Letters

Just a few questions

Does anyone know whether Arkansas' Division of Children and Family Services has or would accept same-sex married folks as foster or adoptive parents? If not, why not?

Who pays for Leslie Rutledge's trips to Trump's signings and those TV interviews? Is it "our taxes at work"?

Since Asa said Arkansas should stop the Trump Show during Trump's campaign, why was he later at the Republican Convention lauding Trump as the "right leader for our time"?

Does CALL require potential foster or adoptive parents to be Baptists? And is baptism by immersion required, or would a sprinkled Methodist qualify?

KARL HANSEN

Hensley

Lessons from election

It has been reported that for the 2016 election computer voting systems in as many as 39 states were hacked by a foreign government. It was further reported that two of the companies that provided software for the election machines were also hacked by this same government.

I certainly don't know what effect this hacking had on the 2016 election. Should we just assume that the foreign government's interventions had no effect on the 2016 election and was just idle fun? If we make that assumption, when we know the interventions will continue, then we are accepting foreign intervention and its potential influence as a new normal.

I am strongly recommending that we immediately update our voting equipment, increase security, improve the internal controls and improve our election process. It will take time for trained professional people to do this work. I doubt that we have the time to complete this work that absolutely must be done before the 2018 election. Until the new system is in place, I suggest we return to a paper ballot with a detachable receipt for the voter.

In my opinion, our democratic system depends on a free, fair, honest and accurate system that can be audited. This must be done now.

Express your thoughts to this paper. Hopefully someone with influence will read our letters to the editor and say, "Maybe we should do something about this."

JERRY P. PEIRCE

Russellville

Use Medicare for all

There is something that I think would be good for American business and employees: It is Medicare from birth to death.

Businesses would not have to spend money on health insurance and could hire more people and move more people from part-time to full-time. Employees would not have high deductibles. They would have to pay a higher Medicare tax, but it should be less than they have to pay for their part of the health insurance. Insurance companies could sell health insurance to people who want extra coverage like they do now to people over 65.

I think this would be good for any political party that would want to do this.

BOBBIE HARVIN

Little Rock

For open government

We chose representatives to do our bidding in Washington. We are the boss, they are the employees. It's a simple system, but many senators seem to have misunderstood.

Writing a health-care bill that will affect every single resident of Arkansas, in secret, shows a lack of respect for the voters of this country. Openness and transparency are fundamental parts of our government. We have a right to see what our representatives are working on. We own the rooms they meet in, the chairs they sit on, even the paper they write on. Like it or not, we are going to own this new health-care system, too.

Voters need to see how this bill is being written. If, as the president has said, Obamacare is a "failure," then we need to fix it immediately. It will take time for us to understand the new legislation, to understand how it will affect us. And we'll need time to tell our senators what we think.

Remember, our representatives don't just answer to us on election day, they are beholden to us as long as they hold office. Writing this bill in secret and rushing it to a vote show that these senators don't want or care for our opinions.

Not only is this lack of transparency disrespectful, it's bad business. If we need a new health-care system, our senators should be doing everything they can to make it happen. We know this is the wrong way to go about it. Sen. Tom Cotton said as much himself after AHCA failed its first vote in Congress: "Health care is a very complicated issue. To release a bill that was written in secret and then expect to pass it in 18 days, I just don't think it's feasible."

He, unlike many lawmakers, held town-hall meetings this spring, and for that he deserves our respect. It couldn't have been easy to face us then and I'm sure it isn't easy now. But that's the job he asked for.

Our senators owe us their attention. They owe us open dialogue and answers. If they don't think they need us to do their job, then we can find someone who does.

TREY ANSON

Lowell

Sowing some bad seed

President Trump doesn't seem to realize he's acting like Vlad Putin's puppet. Recently, he put China and Russia at the head of the Paris Climate Accord. How is this going to create jobs? At least 25 corporations, including oil companies, asked the United States to stay in.

It appears Steve Bannon, reported white supremacist, and a small group of like-minded Republicans are still calling the shots. What happens when other countries stop trading with the U.S. or stop investing here? We will reap what we sow, and this administration has been sowing some bad seed.

President Trump was an offensive businessman and now he is an offensive president. He doesn't seem to understand anything beyond a superficial surface, as well as those around him. It's always self first. Other countries will punish us for his offensiveness because they don't have to tolerate it.

MILLIE FOREE

Bella Vista

Now we know better

In the fifth grade, when the teacher told us that anyone could grow up to be president, we didn't realize it was a warning.

CARL E. BUCHANAN

Scott

Editorial on 06/22/2017

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