LITTLE ROCK — Former Gov. Mike Huckabee is interviewed in the newly released conservative movie, “I Want Your Money.”
He makes one point in the film about freedom vs. socialism that especially resonated.
He says that the one-way Democratic government that is exploding our national debt to unsustainable levels is like you and I gorging on an obscene amount of food at a buffet, then strolling out and leaving the tab for those who arrive after us.
As most mature adults understand, that’s not the way our system of fiscal responsibility and free enterprise was intended to operate. Yet the arrogant group now in power, all personally wealthy and well-fixed for cushy personal retirements at our expense, seems to care less what they are doing to us and the generations to come.
Kudos
I’ve been intending for a while to congratulate 17-year-old Michele Prater of Fayetteville, who set a record at the Washington County Fair this year by entering every one of the 109 junior food preservation competitions.
No young person ever had accomplished that feat. She worked eight months to reach the historic goal, showing once again that any person who focuses and remains diligent can achieve pretty much whatever goals have been set.
Her mother, Serina Tustin, herself a world-class canner, worked as an assistant to help Michele earn 57 blue ribbons, 42 reds and 10 whites.
Michele’s blueberry jelly, baby beets and pickled relish received championship ribbons. At the district contest afterward, she won 14 firstplace and six second-place ribbons for 20 entries.
Now the even better part of this little story. Michele will donate a percentage of all her prize money to Children’s Hospital in honor of the late Hannah Grace Crumby, who died last October at age 4. Michele had been Hannah’s baby-sitter and friend. Michele says she will use Facebook to solicit donations from other prizewinners to the same worthy cause.
Selflessness is perhaps the most attractive quality of the human condition and it’s comforting to know we have young folks like Michele in this world.
She also will receive (and share) a savings bond award from the American Homemakers Extension organization for her remarkable showing this year. What a relevant skill for a young person to master and then so freely share with others.
High praise
A while back, I received a note from Wayne Jordan, who for years was the stalwart investigative reporterwith the former Arkansas Gazette. He later became a spokesperson for the state police.
Wayne related this story about John Paul Hammerschmidt, the former 13-term 3rd District congressman who was honored last night at a banquet by the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation: “In Hammerschmidt’s election against Bill Clinton, news articles I wrote during that time reflected that JPH’s staff made huge efforts to speak with voters and others. My articles reflected how this might possibly make a big difference in the outcome, which It did. JPH was one politician I knew who didn’t forget the little guy.” Postal woes
Members of the American Postal Workers Union always elect their national officers via mail ballot, and the majority of clerks who actually sort the mail are unionized.
The reason this is worth noting is that this year those union ballots were mailed well in advance and were to have been completed and counted earlier this month.
But wouldn’t ya just know, the union had to delay the voting deadline by a week because a large percent of union members never received their ballots. The problem? Their ballots apparently were lost in the mail.
Go now
Those who clipped and saved my suggestion a couple of weeks back for a fallday driving trip through Harrison to the Grand Canyon of the Ozarks and back along the Buffalo National River should head out now. This weekend is the ideal time for fall changes.
Bad calls
Since those two flagrant bad calls in last week’s game with Auburn, I’ve lost all faith, trust and respect for those charged with honorably officiating football in the SEC.
Everyone watching that game nationwide could clearly see the truth about both fumbles. Yet the replay official equipped with high definition, slow motion and stop action chose to flatly deny it. Worse than terrible.
Mike Masterson is opinion editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Northwest edition.
Editorial, Pages 19 on 10/23/2010