Legislators 'turn noses up' on Supreme Court
The old saying goes, never discuss politics or religion. But I'm so upset I could spit and leave the state of Arkansas.
Our "distinguished" lawmakers have come up with this list of amendments to the Arkansas Constitution. Of course, we, the voters decide if they become part of the Constitution, but after reading this list, I have to wonder what is wrong with some of these elected senators and representatives.
Just one example: A few years ago, the state Legislature voted in favor of voter ID. The governor vetoed it and it then went to the Arkansas Supreme Court, which overturned it. We haven't had to show an ID to vote since. The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional to require anyone to show an ID to vote. Now, now we have both a state senator and a state representative sponsoring amendments essentially thumbing their noses at the Arkansas Supreme Court.
Where do they get off? We have checks and balances for a reason. And a Constitution. But these people apparently couldn't care less about such an esteemed part of our political system, the judicial branch.
Where is that spittoon?
Roger Walker
Eureka Springs
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President leads in U.S. 'faking it' epidemic
Recently I watched a program on CBS Sunday Morning concerning lip syncing by vocalists when performing live. In other words, pretending to sing a song when they are only moving their lips with the music prerecorded. The gist of the program was that this was not a new phenomenon, that it took a lot of talent to fool the audience, and the narrator and guests seemed to approve of the deception. In earlier days, the public was highly critical of a vocalist faking it.
The epidemic of lip sinking, which I will refer to as fake singing, is just another example of faking something to obtain a benefit, such as resting their voice and saving money by using a prerecorded accompaniment. Here are some other examples of this tactic, which is similar to fraud.
1. Fake grades in school, in which a person graduates with a B average but is functionally illiterate due to reading and writing deficiencies, the product of easy courses, easy tests and easy grading. This is a product of the current trend in education where obtaining a degree has a priority over the quality of the education.
2. Fake handbags (knock offs) that are sold in most cities, fake jewelry, fake paintings and clothing represented as name brand when it wasn't.
3. Fake resumes to help a person find a job he isn't qualified for, or used for political purposes, where the person alleges fighting on active duty in Iraq, which was untrue.
4. Fake medical records to enable someone to obtain Medicare benefits they were not entitled to, fake IDs and fake degrees.
5. Also, where the author of a book, school paper or speech represents that the product is his own when he has used someone else's work, which is the definition of plagiarism.
What is most disturbing is that President Trump's use of fake news give a legitimacy to others doing the same, and you begin to question everything. This reminds me of the question raised about someone who is noted for telling lies: "How do you know when he is lying," with the answer "whenever he is moving his lips." If you can't trust your president, who can you trust?
In most cases there is a winner and a loser when it comes to faking it. One way of looking at it is that you aren't getting what you paid for. You might even say you elected a fake president in that you didn't get what you expected when remembering his campaign promises. I admit that all politicians bend the truth to attract voters, but our new president is setting a new record of faking it.
What makes matters worse is when the offender says it is just good business to fake a little here and there, and why not join in since everyone is doing it.
Bass Trumbo
Fayetteville
Editorial on 02/28/2017