An alternative reality
The MAGA party, the former POTUS and some select media are living in a fantasy world in modern times, a tactic of fear, mistrust, and divide and conquer in a country for centuries with the pledge to the flag, civil rights, legal laws of the land to protect justice, liberty, freedom and peace among its people, foreign policies for democratic nations, and against wars. A rogue-type leadership has now appeared, putting democracy at peril, and its dangerous autocratic psychologies are being accepted by a misinformed percentage of our culture, affecting the majority.
Soul-searching is needed in our country now for survival principles to mankind, and in God we trust.
GEORGE ROWLAND
Fayetteville
Costs don't justify yet
Recently a reader took issue with Mike Masterson's opinion piece about electric vehicles. May I respond?
The reader is correct if Mr. Masterson said an electric car would be idling in traffic. But that is, in my view, a niggling point. The larger issues I have is in the cost of the vehicle and the acquisition of the materials to make the batteries. If we had ready access to these necessary raw materials, and the range and charging times would compare well with gasoline cars, it would be a no-brainer. We should go to electric vehicles.
Having said that, the initial cost is more than I care to pay. I can buy a lot of gasoline, even at $5 a gallon, before the costs would justify the acquisition of an electric vehicle.
In summary, I will say that I am neither poor nor rich, but of comfortable means. If and when the costs justify it, then I will consider it.
In the meantime, my purchases will be first gasoline, then hybrid, then hydrogen fuel cells. The latter is the way to go, but that is another discussion for another day.
RICHARD WENDT
Hot Springs
He doesn't have plan
Mike Masterson and I do not want an electric car. But it seems they are trying to do everything possible to ram one down our throats, primarily by eliminating fossil fuels. The state of Washington has enacted a law that beginning in 2030 you cannot register a new gas-operating car.
There is a huge problem in eliminating fossil fuels: There are more than 250 million cars registered in the United States. Nearly 52 million workers in the United States make less than $15 per hour. There is no way these people can buy an electric car. When the Biden administration came in, it immediately shut down the Keystone XL pipeline. It cut back on new oil field leases. Yet airplanes, ships and most of the 250 million cars we have will require fossil fuels for years to come.
I do not believe the administration has a plan to solve this gigantic problem.
RUSS BAILEY
Little Rock
Outdoor recreation
My thanks go to Sen. John Boozman for supporting the Recovering America's Wildlife Act (RAWA), which recently passed the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Senator Boozman is a co-sponsor of the bill and serves on the committee.
As the vice president and general manager of PRADCO Fishing, proudly located in Fort Smith, I believe that Arkansas has some of the best outdoor recreation opportunities in the country. I'm especially encouraged by the number of Americans who have recently taken to sportfishing, and I am hopeful that this number will continue to grow.
Despite the exceptional recreational opportunities we have in the state, we must make every effort to ensure that fish and wildlife are conserved for future generations. The Recovering America's Wildlife Act does exactly that, dedicating $1.4 billion annually to state and tribal wildlife agencies to help conserve at-risk species.
Some of the money in the bill goes toward funding the congressionally mandated, but severely underfunded, State Wildlife Action Plans, which work to conserve at-risk fish and wildlife. The plans help ensure that conservation decisions are rooted in sound science and are made at the grass-roots level by those who best know the species. The bill is also a jobs creator and is estimated to create between 23,800 and 33,600 conservation jobs annually.
The only way to ensure that the number of anglers continues to expand is by increasing efforts to conserve public waters and ensure that fish populations remain sustainable. This bill will do just that. It now goes to the full Senate for a vote, and I am optimistic that it will become law.
Thanks, once again, to Senator Boozman for supporting this important piece of legislation and for standing up for conservation and outdoor recreation.
BRUCE STANTON
Fort Smith