Arkansas is drowning
in GOP 'swamp' water
One of the first signs of a democracy being eroded is unethical behavior from top leaders and we have witnessed it from our state and national leaders. And what is the common denominator? It's the Republican Party.
Ever since I started following politics -- and that's since 1967 -- the Republican Party holds the record for disbarment and being unseated. Why is that? Are there more Republicans or is it that the Republican Party is lost or dirty?
Sen. Tom Cotton said he backs what's going on at the border with what Trump is doing. If you haven't realized, neither Cotton nor Sen. John Boozman are saying much about what Trump is doing, and that's what every Arkansawyer and especially farmers in Arkansas need to grab hold of. Look at Trump's record on disasters. It's not going to improve here.
And the Republican Party in Arkansas is backing the worst and crookedest man to ever hold the seat of the United States of America. To the representatives and senators who are backing this unethical man, the water is up in Arkansas; it's time to flush our swamp.
Billy Long
Fayetteville
Firing at Elkins center raises ire of participants
In September, the Elkins Senior Center manager was fired. He had served the center four years, exceeding all expectations -- obtaining a pickup truck for Meals on Wheels deliveries and a 15-passenger bus and a car for our use, getting a $160,000 grant from Walmart for the Area Agency on Aging. When he questioned why Elkins got only $9,700, he was fired.
We immediately formed an Elkins Senior Citizens for Fair Government Committee and wrote a petition to the Area Agency at Harrison asking for an explanation. The director came to Elkins ... and said Arkansas was a right to work state and [the organization] could fire for any or no reason.
We then wrote to the Area Agency director in Little Rock, who had their lawyers send us five pages of legalese stating the same about "right to work." The two Area Agency directors decided to retire shortly after.
We thought our legislators were our only hope for justice for our manager.
In February, we wrote to our representative, Bruce Coleman, with copies of all our efforts. Receiving nothing from him, on March 16 we wrote to our senator, Greg Leding. Getting no response from him, we wrote to Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Hearing nothing from him, we thought maybe someone in Northwest Arkansas would be repulsed by such despicably unfair treatment to such a competent employee.
We feel we have done everything we can and have had no response from our elected officials, and this to me is taxation without representation.
Maybe this should be called a right to fire state.
Louise E. Smith
Elkins
Take on Christianity 'mocking, hateful'
John Brummett's June 6 column, "As he commands," is the latest example of the mockery Christianity is subjected to in the press. I've never read anything about Judaism, Taoism, Buddhism, Atheism or Islam on your op-ed page in such mocking, hateful tones. Gee, you've sure convinced me that my beliefs are completely wrong.
Actually, the only accurate assertion in the entire drivel was the closing paragraph: "So what, then, if Trump is a wretch? Amazing grace can always save him. And you, too, if you'll just agree. Don't you see?"
Yes, as a matter of scriptural fact, I do see. It's clearly explained in the book of Romans.
Dennis Lawler
Fayetteville
Commentary on 06/10/2019