Tyson to Close Plants for Illegal Alien Boycott Day

Tomorrow is "May Day", a communist holiday and the day that illegal aliens have chosen to have demonstrations all across the United States- including Sprindale and Little Rock Arkansas.

Illegals and their allies have pledged to skip work and school tomorrow. According a report at Fox News, a number of large employers are actually going to close down entire plants because they expect so many of their workers to be gone...

"Some big businesses are shutting down operations, corporate spokesmen said: Six of 14 Perdue Farms plants will close; Gallo Wines in Sonoma, Calif., is giving its 150 employees the day off; Tyson Foods Inc., the world's largest meat producer, will shut five of its nine beef plants and four of six pork plants."

These executives have to know that they are hiring illegal aliens. They are cheating. Honest business men have to compete against companies that hire from a new slave class, and it is not fair to the honest men nor the new slaves. I hope ICE makes the most of their opportunity tomorrow to round up some illegal aliens- and that the justice department saves some prison space for executives who demonstrate a pattern of knowingly hiring them.

Holt Campaign Answer to Today's Demo-Zette Editorial

"Caution, Ill-Will Ahead". That was the title of the unsigned Democrat-Gazette editorial on April 27th. There was ill-will aplenty, and it was all pouring in from their side. They were enraged that Senator Jim Holt would have the gall to suggest that illegal aliens should not have automatic access to your pockets to pay for their routine medical care.

They wrote that this is “…a preview of what the whole state can expect if Jim Holt is our next lieutenant governor, and it isn’t pretty: Four abrasive years of arguing over how mean we can legally be to the strangers in our midst.” No doubt the liberal media is very abrasive, after all they railed at us for being so primitive as to stop homosexuals from redefining marriage. Any time we dare to stand up to them to defend our culture and earnings we are at risk of another scolding from their enlightened liberal keyboards.

...continued......

Voting Machines May Not Be Ready- Dome the Priority

We just got a press release from the Jim LaGrone for Secretary of State Campaign. He was too kind. We have gotten numerous reports from election workers and others that they are afraid this election is going to be a fiasco. Still, the Sec. of State seems more concerned about the Capitol Dome project- a project that is rumoured to be far over budget. What is not rumor is that the firm doing the project is a contributor to the Charlie Daniels campaign!

Secretary of State Needs to Put More Focus on Elections and Less on Aesthetics

(Little Rock – April 26, 2006) – Republican Secretary of State candidate Jim Lagrone, said that information published in today’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette saying that new electronic voting machines are missing key gear and may not be ready for the May 23 primary elections doesn’t surprise him.

“All I’ve heard Daniels talk about lately is how important it is to get the dome fixed. It appears he thinks fixing the Capitol dome is more important than fixing the voting machines, and all the accompanying problems, for the upcoming election,” said Lagrone.

The newspaper report says that delays in the shipment of programming equipment to Pulaski and other counties for the voting machines mean election officials have not been able to test the ballots. The article goes on to say that if the machines fail to work correctly, poll workers may have to hand-tally votes on election night. Other snafus, such as ballots for the machines being printed the wrong size and bad program memory packs seem to be causing additional problems in Sebastian and other counties.

“Instead of making voting easier, it looks like the Secretary of State is making it harder to comply with HAVA,” said Lagrone.

“Daniels should not have signed a contract with ESS (Election Systems & Software) if the company could not deliver the machines,” emphasizes Lagrone. “The Secretary of State made this deal with ESS, he should be held accountable for getting these machines here in time to train workers and meet the compliance issues. Instead he traveling the state talking about how proud he is of the renovations he’s completed on the Capitol.

“As serious as this problem is,” says Lagrone, “it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Once these machines are up and running, what most people don’t know is that each and every county in Arkansas will be responsible for the long-term maintenance and upkeep of these machines. This may not seem like a big problem but consider this, with the cost of fuel skyrocketing out of control, where do you think a county is going to choose to spend its money – on fuel to keep county road crews operational, or on fixing and maintaining voting machines?”

Concludes Lagrone, “When you’re the Secretary of State in Arkansas, the ‘buck stops here’ when it comes to elections. This constitutional officer’s main job is to make sure our elections run smoothly, accurately and according to law. It’s clear the person who now holds that office is more interested in the aesthetics of our state house than making sure our elections run smoothly.”

