Wonderful Opportunity to Build Community~

If we think that the fight for liberty is entirely on the steps of the capital, whether in Little Rock or Washington we are misinformed and misguided. The fight for liberty lies first and foremost in the hearts and minds of the citizens.

Being just a week from Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner I want to encourage you as you and your family prepare, sincerely consider your neighbors and community.

There’s no denying that now, more than any other time in my 44 years of life, people are in financial stress. In Arkansas nearly half a million people live in poverty. A recent published study shows Arkansas had the highest percentage of residents who lack consistent access to nutritious and well-balanced meals during the past three years while more than half of children enrolled in Arkansas’ public schools depend on free or reduced-price meals.

Arkansas children rank third worst in the nation with 26.9 percent living in poverty in 2009, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. I read in the paper on Monday that 772 homes were scheduled for foreclosure in October just in Washington and Benton Counties alone. Wool, according to Bloomberg, has gone up 70 percent already this year and retailers like Gap, Wal-Mart and Penny’s may soon have to raise clothing prices upwards of 30 percent.

Then there is gasoline at the pump jumping 4.5 percent nationally and KFSM reported: “AAA says in just the last week Arkansas gas prices have risen by nearly seven cents a gallon, to an average of $2.67. In Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley, it’s even higher. The price per gallon is up nine cents.” On April 5^th a study reported that Arkansas was the 10^th most dangerous state to live in.

Seems like everywhere you look there is bad news unless you consider this a wonderful opportunity to truly engage in our communities and become even more deeply and personally connected with our neighbors. We also need to invest in our families not necessarily with money, but with our friendship and our time.

If our families are strong and our education is strong our crime rate also will drop. Everything in society becomes better with strong families and caring communities. It is vitally important for us to shore up our communities, whether you think there are rougher times ahead or just to cure the effects of what has
happened thus far.

So consider inviting your neighbors and less fortunate people to your home for a warm meal and a time of fellowship. Think about serving at a soup kitchen, donating to a shelter. You can adopt a family through your church or civic group for the holidays. Most would agree that giving gifts is far more rewarding that receiving them.

One more unsolicited suggestion ~ this year our family will concentrate more on needs than on wants. Different times call for different perspectives and measures~

God Speed

Change or Argument?

WOW we are barely a week out of the gate and the first test of how Arkansas legislators will work with TEA Parties has been a success. On Thursday we got word through the AP that Senator Elect Boozman was “undecided” on the ban of earmarks, which sent colossal reaction through the web-o-sphere.

Imagine for a moment how many times you have formed a misimpression or mistaken conclusion because you failed to think-through, or seek out, the actual facts of a situation in your life. Most people will do this without thinking, or realizing the mistake they are making by acting with inadequate information.

Add to that the fact that today, more than ever in our nation’s history, there are groups of people who want you to act out of emotion rather than rational thought. They intentionally spread falsehoods and half truths just to elicit a knee-jerk reaction. The last thing they want others to do is thinking or taking time to check the facts before they spread misinformation, or act on the untruths.

This situation is only aggravated by the fact that anyone with a laptop or an I-phone is able to misinform thousands of others at a moment’s notice – even intentionally.

In fact, it actually wouldn’t be much of a stretch at all to say that most of us make daily decisions affecting our lives based on inadequate or incomplete information. So my obligation to inform myself as completely as possible stretches well beyond the world of politics.

My hope is that we, The TEA Party people in Arkansas want to be the people who are rational, deal with facts and resist the urge to go on rants based on misconceptions and emotion, giving way to the forces that seek to divide us, are desirous of us being reactionary and unproductive.

The truth is if we want to keep our ability to be effective and fruitful we must stop reacting to sound bites and spinning people up when we don’t have all the information. We are going to have to practice patience, thoughtfulness and diligence.

From speaking with Senator Elect Boozman last night and this morning I am convinced he did exactly what the people of Arkansas mandated he do since winning in the landslide election on Nov 2^nd , took time to read the bill, spent 2 hours (just that I know of) on the phone listening to the concerns of his constituents and did his due diligence.

I for one appreciate Senator Elect Boozman’s willingness not to be reactionary and to want to know more about what he is getting us into.

