About that spending
One of your readers celebrates his Republican tax cut, and says the bad old Democrats like to "tax and spend." In 2019, the United States will borrow over $2 billion a day, mostly from unfriendly countries. This is expected to rise to nearly $3 billion a day by fiscal year 2022.
Wouldn't this make Republicans the "Borrow and Spend" party?
Enjoy your Republican tax cuts. Your children and grandchildren won't enjoy the bill that we will leave to them for our party!
BOB NELSON
Little Rock
Another way to do it
Rarely do I say this, but in his recent column, "For human advancement," I mostly agree with John Brummett. He asserts that we Arkansans "should vigilantly record, teach and remember [our disgrace in the Confederacy], even with monuments or statues in the appropriate compartments." This was said in his assessment of the merit of state Rep. Charles Blake's attempt to change the meaning of the star atop the word "Arkansas" on our state flag from our involvement in the Confederacy to the recognition of our great Native Americans we oppressed so many years ago.
That is where my agreement with Mr. Brummett ends. To him and Representative Blake, I believe the correction of Arkansas Code 1-4-101 should be done thusly.
Present wording: "(b) The three (3) stars so placed are designed to represent the three (3) nations, France, Spain, and the United States, which have successively exercised dominion over Arkansas. ... The blue star above the word "Arkansas" is to commemorate the Confederate States of America."
Corrected to: "(b) The three (3) blue stars pointing upward are designed to represent the three (3) nations, France, Spain, and the United States, which have successively exercised dominion over Arkansas. ... The blue star below the word "Arkansas" and pointing downward is to commemorate the Confederate States of America."
This would indeed vigilantly record, teach and remember our past, while making our future one that extends opportunity to all.
BRAD WELCH
Fayetteville
On to paperless era
My dad was up before daylight, read the Word, his paper and biked (or "triked" ) several miles. He would read the paper then because he wanted to be the first to handle it. We might "mess it up," i.e., "leave the sections out of order or not refolded on the creases." He would leave it as pristine as he found it.
I so get that, I got that!
And a way of life will soon be gone. No more checking the temp and the sky as you pick the paper up at the end of the driveway, no more waving to the school bus as you do. No more being amazed and thankful at getting delivery in horrible and even dangerous weather. No more enjoying it for a good part of the morning with coffee and then leaving it just as I found it for the next person. No more having a ready source for packing away items or preventing spills.
Goodbye, old friend. Sadly, the new iPad day be upon us.
LINDA STELL
Fordyce
Should challenge act
Political scientists and columnists, including traditional conservative ones, for decades have been warning that Congress, under the leadership of both parties, has been slowly giving away by bits and pieces some of their powers to the president. Now we are finally seeing the result of this incremental process--a president declaring a national emergency to get around the wishes of Congress, diverting funds voted for by the Congress (and signed into law by the same president) for another purpose.
As a person who thinks that process matters, and that the principle of separation of powers established in the Constitution is vital, I think that this action needs to be challenged by Congress itself--and not just sit back and wait for the courts to take action. A wall is not the important issue here--it is the issue of how our government actually makes important policies, and if this responsibility should be shared, according to our Constitution.
Precedents do matter.
CHARLES HARTWIG
Jonesboro
Charles Hartwig is professor emeritus of political science at Arkansas State University at Jonesboro.
Rancorous, polarized
This time of year we have a lot of coverage celebrating Abe Lincoln. We're told that his was an era "even more rancorous and polarized than our own." (David Blankenhorn of the Los Angeles Times, printed Monday on our editorial page.) I've seen other statements recently saying essentially the same thing. We are divided, but it was worse prior to the Civil War, they say.
I suggest that the division is different today. At that time, Lincoln and Stephen Douglas had their famous debates. Douglas won re-election to his Senate seat but of course Abe, two years later, won the presidency. Afterward, Douglas showed respect for Lincoln. How few Democrats today show respect for Trump.
The issue separating Americans then was slavery. The other differences were, I believe, mostly regional. I think the split today between left and right goes deeper. This split is basic.
If I may paraphrase a saying made long ago ... what does it profit a people who may change the very climate of their earth--yet lose their own soul?
FRED SAWYER
Little Rock
Editorial on 02/20/2019