LETTERS

Want to help? Do it

In response to the tirade launched by Alan Daugherty upon the “buffoons” and “fast-food workers” who are so “uneducated” and “inept/incompetent,” perhaps he can direct his attention to the state Department of Human Services job listings site, where he will find many opportunities to do what he says needs to be done. Namely, to assist in the overhaul of this organization he obviously so despises.

Please, Mr. Daugherty, do not delay and do not deny the children of this state your zeal and desire to do what is necessary. No, wait, that would mean you actually getting involved and doing something instead of sitting back and simply writing letters. When can I expect to call the Garland County office of the department and be transferred to your office?

DAVID KELLEY

Fort Smith

A familiar argument

It is very tragic to see the brutal death of a young teacher at the hands of a student with a box cutter.

Obviously the answer to prevent this tragedy from ever happening again is to completely ban the sale of all box cutters. We need to rid our society of this terrible weapon. Effective immediately, all hardware stores should be forced to stop selling box cutters. No citizen should be allowed to purchase a box cutter unless they first go through an extensive government background check. This will surely prevent a terrible tragedy like this from ever happening again.

JOHN DUGAN

Little Rock

Whose fault is it now?

Now that we know what is in Obamacare, we know why the Tea Party opposed funding it. Obviously, the president and the Democrats didn’t know, or they would not have passed it. With that in mind, who is surprised to learn that the administration didn’t know anything about the NSA, the IRS, and Benghazi? The only thing worse than not knowing is that they did know.

Do you still think it’s George W. Bush’s fault?

DON CROWSON

Benton

Of outrage and ethics

The “Outrage of the year” editorial chastising the Legislature’s vote on a constitutional amendment for the ballot, supposedly an ethics rules change, is very good. I believe it is, of course, something else entirely. However, it may be even more outrageous than you mentioned.

There may be a simple explanation. The apparent deception leads me to believe the Ledge added the poison pill to “deep six” both issues (term limits and ethics). Ethics reform may cramp their style by limiting the perks.

WANDA MORRIS

Conway

Down-to-earth Street

Almost five years ago I found myself on the tram at the San Francisco International Airport when I overheard a husband and his wife engaging another passenger who was wearing a University of Texas cap. The husband asked the gentleman if he indeed lived in Texas and if he was a Longhorn fan. The man nicely responded that he had just moved to Austin and was just trying to “fit in.” The husband laughed and as the conversation continued, the gentleman in the hat asked the couple if they were from Texas and what brought them to San Francisco. The man said that he and his wife were in town to see their son Huston pitch against the San Francisco Giants.

Being an avid sports fan, I quickly figured out the circumstances before me and could not help but interrupt the dialogue by turning to the husband: “I do apologize, but may I ask if you happened to play in a very important football game in Fayetteville,Ark., in the fall of 1969?” A huge grin emerged from the gentleman and his wife and his response was, “Actually, matter of fact, I did.”

I responded, “Well, Mr. Street, I assume you know you broke every heart in the state of Arkansas on that particular day.” James Street laughed out loud and said that, to that day, not once could he visit Arkansas without someone in the state assuring him of that fact.

Soon we got to our terminal stops, shook hands and wished each other the very best. While the brief meeting was short, it is one of those chance encounters I will always remember, just like I will always remember what an extremely nice and decent man James Street was.

BERRY TRIMBLE

El Dorado

Fought to help district

In the last special session of the Arkansas Legislature, our legislators were asked to pass a bill that would have changed a court ruling regarding disbursement of school millage across Arkansas.

As a taxpayer in Arkansas Legislative District 22, I want to commend Rep. and House Republican Majority Leader Bruce Westerman and the other legislators who fought to protect how local money is disbursed from school millage increases in local areas. Representative Westerman has stood by the taxpayers in District 22 and other districts in Arkansas by repeatedly analyzing and then listening to his constituents in Arkansas.

He fought to defeat the bill that I believe would have given Gov. Mike Beebe’s administration free rein in spending some of our local millage money any way that he wanted to. If this bill had not been defeated, the results could have been far-reaching in ways that are unpredictable.

NANCY EMMONS

Hot Springs Village