LETTERS

Remember possibility

President Barack Obama, as prescribed by the Constitution of the United States of America, has nominated Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court seat vacated because of the death of Antonin Scalia. The president on March 16 praised the judge as “widely recognized not only as one of America’s sharpest legal minds, but someone who brings to his work a spirit of decency, modesty, integrity, even-handedness and excellence.” He also noted that after two decades of service on a federal court of appeals, Garland has won nearly universal admiration.

Republicans don’t question Garland’s fitness for the job, but rather Obama’s insistence on making any nomination. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said any nominee will get no hearing and no vote.

Republican senators might keep in mind that if Hillary Rodham Clinton is elected president, she would most likely choose someone more liberal and younger than Garland.

The American people deserve a hearing and a vote as prescribed by the Constitution and common sense. Vote him up or down, but vote. Amen!

ROBERT E. HYMER SR.

Little Rock

Parody of journalism

As a recent transplant to Arkansas, I will say that I love the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. I find it both entertaining and useful. I will say, however, that in the early days I honestly thought that Bradley Gitz’s columns were a comedic parody—something like one would find in The Onion.

There are too many examples to mention, but some would be: where he found a loony professor in Australia who claimed reading to children would give them an unfair advantage and was not “egalitarian.” Let’s be clear: he couldn’t find a nutty professor out of 350 million Americans (or Europeans for that matter) so he had to go to the other side of the planet. Then he went on a bloviating rant about how liberals don’t want you to read to your children.

Then, he spent two weeks with rants on how discussing Islam was “off-limits.” It was a wonderful example of irony. In the last two weeks he has claimed that raising the minimum wage is “stupidity.” While CEO pay has skyrocketed, Republicans have willfully passed legislation to limit the increases in the minimum wage. And those “savings” could justify increased CEO pay. Mr. Gitz apparently thinks that’s just fine. I will agree with Mr. Gitz that there was “stupidity” in his column, but it didn’t come from those trying to raise the minimum wage.

I have some genuine suggestions: Have a high school or college freshmen educate Mr. Gitz on basic journalism, mainly that you should do at least some research before writing. Have the same person show him how to use Google, and remind him that watching Fox and Friends does not constitute “research.” And finally, for your HR department, is Mr. Gitz really the best that Arkansas has for one day a week on your opinion pages?

BRENT HATFIELD

Maumelle

The minimum wage

Sally Mays has it right about what a $15 minimum wage will do for/to us, but she missed a very important point. We will be pushed into a higher income-tax bracket. Maybe that’s the main reason politicians seem to like it.

C.A. STEELE

Rogers

Wasting time, money

As a constituent, I am requesting that state legislators stop wasting time, energy and taxpayer money.

I label myself as “pro-women.” Contrary to legislators’ beliefs, that doesn’t mean I want to run out and get an abortion. I live in a free country, not a Third World country. Naturally, as a U.S. taxpaying citizen, I think prochoice means I have the same equal rights as a man to choose my own destiny. I am not a second-class anything.

According to the law of the United States of America, the U.S. Constitution and the U.S. Supreme Court, I have the freedom to choose what is done or not done to my own body. I have the freedom to choose what religion I want to practice, without being persecuted. The Arkansas government does not have the right to take my freedom to choose away from me by trying to pass politically motivated, unconstitutional, discriminatory, religious laws. They did not create nor do they own my body or soul.

They need to get their big state-government nose out from under women’s skirts and do some real work, such as finding good homes for the 4,500 living, breathing children that are still stuck in the Arkansas foster-care program.

SHIRL STANDRIDGE

Little Rock

That global warming

It’s really a good thing that all petroleum-burning vehicles were banned back 10,000 years ago so the two-milesthick ice sheet that covered a major portion of the U.S. didn’t melt. That way we wouldn’t even be here.

Hello, Al Gore.

ROBERT RANDALL

Hot Springs Village

On upgrade anxieties

I would like to thank state Rep. Jana Della Rosa from Rogers for all the hard work she is doing on House Bill 1138.

It is way past time to upgrade our campaign-finance reporting system. If any of our elected officials are struggling with compliance, here is the solution: Give all the information to your 12-year-old grandchildren and they can easily enter this in their laptops and punch send. It takes 10 seconds, problem solved.

Now you can go back to the porch and watch the squirrels play.

WILSON ROWLETT

Rogers

Organization galore

It’s time to update Will Rogers.

A man is asked in an interview, “Do you belong to any organized political party?” He replies, “No! I’m a Republican.”

ROBERT B. NELSON

Little Rock

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