Guest Commentary

Beebe’s Special Session call

I have called the Arkansas General Assembly to Little Rock for an extraordinary session, often referred to as a special session. There are legislative issues to be addressed before the…

The President’s war

The recent advances of the ISIS insurgency in Iraq, which threatens to undo what this country poured so much blood and treasure into is disturbing to many Americans, particularly veterans…

A ‘Bold’ push for jobs

There’s something in the water. How else do you explain the success that Arkansas entrepreneurs have enjoyed over the past 50 years? There is no precedent for a state with…

Trust and city government

Trusting people has its risk as well as its reward. Business works best when you can trust your employees to show up to work and work hard and when you…

What did we gain in Iraq?

In May, my wife Cara and I had the pleasure of seeing her son graduate from the Army Academy at West Point. To watch so many young men and women…

Would you invest in your business?

Many new business owners open for business with limited capital but unlimited dreams. If the market is cruel to their business concept, their limited capital becomes a capital shortage that…

College student perspective

Now that May has ended thousands of newly minted college graduates in Arkansas will join the workforce – or at least they will try to join the workforce. Two recent…

Arkansas’ income-parity struggle

A long-standing economic goal of Arkansas officials is to achieve 100% income parity with the United States. The goal is ambitious – overly so in the short-term but possible long-term…

A hardware industry look-ahead

Sales of hardware related products look to be a sweet spot for retailers and suppliers in the months and years ahead. The recent announcement that U.S. regulators are backing off…

Battling with documentation

Growing up my mother often would warn me as an inducement to behave or face the consequences, “Be sure your sins will find you out.” I have found throughout my…

Arkansas voter polling insights

When conceiving this column a few months ago, we planned to make the space allotted us on this website a place where we explain the strategic motivations behind the actions…

The politics of judicial precedence

Time and again we read in the news or hear from media reports that a single federal judge or a judicial panel of three or at most five, have taken…

Sex, drugs, and the demise of our tax code

CPAs regularly field questions on why the United States income tax laws are so screwed up and unfair. Everybody has their own opinion, but I tend to accept the opinion…

Gov. Fallin: Remember the victims

Last week, the state of Oklahoma conducted the lawful execution of Clayton Lockett, a man who was convicted of first degree burglary, assault with a dangerous weapon, kidnapping, robbery by…

Begin with the end in mind

I read Stephen Covey’s classic book, "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," the year it was first published, in 1989. It since has become a business classic for cause….

The role of wealth in elections

Two recent Supreme Court decisions have troubled a number of Americans who care about rule by the people. But before we discuss these cases, a brief history is in order….

Tourism industry treasures

Throughout my time as Governor, we have seen many twists and turns in the national economy that have made their impact known in Arkansas. Throughout both the tumultuous and brighter…

Pryor-Cotton and U.S. Senate control, part II

Because voter turnout is regularly low during midterm elections, and a president’s party has historically lost seats- with some rare exceptions- in Congress during midterm elections, the strategy that campaigns…

Pryor-Cotton and U.S. Senate control, part I

6 is the ‘magical’ number that will dominate the national political discourse throughout this electoral year. 6 is the ‘magical’ number of additional seats that national Republicans will have to…

Compounded economic development

How often do you hear a debate, among public officials or among residents, about the payback period or the return on investment of a multi-million dollar project before it is…