Purveyors of guns still act in self-serving ways
A couple of alarming articles in the Democrat-Gazette recently show our Republican legislators are still up to their self-serving bills and taking care of their own.
Sen. Trent Garner, R-El Dorado, introduced a bill that would make “the shotgun” the official state gun. Despite the obvious absurdity of anyone even caring if we have a “state gun,” there are seven or eight other states that have legislatively decided to recognize an official state gun. However, all those states chose a gun that has some connection to the state (the inventor or designer of the gun, for instance). Even Tennessee, which chose to elect a sniper rifle that can kill someone from a mile away and is only for military use, chose it because the man who designed it was from Tennessee.
The shotgun was invented by Germans. So, someone needs to ask Sen. Garner why he has chosen the shotgun, other than he wants to get on board the NRA’s runaway train of lifting guns of any sort up to the level of star status. He is there in the capital to represent the people of Arkansas. Did he ask us if we wanted to have a state gun? Did he take a poll among his constituents, and this was their top priority? No. It is another example of a self-serving bill that does not help the people of Arkansas one bit. But the NRA will take notice and maybe contribute to his next campaign.
The other article that concerned me was about Charlie Collins, you know, the guy who Fayetteville voters voted out of office. He has been hired by the state Department of Finance and Administration to be its budget and policy manager at a salary of $95,381. That is definitely a raise from his representative pay. The questions that come up are obvious. Did DFA advertise for this position before hiring Collins? Did the governor recommend Collins for the position? Is it now the position of Arkansas’ state-run agencies to hire representatives who get voted out of office?
I’m not arguing he doesn’t have credentials for the job. But there are about 1,000 or more other Arkansans who have just as good credentials as Collins. Or maybe the NRA helped get him the job since he got the bill passed that allowed people to carry guns on state college campuses despite much resistance from those very same campuses. One thing is for sure. It happened quickly since he lost the election in November and got his new job in December.
I’ll leave you with Collins’ own words: “Guns was not a new issue. Well, it was an issue about public safety, but I’ve been pushing it since the beginning.”
STEVEN TRULOCK
Fayetteville
What’s good for workers is good for U.S. leaders
The partial government shutdown is affecting thousands of federal employees. They are working without pay or laid off, which basically is the same thing.
Are the senators and representatives not also federal employees? In that case. why do they continue to receive pay and medical coverage? Also, is the president not also a federal employee?
If they were working without pay and no medical coverage, they would be screaming bloody murder. Let them feel what other federal employees are facing and work without pay.
JAMES ELLIOTT
Rogers