Commentary: Common Sense Needed From Local Leaders

"Populism is ultimately sustained by the frustrated exasperation of ordinary people, by the cry 'I don't know what's going on, but I've just had enough of it! It cannot go on! It must stop!'"

―Slavoj Zizek

When the great Greek hero Theseus returned triumphantly to ancient Athens after slaying the fearsome monster, the Minotaur in Crete, a grateful nation preserved the ship he had sailed on in the harbor for several centuries.

To conserve the ship, as the wood planks would rot, they would be replaced with new and stronger timber.

Ultimately after many years, not a single original piece of wood remained which gave rise to the philosophical question of whether it should be considered the same ship as before?

This inquiry on ultimately what is "real," called today the Theseus Paradox, got me thinking about how certain recent events in Bentonville started as one subject then morphed into something entirely different, yet certain folks insist that nothing has changed.

Well, as Will Rogers once said: "Common sense ain't common!" Let me explain.

Recently the NorthWest Arkansas Community College board voted 7-1 to pay around $330,000 per acre for 7 1/2 acres of prime railroad right-of-way, about one-third of which runs through the campus, for a total of $2,500,000.

The president of NWACC, Evelyn Jorgenson, explained in a eloquent commentary in last Sunday's paper that the purchase was necessary for "student safety," the goal of having a "united ... cohesive campus", and concerns over future entrance issues with the master plan.

No one doubts or argues any of those points, which I am sure our stalwart band of seven trustees trot out anytime the subject comes up, but as Theseus might say: "We talkin' about a different ship here."

Paying $330,000 an acre for land that is simply not worth it is just not common sense. I talked to several of the most respected real estate people in the city just to see if I was missing something: all have assured me I am not.

So why are good people with great ideas for our community approving something that not one of them would do with their own private money?

Maybe Paulo Coelho had it correct when he said "A lot of people think something is right and so that thing becomes right."

This brings me to State Rep. Jim Dotson and State Sen. Bart Hester, both of whom just happen to be "my" delegates from Bentonville.

On March 4, the House voted 76-24 to reauthorize funding for the "private option" program approved last year as an alternative to expanding Medicaid (that's Obamacare to the uninformed) under the federal health law.

Arkansas was the first state to win federal approval for such an approach, touted as a compromise for Republican-leaning states, according to Arkansas Business magazine. The so-called private option is the first-in-the-nation plan that uses Medicaid funds to buy private insurance.

Lawmakers gave final approval to continue a program that has extended health coverage to nearly 94,000 people, all of whom live below the 138 percent of poverty line, using federal standards.

Failure to pass this would have cost, according to the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce, the state of Arkansas between $27 million to $40 million for uncompensated medical care if Arkansas had opted out.

Simply put, folks, that extra money would have to be made up by us, the consumers and taxpayers. Say what you want about the Affordable Care Act, the vast majority of our able representatives chose to make the best of what many consider a bad situation.

Unfortunately Mr. Hester and Mr. Dotson decided to vote against taking advantage of $40 million and coverage for 94,000 poor people for 2014, presumably on the principle of striking a blow against the evil of Obamacare, but hey, that's my $40 million they were willing to blow off. (I leave it to them and their consciences exactly what they would tell a poor family that's losing health coverage despite the fact the money is available.)

My point is this: If it were their own money, would they leave that kind of change on the table?

Again, this is just not good common sense. Somehow I think they tell their accountants at tax time to take advantage of every deduction the law provides, not just the ones they think are ideologically pure.

It was Henry Ford who said; "Don't find fault, find a remedy; anybody can complain."

NWACC, you need to renegotiate that purchase price to something that is reasonable. Get Mr. Dotson and Mr. Hester involved. Heck, get our senators and governor to pressure the railroad to be fair.

Don't let that ship sail before it is too late.

Commentary on 03/13/2014

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