LETTERS

Cannot set up camp

Looking forward to retirement was my dream. However, I became disabled at age 62, forcing me to take early retirement from work, where I loved my job for 29 years. After much physical therapy, I was finally able to go camping and fishing with my husband of 43 years.

Problem: Finding a campsite or even reserving a campsite at several campgrounds was impossible. Why: They are taken and reserved by out-of-state campers (mostly Texas).

When my friend and I tried to reserve a year in advance, we were told (at two particular campgrounds) that we would have to wait until January of the following year to reserve.

When we called in January to reserve, we were told the dates we wanted were already reserved.

Being very disappointed and depressed over this news, I called back and asked if most of the reservations were from Texas, and a nice gentlemen admitted they were. He confirmed they had been reserved the prior year.

Now, I know that I am not the only person experiencing this. I strongly feel that Arkansans pay taxes in our beautiful state, and should be allowed to reserve 70 percent of the campsites, leaving out-of-state residents the remaining 30 percent.

I know we need the revenue at businesses, at local restaurants, and places like Magic Springs from the vacationers, but I believe Arkansas residents should be allowed the majority of campsites.

LOUISE MONDAY Bryant

Change rules of game

Money is speech and corporations are people?

Why not just cut the poor out of the voting process altogether? After all, if you’re not winning (elections), just change the rules.

JEFF MADISON Springdale

A squandered chance

Public school administrators must be pleased with Common Core. Best I can tell, it encourages teaching to tests, provides a wonderful platform to lobby for more money, and allows educational snobs to ignore school patrons (otherwise known as the taxpayers), all the while leaving our kids out of any meaningful preparation for success in our society.

It does appear they will be eligible for college loans, however. No jobs, but plenty of loans.

I guess the next step will be to alter Obamacare once again to allow kids permanent status on parents’ insurance.

I believe Common Core represents the most squandered opportunity in support our kids in my lifetime.

RON HILL Hot Springs Village

Blame someone else

Mr. Ed Hudnall really has no use for the Koch brothers.

I don’t know how many families are sustained by the earnings they receive from the vast enterprises of the Koch brothers, but I would say it’s in the thousands.

That’s how our economy is supposed to work. Someone is willing to take the risk and put in the hard work to create a business, which then provides jobs for people. I don’t know how the Koch brothers amassed their fortune, but I know they are free to use it as they see fit.

Mr. Hudnall apparently believes that if the Koch brothers had lived in another era we would be suffering from national stagnation without progress bestowed by all the “ essential” services of the behemoth federal government.

Somehow I find that difficult to swallow.

Lastly, Mr. Hudnall bemoans the sinister motives of the brothers in their attempt to destroy our faith in our elected government. I don’t believe our elected government needs any help in destroying my faith in it.

I think it would be the fairer assessment to recognize that millionaires and billionaires funnel plenty of money to both sides of the political circus our government has become.

I believe to single out the Koch brothers, or any other huge donors (George Soros), falls right into the web Obama liberals have spun. Blame the rich folks, don’t pay any attention to the man in the big oval office or the 500 corrupt fixtures in the Congress.

MICHAEL SANDERS Little Rock

A bit of name-calling

What should students call their teachers?

Most teachers will tell you what they want to be called. Many teachers want to be referred to as “Doctor,” some don’t care what students call them, and some want to be called “Mrs.” or “Mr.”

Although most of my teachers want to be called “Doctor,” I am very guilty of calling my teachers “hey you,” only because I’m not good with names.

Why should students have to call someone “Doctor” when they don’t even have a doctoral degree of any sort? I only use that when the teacher says that they have a doctorate degree; other than that, it’s Mr. or Mrs.

“Recent studies show that college students tend to view women and minorities with less respect from the start, and that is often reflected in bestowing names, titles, or lack thereof,” writes Rebecca Schuman of Slate.

Even though teachers try not to come off as uptight and mean, I believe they really do care what students call them. Teachers will say they don’t care what students call them, but who wants a student calling them Mom or Dad? Some teachers try to be the student’s friend, and the students see that, and they start thinking it’s all right to call the teacher by his first name just because the teacher is “cool.”

I understand why the teachers want students to call them certain things, but maybe students feel teachers should refer to them a certain way. For students that are in school who are older than the professors, why should they refer to someone that’s years younger than them as Mr. or Mrs.?

JALISHA WILLIS Strong

They’ll clean up mess

We must not make a mistake this year. Our vote is crucial. We need to put our millions of unemployed back to work.

I think the small businesses of Arkansas and our country have to be freed from the shackles of over-regulation and high taxes. It seems Obamacare has already cost the Medicare program $500 million and more taxes to come.

I believe the Republicans can stop this. We can start with electing Tom Cotton to the Senate, along with other Republicans. Our motto should be “The Republicans can.” EDWIN HOLSTEAD Blytheville