Here are excerpts from recent editorials in Arkansas newspapers:
Texarkana Gazette. Oct. 28, 2018.
Recently, Architectural Digest listed “The Most Beautifully Designed Theater in Each State.” The list included some well-known arts and entertainment venues, ranging from classics of the past like the Hippodrome in Baltimore to modern marvels like the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.
Texarkana’s own Perot Theatre made the list, as well, as the loveliest in Texas.
That’s right, in all the Lone Star State.
It’s quite an honor. And one we like to think of as well deserved.
Many longtime residents can remember when the theater wasn’t such a showplace.
Opened with great fanfare in 1924 by the Saenger chain, it was grand indeed with elaborate details. But by the 1960s and 1970s, the Paramount, as it was known then, was pretty run-down. Yes, the beautiful bones of the picture palace it once was were still there, but for most of us, it was hard to imagine the place would ever regain its former glory.
Some local residents, however, saw more. The Texarkana, Texas, City Council undertook the restoration effort. They secured funding from H. Ross Perot, his sister Bette and the Perot Foundation and work began. Under management of the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council the theater has become “ground central” for culture in our area, as Architectural Digest put it.
Now the Perot Theatre is getting its due. And those who saw the potential under the dust and grime can rightly bask in that glory as well.
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Southwest Times Record. Oct. 28, 2018.
As we count down to the Nov. 6 general election, local and state races will continue to dominate headlines. We encourage voters to be educated and informed about the races, but they also must be aware of various statewide issues that will be decided next Tuesday as well.
The issues - three of them, although five will appear on the ballot - involve decisions on voter IDs, casino licenses and the minimum wage. Recent Arkansas Supreme Court rulings have taken Issues 1 and 3 out of voters’ hands for now. Issue 1 would have limited lawsuit awards and attorney’s fees, and Issue 3 would have limited Arkansas lawmakers to two four-year terms in the Senate and three two-year terms in the House, with a total cap of 10 years in office. (The measures will be on the ballot, but the votes will not be counted because of the rulings. With Issue 1, justices upheld a state judge’s ruling that the ballot measure limiting civil lawsuit damages unconstitutionally combined separate proposals. With Issue 3, the court said that thousands of signatures submitted by supporters were invalid and should not have been counted.)
ISSUE 2 - VOTER IDS
Issue 2 asks voters to create a constitutional amendment that require voters to present a photo ID when voting in person or enclose a copy of an ID when voting absentee. The voter ID law is already in place and has been ruled constitutional. Creating an amendment for voters to address seems like overkill designed to create news headlines. It could help thwart potential lawsuit (A previous photo ID law was declared unconstitutional in 2014 by the Arkansas Supreme Court, so the current law that’s in place certainly could face a similar fate), but solidifying this into an amendment is not an action we can support.
This fight over election fraud continues to be a prime issue of the Republican party. Arkansas already has these restrictions in place. Further “cementing” these restrictions should not be a goal of voters when there’s no evidence of an issue with voter fraud in the state. Putting an amendment in place makes it harder to remove this restriction in the future should there be evidence of this restricting the right to vote. Until the state has a seamless and easy process for obtaining an ID - even a free one - that doesn’t require hours away from work at the DMV or other government institutions, then we would advise voters to refrain from adding layers to an existing law. By adding this amendment, this will also require the 2019 legislature to flesh out additional details with voting - like establishing exceptions to the ID law and specifying a process for provisional ballots. In light of this too, we err on the side of “leave well enough alone.” Because, when has the legislature made anything easier?
ISSUE 4 - CASINOS
Issue 4 would allow for two brand new casinos near Russellville and Pine Bluff. It would also allow current gambling facilities in West Memphis and Hot Springs to become true casinos. Certainly, many of us living on the Oklahoma border already have access to casinos; this issue expands the opportunities into Arkansas. (Pope County - Russellville area - is an easy drive from Fort Smith.)
Even if voters give a thumbs up on this issue, a casino coming to fruition in Pope County may be a long shot. There is still an application process to operate a casino in Pope and Jefferson Counties. In both counties, applicants would have to submit a letter of support from a county judge or quorum court resolution of support. The Pope County Quorum Court has already asked the county judge to withhold support if the voters show support for Issue 4.
Supporters of the issue have brought up the additional tax revenue that will be collected by the additional casinos. This will be true for counties and cities. However, the way the Issue is worded, in Hot Springs, Oaklawn and Southland would actually pay less to the state.
That said, we’re in support of Issue 4. Hot Springs already is a tourist attraction, but could benefit from the surge of additional dollars this would bring the city and county. Both West Memphis and Jefferson County (Pine Bluff) could benefit economically from attracting new visitors to those areas. The amendment also sets aside $200,000 a year for programs to treat compulsive gamblers. Arkansans interested in gambling are already spending their money elsewhere; we might as well keep more of that money in our state.
ISSUE 5 - MINIMUM WAGE
Issue 5 asks voters to increase the state hourly minimum wage from the current $8.50 to $9.25 next year, $10 in 2020, and $11 in 2021. Those of us in the real world understand the difficulties - the impossibilities, really - of living on $8.50, whether you’re supporting yourself or yourself and a family. A minimum wage of $8.50 translates to about $17,680 a year, while an $11 minimum wage means a little less than $23,000 per year.
