Need to take action
I am a law-abiding citizen who has been moved to act. Our pastor changed his sermon Sunday, as he felt compelled to do so following the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, Saturday night and in Dayton, Ohio, early Sunday morning. (There have been 251 mass shootings in 216 days, according to the news, and it is certainly time for action on the part of the politicians and all of us as well.) Our pastor said that votes and money control this country, but people have the power to change that.
I pray daily for our elected officials and sometimes I think, "Are my prayers helping?" The pastor's sermon jarred me into reality. He said prayers devoid of action are not enough. So an email went from me to a number of members of our church to ask them to join me in asking our senators to return to Washington, D.C., and pass a gun-safety bill that would include a universal background check and a ban on assault weapons.
I hope all concerned individuals would join with me in this effort. Phone numbers: Sen. Tom Cotton, (501) 223-9081; Sen. John Boozman, (501) 372-7153.
Last note: Thank you to our Democrat-Gazette carrier! Each morning the paper arrives at our front door around 5:30 a.m.
HAZEL CLARK
North Little Rock
That plan won't work
My husband and I are retired and combined we have paid income and Social Security taxes for 90 years. I'm concerned and frankly scared when I read about the Democrats' plan for Medicare for All.
The Medicare we have today will run out of funds in seven years, according to the Medicare Board of Trustees. With Medicare for All an election issue in 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services pointed out that the program can't cover the 60 million seniors and disabled beneficiaries who count on Medicare for health-care coverage, let alone all Americans.
If Medicare is open to everyone including illegal immigrants, like the Democrats apparently want, the fund will end very soon after the 2020 election.
As a senior citizen, I am thankful Sen. Tom Cotton opposes Medicare for All, and he deserves the support of every Arkansan.
DIANNA LANKFORD
Bentonville
Could make day of it
Get on board, Mr. Mayor. Create an in-state rivalry--Hogs versus Red Wolves.
Make a big day of it: 5K race, high school pep squad/cheerleader competition in the park, parade to the stadium, reduced admission to the zoo, food trucks, Battle of the Bands at halftime, end-zone sections free for active duty/Reserve/Guard servicemen/women, Air Force C-130 flyover, War Memorial trophy cast in aluminum. I'm sure you can come up with more.
Hunter Yurachek needs pressure on him; Terry Mohajir is all for it.
All aboard!
JACK SCHMEDEMAN
Little Rock
Common-sense laws
It is time to stop pretending that calling for common-sense gun regulation is somehow anti-Second Amendment.
Senator Boozman, Senator Cotton, and Congressman Hill must pass legislation to allow the CDC to conduct research. They must pass legislation that addresses background checks, licensing, insurance and registration of firearms. They must pass legislation that allows for temporary confiscation when someone is considered dangerous, whether through unstable behavior or especially by those who commit domestic violence.
They must pass legislation that removes military-grade weapons from civilians, including assault-style weapons, high-capacity magazines, AP rounds, and other non-hunting or personal protection features. And they must pass legislation that punishes bypassing these other safeguards, including those pushed by gun lobbyists and the NRA.
No other civilized country in the world has this problem. Only the Senate can fix it, so they must do so or we will vote in someone that will.
JAROD BRIDGES
North Little Rock
Must not start a war
As I was helping plan the coming Hiroshima/Nagasaki Remembrance to remind us all of the horrific consequences of releasing The Bomb, I tuned into the Democratic debate last Wednesday night. I was stunned to hear the CNN moderator chide a prospective candidate for wanting to "tie the hands" of the president with the No First Strike policy the debater was advocating.
If a mass shooter with a semiautomatic rifle at an elementary school had his "hands tied," everyone--no matter his/her ideology--would cheer loudly that a catastrophe was prevented. On a larger scale, we are talking about the possible life and death of the planet and its occupants.
Please tell your congressman and Sens. Tom Cotton and John Boozman we need to "tie the hands" of any president with a No First Strike law that will tell the world the United States will not start a war to end life on Earth.
I think the world would breathe a sigh of relief.
JEAN GORDON
Little Rock
Editorial on 08/07/2019