I am hopeful that if we come alongside our representatives, instead of constantly laying for them to get caught, we will make change. But if we are more interested in arguments and headlines then we will not accomplish much for all the hard work that has been done~

Ballot Box or Battle Field~ You decide~

Where do the candidates you are voting for stand on the issues? Think it’s not important? You might want to think again?

Only 64 days until the Bush Tax Cuts expire, what will it cost you? Calculate here.

Cap-N-Trade is waiting in the wings for the newly elected to decide on when the settle into Washington, what will that cost you? Calculate here.

There’s a lot of talk going on about tax cuts. I think Barbara Wallis of Bald Knob, AR summed the rhetoric up pretty good in her letter to the editor of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette yesterday (Oct 27^th)~

“I am a little confused about the tax cuts set to expire on Dec. 31. I know they were implemented by President George W. Bush 10 years ago during a Republican administration.

The Democrats have always said that the tax cuts were for the wealthy friends of the Republicans. Of course, the Republicans denied this, saying all citizens received them.

Now the Democrats are saying they might be willing to continue the tax cuts beyond Dec. 31 for middle- and low-income families. How is it possible to continue tax cuts to these folks when the Democrats have claimed all along that they didn’t get them? Just wondering.”

In just 5 days Americans will decide the complexion of law makers in our states and nation.

In the 2010 Primary election in Arkansas only 16% of registered voters bothered to take part in the process. The county with the largest turnout was Stone County with a whopping 44% (tongue firmly planted in cheek) and numbers tumbled from there, no other county had more than 35% and some in the single digits, Benton County being the smallest turnout with just 5% of her citizens

I hope and pray the adage “Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don’t vote.” Is not our reflective thought on November 3^rd.

Michael Yost, Executive Director of American Majority Minnesota posted: MAKE THOSE PHONE CALLS AND KNOCK ON THOSE DOORS! Which if applied correctly will prove to push some wonderful conservative candidates over the top in the next 4 days. There is STILL time for you to make a difference for ARKANSAS~ there are GREAT conservative candidates that need YOU!! Some of these races are so close that just a few votes will matter! Call the candidates offices and see what you can do to help TODAY! CHANGE BEGINS WITH YOU!

Judge Heaves Unfounded Smears

The Arkansas Supreme Court race between Arkansas Court of Appeals Judge Karen Baker and Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Tim Fox is one that captured my attention early due to the importance of the position. I would contend that this is one of the most crucial races in our state for the simple fact that one of these two people will be the one that decides how the law is applied to Arkansas citizens. Those chosen to sit on the Arkansas Supreme Court should be sound constitutionalist that will protect the citizens of Arkansas, comply with and fairly enforce the law.

On May 13^th I entered two post: Supreme Court Justice Race and Questions For Tim Fox which laid out my findings on each candidate after meeting them both in person, making myriad phone calls and researching each of their judicial records.

Needless to say after all the time I invested in this research I had made up my mind who to vote for, but then the commercials started. Driving around one day I heard this ad paid for by Tim Fox~ http://ow.ly/2XZyH. Basically the ad accuses Judge Baker and her staff of taking 2 years of paid vacation time, wasting over a quarter of a million dollars in tax payer money and only working 2 days a week over the last 10 years.

Umm talk about a lump in the throat. Since I am constantly encouraging others to get the facts, I hopped on the phone. I wanted to know the source of Judge Fox’s accusations, as of today Sunday Oct. 24^th, 9:a.m. (several days later) I have received no return phone call from Judge Fox or anyone from his campaign. I am still waiting.

Being that we are just a little over a week outside the election and I feel like I need an answer sooner rather than later, I called the offices of: the Arkansas Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals and the State Auditor’s office. People in each office told me they knew the allegations to be false but that they were prohibited to comment on “elections”, so no one would go on the record.

One person I talked to said she nearly wrecked her car when she heard the ad because she could not believe a judge would tell such an outright lie. Another said “it is disgusting a Judge could blatantly lie like that.”

I am still searching for the “court records that show” Judge Baker took “2 years paid vacation”. According to the 3 offices I spoke with no such records exist.

I did reach Judge Baker whom explained to me that the allegations in that ad were unfounded and completely false. Now Judge Baker has produced this ad http://ow.ly/2XZFl

As a matter of fact in my conversation with Judge Baker she told me these facts about her work record.

· After the delivery (c-sections I should add) of her son she did not take maternity leave and still kept up with regular case load.

