Didn't get done, again
So the online sales-tax quest has failed again! Previously, Rep. Steve Womack's effort in co-sponsoring legislation in Washington failed as well. I agree with state Rep. Stephen Meeks that both houses are barking up the wrong tree. Meeks asserts correctly that it is interstate commerce when an online merchant sells a product in a state where it has no physical presence. It would be so much simpler if legislation was enacted for the federal government to level compensatory sales taxes in these cases.
I give Rep. Dan Douglas credit for trying, but he could have bought all five pairs of trousers from the local merchants he cited. If the state of Arkansas eschews seeking federal legislation, it could give local merchants a break by not making them collect sales taxes.
But that would require jacking up upper marginal rates on the state income tax, which is not in accord with the ideology of mainstream Republicanism.
JOHN R. PIAZZA
Bethel Heights
Equal rights for all?
It's unlikely that a jury would find many of our state legislators guilty of benevolent intent. From published reports, they apparently gather periodically at the Capitol to legalize ways for businesses to take financial advantage of their constituents, and to consider other proposals of questionable benefit to society. Their principal activity, however, is to pave their road to re-election by getting on the right side of the three-R issues: religion, gun rights, and reproduction.
That same jury might, however, find the majority of the legislators guilty of cruel and unusual punishment for discriminating against our state prison inmates. Of all the people who shouldn't be denied their God-given right to carry guns for self-protection, it's those who are compelled to live in a vast community of criminals.
DAVID L. HENDERSON
Hot Springs Village
Horror of executions
I would like to add my voice to those expressing horror about our planned Arkansas April executions beginning on Easter Monday.
As a physician, I am particularly troubled by the rush to execute eight people because execution drugs, medications meant for healing, are going to expire and Arkansas won't be able to get more of them because pharmaceutical companies are unwilling to let us have them for the purposes of killing. I also think it's extremely important for everyone to understand that the drug combination is all but guaranteed to cause torture of these humans.
Whatever we think of the death penalty and the crimes that these individuals committed, this is not the way for civilized humans to treat each other. Please contact Governor Hutchinson and ask him to stay all of the executions.
LUCY H. SAUER
Little Rock
All are such winners
Yes, we live in an age of self-glorification and everyone gets a trophy, but there's a set of awards missing that I'd like to add: Here are the First Annual Arkansas Worst Offered Legislation nominees for 2017.
Charlie Collins, HB1249: What a show of fortitude. In 2016 Collins ramrodded an almost-identical bill to allow firearms on college campuses, but every university in Arkansas said simply, "thanks, but no thanks." No quitter, Collins came back this year and not only got it passed, but with no opt-out, and even expansion to the Capitol itself, as well as churches and other public venues. Thanks Charlie, we all feel safer now.
Bart Hester, SB373: All for government transparency, Hester proposed an exemption to freedom of information laws through a simple tactic of showing documents or information to an attorney and then deeming it excluded because of attorney-client privilege. After all, what right do us lowly taxpayers or the journalists we count on have to show us how our dollars work? Congrats, Bart, on open government.
Joyce Elliot, SB610: The senator wanted to prohibit paddling statewide, citing "parents' responsibility." In case she hasn't noticed, there's a real lack of that, especially in her own district. Also, districts statewide allow the parent to make that choice.
Jason Rapert, SB430: Oh, what list is not complete without the pride of Bigelow, although this was a poor effort in comparison with his 2016 Ten Commandments on the Capitol grounds bill. Here he simply, for no reason other than to get his name and (unfortunately) picture in the paper, wanted to rename the Little Rock airport, removing the Clintons.
Here are your nominees; for the sake of democracy, cast your own votes (or add one I've overlooked) in this letter to the editor section.
ANTHONY LLOYD
Hot Springs
Adolescent authorship
In James Kippen's recent letter, he justly takes issue with the tone of John Brummett's columns because of, as he put it, "Brummett's sophomoric use of terms like 'preposterously egomaniacal second-place president,' 'self-imagined grandiosity,' a Congress infested with 'Tea Party-era simpletons, 'and 'infestations of ditto-heads.'"
Maybe reader Kippen hasn't considered that, without the use of such infantile invective, ol' John would find himself beyond the pale in attempting a cogent, coherent argument, while clearly exposing a handicap similar to those folks who perpetually rattle off profanity in their conversations because they lack the verbal skills to articulate an intelligent statement or opinion without.
So James, I suggest giving him a pass and let him go ahead and make his "sophomoric" references without fear or favor; after all, if he were still in the sixth grade and still in the "larning" curve required of proper English exposition, he would likely earn at least a D-plus for style. And currently to deny him the application of such adolescent authorship, he would be left with nothing but blank column inches, and that would be such a devastating loss for all of us I don't even want to think about it--well, perhaps a nanosecond.
JAMES H. BARRÉ
Little Rock
Editorial on 04/06/2017