Art Hobson
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Recent Stories
COMMENTARY: Concerning Chemical Weapons In Syria
THEIR USE MUST BE PREVENTED, BUT US MUST BE CAREFUL WITH MILITARY ACTION
It now appears that sarin, a chemical weapon, was used in Syria’s civil war. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: America Heads Toward Brighter Days
RAPIDLY CHANGING CULTURE AFFECTS POLITICS OF GAY MARRIAGE, GUN SAFETY, WOMEN IN GOVERNMENT
American culture is changing, affecting our politics and pointing toward a brighter future, but it creates significant dark spots. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: Nuclear Weapons: Pressure Tactics Aren’t Working
In dealing with dangerous nations such as Iran and North Korea, an attitude of wary toughness is appropriate but all too obvious in America’s foreign policy. Respect and understanding are also essential if we really want to solve these problems rather than just thump our own chests. Continue reading...
Battle To Save The Illinois River Continues
CORPORATE INTERESTS BELIEVE A HEALTHY ILLINOIS RIVER IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH INDUSTRIAL HEALTH
There are new developments in the standoff between Arkansas’ chicken industry and those who support a healthy Illinois River. The river fl ows from Washington and Benton counties into Oklahoma where it’s a major tourism source and forms Tenkiller Lake that feeds into Tulsa’s water supply. Continue reading...
Transportation And The Urban Fabric
FLYOVER BRIDGE BEING BUILT ACROSS EXPRESSWAY ANOTHER BLUNDER CAUSED BY A PRIOR MISTAKE
Alex Marshall’s excellent book “How Cities Work: Suburbs, Sprawl, and the Roads Not Taken,” notes every city stands on three legs: politics, business and transportation. As you might have noticed, I’m interested in the third of these legs because how people get from A to B bears on so many social and scientifi c topics. Continue reading...
US Should Pressure Israel To Act Rightly
COUNTRY HAS RIGHT TO DEFEND ITSELF, BUT SHOULD STOP EXPANSIONIST WAYS IN WEST BANK REGION
The Middle East, riven by wars, religious intolerance, ethnic rivalries, fundamentalist ignorance, suicide bombers, and political instability, all mixed with precious oil, big money, Israel’s nuclear arsenal, and Iran’s nuclear ambitions, is surely the planet’s most volatile neighborhood. Continue reading...
COMMENTARY: What's Ailing The American System?
COUNTRY LAGS BEHIND OTHER DEMOCRACIES IN CHILD POVERTY, INCOME INEQUALITY, SOCIAL MOBILITY
America is no longer the greatest nation on Earth. In fact, it’s not even among the top 10. There’s plenty of evidence. Continue reading...
Highway Plan A Subsidy For Drivers
SALES TAXES SOAK THE POOR; MONEY SHOULD GO TO BUILDING MASS TRANSIT, WALKABLE COMMUNITIES
I can’t think of a worse way to spend Arkansas sales tax dollars than on highways. Of all forms of taxation, sales taxes are the most unfair because they soak the poor, who must spend larger fractions of their income on taxable items while the rich invest much of their income. Continue reading...
Not Another Half-Cent For Highways
10 REASONS TO VOTE AGAINST PROPOSED SALES TAX ON THE BALLOT IN NOVEMBER’S GENERAL ELECTION
The Nov. 6 general election will include a vote on a half-cent statewide sales tax to raise $2.3 billion, primarily to fi nance more roads, including the widening of Interstate 540 to six or eight lanes. Here are 10 reasons you should vote against it. Continue reading...
How Economics Is Tied To Global Warming
ESSENTIALLY ALL ECONOMISTS FAVOR CARBON TAX OVER CAP-AND-TRADE FOR AT LEAST THREE REASONS
To see global warming in action, look around. Continue reading...