· She has only taken two weeks’ vacation each year split into one week periods.

· The only holidays she has taken are Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.

· She has written over 70-80 publications annually.

· She takes 2-3 trips to Little Rock per week for meetings and the rest of the time works from her home office which is within her district as is the case with other Court of Appeals Judges.

· She has 6-9 cases per week except on non-submission weeks which average about 8 a year which include her 2 weeks of vacation and the holiday season of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.

We discussed her working from home, which in fact saves the tax payers of her district thousands of dollars a year not having to keep office space, utilities, insurance etc. And if any of you, like me, work from home you know that you continually work.

It is particularly disturbing to me that a candidate for the highest court in Arkansas would not only participate in but pay for the spreading of “blatant lies” and intentionally be deceptive for political gain.

I believe it to be incumbent on the Arkansas Bar Association and his colleagues to hold Judge Fox accountable for such egregious abuse of peoples trust.

If you have any information that would help me to better understand how a candidate for the Arkansas Supreme Court Race can so apparently abuse the truth please let me know~

UPDATE~ Here is a link that is the "court documents" that are the proof of Judge Baker's work schedule http://bit.ly/a3ccu6.

This is nothing more than the courts calendar, if this is the type of "evidence" Judge Fox would use to alter/destory the future of an Arkansan's life, do we want him on the Supreme Court of Arkansas?

Ballot Issues in Arkansas

Just when you think you know something, it’s time to examine the facts. I have spent several hours actually reading, researching and calling Arkansas legislators to get the FACTS on the ballot issues that face Arkansans on Nov 2nd .

This post is an attempt to give people the information gleaned as a result. I hope you will read this information, do your own research and then pass it on. Knowledge is power, but only when shared!
The three issues are located at this link where you can read the entire bill if you wish. My personal findings are found below.
http://www.votenaturally.org/2010_ballot_issues.html
Additionally this link provides the most objective information I could find.
http://ppc.uaex.edu/ballot/default.htm

Issue No. 1
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 3 IS TO
AMEND THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION TO PROVIDE FOR
A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO HUNT, FISH, TRAP, AND
HARVEST WILDLIFE.

Issue No. 1 to my knowledge is cut and dry, it gives the citizens of
Arkansas the Constitutional right to hunt, fish, trap and harvest
wildlife. I encourage you to go to the Public Policy Center link for more details.

[UPDATE]~ There has been some concern expressed over Issue #1 and how it reads, using the word "regulation" One school of thought I have seen expressed from different points of view is if you don't understand it or like the way it is written vote no~

Issue No. 2
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 1004
PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF
ARKANSAS CONCERNING THE INTEREST RATE LIMITS.

This is the one to make blood shoot from your eyes. On its face (if it had only one) this amendment would boil down to: Do I stand on the foundation of free markets and individual liberties or not? The way I understand this is it will allow business owners to charge up to 17 percent on lines of credit. While I believe this is excessive, people also do not have to purchase their goods from merchants who charge this rate.

The challenge is there are 5 caveats to this ONE issue, which may explain why there has been a lawsuit filed against it even being placed on the ballot. “A challenge to Arkansas Issue 2 was filed with the Arkansas Supreme Court opposing the measure and asking the court to take the issue off of the November ballot. The lawsuit argues that the measure violates single-subject law and that the proposal combines three separate issues into one measure, sidestepping the limit on Arkansas Legislature to refer only up to three measures in an election year.” (http://ow.ly/2U2tc) No wonder it’s such a challenge to understand and explain.

Since this post was made on BallotPedia, there have been two more issues added.

Currently merchants of higher-end goods such as furniture and appliances are not able to offer in-house lending. Instead, they must send credit customers out of state, putting Arkansas businesses at a disadvantage and diverting that interest revenue to other states. For instance, if you go to buy furniture and you want to finance it, the seller today must solicit your loan from an out- of- state lender or lose money on the loan because our interest rate is capped so low. If not for all the gook all jam-stuffed into this one it might be a different story, but it usurps the Arkansas Constitution.

For more details see Public Policy Center

Issue No. 3
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 1007
TO AMEND AMENDMENT 82 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF
ARKANSAS TO AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO
ESTABLISH CRITERIA BEFORE AUTHORIZING THE
ISSUANCE OF BONDS FOR PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYERS
PLANNING AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECT.

