Front-page story authored by T.R. reporter Mary L. Crider titled “Lawmakers give museum $1 million”….correction Ms. Crider, lawmakers redistributed by force $1 million belonging to taxpayers without their permission.

The newly minted Republican majority, you may recall, all bill themselves as Constitutional/small government representatives. A topical examination follows.

Senator Files and tagalong fellow faux conservatives, Holland, Stubblefield, Douglas, Malone, Fite, Altes, and Democrat McGill funneled $1 million into the proposed nascent colossus to be known as the Marshall’s Museum.  Their actions fly in the face of honesty!

The museum, at its initial kickoff with follow-ups was billed as a “privately endowed venture”…pushed by Richard Griffin, Sam Sicard, Bennie Westphal, etc. now utilizing new-age Urban Renewal to develop their downtown for-profit endeavors, i.e. taxpayer subsidized. The government enabler for Griffin/Sicard/Westphal/et al is Senator Jake Files who orchestrated the disbursement of another $2 million to the museum a couple of sessions ago.

Have Files and any of his tagalongs ever consulted middleclass Fort Smithians & environs regarding their tax dollars being diverted to this pie-in-the-sky behemoth?

There is no way the colossus  can or will be built by private funding as above examples so demonstrate; therefore citizens are being maliciously hoodwinked by the Ft. Smith city government (who have already donated substantial taxpayer largesse), the aforementioned insiders & others, and of course couple them with Files & his tagalongs. Imagine if you will, if this behemoth is allowed to reach fruition what the costs will be to build & maintain. Think hundreds of millions. The Convention Center on steroids. Another tax burden placed on productive citizens without their permission.

At the recent end of the 89th General Assembly Arkansas’ 35 state senators awarded themselves $1 million each and the 100 state reps awarded themselves $350,000 each.  What for? Bribery, vote-buying & fundraising? Will they voluntarily reveal what & who is getting the stolen tax dollars? This unvarnished theft must be terminated next legislative session.

Then comes the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) allowing 250,000 additional Arkansans and illegals to enter the welfare arena for life compliments of Republicans, not knowing or caring about the cost or how it will affect the nation’s productive citizens. Senator Files was one of the first to join hands with Gov. Beebe, Sec. of Health & Human Services Sebelius and Obama of Obamacare in Arkansas’ version…a Republican sell-out.  The stated number has already grown by 36,000, furthermore; the passage of the traitorous Affordable Care Act automatically qualifies and enrolls them in ALL entitlement programs. Arkansans & illegals slopping in the welfare trough is rapidly approaching 1.5 million…half of Arkansas residents.

Then there was the move to incorporate school board elections with elections traditionally held in November so there would be a higher voter turnout in school board elections.  Fort Smith Superintendent Benny Gooden got exercised and demanded it be kept at the stated date (lower voter turnout means he can keep his puppets in place)…this proposed legislation was defeated and 26 Republicans withheld their vote.  The above mentioned were part of the group. I understand one school board member has held that position for about 20 years….why?

Republicans created an initiative to be brought to the voters which would extend term limits to 16 years.  Ask yourself why a self-supporting honest citizen would want to spend 16 years in such a capacity—public service or self-service? 
Representative/Lobbyist Stephanie Malone (Chamber & Ft. Chaffee Redevelopment) initiated this particular attack. Malone described this as just “partial term limits”!

The 89th General Assembly served the top & the bottom echelons of society—the welfare masses and corporations/government.

Nothing left for the middleclass except to pay and walk the plank.  Isn’t it time we rethink our positions regarding incumbency?  Observe every level of government.  All corrupt to the core.

Joe McCutchen

P.S. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, April 22, reported that the Arkansas Joint Budget Committee set aside hundreds of millions of surplus tax dollars.  Do you really believe that government at any level is not awash in tax dollars?

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