Category Archives: Politics

Governor hits the gas pedal on highways

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Coming into this legislative session, highways for Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson were a priority, not the priority. Reducing the top tax rate from 6.9 percent to 5.9 percent came first.

But the past week proved the two couldn’t be separated.

After Hutchinson’s tax cut easily passed through Senate committee, it failed to gain a three-fourths majority in the full Senate. Several senators wanted to know how the state could increase funding for highways while cutting taxes. The tax cut did pass on its second try, but only after a few holdouts were assured a responsible plan was coming.

I recently wrote that the tax cut was coming first because it was “easy” and that highways would come afterwards. Boy, I missed that one. It soon became obvious that the three-fourths majority would be even harder to attain in the House until legislators saw a highway plan. So the governor and legislative leaders hit the gas pedal on highways and revealed a plan Monday. Continue reading →

Why third parties? Because power corrupts

Arkansas Legislature, Arkansas Works, Jeremy Hutchinson, Mickey Gates, Jim Hendren, tax cuts, Senate Bill 163By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

There is a legal case and a moral case against Senate Bill 163, which would make it harder for third parties to get on the ballot in Arkansas. The legal case may not be as strong as I thought it was, but the moral case ought to be strong enough.

First the background. In Arkansas, parties can appear on the ballot by winning 3 percent of the vote in the previous presidential or gubernatorial election. Failing that, they can collect 10,000 signatures.

Senate Bill 163 by Sen. Trent Garner, R-El Dorado, would increase the required number of signatures to 3 percent of the vote in the last gubernatorial election. In 2020, that would be almost 26,750 signatures, which would be a lot to collect.

The Libertarian Party is currently the only viable third party in Arkansas. It advocates for very limited government. It runs to the right of Republicans on economic issues and to the left of Democrats on some social issues, such as the war on drugs.

Libertarians have been inching toward that 3 percent in recent elections. In 2018, their gubernatorial candidate won 2.9 percent.

That’s too close for comfort for Republicans in the Legislature. They want to make sure a Libertarian candidate doesn’t attract enough votes to sway some future close election to the Democrats. Continue reading →

Taxing cigarettes – both kinds

Jim Hendren, tobacco tax

Sen. Jim Hendren is considering if tobacco taxes should be raised and if e-cigarette taxes should be enacted.

By Steve Brawner, © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

What do these five numbers mean to you: $795 million; $230 million; $1.15; 0; and 1.5 million?

This year, they might mean a tax increase on cigarettes, both the old-fashioned kind and the e-cigarette kind. Or at least, they might should.

The first two numbers compare what tobacco products cost Arkansas taxpayers through the Medicaid program, $795 million, vs. what tobacco taxes raise, $230 million.

The Arkansas Center for Health Improvement says Medicaid spends $795 million annually to treat tobacco-related illnesses among adults ages 30 to 65. That number doesn’t include older Arkansans, young people, or pregnancy-related health issues.

However, the state’s tobacco taxes only raised about $230 million in 2017. That’s about $565 million less than what Medicaid is spending.  Continue reading →

No State of the Union? Who would miss it?

Shutdown, impeach, Ryan, No Labels, SOTUBy Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

It just keeps getting worse and worse. That was my initial reaction after reading in the newspaper that Speaker Nancy Pelosi had blocked President Trump from giving the State of the Union address because of their disagreement over the government shutdown.

Upon further reflection: If it doesn’t happen, will anyone really miss it?

If the SOTU were an annual description of national challenges and solutions, it would be worthwhile. Instead, it is boring and pointless political theater.

Year after year, Americans are subjected to the same show. The president makes his way through the crowded aisles. He offers a laundry list of policy proposals, most of which have no chance of passing and often serve mostly to satisfy his base or some political interest group. His party’s members interrupt constantly with standing ovations while the opposing party’s members sit stone-faced. Then the opposing party gets its own speech.

That’s an hour-and-a-half we never get back, and of course it must be followed by pundits – which I guess I’m one – telling us what it all means.

It doesn’t have to be this way, and it wasn’t for much of the nation’s history. Continue reading →

Abortion debate continues inside, outside Capitol

March for Life

Here’s part of the crowd at the March for Life Sunday. Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Sen. Tom Cotton and Rep. French Hill were among the speakers.

By Steve Brawner, © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

One issue will draw a large crowd to the Capitol steps on a near-freezing Sunday afternoon along with a smaller but fired up rally to represent the other side the day before. And it’s not Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s plan to combine state government agencies.

That issue is abortion, which was legalized nationwide by the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision 46 years ago.

Clearly, Arkansas’ Republican leadership is pro-life. The March for Life Jan. 20 featured brief remarks by Hutchinson, Sen. Tom Cotton, and U.S. Rep. French Hill. Most of Arkansas’ other statewide officials also participated, as did a number of state legislators.

Pamela Merritt, co-founder of Reproaction, and Philander Smith student and activist Maria Meneses were among the speakers at the Rally for Reproductive Justice.

Hutchinson pointed out that Arkansas ranks second in Americans United for Life’s “Life List” that ranks states based on their abortion laws, behind only Arizona. At least six abortion-related bills have been filed or will be filed this legislative session.

Sen. Trent Garner, R-El Dorado, has filed two of them. Senate Bill 2 would ban abortions when the child has or may have Down syndrome. Senate Bill 3 would require abortion providers to report complications to the state Department of Health, which would annually publish a report online. Senate Bill 149 by Sen. Jason Rapert, R-Conway, would outlaw abortions in Arkansas if the Supreme Court overturns Roe vs. Wade.

Arkansas Right to Life is pushing two bills.  Continue reading →