LETTERS
Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2007
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Editorial/210484/
Improve corporate oversight
Everyone keeps debating what should be done about illegal immigrants. My biggest problem is the lack of corporate accountability.
The only requirements employers currently have are to keep documentation given to them by the employee, such as work visas and other identification. This sounds fine when you’re talking about a workplace that has 10 employees, but when you look at large corporations with thousands of employees, there are complications.
These corporations could have 20 employees with the exact same identification information, and there are no federal requirements for them to look at their own records to see if there are irregularities. Apparently, they don’t have to do anything until the government tells them there are irregularities. This could take months, years, or it might never happen. It wouldn’t be that difficult to ask companies with over 100 employees to check their employees against each other and make sure that there aren’t repeated or suspicious documents. Follow this up with a very large fine for non-compliance and I imagine it would become much more difficult for illegals in America to find the jobs that seem so readily available right now. While everyone keeps talking about immigrants taking jobs from Americans, I think we should be talking more about the people who are giving those jobs away and why Congress is allowing it to happen.
AMBER BOYD / Fayetteville
U.S. values will be tested
All 43 presidents in our country’s 231-year history have been white males. Obviously, real presidential contenders are limited to Rudy Giuliani, John Edwards and Mike Huckabee. Too many people in our country are too biased to respect a minority candidate, and sexist men cannot fathom the idea of a woman president.
Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will face scrutiny solely because of their appearance and gender. This is the country we live in. I could not imagine running and attempting to break a barrier over two centuries old, just to face discrimination from fellow Americans. Giuliani is leading the charge for Republican candidates. He has gained national recognition for being New York City’s mayor during the World Trade Center crisis and he will go a long way in some voters’ eyes for this reason. Giuliani is a clear-cut leader in recent polls for Republican candidates. Arkansas’ own Huckabee is now generating national attention and is slightly ahead of John Mc-Cain and Fred Thompson. The coming presidential race promises to be a good one. Clinton and Obama are quickly descending into uncharted territory for females and minorities. Firm, old-fashioned Americans will be unlikely to vote for either Clinton or Obama, which may prove valuable to the Republicans. More will be learned about Americans’ beliefs, values and preferences in the coming months.
TUCKER WEATHERFORD / Jacksonville
Anti-Nutt fans hurt UA
I’ve been a Razorback fan since 1957; had season tickets until the mid-1990 s, but since most of the games were moved to the campus, I stopped. I still go to a game in Little Rock every year. I listen to the games on the radio but don’t get quite as carried away when they win or lose. I read the paper every day and listen to some of the talk shows. I have never in my life seen such a bunch of babies as we have for fans. We ran off a coach who I think had the University of Arkansas first and foremost in his heart. Someone wrote a letter and said that Mitch Mustain was benched because he called Houston Nutt a dork in a book. So Nutt waited till almost the end of the season to sit him on the bench when we had a chance to go to the BCS as part of an evil plot to make him transfer ? What really gets to me are the kamikaze pilots who flew the banners over the field during the games. Who are you ? Do you have the guts to come forward and let everybody know ? All you have done is make the university a laughingstock and scattered our recruits to the wind. Thanks.
WILLIAM HAYES / North Little Rock
Fallacies easily spotted
Find the fallacies: 1. 98 percent of Americans are Christians 2. The rest are atheists. 3. Atheists should be burnt at the stake by us Christians. 4. Christians should only shop at stores that post a cross on the front and don’t permit non-Christians to shop there. 5. The only holiday in December or January is Christmas. The fallacies are: 1. Far less than 98 percent of Americans claim to be Christians. Claiming and being are two different things. 2. Non-Christians include Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Unitarians, Hindus, Sikhs, agnostics and lots of other beliefs beside. 3. Christians don’t want to burn anyone at the stake for their beliefs. 4. Religious labeling for stores and shops doesn’t make any sense. 5. There are numerous other religious and non-religious holidays in December and January. The above was inspired by a “Christian” from Jacksonville, sending a “stern message” about “tolerance” in letters to the editor.
ROBERT JOHNSTON / Little Rock
Focus on Cotton Bowl
We need to focus on the Cotton Bowl and rally the support from Arkansans for the Razorbacks football team. The media need to turn Houston “Nutts” loose. He’s gone, history. Why keep bringing him back ?
Can you find more important subjects to write about ? How about the 8-0 Ladybacks ? How about the upcoming baseball season and John Pelphrey and his boys ? Enough. Let’s move on.
R. N. GIBBONS / Fort Smith
Politics the wrong venue
The probability of two jokes from Hope, Bill Clinton and then Mike Huckabee, being president is someone’s demagoguery, not representative democracy. Huckabee’s depth became apparent when they published his masterpiece about how to eat with a knife and fork. No surprise that it went over big in Arkansas, but who could have expected it to sweep the nation ? His preaching the gospel before he could even lift the King James Bible could account for him obscuring his political background as well as he obscures the sayings—red print only—of Christ. Just on the Western-world stage, this Southern Baptist thing could be confusing. South of what ? Even mainline Baptists—define that the way you wish—can’t get into many nations to do business, so how could this fellow be seriously accepted ? Since the physical return of Christ is long overdue and some denominations, as well as individuals, are leaning toward God’s kingdom here on Earth with what we have, Huckabee might have a better future out of politics. This kingdom will need a godhead, but who will it be ? Numerically, it should be the pope, but it could just as well be Huckabee operating out of his Little Rock consulate in Mexico City.
