Dysfunctional on Hill
Re Mike Masterson's column about Mark Pryor speaking out on corruption, Masterson thanks Pryor for validating his opinion of what is behind congressional dysfunction. Surprise, surprise, it's money! As if we didn't already know. Thank you indeed, Mr. Pryor.
The writer is pleased with Pryor's honesty in addressing the issue. I should think it was about time. I wonder where all this honesty was while Pryor was still a senator. Oh yeah, he was still sucking on that senatorial sugar teat then and was desperately trying to hang on to it.
JERRY V. SLATON
Conway
Columnists scoring
Time to give credit where credit is due: John Brummett finally realized that he and his colleagues in the apparent "get Trump conspiracy" have been obsessed (as have most of the nation's media) with belittling our president at every turn for his unsavory faux pas. John's solid rejection of the constant nitpicking may become an important step toward reconciliation with those, myself included, who knew what the country was getting when they voted for him and refuse to count him a failure when he's trying his best in spite of the hatred spewing around him. Keeping Mr. Trump in the headlines is exactly what has transpired and what the president was seeking in some of his more objectionable tweets. Like other showmen, his philosophy is "it's OK, just spell my name right."
Meanwhile, Philip Martin's column about non-hurricane Harvey, which dovetailed into an inclusion of the Clinton extracurriculars in the Oval Office, put me again into Philip's corner: I, too, think Bill should have yanked the plug--especially after being outed by a filmed "fib at 11" about his accuser, ol "whats-her-name." I don't know enough about film reviews to comment, but I think Philip's long suit is sports writing.
PATRICK H. McKELVEY
Bella Vista
Admire and respect?
Since he mentioned he is thinking of moving to New York where people admire and respect the president, I think the good citizens of Arkansas should start a GoFundMe page for Mr. Gary Lemon of Cabot to help him in his endeavor.
The citizens of New York gave Hilary Clinton a 1.7 million-vote advantage over the president in his home state because they so "admire and respect him." But of course, Mr. Lemon would contend that the votes were cast by illegal aliens and don't count.
Unfortunately for Mr. Lemon and the president, it seems MAGA now stands for Make America Gag Again.
DON ENTENMAN
Blytheville
Importance of protest
In the Wednesday edition of your paper, Bob Harris wrote "Just more NFL antics" in words that I had to look up before I understood what he was saying, but at the end of the day he seemed to be objecting to Colin Kaepernick's (Caper Nick) right to protest.
I would to remind him and others like him that if America/Americans had not protested against the British, we would still be paying (taxation without representation) taxes to them and would still be a colony.
FRANKLIN FURLOUGH
Little Rock
No more benevolence
There comes a time when hope is no longer available, and so it is with the Democratic Party and the benevolent society created by Democrats. Furthermore, I say there will never be another Democratic president, mainly because Democrats are likely being written out of the election software by private corporations that provide the machinery for elections across our nation. Democracy in America is quickly getting bottled into binary clusters of ones and zeros. Why would private corporations allow their machinery to elect Democrats? Corporate stakeholders would make more money by electing Republicans who are more likely to deregulate corporate practices.
Our benevolent society began with the Greatest Generation and the Silent Generation. These Americans survived the Great Depression and World War II, and made America great partly by accepting the Democratic Social Security Administration. Today, the last of these generations enjoy Social Security benefits until the very end. These generations have also enjoyed the benefits of Medicaid and Medicare, which were created by the Democratic Great Society during Lyndon Johnson's presidency.
Most of these Democrats are dead and gone, and so are their values. Republicans have replaced these Democrats, and it seems governmental welfare may not last much longer. The point is we must teach our grandchildren to try to survive in a new Austere Society where there will be no Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, no democracy, and no hope for governmental beneficence.
GENE MASON
Jacksonville
Senate helps wealthy
Dear fellow Arkansans, I am as happy as I know you all are that Mike Pence helped the Senate gut a rule that would have allowed consumers to join together and file lawsuits against banks and other financial institutions. The consumers claim that the banks and credit rating companies have wronged, deceived, stolen from or released vast amounts of information about these consumers.
Heaven knows, the poor banks and credit companies need all the help that they can get. They have been trodden on and persecuted. These large banks are the bedrock of our consumer society and should be preserved no matter what they do.
Good Christian Republicans have again landed on the side of the rich.
L.A. NOLEN
Bigelow
A request for Hillary
Hillary, be a good soldier. Please. It's time for you to fade away. You confound Democrats and unite Republicans.
Just the mention of your name ignites the bonds of hatred between the most disparate within the Republican ranks; moderates on one end and neo-fascists on the other. The gulf that separates their personal and political agendas is suddenly bridged when the word "Hillary" is mentioned. Your physical presence is not required. Your name is toxic.
The best thing you can do for the Democrats is to become a Republican.
A. HARRY HERGET
Little Rock
Editorial on 10/29/2017