A couple of weeks ago I paid for an ad in the Times Record pointing out the dangers of electing government employees to the state legislature.  Electing state employees increases the scope of government by allowing them to lobby for their own special interests while extirpating private citizens from the legislative process.  This of course is double-dipping, exploitation, and presents an alarming conflict of interests.

Secondly, I pointed out that “regionalism” is Communism.  Regionalism is not the pure form of Communism but a hybrid.  Regionalism is a mixture of Communism/Fascism.   The word Fascism conjures up visions of a swastika, Hitler, etc.  The simplified definition of Fascism is a nexus between corporations and government and the government is always the CEO.   This was the exact environment that brought Hitler to power and is precisely what is evolving in our republic—commonly referred to as a “public/private partnership”.

Announced in a story emanating in the Times Record titled “City forecast not so grim, Chamber says”.  Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce and CEO Paul Harvel revealed the formation of the Fort Smith Regional Council.   Note that the Council is unelected and as stated in my paid advertisement regionally unelected committees, czars, councils, task forces, etc. etc. destroy the sovereignty of counties, cities,  encroach on freedoms—individual rights, property rights, & effectively mutes the power and influence of our duly elected officials who theoretically are supposed to represent the citizens.

The Times Record failed to mention the members of the Fort Smith Regional Council which includes ABF, USA Truck, UAFS, Oklahoma Gas Corp, OK Industries, Mercy Fort Smith, Kraft-Planters, Bancorp South, Arvest, Sparks, First National Bank, Baldor, & Stephens Production. A glaring omission by the T.R.  The Council’s inaugural president is Sam T. Sicard, president & CEO of First Bank Corp of Fort Smith. C of C president Harvel will be the Council Executive Director and continue as the Chamber’s president. Can one comprehend the political and monetary power the above represents and the channeling which will go into their own specific areas of interest? Does the middleclass have a place in this omnipotent power structure?  It does not appear so.

Here is the point of this screed; small businesses create 67% of the workforce in the U.S.  That’s 2 out of every 3 jobs, yet there does not appear to be one small business or an individual represented in the Fort Smith Regional Council.  Why is this? Equal representation does not seem to be the goal.  Certainly, our area is fortunate to have such corporations in our midst, but in a regional environment these types of businesses, if allowed to exclude small businesses and/or individuals; the middleclass has no representation and will be snuffed in the process. This is a huge power play by any definition.  The above corporations represent only 1/3rd of job producing businesses.

My paid advertisement was initially submitted to the Times Record as a letter to the editor, but yet again they chose not to publish, which is their prerogative, but media has the innate responsibility to report all sides.  I have indicated to the CEO of Stephens’ Inc.  Mr. Warren Stephens that censorship of legitimate topics is unseemly and inexcusable for newspapers. Stephens Inc. owns many, many newspapers including the Times Record.  Censorship excludes healthy exchanges, new ideas and of course, facts.

Joe McCutchen