Oops, so sorry, my bad
I am so sorry. I didn't mean to harm anyone. I was just trying to have some fun.
When no one was looking, I went around to some small towns and put fluoride in their drinking water. Not much--I figured a quart or two into their 30-day supply comes out to about a 3 trillion to 1 ratio. Just enough to make their teeth a little bit better. Thought it would be fun to have them freak out when they woke up at the age of 30 and still had most of their teeth.
But I had no idea that this would happen.
People waking up and deciding they knew a whole lot more than most folks cause their teeth were so good, and then them running for office so they could control more than just their life. Now look what I have done. The suckers are like zombies. Can't get rid of them. And it is all my fault.
To make it up to everyone, I am going to sneak in snippets of the Constitution into their copies of The Good Book of Rattlesnake Handling. That should calm them down where we can at least get a hold of them. Once again, I am so sorry.
CARL BUCHANAN
Scott
Fix highway agency
You know, a lot has been said lately about Arkansas highways. First I read about the largest amount ever awarded on a highway around Springdale, and then all I hear is we don't have the money to maintain what we have. We now have to cut back on maintenance on shorter projects that don't have a certain amount of traffic.
To me that means that the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department is admitting it built too many roads in the first place and now instead of cutting jobs and saving taxpayers money, it's going to cut the maintenance on these roads.
Arkansas has continued to build more and more roads to justify the most powerful entity in the state and now is asking people to find other ways of maintaining these roads simply because it made hundreds of mistakes building them. The Arkansas Highway and Transportation system needs to be overhauled and it should start with the top. Have any of you traveled on Interstate 40 from Little Rock to Memphis lately? You can't drive in the right lane because of potholes.
I moved here in 1978 and they have worked on that stretch of interstate one way or another every year. We have the worst roads I have ever seen and someone needs to be held accountable. They're admitting they can't maintain what they have and yet are building more.
Let's cut the Highway Department in half, stop building more roads, and then let's see how much money we have to spend on maintenance.
MIKE DAVIS
Maumelle
Who's more patriotic
Maybe one of you smart liberals can explain why our new senator, having served two tours overseas while in the Army, one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, fighting in service of this country taking on terrorists is labeled a traitor, while the president trades five Guantanamo terrorists for an accused Army deserter and has since released more terrorists from Guantanamo. Remember these terrorists' utmost goal is to destroy our country and kill us, so what do you call Barack Obama--a patriot? I don't think so!
I believe Senator Cotton is filling a big void left by Obama in protecting not only this country but the world from the radical Iran. Thanks, Tom, for covering our backs.
ED HENRY SR.
Mount Ida
Constitutional lesson
It seems there are large numbers of folks who slept through their U.S. History, Civics, Government, or whatever name given the class that explained our Constitution, which is our authorization for government. It's saddening when someone writes or says Congress should observe the chain of command and kowtow to the president.
For those sleepyheads, let me explain.
Our government consists of three branches equal in power, those being the legislative, executive, and judicial, each having specific duties. Organizationally the chain of command is lateral, not vertical, therefore the president has no authority over the legislative and judicial branches. The president is the commander-in-chief of only the military, not the legislative and judicial branches. The legislative branch controls the money available for the government, while the judicial ensures government operates within the Constitution and laws passed by Congress. These two branches are organized in this manner to prevent the president from becoming dictatorial.
Little doubt the legislative and judicial branches have done a poor job of holding this president within his constitutional authority. Arguably he has ignored Congress, then gone beyond his authority on numerous occasions by effectively legislating from the Oval Office. Thus he has earned the notorious letter signed by 47 senators reminding the world and the president that our Senate is required constitutionally to consent to any treaty made with foreign governments. It's about time. You go, Tom!
JIMMIE TREWITT
Ward
Nope, he's still wrong
Professor Tom Cotton has gotten it wrong again.
In our senator's open letter to Arkansans, printed in this paper, he writes, "The first responsibility of the federal government is to keep America safe." While I have no argument with the notion that the federal government is constitutionally mandated to keep America safe, it does concern me that Mr. Cotton's reinterpretation of the primary role of and reason for our federal government is apparently at odds with our Founding Fathers' written wishes (read: U.S. Constitution) and the people's ratification of the same.
The preamble to our Constitution identifies six reasons why We the People felt the Constitution was necessary. Of the six written purposes and goals of the Constitution, provide for the common defense is No. 4--pretty high on an elite list, really important, but not No. 1, as our man of letters clearly believes.
One might be willing to assume that Senator Cotton's repositioning of constitutional intent was simply due to his acknowledgement of a general agreement that we have sufficiently achieved a more perfect union, established justice, and insured domestic tranquility. But the stridently accusatory bloviating which seems, for the moment, to pass as political leadership and, sadly, resonates with the majority of voters eliminates that assumption.
At least this time, our senator's open letter was addressed to the appropriate people, even if he was wrong again.
KEN GRAVES JR.
Benton
Editorial on 03/30/2015