Here are excerpts from recent editorials in Arkansas newspapers:
The Jonesboro Sun. March 11, 2017.
It’s been a busy legislative session for Tom Larimer.
Larimer, executive director of the Arkansas Press Association, has been tracking and attacking bills made in the state Legislature that would weaken the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
One such bill, Senate Bill 373, would allow governing bodies - city councils, quorum courts, university systems, etc. - to exclude “a record that constitutes an attorney-client privileged communication or attorney work product” from the state FOIA.
State Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, the bill’s lead sponsor, said the measure is meant to level the playing field for those entities. He said those records being open to the public allows attorneys to see papers the entity’s attorney prepared.
But Larimer sees it differently.
“Any city council, quorum court can make secret any document they run through their lawyer as ’attorney-client privilege,’” Larimer told The Sun. “It really goes against everything the FOIA stands for.”
Senate Bill 373, Larimer said, “would blow a huge hole” through the FOIA.
Supporters of the bill include the Arkansas State University and the University of Arkansas systems.
ASU System spokesman Jeff Hankins outlined why they back the bill.
“In the course of litigation against a campus, opposing counsel currently can access public documents related to a case, or threatened litigation, that may include trial outlines, copies of opening statements and other key documents used by lawyers to effectively represent their clients,” Hankins said in a statement to The Sun.
I’m sure Hankins, in his former occupation as a journalist, would have opposed the bill for the obvious reason that its purpose is to hide information from the public. But being on the ASU payroll, he has to push his boss’ line.
John Tull, an attorney for the press association, is also alarmed by the broadness of the bill.
“I fear anytime an agency or a board wants to discuss something, they’ll include their attorney and call it ’attorney-client privilege,’” Tull told The Sun.
Another bill, House Bill 1622, would give government entities more than three working days to produce information made in an FOIA request from the public or member of the media.
It doesn’t supply a deadline on when those requests would have to be provided. This is troubling. A county clerk could dawdle when any request is made for information from his or her office.
Then there’s Senate Bill 12 which exempts security and emergency records for public schools and universities.
So the public and the media couldn’t requests information such as how much university police officers are paid, how much is spent on security precautions. How the public’s money is being spent will be hidden from those who pay for it.
House Bill 1665 protects farm and business owners from whistleblowers. This bill was prompted by animal rights activists who gained employment at various pork and meat producers and then filmed the wretched conditions at those places. The bill would allow owners of such places to sue the activists.
It could also allow undercover reporters to be sued if they gained employment at a nursing home, for example, and reported on horrible conditions there.
The FOIA isn’t just for the media, but it allows the media to report on how taxpayers’ dollars are spent, and it keeps public officials accountable for their actions. Open records are the anchor for the public’s right to know how the government acts.
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Texarkana Gazette. March 13, 2017.
Teachers have often been called the unsung heroes of America.
With good reason. They work long and hard to educate our children. They give a lot of themselves and their time for little compensation. And, too often, little recognition.
But they make a great contribution to many lives. We are sure our readers can remember certain teachers who made a difference in their lives. Teachers who took extra time and put in extra effort to help when needed. Teachers who made them feel special.
It’s more than a job and the rewards are more than a paycheck. Teachers see the results of their efforts in every student who meets with success in life. They know they played a role in helping their students achieve a better life.
And sometimes a teacher goes on to help long after leaving the field. Sometimes even from the grave.
That’s what happened recently when a former Arkansas High School history teacher named Eleanor Seymour left the Texarkana, Arkansas, School District just over $87,000 in her will.
Seymour had taken a job with the city after her teaching days and also became a home builder. She apparently did very well.
And now the fruits of her labor will be shared with AHS students. The district plans to use to the money to establish a scholarship in her name. It’s a great legacy to leave. And it shows that a teacher’s heart remains with the profession and the students.
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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. March 13, 2017.
Some of us can remember way back to 2009, when the state decided to get into the numbers racket. The powers-that-were assured the rest of us: Lottery tickets weren’t going to be sold to kids! And now, a few years later, there are colorful vending machines at the entrances to many stores. As pretty and flashy as arcade games. And, no, we’ve never noticed an employee of any store supervising those machines for underage users. Nary a once.
Some of us can also remember when lottery supporters assured, demanded, guaranteed, insisted and swore that anybody who wanted to play the lottery - play, not invest in - would need cash to do it. You know, walking-around money. Some folding cash to play with. That otherwise might go toward a beer or pack of smokes.
They called it disposable income. And why not dispose of it on the lottery?
And never, never, never would the state’s legal numbers game allow folks to buy lottery tickets with their credit cards. In fact, that being such a bad idea, lottery tickets shouldn’t even be bought with debit cards! That’s how adamant we are about that!
That’s how adamant.
Which isn’t very, apparently. A bill recently zipped through an Arkansas Senate committee that opened up the purchase of lottery tickets with debit cards. It passed on a voice vote. With no audible dissenters. After six minutes of discussion. Which is barely enough time for folks to get their seats in a committee meeting.
And yet here we are, assured once again, that there is no reason to be afraid of folks using credit cards to buy lottery tickets. No, no. That’ll never happen.
But it’s hard to get over the thought that debit cards are only the second step. Once folks get used to using plastic, what’s the difference? The third step - the use of credit cards, and then disaster - is only one legislative session away.
The governor of Arkansas assures us that our worries are unfounded. Using debit cards “is just an adjustment for today’s economy, technology and lifestyle. Also, it is easier for the retailers to utilize that, so it makes sense.”
His words are as promising and affirming as so many words were back in 2009.
So, if the Ledge doesn’t stop it, on to Step No. 2 and plastic.
Step No. 3 would be the use of a different kind of plastic.
And then disaster.
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