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.