GOP Lt. Gov. Debate Set for Monday in Little Rock

From the Central Arkansas Republican Club:

We are pleased to announce that our next luncheon will feature all three Republican candidates for Lt. Governor. Details are listed below.

CARC LUNCHEON AND LT. GOV. CANDIDATE FORUM

MAY 1, 2006
11:45 AM
LITTLE ROCK CLUB

Cost will be $20 per person. The Little Rock Club is located on the top floor of the Regions Bank building on the corner of Capitol and Broadway. Parking is provided.

Please RSVP to dena_battle@yahoo.com or call me at 501-412-2743 if you plan to attend. The deadline to RSVP was set to FRIDAY.

Hathorn Says Halter Broke Law 65 Times!

There is quite a battle going on in the Democratic race for Lt. Governor (refreshing change, eh?).

Former State Rep. Mike Hathorn has accused the former director of the Social Security Administration Bill Halter of illegally co-mingling funds to get around contribution limits. He also suggests that Halter transferred more money from his abortive Governor's race campaign than the law allows into his race for Lt. Governor.

Hathorn has said that he will file an ethics charge if 18 questions are not answered within 24 hours.

(click "Tuesday" below and scroll down for rest of story, if sent directly here just scroll down).

It's a Girl! Holt Baby Arrives

A girl, Kharis arrived this morning at 12:36. She has dark curly hair - weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz and is 21 3/4 inches long.

Mother and baby are doing fine...father sounds tired :o)

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers,

Blessings,

K. Emery

Banks, Holt, Moore Debate SB206 Effects

Jim Holt's SB206 would deny all "public benefits" that are "not federally mandated" to illegal aliens. The bill would also hold government employees who "knowingly" provide such benefits to illegal aliens accountable and add other protections against welfare and voter fraud.

The bill was locked up in committee in the Senate, but Senator Holt has said it is one of five measures he is considering running as a ballot initiative if the legislature does not pass similar legislation in 07.

Mr. Banks, a trial lawyer, has been quoted in several papers, including the April 10th edition of the NWA Times as saying about the bill, "I don't believe to deny emergency room services or other humanitarian aid to people within our state is consistent with principles of compassionate help, and it doesn't seem to be consistent with long-term fiscal responsibility to deny some components of health care to needy people, especially women and children."

Senator Holt and I adamantly objected to the claim that SB206 would deny anyone emergency medical services (click "Tuesday" below for a blow by blow account of the debate and test to see who makes a better case from the law)

Masterson Lauds Tax Limitation Plan by Holt

Demo-zette columnest Mik Masterson has a lot of good things to say about Senator Jim Holt of Springdale's proposal to limit the growth of government taxes and spending to be no greater than the income and population growth of the citizens in this article.

Here is a sample of the article:

How novel that Holt, who garnered a whopping 59 percent of the votes in a recent KATV-sponsored Survey USA poll of GOP candidates for lieutenant governor, advocates limiting taxes and runaway growth in government. In speaking to the Benton County Republican Women last week, he said his proposal would be reminiscent of limits placed on governments in Maine and Colorado. Of those two states, he told reporters, he leans toward the law passed in Maine that prevents taxation from exceeding the rate of annual population growth plus inflation measured under the Consumer Price Index.

Whether you’re a Holt supporter or not—and judging from the results of that limited poll, even without big campaign contributions he has plenty—it’s refreshing to see any political candidate who pledges to ease the enormous tax burden borne by Arkansans.

Holt says that if he can’t get this concept through the Legislature, he’ll try to place it on the ballot.

How radical, Jim, you Scripturesoaked, family-man, reactionary zealot, you. Just imagine allowing the people to vote on how heavily they want to tax themselves !

(and it goes on. click the link for rest of article).

Does the Bible Teach that Illegal Aliens are Entitled to All Public Benefits?

With some trepidation I present for your review a ten minute Bible study on the question of "Does Scripture Teach that Illegal Aliens are Entitled to All Public Benefits that Citizens Enjoy?".

For those of you who do not know or care what this is about I apologize for wasting the bandwidth. It seems some folks are accusing Sen. Jim Holt of Springdale of being less of a Christian than they are because of his opposition to giving taxpayer supported college scholarships to persons who are here illegally, as well as taking extra steps to make sure illegal aliens don't get other public benefits. They quote lot's of scripture so I thought it ought to be addressed, lest the casual observor think less of the Bible on account of only hearing one side.

