Editorial Roundup: Recent editorials in Arkansas newspapers

Here are excerpts from recent editorials in Arkansas newspapers:

Texarkana Gazette. Feb. 3, 2018.

Amazon used to be the website you clicked onto for books you couldn’t find in local stores. Over the years it has become a one-stop source for just about anything you could want.

And soon it may be the place where you shop for health insurance.

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, Berkshire Hathaway chairman and legendary investor Warren Buffett and JP Morgan Chase chief Jamie Dimon recently announced they were teaming to find “ways to address health care for their U.S. employees, with the aim of improving employee satisfaction and reducing costs,” according to a press release.

They want to create a health insurance provider that is “free from profit-making incentives and constraints” that will give their employers better care at affordable prices.

Buffett said the team doesn’t yet have the answers, but that they don’t accept status quo. They think they can, with their considerable financial resources, draw on top talent to “check the rise in health costs while concurrently enhancing patient satisfaction and outcomes.”

Initially, the new venture will benefit the three companies’ 900,000 employees. But eventually? Maybe their answer will be made available to the public. Maybe other corporations will form alliances and adopt something similar. Who knows?

In our view, this is one of the most exciting developments in health care in a very long time. And it shows the benefit of a free market when business leaders make a commitment to tackle a seemingly unsurmountable problem.

Amazon has revolutionized the way Americans shop. Warren Buffett knows insurance like the back of his hand - it’s the cash-generating machine that has fueled his investment empire. And Jamie Dimon is perhaps the most respected financial executive on Wall Street and heads up a powerhouse bank with a legendary history.

It’s hard to find fault with this team. If they say they are going to do something, it gets done. And it’s no wonder the shares of major health insurers took a dive when the news was announced. They have something to worry about.

We don’t know what will emerge from this combination. We can only hope they can do what the government tried and failed to do with the Affordable Care Act - make health insurance more available at a more affordable price to more Americans.

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Southwest Times Record. Feb. 4, 2018.

When Sen. Jake Files recently pleaded guilty to fraud charges in federal court, resigning his position in the Arkansas Senate a day later, it was no cause to celebrate. The guilty pleas and resignation were a long time coming, but none of it means the situation regarding the unfinished River Valley Sports Complex, a 5-year-old project at the heart of Files’ guilty pleas, has been resolved. If anything, more questions surround the complex than ever before, which is a real shame.

Files, who once said he would be vindicated regarding the allegations against him, pleaded guilty to federal charges that he pocketed thousands of dollars in state funds intended for the construction of the River Valley Sports Complex at Chaffee Crossing, charges that included wire fraud, money laundering and bank fraud. We can only imagine why Files decided to plead guilty now, but we do know red flags were everywhere with regards to the money trail involved with the sports complex. Many people were hurt along the way. And more than $1 million in taxpayer money paid out for the project has not been fully accounted for, according to city officials.

Files’ resignation from the Arkansas Senate was sought many months ago, when the now ex-senator was embroiled in controversy over missing state grant funds allocated for the sports complex and a variety of other legal troubles regarding his construction business. Files violated the trust of so many people, from the constituents he represented in the Arkansas Senate to the voters in Fort Smith who more than five years ago said yes, let’s build a sports complex in our city. What a shame someone we elected to represent us could let us down so egregiously in so many ways.

Files now faces significant prison time following his guilty pleas, although how much time he’ll actually serve is unclear. His sentencing date has not been set, although it should occur in the next few months. Maximum penalties on each count range from 10 to 30 years.

The city put its trust in Files and his partner, Sebastian County Election Commissioner Lee Webb, to create the River Valley Sports Complex, the construction of which voters agreed to allocate a tax for. A real mess was created instead, something the city is now tasked with sorting out, something we imagine won’t be completed anytime soon. City leaders have indicated they want the complex to be completed but aren’t certain how that will come about. What the community gets may be something on a much smaller scale than was imagined five-plus years ago. Files and Webb walked away from the project when the city terminated their contract, saying it was no longer their responsibility. The complex sits unfinished and untouched, as it has been for quite some time. The city is suing Files to finish the project, and subcontractors who say they were never paid are suing the city.