This Issue No.3, in my opinion, expands the role of government in the private sector and creates a “slush fund” for legislators. Under Amendment 82, the State of Arkansas already can issue bonds for the purpose of providing infrastructure and other needs to attract companies that plan to invest a minimum of $500 million dollars and hire a minimum of 500 new employees. This was used in the case of a wind turbine business, LM Glasfiber that came to Arkansas in 2007, but has yet to fulfill the obligations set forth in the Amendment. As a matter of fact this company promised to have 1000 employees in the first 5 years and at the three year mark has less than 300, having two layoffs in 2009 and has only invested to date $95 million. Yet, Arkansans have spent $14,900,000.00 tax payer dollars though funds and grants giving “incentives” to LM Glasfiber to come to our state. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse this company has a “27-year exemption from the state corporate income tax.”

This “amendment to the amendment” would set the bar lower, thereby allowing legislators to give bonds to businesses at their discretion to attract them to Arkansas. In my view this also is an attempt to gain more control of who comes and who goes. The advocates for this issue say it will help draw businesses to our state. My thoughts: If we lower our tax rates on businesses (Arkansas today is ranked a woeful 40th in the nation for business tax climate) and stop regulating them to death, then the free markets will naturally attract businesses here. The primary reason we are avoided now is because of our onerous tax burdens.

Allowing legislators the power to decide “winners and losers” in the free market, while knowing that Arkansas continues to experience revenue shortfalls and budget restrictions and being the nation’s 12th fastest growing state growing in debt, it’s a step in the wrong direction for Arkansas to give new authority to increase debt.

For more details see Public Policy Center

REASONS ARKANSANS NEED TO GET OUT THE VOTE (GOTV)

The vast majority of Arkansans (around 61 percent) are strongly dissatisfied with the direction of our nation and over 51 percent of Arkansans say their economic situation is fair or poor compared to 5 years ago.

Arkansas is ranked 10th worst place to retire . We have amazing people, a good climate and our cost of living is excellent but (and it is one big but) our tax loads are among the most burdensome in the nation. Arkansas’ State/Local Tax Burden is above national average estimated now at 10.0% of income; Arkansas’ state/local tax burden percentage stands at 14th nationally, above the national average of 9.7%. Arkansas taxpayers pay $3,351 per capita in state and local taxes.

Under our current Arkansas leadership- Congressman Mike Ross (D), who receives a 36% from the Conservative American Union and 26% from Club for Growth and Senator Blanche Lincoln (D), a 19% and 20% (respectively) along with Governor Mike Beebe (D), who consequently receives a “D” on his report card from the Cato Institute in their“Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors: 2010” , here are some facts:

• The State of Arkansas has 2,000 of more than 8,000 state vehicles that are being used for personal use. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has 658 cars for 613 employees to which the commissioner responded “It’s something awfully hard to get rid of. People get used to it.”

• Arkansas has lost 17,300 jobs since the $814 Billion Stimulus was passed , raising unemployment more from 6.8 to 7.5 percent. . It should be noted that 5 of the 6 Arkansas delegates voted for this bill. (Congressman John Boozman was the exception).

• Arkansas children rank third in the nation with 26.9 percent living in poverty in 2009, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The percentage of Arkansas children living in poverty has risen steadily since 2006, when it was 23.8 percent.

• From 1998 to 2007 the state government grew by 17%, representing 28,800 new government positions over the past ten years, while population only grew by 8.9%.

• Although Arkansas has a balanced budget amendment our state is billions in debt. According to Sunshine Review~ Arkansas has a total state debt of $7,899,579,400 when calculated by adding the total of outstanding debt, pension, OPEB (Other Post-Employment Benefit) UAAL’s (Unfunded Actuarial Accrued Liability), unemployment trust funds and the 2010 budget gap. As of June 30, 2008 Arkansas Public School Districts and Education Service Cooperatives had outstanding loans and bonded indebtedness totaling $2,842,716,298 — an increase of $230,838,355 over the previous year.

• Arkansas’ individual income tax has a top rate of 7% that kicks in at $32,600 income. The Tax Foundation lowered the state’s Business Tax Climate to 40th in the nation. The corporate tax rate has a top tier of 6.5% that applies when income levels reach $100,000 which placed Arkansas in 39th place among the 50 states. But Arkansas hits near the top of the charts as number 12 of states going into debt.

