LETTERS

LITTLE ROCK — Romney deserves to lose

It now appears likely that Mitt Romney will lose the presidential election. Romney will probably win Arkansas, most states in the West (except the Pacific Coast), and most of the South without much difficulty, so he won’t get trounced, but he will still lose.

Romney stands for exporting jobs to China; Barack Obama stands for preserving the American auto industry. Romney insists on tax cuts for the wealthy; Obama only wants the rich to pay what they were paying before the Bush tax cuts when the economy was in the best shape it has been in living memory. It would be different if these people were “job creators,” but recent years prove that to be wrong.

Romney has written off the poorest half of our country, and a lot of them are voters.

In the coming debates, Romney will have to explain his total hypocrisy about health care. Romney has said he will increase military funding and expand tax cuts, but hasn’t stated how he’ll cover the loss to the treasury. Most Americans know who doubled our debt between 2001 and 2009, leaving Obama with a runaway debt train and a collapsed economy. Americans will be expecting answers to a lot of tough questions, and Romney has offered no concrete answers, just vague promises.

Romney will lose, and he deserves to. If Republicans want to win back the White House, they’ll have to do better than the current candidate.

MARK AROUH

Little Rock

Trades made a profit

Last week we saw a large amount of negative press about the bond purchasing practices of Arkansas’ state treasury. Figuring heavily in the coverage is St. Bernard Financial Services Inc. The report notes losses in certain bond transactions and links them, by omission of narrative, to St Bernard.

The press coverage is about an audit of the treasury. In the auditor’s report is a forward-looking projection of opportunity losses in the amount of $58,172. The report offers no distinction between actual losses and opportunity losses. The report describes the lost opportunities as “economic losses” without explaining that these are not actual losses of state monies.

The report states that the $58,172 in “economic losses” is attributed to bond trades conducted by three firms, including St. Bernard. The report does not summarize the amount of economic losses by firm, just a total. When we asked the auditor for a specific number by firm for the economic losses, it was revealed that St. Bernard’s trades were profitable, the losses being attributed to the other firms.

Our complaint is that the auditor fails miserably to make a distinction between opportunity losses and actual losses—of which there were none in St. Bernard’s case—and that the media is reporting this without making adequate effort to clarify the distinction. We are being vilified over an event that we are not guilty of, and we are upset about it.

ROBERT KEENAN

Russellville

Editor’s Note: Robert Keenan is chief executive officer of St. Bernard Financial Services Inc.

Loss raises questions

As I watched the Razorback game Saturday, I raised the following comments and questions. I speak only from a layman’s perspective, yet I feel that these concerns, if not already addressed by the coaching staff, demand immediate attention.

During the Razorback’s first offensive series, two Rutgers linemen aggressively sacked Tyler Wilson. Wilson was constantly harassed and suffered hits throughout the game. Surely we would expect that better adjustments would have had top priority, given the crucial importance of Wilson.

As a former player, I judge the Razorback offensive scheme seriously lacking in imagination and creativity: far too few, if any, misdirection plays, no fakes, end arounds, reverses or screens to help neutralize their fierce rush. By contrast, Rutgers used deceptive plays effectively.

One of our inexperienced corner backs was beaten time after time for long passing gains and touchdowns. Why wasn’t our free safety more available for support in this obviously vulnerable part of the Razorback defense?

Why were our defensive ends so preoccupied with pinching in to stop Rutgers that they too often failed to protect their own turf? This has happened in previous games with disastrous results.

Surely, as a true Razorback fan, I remain a strong supporter. But as the game continued, and the sad loss unfolded, I couldn’t help but wonder.

JOHN W. NIVEN

Little Rock

Punishment fit deed

Sometime during my 40-year teaching career at Catholic High School, I was asked by Father George Tribou, the principal and head of the English department, to speak at a faculty meeting about using writing as a punishment. I urged teachers not to use mindless, repetitive writing; for example, copying pages from a phone book. Instead, I requested, with Tribou’s blessing, that teachers assign topics that would educate.

Lanette Grate has written to chastise Steve Straessle, CHS’ principal, for making a football-field vandal write a paper about Father Tribou. She incorrectly claims, twice, that perfection is required. In truth, it must be considered an A effort by its judges (which leaves room for mistakes), a mark she says he is “unlikely to attain.” In that comment she misses the very nature of the assignment and what CHS is all about: high expectations. Bringing students to a realization that they can achieve more than they knew themselves to be capable of is what the school is all about—she could ask any alumnus.