Squeeze Here to listen to the MP3 file.

Concern About Dems Running as Republicans in NWA

A group of concerned Republican voters in Northwest Arkansas have formed the Conservative Republican Coalition of Northwest Arkansas to address the recent disturbing trend of Democrats posing as conservatives and filing for public office as Republicans. Led by Aaron Wolfe of Springdale, the group has made it their goal to make sure that the public is aware of the fact that these “recent converts” to the Republican Party are putting their own personal political ambition above political principle.

“We must question the motives of Kathy McFethridge and R. Shawn McGrew in switching political parties,” Wolfe said, “Both of them were beaten badly by Republican opponents in their previous political races. This election year conversion smacks of political opportunism.”

McFethridge who is now running for State Representative as a Republican in Springdale ran for the same office as a Democrat against Republican Jim Bob Duggar in 1998. In addition, she stated at a recent Republican Party candidate forum that she voted for Democrat Al Gore in the 2000 Presidential Election.

McGrew was, up until this year, a member of Benton County Democratic Committee and also the Arkansas Democratic Hispanic Caucus. He ran for Benton County JP in 2000 as a Democrat.

“We welcome those who share our ideas and principles to join the Republicans Party. We are the Big Tent Party,” Wolfe said, “We, also, realize that almost everyone in this state was at one point a Democrat; however, there is a difference between joining the Republican Party because of ideological kinship and using the Party for personal political gain.”

The Conservative Republican Coalition of Northwest Arkansas is grassroots organization committed to the conservative principles of limited government, lower taxation, and the traditional values that have made our country great.

awolfe1979@hotmail.com

Democratic Lite Gov. Debate

The Young Democrats sponsored a debate for Lt. Governor yesterday. The press account is here. It is well known some Democrats hang out on this site. Were any of you there? We would welcome your commentary.

Vital Statewide Races: State Supreme Court

Perhaps the two most vital votes to be held on May 23rd are those for State Supreme Court Justice. Judicial elections are held on a "non-partisan" basis. That means they appear on both Democratic and Republican primary ballots. The winner is usually determined right there. This time it will be. Folks who only vote in November will not get the chance to vote on what may be the most important races on the ballot.

Judge Roger Harrod is running against the incumbant, Judge Don Corbin. All I need to know about this race is that Corbin voted to uphold the Lakeview decision every time and Harrod has questioned the propriety of the courts taking it up again. That means Corbin has an expansive view of judicial power and needs the boot. Harrod may still have a bit more of an expansive view than Chief Justice Hannah and Justice Gunter (they are the only two who ruled correctly in the Lakeview case). We will see. All I know for sure is that the people need to send the judges a clear message about Judicial over-reach and this would be a great way to do it.

The other race lacks an incumbant so it is a bit more problematic. Judge Paul Danielson seems more qualified, but we like some things about Judge Wendell Griffen too. Especially Griffen's view that Judges should be free to discuss their views on political matters. Since he believes that, we wonder if he'd let us know where HE stands on Lakeview.

Even if Danielson is the best man for the job, Griffen is right about this one. Sure we have elections for judges, but the judges hide behind their so-called "ethical code" that says they can't talk about any issues. You have little or nothing to go on when deciding who to vote for. After they get in though, they sure don't mind making expansive rulings on those issues that they would not talk about during the campaign!

Anyone have some info on where these gentlemen might stand in regard to these matters?

Rural Schools Fight Back

Press release from some of the "Heros of Paron High".

Contact Information:
Ron Crawford
501.851.1700


The Paron Educational Preservation Alliance is announcing today the change of the organization’s name to The Rural Education Preservation Alliance as well as its intention to organize statewide support for legislation that would protect rural school districts in Arkansas. The Alliance is working to prevent what may happen to the Paron campus (grades 6-12), if its final appeal is denied by the State Board of Education, from happening in other rural school districts across the state.

“Paron did everything right. It was successful academically. It was sound financially, and it had voluntarily restructured under the Bryant Public School District. Yet, bureaucrats and politicians with a close down first attitude may be successful in shutting it down,” said Ron Crawford, organizer and spokesperson of the Alliance. “There are forces at work in Arkansas that are bent on closing down a lot of rural schools. We see what is happening in Paron as the tip of the iceberg. No rural school in Arkansas is safe.”

