New Redistricting Map Appears Just Before Deadline

Governor Mike Beebe and Attorney General Dustin McDaniel have dropped new House Redistricting maps on us less than 36 hours before the deadline. The two maps appear to be identical.

This just emphasizes again, though no further emphasis was necessary, what a fraud the whole process of "public input" was for Joe Woodson and these two men. Our imperial masters grant us a full day to examine the new state house lines which they will impose on us for an entire decade.

As near as I can tell, the new maps don't fix any of the complaints about the old ones. Mike Beebe still picks on girls, and the people of Randolph County. The Black Caucus is still going to lose two minority-majority districts in the house. This shiv in the back is their reward for their faithful service to Sun King Beebe.

Anybody out there know why Beebe and McDaniel pulled this capricious stunt? There are lots of changes, but the only significant one I see is that Republican David Sanders will not have to move now. The map a week ago basically put him outside of what was the rest of his district. Now he can take his house off the market. Maybe it was a reward for Sanders steering the GOP into the disaster of a "listening tour" that was actually a corporate-sponsored fundraiser where they were listening to lobbyists! That event involved Congressman Steve Womack in a way that violated federal campaign finance law, and Womack wants them to give the money back! I am joking about that being the reason, but I wonder what the actual reason is. Why is Beebe changing the map at the last hour in a way that benefits Republican Sanders while leaving so many others that were smacked before stay smacked?

Take a look at that map and see how little sense it makes in district 61 or 80 or many other places. County lines mean almost nothing on this map. They spread districts out over five counties when they could have put them in two. Whatever the reason those two had for dropping a new map on us, it wasn't for the good of the people of Arkansas. If they had been concerned about that, they would have shown us maps weeks or even months ago, like the minority member of the Apportionment board did- Secretary of State Mark Martin.