Bill's dramatic impact
I am extremely concerned that many supporters of HB1586 do not understand the dramatic impact that it will have on seriously injured workers and the families of workers who lose their lives as a result of job-related accidents.
One of the most important things to consider about HB1586 is that it does not involve situations where there is a question about whether the serious injury or death was caused by a job-related injury because permanent and total disability benefits and death benefits are not an issue until after it has been determined that the Workers' Compensation claim is in fact a legitimate, bona fide claim and that the injury or death was caused by a job-related accident. Thus, HB1586 simply is an instance of capping benefits of seriously injured workers and the dependents of workers killed as a result of a legitimate injury in order to increase profits for management.
Management seeks to increase profits in spite of the fact that Workers' Compensation premium rates in Arkansas are among the very lowest in the entire United States.
I have never written a letter to the editor before; however, since lack of accurate information may be the cause of people supporting such an inhumane piece of legislation, I decided to write in the hope that you would publish it and the readers would contact their legislators and find out exactly how much they understand about the motivation for capping permanent and total disability and death benefits at 450 weeks, and the dramatic effect that such cap will have on the people of Arkansas.
After the payment of 450 weeks of benefits, the responsibility for the injury or death caused by industry is shifted from the Workers' Compensation system to the government/taxpayers.
EDDIE H. WALKER JR.
Fort Smith
The new Communism
An argument can be made that globalism is the latest iteration of Marxian socialism. Socialism/Communism can only succeed when free-market capitalism is obliterated in the western democracies. The socialist movement, under varying guises, has recognized this for a century or more. It now self-identifies as "progressivism," reverting to its early 20th century definition with which Hillary Clinton has identified herself.
It seems globalism's aim is to supplant nationalism (nation states) with a borderless world community allegiant to global authority comprised of central planners (czars?) for all aspects of life from agriculture to zoning.
This socialist ideology is not new. Since the Marxian era it has been attempted by a number of dictators, most notably the Leninist/Stalinist regime in Russia. Progressives in America and Western Europe were enamored with Russia's experiment. Many in academic and media circles were enthralled with it until Stalin began his extermination of multiple millions of Russian dissenters. No longer could the word "Communism" be viewed favorably.
Socialism is a hard sell in America, a nation born and nurtured in individual liberty and free-market commerce. Recognizing this, progressives have embraced a global climate-change scare, asserting that the entire world is at risk, and unless we submit to their proposals, we all are doomed. I believe there is cause aplenty for skepticism. One illustration: Ottmar Edenhofer, former chair of the IPCC, has admitted that "one has to make the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy"--rather, "we are de facto distributing the world's wealth through climate policy."
DENNIS LEGGETT
Searcy
State embarrassment
U.S. News and World Report has come out with states' rankings in numerous categories.
When it comes to health care, Arkansas is pretty much dead last (no pun intended). This should completely embarrass the state medical community. Difficult to lure new residents with that kind of statistic.
Time for the governor and the medical community to get together and fix this problem.
MICHAEL MATTISON
Hot Springs Village
'Captain' of the ship
My goodness! As a lifelong Democrat, I have conflicting feelings after President Trump's address to the nation. Even Richard Trumpka, head of the AFL-CIO, thought it very promising, according to his TV comments, and I also find POTUS' intentions somewhat promising.
However, watching the Democratic side of the aisle, they mostly seemed a group of sullen, maybe pouting, seemingly spoiled brats who couldn't show any appreciation for anything said by nor respect for the POTUS. Were I or my small-town Chicot County friends to have behaved like that at a "party" in the 1950s-'60s, we would have made all who knew us ashamed of our "spoiled brat" behavior and then disciplined accordingly by our parents. At the very least we would not have been allowed to go back without big-time apologies to the hostess.
What's with these folks; can't they even appear to be adults? Bottom line, it really doesn't matter who we liked or for whom we voted, somehow this man is POTUS and as such is the "captain" of the ship on which we are all sailing, and we don't need everyone trying to disable our/my ship.
Gee whiz, and to think these folks (congressional Dems) are getting paid better than probably 99 percent of Arkansans for that type of behavior approaches absurdity.
Please, God, bless America; we need it now before we cause our own destruction.
R. LEE McQUEEN JR.
West Memphis
It can happen again
My first economics class was at UCA in 1965. My dad was homebound recovering from a heart attack. His parents had lost everything in the 1929 crash as hill country cotton farmers in south Van Buren County.
I was living with my parents in Conway in '65, and would come home about suppertime and share with my dad some of the great things I was learning in economics, how we could never have another depression like 1929. Dad would say sadly: Son, it can happen again. He had been extremely cautious about borrowing money for anything.
I lived to see it happen in 2008. Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve Board at the time, later said the 2008 crash was worse than the 1929 crash.
Today, most people don't understand how deep in debt our country is and that it could happen again any day. How stupid many of these "educated" people like radio talker Mark Levin are who are cursing President Trump for wanting to renegotiate some of these one-sided trade agreements. Wisdom trumps education any and every time. President Trump is relying on the wisdom of common hardworking, bill-paying citizens over the philosophers.
Hopefully Mr. Levin will come to understand this before he loses his millions made by deceit. I believe God's people are on President's Trump's side, praying our Lord will spare this country the suffering depressions bring.
JIM GLOVER
Heber Springs
Editorial on 03/06/2017