Really just a dream
To the younger teachers of Arkansas (the experienced teachers already know what I am sharing): You will not see a big raise from this legislative session. Please note, Gov. Sarah Sanders indicated that education reform, including teacher raises, is her No. 1 priority. Please note, the only raises currently before the Legislature are for elected state officers and the legislators themselves. Even if education reform gets before the Legislature in the next few weeks, teacher raises will probably come up at the end of the session and there will be no money for them; perhaps a token raise of 1 or 2 percent.
I suggest you look at the current salaries of our state officials and legislators and then look at their raises. Many of those who will receive these raises are in their first month of employment in their current jobs.
One criticism I've heard from lawmakers is that teachers are just glorified babysitters. It's time to pay teachers like babysitters: $5 to $10 per child per contact hour. Trust me, teachers, you will make more money than you are under the current system.
CYNTHIA BUEHLING
Little Rock
On minimum wage
In the 1960s my mother worked in a nursing home as a nurse's aide for 50 cents an hour. During this time she had to have her thyroid gland removed. The surgeon's fee was $200.
We did not have insurance, but my mother paid the surgeon from her savings. This meant my mother worked 400 hours to earn the money to pay the surgeon for his time.
Not long after this, Arkansas passed a $1 an hour minimum-wage law. I doubt if any of the nurses' aides lost their jobs. They were all necessary for the nursing home to operate.
Raising a minimum wage may cause some people to lose their jobs. But it is only because they are working at jobs providing goods or services for which there is not enough need or demand to allow their prices to be raised. These people will find other jobs at the new higher wages.
History has shown our free- enterprise economy will make adjustments. Computers replaced over a million clerks in this country. People who would be working as clerks are now working at other jobs.
Three times I have read a variation of the following argument against the minimum wage: If raising the minimum wage to $10 an hour is such a good idea, why not raise it to $100 an hour? This would be even better. And if taking two aspirin is good for you, why not take 40? If lowering the speed limit to 30 mph is such a good idea, why not lower it to 5 mph? This would be even safer.
Each state will always need a minimum wage, adjusted for inflation.
ROBERT BURNEY
Conway
Awful lot of coverage
Re Miss Gay America pageant: I was surprised at the amount of coverage this newspaper gave to this event. I'm sure the small percentage of your readership who really cared about this farce were thankful.
DON SHELLABARGER
Little Rock
Support for dementia
My mother began exhibiting the signs of Alzheimer's when she was 54. After a three-year search for a physician, she was officially diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer's. She has been living with the disease for over 12 years and, in the beginning of covid, we placed her in a facility under hospice care. As many families had to make hard decisions, mine was fueled by my children and the uncertainty of the pandemic. I cannot control her disease, but I could not let her die in our home. It would have been heartbreaking. This long journey caused my father to retire early, and I left my career. We're mentally exhausted and drained from the day-to-day life of taking care of someone you love. No hope in sight. Family caregivers need support.
On Feb. 15, I will join dozens of Alzheimer's Association advocates at the Arkansas state Capitol to meet with our legislators about the importance of establishing the position of Dementia Services Coordinator and the steps the state can take to ensure it's prepared to meet the unique needs of a rising dementia population. States such as Florida and Georgia have seen an increase in support services, federal grants to increase access resources, and deeper coordination among state agencies after creating similar positions.
Currently, there are 58,000 living with Alzheimer's in Arkansas and 93,000 family members and friends providing unpaid care to them. Caregiving is physically, mentally, and financially stressful.
While at the Capitol, I will urge legislators to support families facing this devastating disease by establishing a Dementia Services Coordinator. Please reach out to your state legislators and urge them to support this legislation or join us by registering at alz.org/Arkansas.
GIGI GABRIEL
Sherwood