ARKANSAS in BRIEF

ARKANSAS in BRIEF

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GRAB THE PHONE

Stop the Hog Callin’ for a couple of hog callin’ minutes and listen up. The Ledge is up to no good again, if what I read in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette is right. And we thought dictators and tyranny and all that stuff was for foreign countries that ain’t got no fetchin’s up. But by ding, that ain’t what it says in the paper. The members of the Ledge are discussin’ forcing us to raise our taxes or else they’s is goin’ to get nasty. They’s is goin’ to do it by stripping us of our power to raise or not raise taxes in our school districts that will be called unified and turn that power over to the legislature.

As a popular sports broadcaster used to say, “Whoa Nellie!” It is a proposed constitutional amendment that includes “a measure that would create a "hammer" to punish school districts that fail to raise taxes and pay for court-ordered improvements in facilities.” Then a quote from an esteemed or steamed ledge member, take your pick on your idee’s of him, said, "It’s a way to get a hammer on the people who don’t raise their [tax] millage," said Rep. Jodie Mahoney, D-El Dorado, the proposed amendment’s author, to the House Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs (Source: Arkansas Democrat Gazette, February 19, 2005, Jake Bleed)

What, no sickle to go with the hammer? Now just one more Hog Callin’ second or a bunch of them, if you please. I thought that the people of this state were in control of things, but now it appears that the courts are telling everyone what to do and the ledge is afixin’ to apply the hammer for them if all of us backward types and idiots out here in the country don’t lay down and roll over when they holler.

My next question is simple. When did the Soviet Republic of Arkansas replace the Sovereign State of Arkansas ruled by the people? Doesn’t Mahoney understand the words Regnat Populus, The People Rule? It just may be that Mahoney and a whole herd of hog callers in the Ledge aren’t the people anymore. And since they don’t seem to be, their Hog Callin’ License should be revoked, i.e. kick the varmints out at the next election.

The whole crazy mess was started by the ruling of Judge Collins Kilgore, when he ruled in favor of the Lake View School District in their lawsuit. Then the State Supreme Court handed down more ridiculous rulings in this matter, and now we have progressed to the point hat the Ledge members are discussing things that only take place in despotic nations.

So far the discussion is about placing the taxing provision in an amendment to be voted on by the people. If that totalitarian proposal makes it to the ballot, I hope all us backward types and idiots out here in the country have enough old fashioned good sense to send it back to Mahoney with instructions as to its disposal. If we don’t, then that bunch in the Ledge is going to be able to raise real estate taxes whenever they please and we can’t stop them from doing it.

Surely the good people of this state have enough sense to put a stop to the chicanery being foisted off on us by the people who are supposed to be our servants; the ones who pass laws to enhance our lives rather than make them more miserable.

The power to stop this idea of Mahoney’s is truly in the hands of the people. If Regnat Populus doesn’t apply here, it never will apply anywhere again. Mahoney and his ilk need a hammer applied to this idea and all of us Hog Callers are the ones who can do it. Hog Callers unite and begin that Hog Callin’ right now. Time is wasting and as Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over until it is over,” and with enough calls we backwards types and idiots out here in the country can make sure it is over. Grab the phone and start acallin’.