(for rest of article click "Friday" below and scroll down, or if sent directly here just scroll down.)

Fort Smith Debate

Maybe I should wait for one of the other contributors to post this one, but I am pumped about the Fort Smith debate.

I am clearly for Holt, so it would not do much good for me to say he won but I will anyway. He won. It was not a fair contest though, because thanks to Holt County Campaign chairman Lyndell Hobbs, that room was packed to the gills with Holt supporters. Fort Smith is not neutral territory. Since county committee members in the audience could ask questions, that made crowd composition even more critical than normal.

Sebastian County Chairman Kieth Gibson has developed a superior debate format that deserves to catch on. The moderator asks two questions which were answered by each of the candidates. Then members of the committee can address two questions to an individual candidate, the other candidates can address it, then the first candidate can rebut that.

Lastly, the candidates can ask each other a question. The answer gets a rebuttal.

(click "Friday" below and scroll down for article, or just scroll down if sent directly here).

Combatting Holt Hysteria With Humor

Supporters of the other candidates were hyperventalating about how terrible it would be if Senator Jim Holt won the Republican nomination for Lt. Governor on another blog. The Holt supporters responded with humor and it really got funny.

I am going to cut and paste some of their comments here. Click "Thursday" below and scroll down for the dialog.

Republican Assembly Endorses Holt, others.

The Arkansas Republican Assembly is a group of conservative county committee members who, unlike county committees, can make endorsements in primaries. They have released their endorsements. As Jim's Campaign Director, I am very pleased that we were able to meet their stringent requirement of getting two thirds of the delegates support in a three way race. It tracks closely with the polling data for Republican voters as a whole, once you consider this is an informed group that has no undecideds.

REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLY ENDORSES CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATES

In an attempt to promote conservative principles, delegates of the Arkansas Republican Assembly (ARRA) announced today their endorsement of Asa Hutchinson, Jim Holt, Gunner Delay, Jim Lagrone, Andy Mayberry, and John Boozman. Jim Holt is opposed by two other Republican candidates in the Tuesday, May 23 primary election.

Candidates or their representatives spoke to the delegates and answered their questions Saturday, April 8 at the ARRA sponsored the Special Convention in Russellville. Endorsement by the ARRA required a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote by the twenty-five delegates present.

Delegates were given opportunity to express support for or opposition to a candidate prior to the vote. Some candidates were not endorsed because they were not well known to the delegates.

The Arkansas Republican Assembly was chartered August 9, 1997 under the National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA) which has a 70 year history of success as a true grassroots organization. The NFRA and the ARRA are dedicated to working within the Republican Party to promote active participation of our members toward the endorsement, support and election of conservative Republican candidates.

ARRA is presently chartering county chapters and serving as a gathering point for fiscal and social conservatives. More information can be found at http://ar.gopwing.com/.

###
For more information about the Arkansas Republican Assembly, you may contact Dr. Pat Briney at 479-443-0510.

Huckabee : Liberal or Conservative Governor?

Wow. There is quite a hot dispute going on over just how conservative Governor Mike Huckabee has been in his 10 1/2 year reign.

In this interesting article by Aaron Sadler, Huckabee declares himself and his administration like this, ""If they look at my record over 10-and-a-half years, when I walk out this door, there's never been a more conservative governor in the history of Arkansas."

The conservative Club for Growth looks at that same record and disagrees. They describe Huckabee as "a liberal" for the large increases in social programs and substantial growth in government that have occured on his watch.

Former State Senator Peggy Jeffries of Fort Smith agrees. She is quoted as saying, "This governor has had 10 years to plan and promote his agenda, and he has not only not chosen a conservative policy in most areas, but he demeans those who attempt to hold the line on the growth of government and the increase of taxes,". Like I said, WOW. Jeffries is a Republican who was actually the Party's state committeewoman until this June.

Sadler note that Michael Dougan, a former Arkansas State University history professor and author of the history book Arkansas Odyssey, said expanding government has been status quo for the governor.

"The only thing he has managed to cut in his years in office has been his weight," Dougan said.

