Seems to be forgotten
Saboteurs? My, my, my, how ironic that right-wing snowflakes cry over the left's objection to the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.
Apparent ignorance of recent historical facts including the assembly of so-called GOP congressional "luminaries" the night of President Obama's 2009 inauguration, and their pledge to do everything in their power to deny him a second term and obstruct all submitted legislation.
This includes, I believe, violation of our very dear Constitution by refusing to consider or even vote on the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland for nearly a year.
As they say, what is good for the goose is good for the gander.
PETER TRABANT
Hot Springs Village
Fuel tax most fair way
Concerning the pros and cons of a fuel tax for highways, a writer was against a fuel tax as unfair to seniors. But, in fact, a fuel tax is paid by those who buy fuel. Those are the folks using our highways. The more you drive, the more you pay. It's like a user fee. That in fact is where revenue for highways should be generated.
Four years ago, Arkansas citizens passed a half-cent sales tax for highways with a 10-year sunset clause. A sales tax is regressive and is generated by retail sales on items all people need daily, including some sales tax on food, but also toilet paper, soap and other basic needs. The cost of trucking our groceries, etc., to our grocery stores is included in our payment at the checkout stand.
In addition, a sales tax is one of the main sources for revenue to meet local needs by your city or county. If you need to establish an ambulance service, or increase law enforcement, you may not be able pass a vote to increase the sales tax as some areas of our state are maxed out on sales tax, some over 10 percent.
I suggest we do away with the half-cent sales tax on basic needs and increase the fuel tax for those who buy fuel and drive our highways. By the way, the reason that half-cent sales tax passed was because hidden in the "highway" tax was money for city streets and county roads. Hence the Municipal League and the Association of County Judges did not fight that sales-tax increase.
We need money for roads, but let's be a little more honest about it. And legislators, pass a bill that enables all citizens who vote to make that final decision.
LARRY KARIGAN-WINTER
Huntsville
On hillbilly English
I was reading the article about the fellow who murdered an American tourist when I noticed a rather odd usage of the Queen's English. The article explained how the murderer put up a fake roadside marker "... to lure them pilgrims ..." onto his property.
Of course that should properly have been "those pilgrims," unless, of course the purpose was to give the story a down-home country twist. But then one would then need to use the right proper hillbilly English and say "them there (thar) pilgrims."
As it was, the chosen wording was betwixt the twain, thus it alienated both English grammarians and us old hicks.
EUGENE SMITH
Clinton
It's civil disobedience
When a person is unable to correct an illegality within their organization, he can become a whistle-blower by going public with his information. Federal and state laws exist to protect whistle-blowers from reprisal but unfortunately, retaliation from the subject of the target toot is an ever-present danger.
A different problem arises when the government is engaged in illicit activity and unwilling to use the law to protect the potential whistle-blower. The whistle-blower may then be forced to become a news leaker. Currently, Republicans are condemning leaking as many kinds of crime, including treason. However, only leaking information that is classified is a crime.
Before jumping to negative conclusions about news leakers, consider that whistle-blowing and news leaking are forms of civil disobedience. News leakers act to bring illegality to the public's notice as they engage in civil disobedience. In the history of civil disobedience, individuals have knowingly violated the law in good conscience because they believed the violation was necessary to achieve a higher goal. Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi are obvious examples. Without leakers, the Nixon resignation would not have happened, and General Flynn would still be in office.
Obviously, much good has come to the world from civil disobedience.
It is a sad, discomfiting commentary on our electoral process that we must so often rely on loyal, brave law violators to keep our elected officials from interfering with our constitutional rights.
LEN WHITE
Fayetteville
True meaning of word
Has this nation so debased the term genius that it has rendered that term meaningless?
English scientist Robert Hooke, a contemporary of Isaac Newton, invented the balance-escapement for clocks and watches, the universal joint, the respirator, microdots, the air pump, sash windows, the diving bell, the iris diaphragm, amalgam, the air gun, the micrometer, the cross-hair sight, the anemometer, the spirit level, the hygrometer, the ear trumpet and an early sonar device.
As though these were not enough, he founded the Royal Society, worked on flying machines, and wrote and illustrated Micrographia, a classic work concerned with microscopic phenomena.
All this, despite overwhelming odds against him, including smallpox, losing his father to suicide whilst still a child, and isolation by established scientists, including Newton, who clearly found him too clever for their own comfort.
Is this great, unsung, heroic man not closer to the true meaning of the term genius than today's half-witted sportsmen and entertainers who are so frequently and absurdly described as such?
Incidentally, almost every historic figure of sublime and towering genius endured a life of extreme adversity, and those foolish enough to believe otherwise should reflect upon the tragic life of Robert Hooke.
WILLIAM G. CARLYLE
North Little Rock
Editorial on 04/10/2017