Absolute perfection
My immigrant grandmother would be so proud. She always told us you could do anything you wanted in this country. Well, I finally did it. I made a perfect phone call.
Oh, I've had many good phone calls over the years. Even a few great ones. But they were just warm-ups. For years, I've wanted to do it. Inspired by our president, I figured now was the time.
I started with "Hello." Not too pushy or overwhelming. A traditional and classy opening. Always appropriate, a little understated, but with the promise of so much to follow. And follow it did. The phone call had a life of its own. Just like the president, I didn't even have to think. The words just flowed, great words, big words, and even beautiful words. They cascaded one after the other, sometimes even in order, but that didn't matter. On and on, building toward a glorious climax. And then, sensing I had reached the pinnacle and could do no more, I ended with a simple "Goodbye."
Nailed it! The perfect phone call.
My grandmother was right. If you lead a good and honest life, if you respect others and strive to be a good neighbor, and if you work hard toward your goals, you can achieve perfection. Can I hope someday to get a beautiful letter from a ruthless dictator? I'm sure that would not make my dear grandmother proud.
BILL HIRST
Little Rock
Stick with president
A newcomer to Arkansas might think that we are overrun by Democrats because many of the letters printed in this newspaper express dislike, or worse, for President Trump, so it seems about time for someone who likes him to speak up.
I know he has some warts, makes mistakes, does some wrong things (sounds a lot like everyone else, doesn't it?), but in spite of the negatives, I believe he is infinitely better than any of the loonies the Democrats have to offer, and come next November, I would bet a bigly wad of money (if I were a bettor), that he will get 65 percent of the votes in our state and secure enough in the electoral college to win a second term.
I think Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi are scared out of their minds with the prospect of another four years of President Trump, possibly bringing an end to Roe v. Wade, nullifying same-sex marriage, and shutting down illegal immigration. To our six delegates to Congress, I would just like to say, stick with the president as you have been, and congratulations for representing our great Republican, red state, like you know we elected you to do. Keep America great!
JACK MAYBERRY
Sheridan
Coach who can't win
Is the University of Arkansas going to waste another four years on this coach who clearly cannot win? The memory of winning seasons is fading fast.
I want Chancellor Joe Steinmetz and Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek to get rid of this losing coach and get someone who can win. We have had one national championship team, and that was over 50 years ago. Are we just going to fade into dust?
SUZIE RIDGLEY
Little Rock
Vote taken for granted
Since the vote is the most powerful weapon black people have to bring about social change, I pose this question: Are we taken for granted? Why are the issues affecting the black community not being debated in presidential politics?
Recently the Democrat presidential candidates spent a couple of hours on CNN having a conversation about LGBTQ issues. When will these candidates spend time addressing issues affecting black folk on national television? I believe the fact of the matter is they care nothing about black issues, and take us for granted. Many blacks are being brain-trained to focus only on "President Trump and racism" and not important issues, i.e., education, economic development, neighborhood restoration, crime prevention, etc.
Historically, when there are no incentives to create competition, the black voter is always taken for granted. As black people, we should make our votes count. Blacks continue to give their votes to those who never address their issues. The word racism effectively used by Democrat leaders is the only issue on the table today. Democrats ran and hid when the Democrat governor and attorney general in Virginia were revealed to have worn black face, and black leaders became very muted.
Black people, stop letting racism drive us to the polls, but let issues which affect our quality of life be the drive.
JESSE TURNER
Pine Bluff
Base on performance
Before I depart this marvelous life, I'd like to witness our state judges receiving raises based on their job performance instead of how much judges get paid in Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri and Oklahoma. What does the judging business in those states have to do with how judges perform in Arkansas? Do they have the same case load, treat litigants and lawyers the same, or work identical hours? Maybe our judges deserve more, or perhaps they deserve less--who knows?
The judicial profession is the only profession I know, outside of corporate America or Wall Street, where you can get a substantial yearly raise for doing a bad job.
Just once, I'd like to read an article where the Arkansas "Independent" Citizens Commission based its unending annual judicial raise recommendations on how our judges fared in the workplace--like number of cases handled, clarity and timeliness of rulings, time spent on the job, treatment of litigants and lawyers before them, absence of bias and knowledge of the law.
But, alas, gathering that information might require making our judges feel a little uncomfortable, and we certainly wouldn't want that, would we?
SAMUEL A. PERRONI
Fayetteville
What goes around ...
House impeaches; Senate removes; Congratulations, President Mike Pence!
LOUIS BURNETT
Little Rock
Editorial on 11/05/2019