It's been a little while, but we've dusted off our thumbs to give a few quick hits on some recent developments in the region's news. In some cultures, a thumbs up can be seen as an insult, but not here in the gold ol' US of A. Fonzie wouldn't have gone around insulting people. So we'll take the opportunity to offer our thoughts on a few recent developments:
[THUMBS UP] How about all those former Razorbacks in the NFL draft? A big thumbs up to all of them who entertained Hog fans at Razorback Stadium, in Little Rock and at those SEC away games. It will be thrilling to watch to discover who the great athletic successes will be. We wish them all well.
[THUMBS UP] And the survey says! No, we're not channeling our inner Richard Dawson (or should it be Steve Harvey these days?). The 2015 Quality of Life Survey Report by the Walton Family Foundation came out the other day, and if someone were to boil it down to a gesture, the report would have been filled with thumbs directed skyward. It found 95 percent of more than 1,000 people surveyed last fall were "very" or "fairly" happy to live in Northwest Arkansas. Three-quarters of the people rated their quality of life "excellent" or "very good." And without a doubt, the philanthropic spending of the Waltons in their home region has had a lot to do with that. Is this just a big pat on the ol' back? Hardly. Like any smart organization, the foundation believes it's worth checking on the various ways its reinvested in Northwest Arkansas to see whether it's working and gauge new ways it can make a difference for the future. Thank you to the Waltons for remembering the region that influenced their lives and for their efforts to have a positive impact by giving back.
[THUMBS DOWN] In the same survey, it's clear there's a disconnect between the region's level of investment in public transit and the desire for those services among those surveyed. More mass transit was one of the top wishes among respondents, second only to a major league sports team, although we suspect those two desires arose from different respondents. A 2012 Washington County election to establish a quarter-cent transit tax for county government failed, 64 percent to 36 percent. The same year, Benton County officials just declined to ask voters for dedicated funding. Without a doubt, a growing region needs more public transit options and even advocates for what exists will acknowledge the region's shortcomings on mass transit. Not everyone can afford the vehicle travel necessary to get around Northwest Arkansas, and even more critical, Northwest Arkansas residents should want see development that make mass transit a viable option so that the area doesn't become choked by an overreliance on individual vehicles. Nobody wants the region's growth to also become its detriment. Northwest Arkansas needs leadership and vision to develop a mass transit plan that will help make sure we can preserve the quality of life the region's people love today.
[THUMBS DOWN] The big contest on the November ballot is looking more and more like it will involve a New York state of mind,with a certain Big Apple real state developer turned Republican and a lifelong Democrat who represented New York in the U.S. Senate. Perhaps lost in the haze of that politically volatile contest will be a lot of down-ballot candidates and issues in Arkansas. Regardless of their position on the ballot, perhaps the highest on the list will be several designed to legalize marijuana (see what we did there?). Attorney General Leslie Rutledge last week approve ballot language for a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize the growing, selling and use of marijuana as well as the release of state prisoners doing time for marijuana-related crimes. The proposal by Mary Berry (no word on whether her middle name is Jane) would allow anyone 21 or older to grow as many as 36 pot plants and to sell the product of those plants. Imagine how interesting all those community gardens in Northwest Arkansas would become if this became Arkansas law. We hope it doesn't. As much as we love the Natural State's agricultural heritage, it does not need to become a free-for-all pot patch. There's more of an argument for medical marijuana, which two already-approved proposed amendments will attempt to legalize. One would allow residents to grow their own medical marijuana, while the other proposes that medical marijuana be regulated through licensed dispensaries. The state's voters have slowly become more receptive to marijuana as an aid to those who benefit from it for medical reasons. A proposal that closely regulates that kind of approach might be acceptable. None of the measures are a certainty for the ballot, as proponents must gather nearly 85,000 signatures of eligible Arkansas voters. The question for pot backers is whether they can get their supporters motivated to gather that many.
[THUMBS UP] The Siloam Springs Police Department recently took a valiant step toward a safer community by giving away free gun locks to the city's residents. Gun owners should welcome the opportunity to secure their guns when they're not in use. Doing so can prevent a tragedy by making it impossible for a gun to fire if it's found by a child or someone who doesn't know how to safely handle guns.
[THUMBS UP] All good things must come to an end, they say, and that's certainly how people feel about the tenure of Benny Gooden as the superintendent of the Fort Smith Public School District. Gooden has been in the post for 30 years. He's recently announced plans to step down June 30. Fort Smith is a great community, but it can be a challenging town in which to provide leadership. For Gooden to have done so for three decades is a testament to his intellect and skills. Whoever replaces him will benefit greatly from a longstanding foundation nurtured by Benny Gooden. The young people of Fort Smith schools have and will continue to benefit from the work Gooden has done. We wish him well in retirement.
Commentary on 05/04/2016