Letters

Parties lack courage

That our state continues to honor Confederate General Robert E. Lee, a director of the force that executed surrendered African American soldiers, men fighting for the Union and against slavery, is a sad, divisive shame on us that it seems neither major political party has had the character to erase. Neither party has nearly the courage of those poor soldiers, and apparently never will have.

GARY BRODNAX

Fayetteville

Function of positions

Can it be only seven years now since congressional Republicans began railing against Obamacare and passing bill after bill in the House attempting to repeal the object of their scorn? And never once producing any coherent approach to a viable replacement?

Last year they were joined in the effort by our now bloviater-in-chief who repeatedly promised that on "Day One" he would repeal Obamacare and replace it with "something great" which would provide excellent health care for everyone for much less cost.

We're still waiting, over two months into the new presidency, and over four months since Republicans gained control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. They appear to be in agreement only in fearing that they are in danger of losing control of their majorities. In the meantime, we continue to be amused by the proliferation of named splinter groups of Republicans who have differing views of the relationship between citizens and Congress: Freedom Caucus, Tea Party, NeoConservatives, Christian Conservatives, Liberty Caucus, Log Cabin Republicans, Republicans for Choice, Paleoconservatives, etc.

Perhaps if they thought less about holding on to their high positions and more about the constitutional basis for those positions, they--and all Americans--would be better off. They should reread--or perhaps read for the first time--the preamble to our Constitution, wherein the purposes of the government are clearly stated.

They would find there both the guidance for their mission and, I hope, the inspiration for productive action appropriate to their elected positions.

DENNIS A. BERRY

Bryant

Shootout at AR corral

Finally, our brilliant state legislators have found a way to reduce the size of our Legislature, While sitting on their heads, they passed a bill allowing firearms on the Capitol grounds.

Now when they have disputes with one another, all they have to do is pull out their firearms and settle it on the spot--just like the wild west.

What a savings for state taxpayers--fewer legislators to pay for doing nothing. Bravo!

NICK WALDORF

Searcy

Beyond partisanship

I believe Republicans and Democrats could have fixed Obamacare years ago if they had been willing to work together. Instead, they focused on scoring political points and we ended up with a complicated, messy health-care law.

But this is not a game or a TV show. Lives are at stake. Now I think it's time for both parties to stop the partisan foolishness, put their heads together, and fix our broken health-care system. Imagine what else they could do working together!

CHERYL WOODARD

Little Rock

Transparency in dark

Once again, our governments are declaring that transparency is a top priority while they work at a feverish pace to hide themselves from the public. The latest is the effort to exempt huge parts of state and university records from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Despite all the testimony at legislative hearings, none of those seeking to hide their records can cite any cases that had actually threatened their work.

A few years ago, the Little Rock Police Department surprised both the public and the city's Board of Directors when it took its radio traffic to the dark side by encrypting it. It was expected that a few critical channels would be encrypted (for example SWAT, narcotics), but it hid them all. The excuse was "officer safety"--the need to keep criminals from listening and thus endangering officers responding to calls. Yet, just like the state/university folks, not a single case could be referenced where a crook had put an LRPD officer in danger by listening to the radio.

A SWAT operation in progress or the specific security response plans for an agency or education institution are good candidates for secrecy. But ordinary activities or a list of employees or even information that might someday be involved in a lawsuit belong to the public.

The citizens are the employer and the owner of our government. We have a right to know. Transparency should rule, not darkness.

MARK BARNHARD

Little Rock

Consumers are victim

It's The Jungle 2017. This time it's a political, financial and marketing boondoggle. Forty-one percent of U.S. cattle producers have gone out of business since 1980. And consumers, you are the victims again.

I sold a heifer recently for $500 that would have brought $1,500-$1,700 two years ago, yet there's been no decline in retail prices of beef for consumers. The giant meatpackers and Congress are to blame. Antitrust laws were not enforced; now we have four giant meatpackers that process 85 percent of all beef. Farmers must now rely on a 1921 law to protect them from the unfair monopolistic power of the packers. Yet enforcement has become a monumental task for officials because of the money influence wielded by the giant packers.

The heifer I sold turned into a $3,740 retail product for consumers. It's abuse of everyone. Furthermore, the meatpackers trade association cleverly merged with the National Cattlemen's Association in 1996, calling itself the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, acting as a Trojan horse for the packers. Their "spin" is that "we are the largest association of cattle producers--the voice of cattlemen." Yet their positions on most important issues are almost exclusively in the best interest of packers, not cattlemen.

Time to stand up and be counted. If you would like to help farmers and purchase beef raised in the USA, good luck. Congress removed the Country of Origin labeling requirement on beef in 2015 (after which our cattle market crashed); it was just too expensive for the packers. To top it off, the national association worked hard for its removal. A USDA stamp does not mean the product was raised in the USA.

If we don't deserve to have "fair practice" rules for farmers, nor our USA-origin label on beef, then we don't have an America. It really is still The Jungle.

GRANT WILLIAMS

Harrison

Editorial on 03/26/2017

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