Restore independence
Congratulations, Governor, on your successful experiments in creative governing, and thank you for the resulting improvement in outlook for Arkansans’ health and economic security.
Thank you, also, for your wise words to our legislators and citizens about the necessity of listening to and cooperating with each other. Now I beg you and your colleagues in government to listen to the children, parents and citizens of Little Rock’s public school district.
A year and a half ago when the state took control of the schools, they did not let this blow to their dignity alienate them, but through their Civic Advisory Committee worked diligently with their appointed superintendent to provide information on the problems and ideas for effective remediation. They received no response to their reports and recommendations. It seems their appointed leader, Johnny Key, did not communicate, much less collaborate, with them, while the superintendent he appointed fulfilled his call to mobilize the grass roots to make their schools the best they can be.
Arkansans share the understanding that problems are best resolved by the people who are in them. Rebuilding works better from the ground up, not from the top down. Mr. Key’s belated response is stunningly insulting and counterproductive. Without contacting the participants, he terminated the superintendent, proposes to pay an outside consultant to prescribe a remedy, and says he will dissolve the Civic Advisory Committee and appoint a new one with a mandate which openly has even less potential for influence over outcomes.
Restore freedom and independence to Little Rock public schools. Let the people build their education system with experience, knowledge, and pride.
BARBARA JARVIS
Little Rock
Was courageous act
Plaudits are due Bill Clinton for publicly asking where black leadership was when it failed recently to speak out against young blacks acting in such a manner that resulted in some very young black deaths.
He did this at the risk of losing votes for Hillary, even though he is labeled by some as the first black president. This, in my opinion, showed courage.
DOYLE E. COLLINS
Arkadelphia
Prices out of control
It seems our universities and colleges are charging enormous prices because they can get it from foreigners, and our companies, corporations and construction hire foreigners for cheap labor costs. Our Americanborn people like doctors, laborers and others are forced out of these markets and jobs by greed and corruption of the above.
I think it is about time to put price and profit controls on all these enterprises as well as COLAs and other pay raises. Look at the countries going broke and our own cities like Detroit.
Wake up, people, before it is too late. Where is all this money at? Where will these raises end?
HARRY HOHENSTEIN
Searcy
Doubt that’ll happen
I’m offering a substantial reward for the first person who sees a Clinton with their mouth closed, and that includes the daughter.
GRANT GATLIFF
Delight
Can have tax equality
Flat tax rate for everyone. One low rate on every transaction would be the answer. It would apply equally to every business or individual.
Moving money gets taxed, period.
No calculations, deductions, exemptions, or filing with the IRS.
We cannot attain income equality, but we can have tax equality.
LENARD DEITERMAN
Springdale
Agency’s not problem
When it comes to the challenges facing our national parks, the Democrat-Gazette’s recent editorial, “Race to the bottom,” completely misses the mark.
No, it was not Director Jonathan Jarvis who closed the parks in Arkansas and around the country during the government shutdown in 2013. It was Congress that forced the shutdown by failing to pass a budget.
No, it was not Park Service laziness that led to challenging repair needs in our parks like the Memorial Bridge in Washington. It is because the Park Service budget has been insufficient for years.
The Park Service has a $12 billion repair backlog, including crumbling roads and trails, yet last year received just 60 cents of every dollar it needs just to keep the backlog from growing.
The more than 3 million visitors to Arkansas’ national parks last year spent over $174 million, with more than 1.4 million visiting the Buffalo National River alone, supporting thousands of jobs and boosting the economies of parks’ local communities.
If Congress does not invest in our national parks, we not only jeopardize the future of these treasured sites, but also the economic future of these communities.
Arkansas’ congressional delegation has had a proud tradition of working across party lines to do what is right. In this centennial year of the National Park Service, they should do so again by leading the effort in Congress to ensure that parks have the resources they need to protect America’s favorite places.
DON CASTLEBERRY
Little Rock
She’s not her husband
Regarding Hillary Clinton, I have heard or read of several people who say they won’t vote for her because she is a liar. I would like to know what specifically they think she has lied about.
It’s true that she has been investigated a number of times by Congress and mostly Republican groups. But I don’t know of anything that she has been accused of really sticking, with perhaps the exception of some emails that could or could not have been judged security risks.
I believe she has been investigated primarily because she is a woman. Many men are afraid of women, particularly women who have power. This is especially true of men who are more than a little unsure of themselves.
I have heard some people say they won’t vote for her because she didn’t divorce Bill when he couldn’t keep his pants zipped. Oh, come on now, this was a private matter. It was none of my business or yours.
I believe Hillary is honest. She is a wife, a mother, a grandmother, an experienced senator, an experienced secretary of state, and is familiar with life in the White House. This has been a tough campaign, but she has weathered it well.
In closing, I would like to suggest a rallying cry for the Republican Party. “Dump Trump and, need I mention, vote for Clinton.”
JACK C. McFARLIN
Little Rock