When the Arkansas Democrat sent me to Washington, D.C., in 1986 to serve as its bureau chief in the nation's capital, I quickly learned that Southerners who live and work on Capitol Hill tend to hang together. That's how I got to know Bob Mann.
In 1986, Mann was the press secretary for Sen. Russell Long of Louisiana. When Long retired at the end of that year and was replaced in the U.S. Senate by fellow Democrat John Breaux, Mann joined that staff and stayed with Breaux for 17 years. Mann wrote several outstanding books along the way, including a biography of Long titled Legacy to Power and a history of the civil rights era titled The Walls of Jericho: Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Richard Russell and the Struggle for Civil Rights.
Mann began his career as a newspaperman in north Louisiana at the Monroe News-Star and the Shreveport Journal. I began my career as a newspaperman in neighboring south Arkansas. We knew many of the same characters and shared the same birthday of Sept. 2, though Mann is one year older.
He's now a professor at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and writes a weekly column for the Times-Picayune in New Orleans. Because I've long known Mann and also have a lifelong interest in Louisiana's wild brand of politics, I often read his column online.
Last month, Mann wrote a column with a headline sure to attract readers: "Let's face facts: Louisiana is sick and dying." The last time I checked, the online version of that column had been shared more than 7,000 times.
"For all its rich and diverse culture and abundant natural resources, Louisiana is the sick man of the United States," Mann wrote. "We're an economic basket case and a toxic waste pit of environmental neglect and misconduct. We are the state most adept at missing opportunities and abusing and wasting our abundant natural resources. Louisiana is my home in every way and, at 59, I cannot imagine living anywhere else. And yet it's time to admit this is a place with no visible promise and little hope. To pretend otherwise is to engage in delusional thinking. We must face facts."
Mann pointed out that Louisiana ranks 47th in environmental quality. It has the nation's highest cancer rate and its third-highest unemployment rate.
"On average, we aspire to mediocrity; we are happy with good enough," he wrote. "We live in a land of plenty but view the world from an attitude of scarcity. We mask our state's profound illness and disease with colorful festivals and spicy food. We tolerate--sometimes celebrate--our corrupt politicians. (Witness the recent outpouring of affection for disgraced former Gov. Edwin Edwards on his 90th birthday). Speaking of celebrations, nothing makes us happier than college football, which is our true religion. In the fall, we worship on Saturday nights in Tiger Stadium, the state's holy shrine. Meanwhile, what transpires across campus--in the classrooms and lecture halls--barely concerns us. Our elected leaders sell their souls to big oil and the chemical industry. The first has spoiled our land, pillaged our resources and damaged our coast, while the other has poisoned our air and water."
Mann's column got me to thinking about Arkansas. No one can deny we have problems. We have too many elected officials who seem to revel in their anti-intellectualism. We must put more emphasis on expanded pre-kindergarten programs on one end of the educational spectrum and increased spending on higher education on the other end.
In a place that bills itself as the Natural State, we have far too many people anxious to spoil our water, air and soil. The trend of Republican control of state government is a long-term one, but my hope is that the Republicans we elect going forward are in the Teddy Roosevelt mode of GOP officeholders when it comes to an emphasis on conservation. The successful fights to save rivers such as the Buffalo and the Cache are a part of our heritage, and strong chapters of groups such as the Nature Conservancy and the Audubon Society carry on in that tradition. Our voters have shown a willingness to invest--think Amendment 75, the one-eighth of a cent sales tax passed for conservation purposes in 1996. Let's do even more to ensure we remain the Natural State.
Northwest Arkansas is not only an economic engine but is also becoming a regional arts destination since the opening of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in 2011. Commercial real estate vacancy rates in the region are the lowest they've been in 13 years. Central Arkansas, despite the crime and public education problems that plague the state's largest city, is witnessing an exciting rebirth of Little Rock's downtown, along with plans to dramatically improve the Arkansas Arts Center.
I travel the state regularly in this job and see too many good things happening to be pessimistic. Arkansas' unemployment rate hovers near a record low while a recent survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau showed that the percentage of Arkansas residents living below the poverty line decreased from 19 percent in 2015 to 17 percent last year. That was the fourth-best improvement in the country.
Arkansas' median household income, while still far too low, also improved. Recent trips have fueled my optimism. In Fort Smith I saw a renewed focus on the historic downtown, the opening of the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, and continued development of the Chaffee Crossing area. In Magnolia, I saw rapid growth at Southern Arkansas University and a booming downtown. In Hot Springs, I saw record tourism numbers and new businesses opening seemingly on a daily basis downtown. Even in struggling Delta cities such as Pine Bluff and Helena, there appears to be a new spirit of optimism and an infusion of young entrepreneurs with fresh ideas.
The next decade can be a good one for Arkansas if we remain vigilant when it comes to our elected officials, who tend to stray otherwise. As for our neighbors to the south, I can only issue an invitation to head north and dive in. The water is just fine.
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Rex Nelson is a senior editor at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Editorial on 10/01/2017