Lake at Murphy Park now a disaster area
I agree with the person who wrote in recently about beautiful Gulley Park in Fayetteville, asking that it not be changed, as it is fine the way it is.
I could have said the same about our beautiful lake in Springdale’s Murphy Park, but no one told us before the bulldozers went in and tore down trees, drained the lake, removed the waterfowl habitat, including the island that allowed the birds to breed and raise their young right here in the midst of our city. It was a joy to see and hear the wild geese fly over the neighborhood every morning and again each night as they came and went to the lake.
The park was a big draw for families; students from the high school across the street, who often painted scenes of the geese on the lake for their art classes; old folks; and many other people, winter or summer. We loved the Christmas decorations, the lake that reflected the city lights, and the wild birds found there: hawks, geese, many kinds of wild ducks, domestic fowl that have been dropped off at times, herons and egrets. People fished in the lake with their children or alone for the peace and quiet.
Now it is a waste land, a disaster area morphed into something no one I know ever asked for. The work has stalled, leaving a waste land where once there was beauty and life.
JOYCE MURRAY
Springdale
A little lesson on the need for the Electoral College
I am amazed at the historical ignorance of those who are railing against the president-elect, Donald Trump, based on the fact that although he has amassed a majority of the electoral votes, he is trailing in the total popular vote.
These people apparently do not appreciate the wisdom of having an Electoral College populated by electors whose numbers are based on both population and the number of senators of each state. This is the same reason we have two entities in the legislative body, the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The Framers of the Constitution knew something about history, and the fact that true democracies always failed rapidly for the very reason that people discovered early on that in a true democracy they could vote themselves perceived power and wealth. Therefore these populations rapidly became takers from the governing body instead of contributors, and the governments failed.
If we had a true democracy, all federal laws and rules would be controlled by a very small portion of our country, the far west and the far east, because these areas are the most heavily populated. This so called fly-over country, in which we live, would be totally without political power. The United States of America is not a true democracy; we very fortunately are a democratic republic, thanks to the Framers of our Constitution.
RICHARD EGGERT
Bella Vista