DON RICHARDSON / Ash Flat
Broyles could be coach
Perhaps by year’s end there can be peace in the valley and solace in the highlands of the Razorback nation. The search for Houston Nutt’s replacement has been troubling. I would have favored offering Reggie Herring a year’s contract with unqualified support and encouragement. Frank Broyles should be designated honorary coach for the Razorback 2008 Cotton Bowl game.
THOMAS B. SCOTT / Prairie Grove
What really happened?
What happened to the thousands of people who showed up on March 30, 2000, for the benefit barbecue for Danny Nutt and his family ? The event was brought to you by David Bazzel and the very generous Jennings Osborne family. Thousands showed up at $ 50 a plate. At that time, Houston Nutt could have run for governor and won. By the way, Mike Huckabee was serving the food. Now we’re FOIing Danny’s records to see if he’s freeloading on the state payroll. We’re accusing Houston of costing Little Rock a home game, costing Darren Mc-Fadden the Heisman Award and ruining Marcus Monk’s NFL career. What Houston did do was step out there one year and try to recruit a national championship from that bunch from Springdale. Look what it cost him. There’s one coach in America who might squeeze six wins out of this team next year. Wally Hall and his prima-donna fans just fired him, not the University of Arkansas. If you think the divide is wide now, check on it in November 2008. So what really happened ? I’ll tell you one of these days.
DUANE HEARD / Little Rock
Critics don’t understand
I read the story on Judith Hollows with a wry smile and a sad shake of my head. Another Christmas season is nearing, but the true meaning of Christmas is dormant in Springdale. An administrator of a health center, who lost one patient to Hollows’ care, complained. Hollows was operating without a license. Hollows ’ subsequent request for a conditional-use permit to operate without penalty was denied.
Neighbors want her enterprise moved out of the neighborhood; it could affect property values. Another neighbor, a retired Navy nurse, has reported Hollows to the state Board of Nursing and the Office of Long-Term Care. This neighbor apparently has never had a parent or grandparent in a nursing home, as I have.
Following a written order to have my grandmother “up in a chair four hours a day,” I found her arms and chest bound to the chair, her head slumped forward. Her breathing began [with a sound like ] the low roar of a freight train. I recognized [the ] breathing, got her released to bed, crawled up on it and held her while she died. Nursing homes are underpaid and understaffed was the explanation. Perhaps some of these neighbors could volunteer for an hour or two a day with Hollows and her residents before they continue their critical crusade. The heart of giving care and becoming skillful is in doing it day after day with a loving spirit and a sense of humor. God bless Hollows for her willingness to give care, and God grant those who criticize her the gift of understanding.
NOELLE M. BRANNON / Eureka Springs
Existence is penalized
Just to summarize the proposed law for Little Rock as the recent news story, “Pit-bull regulations make LR board meeting agenda,” seems to outline: In Little Rock, the owner of any pit bull with no record of biting anyone would be required to pay for his dog being photographed (i. e., a mug shot ) and their dog being identified with a microchip (i. e., fingerprinted ), and would have to ensure that the dog lived continually in handcuffs (i. e., must live either indoors or in an absolute enclosure outside or must be muzzled ). Is anyone going to read the pit bulls their Miranda rights ? The crime of these dogs ? They exist. Their mere existence would be a crime that the owner must pay the fines for. I certainly hope the same committee is not in charge of law enforcement or race relations in Little Rock.
THAD BEAGLE / Batesville
Feedback: Take off those glasses
Whoever wrote the editorial dismissing any nefarious influence on the high price of oil is viewing the world through rose-colored glasses. A gallon of gas was about $ 2 during the fall of 2006. Does the editorialist really think that demand for oil has increased by 50 percent in one year’s time ? It’s not a coincidence that price spikes are tied to the Bush administration’s bellicose rhetoric. The most recent surge followed the president’s comments about Iran’s nuclear ambitions; he stated that allowing Iran to enrich uranium was tantamount to enabling World War III. Since then, the National Intelligence Estimate has debunked that erroneous assertion. I’m sure the administration is formulating another unsubstantiated statement that will drive prices higher.
DAVID SHOWERS / Springdale
Priorities made clear
Yada, yada, yada. Houston Nutt in, Nutt out. Jim Grobe in, Grobe out. What next ? Do you suppose the University of Arkansas spends even half the time, money and energy choosing a good professor ? Makes it pretty clear where the priorities lie, doesn’t it ? And all these many years I had thought that colleges and universities were established to provide and advocate education. How wrong can one be ?
PEGGY GANT / Yellville