I am a handicapped person and I would like to praise the Adult Wellness Center. It's a wonderful place for people over 50 years old. It is a very nice place where all members are very friendly. It has machines to exercise, swimming pool, library, computers for members to use, game rooms, a lounge and lectures from doctors, attorneys and people who give related information for our age. You can play racquetball, you may take exercise classes for a fee, or you can play billiard. I had a stroke eight years ago where my left leg and left arm were paralyzed, I lost my speech. I started four years ago in a wheelchair going to the Adult Wellness Center. Now I can walk, not normal yet, but without any device to help me.
The Adult Wellness Center is a hidden treasure not too many people know [about]. The cost is only $50 a year if you live in Rogers, but if you live outside Rogers, you pay only $60 a year.
Ramon Guardado
Rogers
Why not more political 'disaster?'
The last federal government shutdown was in October 2013. Thirteen months later, in November 2014, Republicans made record gains in politics. Voters granted Republicans around 30 state governorships, a major gain. Republicans gained full executive and legislative control of far more state governments than the Democrats have. In short, the 2014 fall election gains following the 2013 shutdown were a historically monumental and sweeping hand-off of government to Republican governance and were so acknowledged at the time. How quickly Republican congressional leadership and the punditry forget.
The most famous (or infamous, if you prefer) government shutdowns occurred in 1995-96 under Newt Gingrich's House speakership. That was allegedly a political blunder and disaster for Republicans. I have a chart before me published in U.S. Politics by about.com. It shows the facts about Republican political disaster caused by those shutdowns. Republicans continued to control the House of Representatives from 1995 through 2006. They lost only two House seats in the 1996 election, but Republicans increased their Senate majority by three members. Republicans held control of the U.S. Senate for eight of 10 years between 1995 and 2006. Some blame! Some political disaster!
During the government shutdown period of the 90s, Republicans kept their congressional majorities and a lot of good things got done. Ironically, Bill Clinton is given credit for these Republican accomplishments. Congressional Republicans ignored Clinton's legislative plans. They presented their agenda and then passed it. They dragged Clinton kicking and screaming to welfare reform, tax cuts, balanced budgets (about five in a row) and many other victories for the American people. Clinton did not sign a single bill of any consequence that wasn't introduced and passed by congressional Republicans. That decade of Republican governance produced some of the most beneficial legislative reforms ever.
Going farther back, President Reagan let the government shut down several times because he would not bow to the Democrat-controlled Congress's excessive spending habits. Didn't Reagan win re-election in a landslide?
If those are examples of Republicans being blamed and suffering political disaster, let's have more of them.
Gerald Holland
Bella Vista
Editorial on 10/04/2015