by - September 14, 2014 2:54 pm
A primer on Iraq’s troubled history
My last post, which I wrote soon after the troubles began in Iraq, noted that the treasure and blood we poured out into the sands of Iraq had not brought…
Column
by - September 10, 2014 3:07 pm
Analysis of the analysis
It was September 2013 when the Fort Smith Board of Directors encouraged city staff to do more to incorporate compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles into the city fleet. At the…
by - September 8, 2014 10:17 pm
Telling stories so we never forget
Thirteen years ago this Thursday our world changed. The unimaginable happened. We will never forget that morning: where we were, who we were with, what we saw, what we said,…
by - September 7, 2014 9:48 pm
Science and technology necessary for jobs
With every passing year, science and technology grow more and more important to economic success. It is research that fuels technology's advances and creates opportunities for tomorrow. Therefore, one of…
by - September 3, 2014 7:59 pm
A wrong approach to student loan debt
As the former director of the Arkansas Employment Security Division (now the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services), and a professor of human resources development for Webster University, I have long…
by - September 2, 2014 8:44 pm
The reason why beef prices are so darn high
About a year ago I wrote an article entitled “Cattle markets move past summer lows.” The title of this article reflects how far we have come and serves as a…
by - September 1, 2014 9:36 pm
Get unstuck
Business owners are trained to think about the future. There are seminars on goal settings, business planning, and budgeting. There are books on management succession, strategic planning and disaster recovery…
by - September 1, 2014 8:08 pm
Another Pryor commitment
Dear Senator Mark Pryor: Successive survey data and most political handicappers suggest that you would have a tougher time getting re-elected this coming November than you have ever had in…
by - September 1, 2014 8:04 pm
UTeach participants needed
Another academic year is underway, and we are one step closer to 2020. That is the predicted date when three-fourths of the jobs in Arkansas will require advanced skills in…
by - August 24, 2014 7:34 pm
Do stuff
Comes now Kaitlin Stephens serving as a timely example to students returning to school: Do stuff. Do a lot of stuff. Do a lot of different stuff. Do a lot…
by - August 24, 2014 1:14 pm
What is your default future?
Most people can predict and foresee their future. Granted we can’t see specific things like the date of our death or what the Dow Jones average will be in on…
by - August 17, 2014 4:01 pm
Don’t blame the voters
This notion that a majority of Fort Smithians are anti-progress and aren’t willing to pay the bill for socio-economic improvements is absurd and an unfortunate and ill-considered response among those…
by - August 17, 2014 11:10 am
Government job cuts
Two savvy state Senators from far flung Arkansas cities have come together with a really good idea. Before we spring the idea on you Mr. and Mrs. Voting Public, we…
by - August 17, 2014 10:51 am
Presidents, war and the ‘requisite skills’
In my last posting I wrote about the constitutional power of Congress in the act of taking the nation to war. The founding fathers seemed adamant on the idea that…
by - August 10, 2014 8:17 pm
The Pryor and Cotton disconnect
Are we allowing the manipulation of past voting records to be the reason to elect or not elect a future U.S. Senator for our state? Arkansans, especially those watching the…
by - August 6, 2014 7:41 pm
Library needs money, but not a 200% increase
The Fort Smith Public Library is deserving of a funding increase so it can better serve the community, but The City Wire does not endorse the proposal to increase millage…
by - August 4, 2014 9:31 pm
Alien-piloted comet may soon destroy Wal-Mart
Like those deranged cult leaders who every so often convince a handful of shaved-head nitwits that the world will end via some cosmic oddity or the loyalty-blinded Razorback fan who…
by - August 3, 2014 4:57 pm
‘Borrowing’ money from employees
Sometimes a business will find itself in a cash crunch and in need of quick cash. While many business owners go to the bank and borrow for their short term…
by - August 3, 2014 4:55 pm
Superficial politics
It has all the attributes of a school yard dust up. Or even juvenile finger-pointing just like at home between two siblings. You know, one of those, “he said it…
by - July 28, 2014 11:58 am
Lessons learned from the fall of Rome
In his book “The Collapse of Complex Societies,” anthropologist Joseph Tainter examines why civilizations such as the Roman Empire fell apart. Rome was powerful and seemingly invulnerable to decline, at…