The Governor takes a hit for pushing for a state-wide smoking ban, which some complain is government infringement on the personal property rights of individuals. The Governor's position is that the health of other individuals outweighs any property rights a business owner might have and justifies state intervention. He answers conservative critics of his support for a state minimum wage increase by saying that it diffused an even worse proposal from making it to the ballot in November.

What is my opinion? I remember how bad it was before Mike Huckabee got here, so compared to that we don't have much to complain about. Still, conservatives hoped for a higher standard than being a better Governor than Bill Clinton and Jim Guy Tucker. On the pro-life issue, the Governor has been if not great at least very good. On car tags and streamlining that process he actually was great. On everything else, Mike Huckabee's 10 1/2 have been a sad disapointment and a time of lost opportunities.

Now, what is your assessment?

Lt. Governor Poll Results from CH 11 and Survey USA

Red= Jim Holt (59%)
Green= Undecided (22%)
Blue= Chuck Banks (12%)
Yellow= Doug Matayo (7%)

Please note that the survey questions were of likely republican primary voters. Any titles the men might have (Senator, State Rep) were not used. The margin of error is 5%

On the Democratic side Bill Halter leads with 33%. Tim Wooldridge and Mike Hathorn have 14 and 15%. There were more undecideds on the Democratic side.

The Most Slanted Paper in The State

We are now taking nominations for the most slanted newspaper in the state. This is the paper whose news and editorial coverage is most out of touch with the people that it is alleged to be serving.

I will start. The Hot Springs paper is insanely slanted in their "news coverage" if one can call it that. The community is overwhelmingly Republican, yet when Asa comes to town it only makes page seven. Then Bill Halter comes to town, a Democratic candidate for a lower office, and he gets three great looking full color pictures starting on page one.

How do the Republicans in that community feel about such obvious bias? How about the supporters of the other Democrats for Lt. Governor? Make YOUR nominations.

The Heros of Paron High

Paron High has higher tests scores than Bryant, even though it spends less money per student. In Paron, there are reports that teachers can still pray and share scriptures with students. In other words, it is a traditional community school, not a modernist education factory controlled from a distant capitol. That is why the statists want it gone, and every school like it. The statist Borg machine tells us that "resistence is futile, you will be assimilated". In the case of Paron, it looks like the Borg are correct.

It started in 2004 with the bone-headed "administrative consolidation". Even "conservative republicans" went around saying that this would not close down any schools, that it was administrative consolidation only. A handful of legislators who were delusional enough to still believe in people being in charge of their own lives, tried to warn us this was coming, but were shouted down by the liberal media and their own colleagues who thought they had all the angles figured.

(click "Tuesday" below and scroll down for rest of article, or if sent directly here just scroll down)

Hutchinson Stresses Commitment to Rural Education

Is Mike Beebe a Friend or Foe of Rural Education?

Mike Bebee has convinced many superintendents across the state that he is a friend of rural education. However, Jeremey Hutchinson is quoted in the paper as complaining that Attorney General Mike Beebe’s office was working behind the scenes to kill the bill that Hutchinson had proposed (HB1014) in an effort to possibly save the campus of a small rural school from being closed. Hutchinson's bill could have prevented several other schools from being closed in the future. ("Senate panel fails to back bill to save rural high school" by Blomeley, ADG).

If Bebee is a friend of rural education, then why was he trying to kill Hutchinson's bill which could save numerous schools in the future, if indeed he was?

If Beebe is really a friend of rural education, how is he going to deal with those powerful Democrat leaders in his party like Senator Argue and others who have advocated county wide school districts for 10 years now. The AR Democrat Gazette reported on 3-24-93: "One school-consolidation bill at this session was introduced by Representative Jim Argue of Little Rock. Massive in scope, it would provide that each county in Arkansas would have but one school district by July 1, 1995."

The paper also quoted Jeremy Hutchinson as saying, “If you’re going to work behind the scenes to kill a bill, you ought to be public when you’re an elected official...People should know where you stand."

"Hoofman said he met with several legislators to tell them the concerns of Senior Assistant Attorney General Tim Gauger, Beebe’s lead lawyer on the Lake View case, named for the tiny Phillips County district that filed the funding lawsuit in 1992. He said Gauger was busy Friday morning but was ready to testify on the bill if it came up later in the day," the paper reported.

