Guest Commentary

Minimizing risk

Arkansas leaders know that the continued competition between our state and others for job prospects will always be a big business slugfest. Sometimes we’ll win. Often, we’ll lose. Those are…

Community health

Many people in our community ask me a common question: “How is business?” Usually I give a very simple response: “OK.” However, I’ve begun to realize the reason I am…

Debunking the ‘Job magnet plan’

Kindly allow me, City Council member and Democratic Candidate Adella Gray, to accept my invitation to respond to a well-written guest commentary from my opponent, Republican Representative Charlie Collins of…

System pressures and opportunities

American higher education is at a crossroads. Federal and state funding cuts, rising student loan debt, an increased demand for graduates and competition from for-profit online institutions are challenging the…

How stupid are you?

This past Friday morning I turned on the television in time to see a discussion between CNBC’s Squawk Box hosts and Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter and the school’s…

More time for low rates?

After waffling on how long low mortgage rates are expected to stick around, some analysts have called for rates to not rise significantly through next year. Honestly, that’s about as…

Passion pursuit

I wonder what the word count would be if you took all the negative and discouraging words spoken in, about, and around the Republican and Democratic National Conventions the past…

Job magnet plan

Arkansans count on their elected officials to help improve the quality of life here, a worthy goal. Yet, numerous studies have concluded that we rank between 42nd and 48th among…

The broom man

Tax season, for CPAs, can be hellacious. Clients are anxious to get their tax returns so you work long hours. A person tends to get tired, perhaps even a bit…

You can do it

My wife says I’m not sensitive. I might not be at times. One time, after helping a client fire a manager who was underperforming, I was told by this client…

Use the uncertainty

This summer the subject of income taxes has triggered much talk, mixed with misinformation and demonstrations of anxiety. The first half of the year we had to wait to see…

Aurora: Notes from the Floor

Last Tuesday, I had the honor of presiding over the United States House of Representatives during a voting series. In the middle of the vote, Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado…

21 new taxes

Since June 28, the date the Supreme Court ruled on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the mandate requiring individuals to purchase health insurance or…

Help study cancer

What if we could personally participate in research that might help determine factors that cause or prevent cancer? What if our involvement, and that research, ultimately leads to the elimination…

Thumb your nose at Washington

“it’s constitutional. Bitches” (Punctuated as tweeted) Just in case you missed it, the above quote was tweeted Thursday by Patrick Gaspard, the Democratic National Committee’s Executive Director, when he learned…

2% or 20%?

A friend related to me a conversation he had a few years back with a yellow pages salesman. The salesman was explaining to him the difference, in his opinion, between…

Oklahoma changes

This year’s legislative session included a number of major policy victories that will save taxpayer dollars, deliver more efficient government services and create an environment more conducive to job creation….

The mission thing

A month or so ago, I mentioned to a friend and colleague that we needed to plan the direction of our firm over the next couple of years. He responded…

Work values

Work is a worthwhile endeavor. Hard work is what made the United States of America the world’s greatest economic power. By hard work, I don’t mean just brute force. It’s…

Community courage

Six months ago, I first became aware of how prevalent child sexual abuse was throughout the United States and in our community. Learning that 1 in 5 children are sexually…