The state legislature hasn’t voted to increase the minimum wage in more than a decade, despite a rebounding economy. Gov. Asa Hutchinson has gone on record to oppose the initiative, saying that he wants to increase the minimum wage, but only through legislative action when the “economic outlook” supports it.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing to suggest that will happen anytime soon.
We recognize the difficulties this presents to businesses. This will likely mean a loss of jobs in some areas. If there’s ever a time to go through this pain, it’s when we’re benefiting from a 3.5 percent unemployment rate, and have been pacing ahead of the national unemployment rate for years. If we want to help Arkansans become more self-sufficient (getting off public assistance), we have to make that a real possibility, and a minimum wage of $8.50 an hour won’t do it. Gov. Hutchinson has made it a key focus to get more people off Medicaid and other welfare programs, while going on record against a minimum wage increase. To truly move forward the economic progress for our state, we must start with pay minimums. While $17,680 and $23,000 per year may not sound like enough, it would go a long way in helping someone re-establish themselves in the workforce and as an upstanding member of a community.
We encourage all voters to read up on the issues in order to make educated choices on Nov. 6. Many of these decisions will have an impact on the state for years to come.
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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Oct. 30, 2018.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year - for an inky wretch. There’s a cool snap in the air, football in the background, and even the politicians visiting our offices are counting down the days to the election. (Ten, nine, eight, seven … .)
This is also the time of the year when some of our friends tease us - calling us the Arkansas Republican-Gazette. Because we have conservative views and tend to favor the more conservative candidates. (Someday we’ll explain how we explain the paper’s name to out-of-town visitors. Especially the ones from Washington, D.C., unfamiliar with Arkansas history.)
But in the legislative races, this year we will recommend two Democrats in good standing. We think they’re not only attractive to their districts, but high-energy, too.
Did we mention high-energy? You’re not going to find a person more high-energy than this Jonathan Crossley fella. The background music to his life must be the fast electronic dance stuff. (What is love!) He talks fast. He thinks fast. He rattles off so many good ideas that we have to ask him to slow down so we can take it all down.
He’s an educator, a teacher of the year in this state, a former principal in Little Rock - brought in by the high-energy Baker Kurrus - and is one of the youngest people with the longest résumé we’ve come across. He wants to (deep breath) clean up-government-give-kids-more-education-options-continue-Arkansas-Works-prep-young-people-for-the-workforce-partner-with-business-to-improve-schools … .
As a former school teacher, it’s refreshing that he didn’t spend his time with us by blasting charter schools. Instead, he said traditional schools and charter schools should collaborate to do what is right for kids: “There are excellent education models in charters. There are excellent models in public schools.” Jonathan Crossley is running for the state House of Representatives in District 41 - and we recommend.
Another Democrat running for the state House, Andrew Collins, also doesn’t appear to be hostile, or opposed, to charter schools. (You’d be surprised how many Democrats are.) Mr. Collins is running in House District 35.
As for positions, he seems a reliable Democrat, but as a governor named Huckabee once said of his own beliefs, he ain’t mad about it: Arkansas Works is working. So let it. The GIF program should be a thing of the past. Red-flag laws and universal background checks are smart ideas. And, “Introducing people to the prison system is a good way to see they return.” So why not find other options for many offenders? Andrew Collins is an attorney and an advocate for the homeless, so he knows about these things. And with a legislature surely to remain Republican for a while yet, the Democrats will need moderates like him in their party, if only to use as a translator.
Before we move on to Republicans, it should be noted that there are Democrats of other stripes running in this election, too. Democrats with, shall we say, less-than-moderate views. Because of them, there are a number of Republicans we must endorse:
State Rep. Jim Sorvillo should be re-elected in District 32, Rep. Carlton Wing should be re-elected in District 38, and Rep. Mark Lowery should be re-elected in District 39.
Jim Sorvillo co-sponsored the measure referred to voters this year known as Issue 1. It’s DOA because the courts ruled that it was too scatter-shot of a ballot issue. But it had good ideas all throughout, such as setting caps on lawyers’ fees and limiting certain lawsuit damages. His opponent is very much against such ideas. More’s the reason to support Jim Sorvillo.
Carlton Wing’s campaign leads you to the kinds of bills that he’s sponsored, or co-sponsored, and it reads like a who’s who, or a what’s what, of good legislation. He’s right there in the fight for the unborn, and he’s taken the lead on some bills trying to negotiate all this “medical” marijuana stuff. (Can employers be allowed to test for marijuana? They should be. Can joints be sold in vending machines? They shouldn’t be.) Carlton Wing deserves another term representing folks north of the river in District 38.
And Mark Lowery has been one of the leads, if not the lead, on voter identification bills. Now laws. It shouldn’t be harder to cash a check than to vote. It’s an important part of this democracy. Mark Lowery has also co-sponsored legislation to push traditional schools into making buildings available for charters, and has supported tax cuts and support for home-schooled kids. Voters in his District 39 should give him another term.
It won’t be long now, Mr. and Mrs. Voter. And then the 2020 election campaign season can begin.
Seven, six, five, four … .
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