LETTERS

LITTLE ROCK — Fix system’s shortcomings

Now that we have had ample opportunity to watch how the government’s executive and legislative branches spend our money, in fairness it is time to address the shortcomings of the third branch about which we hear little, the judiciary.

As demonstrated by Mike Huckabee, the governor, with a pen stroke, starts the ball rolling toward a shorter penitentiary term. Sometimes he finds his discretion flawed later on.

Future killer Maurice Clemmons had serveda substantial amount of time behind bars when Huckabee tried out his skill at rehabilitation. It was inadequate, but we didn’t find out (nor did he) until nine years later.

Clemmons wasn’t sentenced to life in Arkansas, but if he had been, the outcome probably would have been the same as it is and has been in other states, e.g., kick him loose after, say, seven years after giving him credit for good behavior while in stir. Good behavior means he hadn’t killed anyone during that time.

Our judicial system completes a troika of mess, attributable to the overabundance of lawyers who pass laws and then are in the same group that can ascend to the courtroom bench. The motivation in such a closed society is to make a jail term an unfunny joke. If it takes more than 20 years to carry out the ever infrequent death sentence, so be it, because lawyers still will have jobs.

PATRICK McKELVEY Bella Vista

Health bill unneeded

Supporters of health care reform assert that health care is a right, that a crisis exists, that health care costs too much and that we should be a more compassionate society.

The 2,000-page Senate bill lacks significant detail and will require refinement by government agencies and interpretation in the courts for years. Yet market-based changes exist to improve our current system without the massive government involvement of this legislation.

The president asserted that reform is necessary to control the growing budget deficit. The underestimated and hidden costs of this legislation pale in comparison to the original estimated costs of Medicare that the government cannot control.

We are told by the legislators who have sworn to uphold and protect the Constitution that this legislation’s constitutionality is not a serious question. Consider what those who attempted to secure our freedoms had to say:

“They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither. . . .”-Benjamin Franklin.

“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free . . . it expects what never was and never will be.”-Thomas Jefferson.

Do we really want to further disregard the constitutional limits on the federal government and accept the resulting loss of our precious freedom?

NEIL DEININGER Little Rock

Athletes not at fault

Re the controversy over the appearance of several Razorback basketball players in a magazine fashion spread: I believe the blame here should be placed on the magazine and the stores providing the fashion clothes. Anyone with one eye and good sense knows athletes cannot receive, or appear to receive, any financial gain for their actions, only the university they represent.

JIM BURGNER Rogers Learn from the past

The Roman Empire declined when it wanted to control everything, and it passed into the Dark Ages. Have we learned anything from Rome’s decline?

Our new nation has grown over these past 233 years because the people believed in individual freedom, hard work and God. Today politiciansare promising us everything, and history will give us what we deserve if we don’t start using our brains.

Fortunately, Chuck Colson, Timothy George and Robert George are doing something about this deplorable situation. They have written the Manhattan Declaration, which has been signed by more than 150 Christian leaders. This document can be read online. People then have the opportunity to sign onto this important declaration, which has been presented to President Obama.

Let us give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, but let us have the opportunity to give to God what belongs to God.

JANET CUTSHALL Bella Vista

Criticism misdirected

When I got home from the hospital and started catching up on my newspapers, I found that the lead editorial in a recent issue tended to blame me for the demagoguery of a black man. Damn!

JIM JOHNSON Conway

Just another example

My wife and I are on Social Security and receive our checks near the beginning of each month. We remit bill payments a few days ahead of when our checks are deposited. This isn’t a problem.

What is a problem is that a single purchase made at a store in Conway that we paid in full was late two days. They charged us $29 in late fees. We sent in that payment with the interest and it also was two days late. They then charged us $15 in late fees.

I did call to discuss the situation and was told that there was no grace period and there was nothing they could do about it; no leeway at all, period. Needless to say, we will no longer be shopping there. And we will be sending copies of these bills to our senators. This is just another example of credit card companies’ abuse.

TIMOTHY WEAVER Vilonia

Thankful for freedom

I spent Thanksgiving week thanking God for all my blessings and freedoms. I am thankful that I was born in the greatest country on Earth. I’m thankful for our military for keeping our home front safe. Red, yellow, black and white, they all shed red blood.

I am thankful for your right to burn the flag. I am thankful for my right to bear arms so I can shoot you if you try to burn mine. I am thankful that I am not laying up treasures in this world. I don’t think you are going to see a hearse pulling a U-Haul.