It seems likely there are some interesting dividing lines forming since Asa Hutchinson has also made some significant statements about rural education, saying recently in a speech, "Arkansas is a rural state, either we find a way to help our rural schools or we will have to reshape our entire state."

Any information on where these two men stand on this rural education issue would be appreciated.

Little Rock Protest for Illegal Immigration

Does anyone have a report on the protest today? Here is a shot from one in Dallas.
Photo by Stephan Seagraves

"Sign Gate" Mystery Solved!

Doug Matayo and Drew Griffin signs sit in a collection pile for improperly placed signs at the Arkansas Highway Department's facility on Highway 112 near Fayetteville. This is one of many such area facilities where improperly displayed signs are deposited.

Recently the Holt Campaign has had to endure hysterical claims from supporters of Representative Doug Matayo that Holt supporters had been stealing signs . Of course, the Holt campaign did not take down Matayo's signs and replace them with their own. We do think we know who took down the Matayo signs though. These photos were taken today. We think if the Matayo campaign will check at the four Arkansas Highway Department facilities in the area they will find their missing signs.



Here is an example of improper sign placement. This is at an insurance agency in Bentonville. The sign is closer to the road than the telephone poles. Any sign closer to the road than the telephone poles is considered in the public easement and is removed by state highway department personnel. Will this be the next sign that they claim is "stolen by Holt supporters" once Highway Department Personnel make a sweep through the area?

On Donations from People Your Office Does Business With

Much has been made, as it should be, of the fact that Attorney General Mike Bebee has accepted numerous and large donations from Entergy even though he is charged with regulating that industry in order to protect the people from excessive rate hikes. The Republican candidate to replace Mr. Bebee is Gunner DeLay, who has vowed not to take campaign contributions from the people he is supposed to be regulating.

Well it turns out the practice of taking campaign contributions from the people that your state office deals with is more widespread than just the AG's office. It also appears that Democratic Secretary of State Charlie Daniels takes contributions from an architectual firm that does work for his state office, such as the Capitol Dome itself. The Republican candidate for that office, Jim LaGrone, has vowed not to take campaign contributions from businesses that have contracts with his office.

Fighting the Natural Progession of Things

Thomas Jefferson noted that "it is the natural progression of things for government to grow and liberty to yield ground".

The "liberty caucus" in the Arkansas Legislature is a mighty small group this year, while the "government gaining ground" caucus is larger than ever. It includes many who campaigned as "conservative Republicans" and "conservative Democrats".

Let's look at some of the key votes. SB 27 was the probably the biggest spending bill of the session, and it was done with f;awed language that assumes it is right and proper for the courts to order the legislature to spend more of your money. The "Liberty Caucus" in the 100 member house on this bill is as follows....

(click "Friday" below and scroll down for rest of article, if sent directly here just scroll down)

SB 27 Would Put 66 Districts in Fiscal Distress

60 districts in danger of fiscal distress if they have to pay 3.3% for teacher salaries

According to figures we were given, about 60 districts will probably not be able to pay the salary increases without going into fiscal distress, thus putting their continued existence in jeopardy if the 3.3% increase in minimum teacher salaries bill passes. (We haven't had time to determine these figures but know it will affect many districts)

The small schools who are paying the minimum salary now will not receive enough increase in funding to pay the 3.3% salary increase to teachers without going into fiscal distress.

This is the exact OPPOSITE of the Supreme Court said when it ruled in favor of the 49 districts who sued the state for not giving them enough money to meet state mandates. Wouldn't we just be back in court if this happens.

House Speaker Bill Stovall is supporting a teacher salary increase that tracks the increase in funding: 1.6% in 2005-2006 and 2.4% in 2006-2007.

Please vote for Stovall's proposal. We don't need more children on 3 & 4 hr. bus rides and entire communities disrupted, and we don't need the expense of more court cases

Increased teacher salaries are a good thing, but the state should pay for any increases they require the schools to give.

_Iris Stevens and Lavina Grandon

Don't Call Us- We Won't Call You

Those of you who may have tried to leave a message for one of your Senators may know that someone has made a decision not to man the in-session phones. There is no way to leave a message to your public servants. Apparently they can't take time out to get messages from the people who elected them. The House number is up.

