of Mountain Home, he needs to do some research prior to taking a position. His statement, "I have never heard of a sports figure who has served his country," is a gross injustice to those who have served and given their lives. For example:
Ted Williams (baseball), served as a flight instructor in World War II and combat pilot in Korea; Ahmard Hall (football, University of Texas and Tennessee Titans), Marines, Kosovo and Afghanistan 1998-2002; Yogi Berra (baseball), Navy, D-Day Invasion, North Africa and Italy, WWII; Joe DiMaggio (baseball), Army Air Force, WWII; Bob Feller (baseball), Navy, WWII; Warren Spahn (baseball), Army, WWII, awarded Purple Heart and Bronze Star; Jack Lummus (baseball), Marines, Medal of Honor, killed in action in Iwo Jima, WWII; Eddie LeBaron (football), Marines, Korea, Purple Heart, Bronze Star; Pat Tillman (football), Army Ranger, Purple Heart, Silver Star, KIA in Afghanistan; Bob Kalsu (football All-American at Oklahoma, Buffalo Bills), KIA at the A Shau Valley in Vietnam; Rocky Bleier (football), Army, Purple Heart, Bronze Star; Joe Louis (boxing), Army, WWII; Jerry Coleman (baseball), Marine aviator, WWII, Korea; and Billy Fiske (Olympic bobsledder), one of the first American fliers to die in WWII, flew for the British Royal Air Force.
Treasure these men and many others for their courage and patriotism.
KENNETH BUSTER
Heber Springs
Congress worth little
Congress is almost worthless. Now it wants to repeal Obamacare which some say strengthens Medicare. It passes charitable contribution laws which no one understands, and then blames the IRS for trying to enforce the law. Then it cuts IRS funding so fewer people can get help.
It reportedly also failed to allocate funds for extra embassy security before Benghazi, then it blames Hillary Clinton. It allows for people on the no-fly list to buy guns.
I think its members' pay and benefits should be cut in half.
STEVE WHEELER
North Little Rock
Height of hypocrisy
The president's picture appeared on Wednesday morning's front page. He wiped away tears as he announced more regulations on gun control.
It seems to me the height of hypocrisy to weep over the death of children in a school shooting and have no compassion for the millions of innocent lives taken after abortions were made legal by court order. I believe both are to be mourned. Should the surgical tools used by the abortion doctors be classified and registered as guns are? Many of the tools used by abortion doctors are in the hands of doctors for healing, not to take lives. I believe the vast majority of guns are in the hands and homes of law-abiding citizens for protection, hunting or target shooting.
I'm sure it would please some if the Second Amendment could be done away with or made null and void. By the way, does Planned Parenthood keep records and report to authorities the statistics on abortions they perform, why they were done, what instruments were used and what happened to the remains of that child? If not, should they be required to give that information to some authority? To make a thing legal does not make it right.
It seems our nation is drifting slowly away from the morals that governed our country in past days. The founding fathers possibly would not view this nation of today as the one they founded. God, please help us to see the way our nation has drifted away from your truth and what is right in your eyes according to the word of God.
MORRIS L. CLOUD
Russellville
It's too big to ignore
I think Fred Verser's recent letter was the most important item in the entire newspaper that day, and the over-long special column by Johnnie Roebuck was the least.
Mr. Verser brings attention to a huge future problem. For the first time since World War II, the U.S. finally has enough oil that we no longer need to buy it from the Saudis and others. So what has Congress done now? It has voted to allow our oil to be sold to other nations. I cannot believe it is so shortsighted and venal as to even consider such a move. But it did. It repealed the law that prohibited such sales.
Remember this when you vote for congressmen this year. I believe everyone who voted for this deal is either a dummy or deliberately indifferent to the best interests of the nation and us. Check out how they voted. Anyone who voted "yes" for this, vote "no" for them. This is too big to ignore. It's all about profits and Wall Street.
As for Ms. Roebuck's epistle, I finally found expressed the apparent real goal of all of these public education know-it-all professional educators. It's buried in the recommendations of the Early Childhood Commission arm of the Southern Regional Education Board, to wit, "Boost the quality of programs: Set high standards for early education from birth until third grade." That's right, from birth--my God!
WALTER SKELTON
Little Rock
Editorial on 01/08/2016