Grate laments that the writing will teach him “nothing about himself.” I dare say this boy has learned a profound amount about himself in the last few weeks. What he needs to know more about is the man he so crudely depicted in his paint-spraying insult. In his research and inquiries about Monsignor Tribou, I predict that what he will learn about the famed principal will have a profound and positive effect on him. Well done.

MICHAEL J. MORAN

Little Rock

Hogs need all the help

Given the manner in which the Hogs are playing, and I use that term loosely, then the practice facilities and operations center and weight rooms and the rest should be completed as quickly as possible. By all means, this current team needs all the assistance available. Tackling, blocking, defending (it helps when a defensive back turns his head to look at the ball) are obviously not being taught in the current multimillion-dollar facilities already available.

Personally, this whole mess started when someone began messing with the spirits and brought in these new alleged uniforms. The football gods do not take kindly to mucking about with tradition. The Hogs are cardinal and white, with a white Hog on the helmet, cardinal jerseys, and white pants with two red stripes. That’s it. That’s all. Nothing fancy. But darned beautiful. Maybe the focus should be on actually, you know, making plays, instead of worrying about fashion.

DAVID KELLEY

Fort Smith

Fears are taken away

My pastor asked me recently if I’m afraid of dying. As a man of 53 years with inoperable cancer, this question was not altogether unexpected. My answer, however, might’ve been a surprise considering what kind of death I face.

I’ve been living day by day for about 18 months now, ever since I learned I have metastatic adenocarcinoma with unknown primary. Unfortunately, by the time I was diagnosed it was too late to treat. So, instead of going through the ravages of cancer treatment, I’m facing death. But I’m not afraid of it because I have a real and genuine relationship with God. This makes dying something to look forward to and not something to be scared of.

Knowing that I’ll be in his presence, worshipping and serving him is all the encouragement I need. I’ve often experienced his touch upon my soul, and I can tell you without doubt that I want to live with that feeling forever. Aside from this, the Bible describes heaven as a magnificently beautiful place with streets of gold, and Jesus has promised to prepare a place there for each of us who believes in him; what more could one want?

In fact you, too, can go through life without fear of death just by giving yourself to God through Jesus Christ. All it takes is to believe in him and to pray for forgiveness of your sins. Once you do you’ll never have to fear death ever again.

BRAD BLEVINS

Rogers

Must all work as one

It seems that history repeats itself, and we appear to have learned nothing. The philosophy of “take from the rich and give to the poor” causes significant problems in our society. We will not solve our national debt problem with this ill-conceived liberal approach to solving overspending, waste and entitlement.

Rev. William Boetker advised that one cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift, strengthen the weak by weakening the strong, or help the wage-earner by pulling down the wage-payer. One can’t further a brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred or help the poor by destroying the rich. One cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than is earned, build character and courage by taking away a person’s initiative and independence, or help people permanently by doing for them what they could or should do for themselves.

We must pursue a pathway of sustainable economic policy where we live within our means and still provide the needed services and programs for our society.

The question is how.

The solution of spending ourselves out of this mess just will not work; therefore, we must make sure that our elected officials understand that we want them to be financially responsible. We must make sure we elect people who understand this principle, no matter their party affiliation.

Our national debt problem can be solved, but it will take all of us working together to make it happen.

SEABORN BELL

Little Rock

Calling Dr. Phil . . .

Regulations involving whom consenting adults are allowed to love and/or marry are a ridiculous waste of taxpayer money. Frankly, there are certain situations in which we the people need to mind our own business, and other grown-ups’ love lives is one of them. If someone else’s relationship makes you feel uneasy or that yours is being threatened, call Dr. Phil, not your congressman.

RHONDA PATTON

Roland

Feedback

Stop partisanship

I am very disappointed in Sen. John Boozman’s vote against the veterans’ jobs bill. As the son of a serviceman, he should understand firsthand how important it is to help veterans and their families regroup after their service.

I also am baffled that he voted against this bill when he wrote part of it—this lets me know that he was voting along party lines and not with the best interests of the people at heart.

It saddens me to know that partisanship will once again block helpful legislation. We will not move forward as a society until this class war between the haves and the have-nots is over—we cannot pull together if we are creating larger economic and educational gaps.

STACY HUNT

Little Rock

Turnabout fair play

Re letter writer Toni Mikel stating that Mitt Romney has never served his country: When did President Obama do that?

Just wondering.

BERTHA STIPSKY

Little Rock