by - December 14, 2014 5:40 pm
Asa and his code language
Ella Beth may have told her Pap paw Asa that computer coding was easy. But this week, Asa Hutchinson, aka Pap paw Asa and the Arkansas governor-elect, met some initial…
Guest Commentary
by - December 14, 2014 5:23 pm
Political hindsight
Ophthalmologists, optometrists, and other eye care professionals would say that normal vision is 20/20. Based on that fact, an old aphorism stipulates that hindsight is 20/20, meaning we tend to…
by - December 11, 2014 10:23 pm
Potential perils of name calling
The Iowa State Bar Association released an opinion cautioning attorneys against calling each other unethical. Arkansas attorneys might want to pay attention to what the Iowa State Bar had to…
by - December 7, 2014 5:37 pm
Déjà vu? Maybe, maybe not … well probably
Each year December brings Christmas and uncertainty in the permanency of the Internal Revenue Code. While Christmas brings a frenzy of consumer spending, exhausted parents, overeating, and renewed family feuds…
by - December 4, 2014 6:22 pm
Shield protection for journalists
Almost as soon as people started reading news on the Internet, a debate sprung up – is an Internet-based journalist a “real” reporter? In Arkansas, at least, that question was…
by - December 1, 2014 3:52 pm
Keeping tabs on attorney numbers
Ever since I was in college in the 1980s, it seems that the popular notion was that there are too many licensed attorneys running loose. The notion, of course, is…
by - November 30, 2014 10:06 pm
Ferdinand’s ghost
Before the year is out, it is worthwhile to remember that 100 ago, on June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were murdered by a Serb nationalist in…
by - November 23, 2014 8:26 pm
Luck, planning and failure
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. This is one of those proverbs that I heard decades ago and it just stuck in my memory. I’m sure it…
by - November 17, 2014 8:12 pm
Debt collectors and prosecuting attorneys’ letterhead
It took about five years, but the American Bar Association (ABA) released an opinion stating that prosecuting attorneys shouldn’t give their letterhead to bill collectors. According to a formal opinion…
by - November 16, 2014 5:49 pm
Beebe’s final budget proposal
During my last year in office, I have visited many annual events and celebrated many annual traditions with a sense of nostalgia. At each of these occasions, I was acutely…
by - November 16, 2014 5:03 pm
Arkansas’ political market share shift
The natural state of economic affairs in a market economy revolves around the interaction between supply and demand. When there is competition between suppliers over a share of the demand…
by - November 5, 2014 3:23 pm
Notes on the GOP sweep in Arkansas
I speak to a number of groups week in, week out. Often, I share my analysis and observations about the business and political landscape of Arkansas from what I hope…
by - November 2, 2014 7:06 pm
Cash, lies and politics
If there was ever a year that I despised the political campaign season it is this year, 2014. Every time I turned on the television I was accosted by political…
by - November 2, 2014 4:50 pm
Another look at health care reform
Since health care has been such a critical issue in the Arkansas senatorial election, it seems appropriate to offer some facts and analysis. Let me state up front this is…
by - October 26, 2014 8:42 pm
Praising the Private Option
During his recent trip to Louisiana, Bill Clinton took time in his speech to thank the people of Louisiana. He thanked them for playing a role in paying for Arkansans’…
by - October 19, 2014 5:59 pm
Striking down the voter ID law
The Arkansas Supreme Court, waiting until almost the last minute, finally affirmed what Gov. Mike Beebe tried to tell the Legislature back in 2013. And that was this: Any tweaking…
by - October 19, 2014 4:27 pm
The ‘when?’ of business ownership
Owning a small business is no easy task. Starting a business from scratch, however, requires a mental deficiency or youth. My own excuse decades ago was youth. There are advantages…
by - October 19, 2014 4:10 pm
Too much ‘fight’ in Cotton’s campaigning
Dear Congressman Cotton: Conventional political wisdom buttressed by successive survey data suggests that you represent one of the best opportunities Republicans have in their effort to take over the U.S….
by - October 12, 2014 2:04 pm
AP scores show gains in Arkansas’ education system
Education continues to be our top priority in Arkansas, and we know that one of our biggest educational challenges is increasing the number of Arkansans who earn college degrees. This…
by - October 6, 2014 3:36 pm
Try to avoid federal ‘help’
The U.S. Department of Labor Promises help is on the way. What comforting words … help is on the way. But why don’t I feel better? “Work in Progress,” the…