What should have been an uplifting project for local residents, something the community could use and be proud of, instead became the source of turmoil for so many. Fort Smith tax dollars to the tune of more than $1 million have already been spent, and there is still nothing to show for it. Land and a significant amount of labor were donated. All for nothing, at this point.

Fort Smith residents have a right to be angry. The city put its trust in Files to get the sports complex done, and he failed, apparently using the project as a cover-up for a scheme to line his pocket with grant money. And he did so while representing the people of Fort Smith in the state legislature, creating a legacy of embarrassment both for himself and for the people he represented. He refused to resign his position as a state senator when called upon to do so, including by this newspaper. He allowed the situation to drag on, only resigning this past week a day after pleading guilty in federal court. It was high time.

Files’ legal troubles don’t end with the sports complex. He also has been sued as a defendant with his construction company for payments for loans made to him since 2013. In April, a Fort Smith director filed a theft by deception report against Files, accusing him of failing to perform roofing work, according to a police report. There will be much more to come on the now former lawmaker (effective Feb. 9), including his upcoming sentencing. He still has numerous lawsuits to answer to as well.

We hope the recent events serve as a beginning to a healing process that must take place. It’s time to move forward, and we hope that includes finishing the sports complex. Local residents want it to happen, as do we. Finishing it would be symbolic of a city’s determination to not give up despite someone’s wrongdoing.

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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Feb. 6, 2018.

Everybody knows somebody - maybe more than one somebody - who’s caught the flu this season. No wonder. The flu season is the worst in nearly a decade.

Over 14,000 people were hospitalized with confirmed cases of flu from Oct. 1 through Jan. 27 in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That doesn’t count those who battle the symptoms on their own.

The rate of people seeking care rivals that of the swine-flu pandemic of 2009. Kids are especially vulnerable, as are baby boomers, according to CDC officials, although nobody knows why.

Since the calendar is edging into February and spring will arrive soon, some who are flu-free are getting smug about it, thinking that the end of the season is probably in sight.

Guess again. According to the Washington Post, the length and severity of a flu season is hard to predict. Arkansas Department of Health Department director Nathaniel Smith says it’s only about one-third of the way over.

For those who blissfully live under rocks, flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, but can also turn deadly. Symptoms include fever, chills, cough, sore throat, muscle and body aches, fatigue, and headaches.

It’s sneaky, too. Adults may be able to infect others beginning one day before symptoms develop and up to five to seven days after becoming sick. Children may pass the virus for longer than seven days. Symptoms start one to four days after the virus enters the body.

What to do? Easy. Wash your hands a lot, especially after encountering anyone who has or might have the flu.

Next: Get a flu shot. Says who? Our governor, for starters. “I’m very concerned about the impact,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson said. “It’s very severe compared to previous years, and it’s still relatively early.” Vaccinations can reduce flu illnesses, doctors’ visits, and missed work and school, as well as prevent costly and scary flu-related hospitalizations.

And although the vaccine doesn’t seem to be as effective as it has in previous years, it’s still worth being vaccinated. “It’s high time to do so,” said Health Department director Smith, adding that two-thirds of flu deaths typically come after the peak of flu season.

It’s not too late. The CDC recommends an injectable flu vaccine for everyone 6 months or older as soon as possible because the body takes about two weeks to produce a full immune response.

Where to go? Just about anywhere. The federal 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires insurance companies to cover flu shots with no charge to the patient. The state Health Department’s county offices also offer the shots at no charge to the uninsured. Find out when and where by checking out the “local health units by region” webpage at healthy.arkansas.gov.

As of Monday, 122 influenza-related deaths - including two children - have been reported in Arkansas this season. Let’s stay healthy and work together to keep that number from increasing.