• While Arkansas families & businesses teeter on the precipice of uncertainty not knowing if our taxes will increase dramatically in January, Congressman Mike Ross (D) tours our state proclaiming his dedication to Arkansas citizens yet voted to keep us on the edge of economic strife & come home with no answer. As a result, the average middle class family in Arkansas will see a tax hike of $1,418. (“Affect of Expiration of Bush-Era Tax Cuts on Average Middle-Income Family, By State and Congressional District,” Tax Foundation, 8/1/10).

• Arkansas is the home of the Hogs but we don’t like PORK in our government. Mike Ross opposed the president’s pathetic half percent cut from $3.4 trillion in planned spending siding with the likes of Diane Feinstein, (D) from Ca. (a state that is beyond BANKRUPT). He also voted AGAINST 68 amendments in 2009 to strip outrageous pork projects from the 12 annual spending bills and voted against 49 of 50 in 2007. While Sen. Lincoln helped defeat an amendment, offered by U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), to the annual transportation appropriations bill that would end taxpayer subsidies for the John Murtha Airport, a little used 650-acre facility in Johnstown, Pennsylvania that has received at least $200 million in taxpayer funding.

• While Governor Beebe is in Arkansas working on a state his $86 million “comprehensive health-care program”, Congressman Ross cast a vital vote in committee to move Obama care forward and Senator Blanche Lincoln voted against the people of Arkansas when she cast the deciding vote to pass the government takeover of healthcare. Now Sixty-four percent (64%) of Arkansas voters favor repeal of the health care bill, including 51% who strongly favor it. Only 30% oppose repeal, with 20% who are Strongly Opposed.

• The Arkansas Legislature adjourned March 12, 2009 without passing HB 1053, titled the Open Checkbooks in Government Act, sponsored by Dan Greenberg (R-Little Rock). This bill calls for the creation of a searchable website cataloguing all state expenditures and bond proceeds. The website also will include electronic copies of all state grants, contracts, and subcontracts, as well as a listing of all public meetings.

Time, energy and sheer exhaustion are what prohibit me from going on and on and on… ARKANSAS WE CAN DO BETTER!

GET THE FACTS OUT AND VOTE! NOVEMBER 2^ND YOU CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE FOR OUR STATE, OUR NATION AND OUR FUTURES~

A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage – Herbert Hoover

The state of Arkansas is taking this a little too literally, well not every garage just those that work for the government.

The Arkansas Democrat Gazette Reported Last Week:

Vehicles exceed workers at agency

Score: 658 to 613 at Game and Fish

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commissionhas more vehicles than employees, and one commissioner said this week that he sees no sentiment toward changing that.

“It’s a touchy, touchy deal,” Commissioner Ronald Pierce of Mountain Home said. “It’s been something that’s [been] done for ages and ages. It gets accepted. It’s taxpayer dollars. It’s not [the employees’] right. It’s something awfully hard to get rid of. People get used to it.”

Pierce said he doesn’t see a problem with the number of vehicles - 658 for 613 employees - but figures that “probably 10 to 15” employees could do without the privilege of commuting in vehicles provided by state dollars…

I find it interesting to the types of vehicles that our “public servants” are driving:

According to a list of Game and Fish Commission vehicles and their drivers provided by the commission in July, Goodhart drives a 2009 Chevrolet Impala; Ledbetter, a 2005 Honda Civic hybrid; acting Director Loren Hitchcock, a 2008 Dodge Charger; and former Director Scott Henderson, now assistant director for special projects, a 2010 Dodge Nitro.

Hey but not only do we pay for the vehicles we pay to insure, maintain and fuel them:

The finance department has said that from April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2010, it cost $17.3 million to maintain, repair, fuel and insure state vehicles, not counting those at the Game and Fish Commission or the Highway and Transportation Department.

State agencies pay employees 42 cents a mile for using personal vehicles on state business. For fiscal 2010, that amounted to $16.3 million for agencies that report to the governor.

During the past five years, the Department of Finance and Administration says, agencies under the governor’s control and higher-education institutions averaged $17 million a year in mileage reimbursements.

Wonder what would happen if private businesses operated this way? Just sayin~