by - October 5, 2014 7:43 pm
Raising the tax code Titanic
As elections approach, we hear much about what candidates and potential office holders will do when they arrive in Washington, D.C. One of the constant themes is the need to…
Opinion
by - October 5, 2014 7:40 pm
Amendment review
Every two years Arkansans are asked to vote on issues and this year there are five statewide ballot measures certified for the Nov. 4 ballot. Three of the five were…
by - October 5, 2014 7:38 pm
Positive policy development
For too many years, when Arkansans talked about the price of their health insurance, good news was rare. For decades, costs have increased annually, hurting working families and leading to…
by - September 28, 2014 4:51 pm
Economic engines
In Arkansas, economic development manifests itself in many ways. In the past 10 days, we've seen a constant stream of announcements that will bring good jobs and new opportunities to…
by - September 28, 2014 4:48 pm
Private option politics
As the last month before the Nov. 4 general election draws near, activity has resumed to kick around that political football known as the Arkansas Private Option. There have been…
by - September 22, 2014 4:25 pm
A population problem
“Population growth drives about half of all economic growth,” according to Thomas Piketty, the author of the bestselling book Capital in the 21st Century. If population growth accounts for about…
by - September 21, 2014 5:25 pm
Guess who’s coming to dinner
Some or all members of the Fort Smith Board of Directors often gather at a restaurant following their regularly scheduled voting meetings. The media has not received advanced notice of…
by - September 21, 2014 12:07 pm
Pryor’s foreign affairs dodge
A kink in the format may leave many disappointed that a platform for foreign affairs is not on the program in the first, and at present only televised debate, between…
by - September 15, 2014 7:15 pm
Fite fights for military pay exemption
State Rep. Charlene Fite, R-Van Buren, apparently didn’t get the memo. The usual Arkansas state Representative heading into a second term, with only nominal, non-traditional opposition in November, is supposed…
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…
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…