SHIRLEY REEDY Jacksonville

Bills strain economy

I believe that our government is approaching one of the most serious decisions that will ever be made concerning our well-being as a nation. The health care and cap-and-trade bills before Congress, if passed, could finish us as a free society.

Medicare is going broke, the post office is going broke, Amtrak is going broke. How can we believe that our government can run anything? Health care and cap-and-trade are going to put such a strain on small business, the backbone of our job force, that small businesses are going to be closing all over this nation.

We are a nation that is bankrupt already. What are our senators thinking trying to pass government health care that will add billions and billions to our national debt?

Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor should understand that we are broke. One of these mornings we are going to go into a food store and a loaf of bread is going to cost $30 or $40 if they keep printing money that we have no way of backing up. Our only hope, my fellow seniors, is to start giving pink slips to Congress, and we had better start soon.

DON KING Gurdon There oughta be law

We the people of Arkansas need to find a way to recall Sen. Mark Pryor in the primary. That way we could elect his replacement in November and it would not cost the taxpayer anything.

Pryor thinks he can do anything that he wants to without fear of the people because he doesn’t have to run till 2014, but we need to show him and the Democratic Party that the people have had enough.

We don’t want Barack Obama health care, we don’t want cap-andtrade. We do want smaller government and a balanced budget and to pay down the debt. Let our kids and grandkids spend their own money, not have the government do it for them.

How sorry have you got to be to sell your kids into government slavery through taxation? It’s time to take a stand before it’s too late. We could get two for the price of one in November, get rid of Pryor and Sen. Blanche Lincoln at the same time. Then maybe the next ones would answer the phone when we call them.

TROY TITUS Smackover

Stop dropping dogs

I’m writing about all the dropped-off dogs in our neighborhood that nobody wants. They come in all sizes. One was a pit bull mix that chased a neighbor. She was lucky enough to get back in her house before he got to her. Another neighbor was bitten on the hand.

You can call Animal Control and three days later they might drive around the neighborhood looking for these dogs. Do they think that these dogs are going to sit there for three days and wait around for them to come?

Animal Control makes one sweep around the block and then leaves. I called to complain about these dogs and Animal Control told me that they would put a trap in my front yard, but it would be three weeks before they could do so. That was three months ago. No trap yet. Some of the female dogs have had puppies, which only increases the problem. What are the people at Animal Control getting paid for?

I have two basset hounds in my fenced-in back yard. When these dropped-off dogs run at night-well, have you even heard a basset hound bark? We have to go out at 3 or 4 inthe morning and put our dogs on the back porch until they quiet down. I called the city and they said to call Animal Control. Yeah, right.

For the people who think this is a drop-off zone, and you know who you are, please find some other neighborhood to get rid of your unwanted dogs. Enough said.

ANITA CASTLEBERRY Little Rock

Will end be justified?

On New Year’s Day, it is customary to look back at the year, noting new things and changes. Our state lottery is one of those new things.

A majority of the people voted it in, so a majority believes the lottery to be worth having. We must believe it to be at the very least a necessary evil. Who would say that gambling is, overall, a good thing?

The late Ross Wilhelm, one-time professor of business economics at the University of Michigan, once said that “[s]tate lotteries and gambling games are essentially a ‘rip-off’ and widespread legalization of gambling is one of the worst changes in public policy to have occurred in recent years. The viciousness of the staterun games is compounded beyond belief by the fact that the state governments actively advertise and promote the games and winners.”

Now the professor had some strong feelings about this. If he was only slightly accurate, then what is our rationale? Could it be that the majority believes that a little gambling is OK, and besides, the end (college scholarships) justifies the means (a little gambling)?

Whether a good end ever justifies bad means is a question someone else may want to answer.

FRED SAWYER Little Rock

Feedback

State fell short, too

I read Rosann Quilty’s letter to the editor, and guess what. It made my blood pressure go up.

When will people learn that one person does not turn felons loose? Nine years ago when Maurice Clemmons was returned to the outside world, who knew he would turn out like he did? In fact, looks like to me-and yes, I have been keeping up with the news-the state of Washington sure fell short also.

Do these people not know that life happens every day and there is no control over lots of it? I say just suck it up and get over it. Life does go on, and rehashing this is simply not good for the soul or anything else. I’m sure the policemen’s families would like some peace about now.

My daughter was killed this past summer, but do I blame anyone? No. She is in God’s hands and everything will be all right. Good lord, folks, get a life.

CHESTAMAE STURCH Gurdon