Letters

Rapert wrong on debt

In his zeal to promote the current Republican tax bill, Rep. Jason Rapert claims that the national debt has continued to grow "every year of my life."

This is simply false.

Evidently, Rapert has forgotten that President Bill Clinton produced budget surpluses from fiscal years 1998 through 2001. (This despite unanimous Republican warnings that his 1993 tax bill would destroy the economy.) Indeed, President George W. Bush's tax cuts were sold partly by claiming that it was a bad idea to pay off the debt too fast.

Instead, Bush doubled it, leaving President Obama with record $1.5 trillion yearly shortfalls that took years to trim. The Trump tax plan, credibly described as the greatest transfer of wealth from working Americans to the richest 1 percent in U.S. history, would send deficits soaring again.

Readers should also be aware that when Rapert attacks "the failed democrat welfare state," what he's talking about is Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

GENE LYONS

Little Rock

Bunch of busybodies

Why don't people just mind their own business? The busybodies of Smoke Free Little Rock just can't stand the fact that others are doing something they don't approve of. Out of about 40,000 Little Rock businesses, public places and government buildings where smoking is not allowed, 40 bars, restaurants and tobacco shops do allow smoking. The people who own these businesses chose to be smoking establishments. The customers who frequent these businesses choose to be there. The people who work there choose to work there.

We live in an allegedly free country. It remains a personal choice to smoke. It remains a personal choice to eat and drink what we want and where we want. Until those busybodies decide they know what's best for the rest of us. I suggest our nosy neighbors mind their own business. I believe "Smoke Free Little Rock" is actually a misnomer. They should call themselves "The League of Arrogant Little Rock Nannies and Busybodies Who Want To Control Every Aspect of Everyone's Lives Because We Know What's Best For Everyone Everyplace All The Time Because We Are Smarter Than Everyone Else."

WILL COHEN

North Little Rock

Athletes breaking law

Recently three UCLA basketball players were arrested on shoplifting charges in China. They were released with President Trump's help.

This is a national embarrassment! It is common knowledge all professional and collegiate athletes appear to be immune to breaking the law.

Currently it appears all major colleges have ethics and morals training for their athletes. This should tell us something. Isn't it time to ban all athletes with police records from playing collegiate or pro sports?

In many cases we should be referring to sports teams as gangs rather than teams.

CR DAVIS

Crossett

Seems hypocritical ...

The religious right is a study in self-contradiction.

They call themselves "pro-life," but support the death penalty. They say peace is what they love, but support unrestricted access to guns. They have no problem with alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine, but oppose other drugs. They believed infidelity to be an impeachable offense in Bill Clinton's case, but not offensive enough to keep them from supporting Donald Trump.

They claim to love everyone, but are forevermore supporting efforts designed to reject and exclude others. They talk incessantly about their "religious freedom" while at the same time trying to force others to accept their religious beliefs.

Interesting.

RL HUTSON

Cabot

About honoring flag

After reading the letter here about "standing at attention" from Mr. Gordon Swaim, I wanted to tell him what the U.S. Flag Code says.

Let's begin with displaying the flag on an automobile: "When the flag is displayed on a motorcar, the staff shall be fixed firmly to the chassis or clamped to the right fender." Mr. Swaim, what's your reaction to seeing that flag flowing from the clamps affixed to windows, and can you say that you never flew it in that manner?

Flag etiquette also forbids that it be used as clothing, but we see it all the time. Bet that you also didn't take the time to check that it is never to be carried flat or horizontally--it is to be carried aloft waving freely, Bringing in the flag in sports is an attempt to promote the military agenda of getting recruits, and we all have seen that very flag that you claim so well to respect being carried on the field of play supported by many hands, and horizontally. One last thing on this flag issue: May I suggest that you read and study what the First Amendment of the Constitution has to say about the peaceful protests that your president had the nerve and foolishness to call those exercising those very rights SOBs.

Now as space will allow, I will address your ability to state so well how beautiful and well both teams, bands and fans stood to the playing of the school's songs. I also noticed that you even named one of the songs as "Waiting on the Robert E. Lee." Well, Mr. Swaim, will you just take a moment to wear even just one of the black football players' helmets and see just what it must be like for both of those teams to be standing at attention for a song about waiting on some traitors that just happens to be named after the man who led an insurrection against that flag that you hold so dearly, and wanted to keep their ancestors in bondage?

Shaking my head ...

TITUS ARNOLD

El Dorado

Editorial on 11/22/2017

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