Please don't tell me it is a "cost saving" measure. They are down there spending hundreds of millions of dollars, but they don't want to pay three operators for a week to take messages? They could probably get pages to do it for nothing.

What are they so busy with that they don't have time to hear from us?

Runaway State Courts-The Holt Solution

Senator Jim Holt will introduce a resolution that will allow the state a way out of the Lakeview crisis without a tax increase and will allow the state to reverse recent legislation that destroyed the last vestiges of local control of schools.

The resolution will state that the intent of the legislature is to refer a constitutional amendment to the people which expressly states what the court should have known all along- that it is beyond their authority to set spending for the state's schools.

(Click "Wednesday" below and scroll down for the text of the resolution, or if sent directly to this page just scroll down)

A Great Day for Socialism in the Arkansas Ledge

Well, the "conservatives" in the ledge have determined that the government of Arkansas is wise enough to step in and set wages. I don't know what the vote in the House was, but the Senate vote was 28-1, with a few sitting this one out. The bill had more co-sponsors than it did votes.

Other than Kim Hendren of Rogers, who abstained, no one really even spoke against the bill.

The next piece of anti-freedom legislation up the pike is the bill where the state of Arkansas tells every business in the state that they must ban smoking in the workplace. I guess next they will have to fund an army of "smoke police" to enforce their totalitarian nanny state. David Sanders understands freedom. He wrote a darn good column about this issue. The puzzling thing about him is that he does not back candidates that agree with his philosophy.

(/sm) We must have the most brilliant set of legislators in history. Not only are they smart enough to set wages for every business in the state, they also can prescribe the personal habits of employees while on the job, regardless of type of business or desires of the owner. I am especially impressed with all of the "conservative Republicans" who consistently vote to grow and centralize government and restrict personal freedom. Way to go guys. (end of sarcasm mode)

Moore Responds to Chuck Banks' Press Release Against Holt

Quotes from Mr. Banks’ press release are in italics.

Banks: It has come to my attention that my opponent Jim Holt’s campaign has been making incorrect accusations about me.

What accusations? Please name them! All we have done is accurately state the positions of the candidates so that voters can make up their own minds based on the facts. This is normally a very civil and mannerly part of the process. Mr. Banks talks about expanding pre-K. Mr. Banks was for the failed highway bond issue. He favors building bullet trains. He wants a repeat of the 1986 program that waived deportation and gave many illegal aliens a fast track to citizenship. We don’t “accuse” him of these things any more than we “accuse” Jim Holt of being pro-life and anti-tax. How in the world can people make up their minds who to vote for unless the candidates make clear what separates them on the issues?

(click "Monday" below for the rest of article, then scroll down. If sent directly to article just scroll down)

Holt Responds to Bank's Press Release

I'm sorry that Chuck feels that way. I try to follow the "Reagan Rule" of "thou shall not speak ill of fellow republican". You may ask my other republican opponents in the past if I have ever "gone after them". I have not.

I talk about the bright hope for this state and its people. I talk about the demise of bigger government which will lead us to more freedom. To do that, we must talk about issue differences between the candidates. This by no means belittles Chuck or his character.

Mr. Banks has raised some questions about me taking an "un-republican" stance of advocating local control of schools. I submit respectfully that there is nothing more conservative, or Republican, or American than that “the government that governs least governs best”. Ronald Reagan was a strong proponent of local control of schools. The people of Arkansas and I understand that for an excellent school system to exist, we must once again give the people of the local communities ownership of their school system. I encourage all Arkansans to study this issue. Look at the history of court takeovers of school systems. The school systems do not improve. The one constant in this equation is "parental involvement". A centrally controlled and micromanaged school system will discourage parental involvement and make our elected school boards impotent.

Senator Dave Bisbee, Senator Terry Smith and other representatives have stated that they see no reason to take money out of the tax-payers pockets other than the courts are mandating it. I wonder if Mr. Banks would claim that my colleagues are also extreme. If the legislature allows this to happen, we will not be a "representative republic", which is, a government of, by and for the people. But rather, we will be ruled by the "Supreme" court. Thus, the court mandates everything and our constitutional form of government which demands separation of powers and checks and balances is null and void. That is un-Republican and un-American; because the very definition of tyranny, according to the founders, is that all control is located in one place. Our state and nations constitutions demand that the legislative branch makes the laws and has control of the purse strings....not the courts.