Letters

Animal shelter fracas

I infer from Debra Hale-Shelton's story on the Faulkner County animal shelter brouhaha that some of the justices of the peace are against passing a shelter proposal until the issue of jail crowding is dealt with.

I fail to see what the latter has to do with the former. It would be unethical and probably illegal to spend the $1.4 million collected from a tax that citizens paid voluntarily for the shelter of animals on expanding the jail. To me, it is equally unethical to let that money languish in an account instead of using it for its intended purpose.

With that in mind, I will no longer pay the voluntary tax until such time as a shelter proposal is approved. While I can sympathize with those sleeping on the floor in the overcrowded jail, I assume they are in that predicament because they did something illegal. The animals, on the other hand, have done nothing wrong except, perhaps, to be born into a society with little compassion for either humans or animals.

RENEE HUNTER

Conway

Separated from kin

About a month ago the federal government canceled funding for a program that provided legal defense for illegal immigrants, and we may be seeing why on the southern borders. On Wednesday it was revealed on national news that some of the children are being taken out of Texas and placed in foster homes in Michigan and Manhattan and elsewhere.

The Department of Human Services and other agencies should be made aware of this, and if any organization accepts these children, they should report the names of child, parents and where they are from to authorities so that a record exists to help reunite these parents and children that have suffered under this policy.

CHARLES MAYS

Rogers

Prowling like a lion

Attorney General Jeff Sessions justifies being mean to little children with a quote from the Bible about obeying authorities. Well, I have one for you, Jeff, and it goes like this: "The devil prowls the earth like a hungry lion looking for someone to devour." It's in 1 Peter.

I think he got you, Jeff, plus your pal Donald, et al.

DERRELL TAYLOR

Little Rock

To be their downfall

Well, they finally did it. The nation of Canada has legalized the recreational use of pot.

What is it with this generation that does not want to live in their right minds? It seems almost everyone wants to be high.

I believe this drug of choice will be the downfall of modern civilization. It isn't just the pot, it's all the drugs. One hand feeds the other.

Don't we have enough problems in this world of hate? Why do so many people see the legalization of pot as progress?

RONALD E. SMITH

Little Rock

Riled them up good

John Brummett's latest columns have apparently riled the whiny Trump supporters. Sore winners can't handle another man's opinion.

Keep up the good work, John.

V.M. ABERLE

Bella Vista

Bring back Mallard

I would like to extol the many intelligent and tasteful readers who have written you in recent months decrying the demise of the daily Mallard Fillmore feature that used to be paired with Doonesbury reruns in the classifieds. This was indeed one of the most enjoyable and well-loved features in the paper, as the Sunday version remains.

While I agree with the many writers who feel that it would be an enormous improvement to the funny pages to replace the weird but not funny Wumo, I think I would come down on the side of the other writers who have suggested it would be a fine addition to the op-ed pages. It is true that of the two large editorial cartoons run on the opinion pages daily the great majority seem to be very left-leaning. Not only that, few are funny and the points are not only liberal but mean-spirited and divorced from fact. But I repeat myself.

Mallard is not only truly clever and funny, but it is factual and germane. It would be a great addition to the op-ed pages, which are slanting pretty left of your audience these days, or any other part of the paper. Sadly, we are living in an age of declining newspaper readership, and it would be a crying shame for WEHCO to further alienate its shrinking readership base by ignoring the polite, rational, and hearfelt urgings of those of us who do still love and want to keep the paper. Do your paper, your parent company, and your readership a real favor and bring back Mallard Fillmore.

KARL T. KIMBALL

Little Rock

Enthusiasm vanished

In November 2017, the Faulkner County Quorum Court voted 12-0 to spend $500,000 to purchase 1.1 acres and an 11,000-square-foot building on South German Lane for use as the county's first animal shelter. The funds for this purchase came from a 1.5-mill voluntary "animal welfare and control" tax passed by the voters in 2005 and collected in subsequent years. A reported $1.4 million has been collected since.

The county closed on the property Jan. 18, 2018.

At the February Quorum Court meeting it was announced that it would probably be two years before the shelter would be in operation due to the need to ensure adequate operating funds were on hand. David Hogue, county attorney, mentioned the possibility of the building being used by another entity, perhaps the sheriff's department, which is what came to be.

Said Hogue of this arrangement: "If we do that, the sheriff's department would have to pay rent back for the use of that building. That's just a matter of transparency in using the animal control money [to avoid] using it for something it's not intended for." He said this way the county would be "making sure it's an investment for the animal control fund."

At this month's Quorum Court meeting, County Judge Jim Baker introduced an ordinance requesting permission to explore the feasibility of partnering with the city of Conway on a joint animal shelter, combining resources and eliminating the redundancy in operating two separate shelters. If the parties could reach an agreement then the animal welfare and control tax funds would be used for this.

The ordinance was voted down 7-5.

Makes you wonder what happened to the enthusiasm shown back in November. Perhaps the answer is transparent.

JOHN R. BROWNLEE

Conway

Editorial on 06/24/2018

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