A story of Hope

By Steve Brawner, © 2020 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

I turned 50 years old last June 17, and then on Jan. 10 I became a dad again. My daughter’s name is Hope Renee – Renee being French for “reborn.”

Hope is definitely the baby of the family. In addition to her AARP-eligible dear old dad, her mom is 44 and her sisters are 18 and 15.

The answer to your obvious question is, “No way!” This baby was not planned. Instead, Hope is a gift from God.

Our family has experienced a lot of twists and turns this past year-and-a-half. With help from The CALL in Arkansas, a Christian ministry, my wife, Melissa, and I became respite foster parents in 2018, meaning we would give a break to families fostering full-time. Foster parents temporarily take care of children the state removes from their biological families because of abuse, neglect and/or drug abuse in the home. Continue reading →

Hutchinson, fellow Republicans clash over refugees

By Steve Brawner, © 2020 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Arkansas Republican legislators have usually deferred to Gov. Asa Hutchinson since his election in 2014 cemented the state party’s newfound dominance. Such was not entirely the case Monday, and the catalyst was the same one that drives so much of politics here and everywhere: what to do about the “others.”

In this case, the “others” are 50-55 refugees who legally settle in Arkansas annually after escaping hardship in foreign lands.

The issue came to the forefront after President Trump said states could choose to accept or reject refugees, and Hutchinson told the State Department that Arkansas would continue accepting them, like all states so far other than Texas. The Washington County judge and Fayetteville and Springdale mayors also provided their required notifications that they would welcome refugees.

Hutchinson explained his reasoning before the House and Senate City, County and Local Affairs Committees Monday. He said he had opposed a settlement of Syrian refugees here four years ago, but the Trump administration has tightened the vetting process and focused on welcoming those escaping war or religious persecution, and those who have assisted U.S. counterterrorism efforts. He said refugees usually become quickly self-sufficient and, by the Trump administration’s own reckoning, are a net positive for the economy. Continue reading →

How presidential politics could get even crazier

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

In presidential politics, what usually happens is not what’s destined to happen, and sometimes things can get really crazy.

So for fun, let’s consider the possibility that none of the Democratic candidates amass enough delegates in the primaries to win the nomination.

Let’s start by stipulating that pundits like me often predict this happening whenever there’s a large field, and then a nominee emerges long before the last state votes.

But this time might be different because the party’s rules have changed, because the process has been front-loaded with early big state primaries, because Democrats have several candidates who might stay in the race for a while, and because a big wild card has been tossed onto the table. Continue reading →

How to make the Electoral College better

By Steve Brawner
© 2020 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

There’s a saying: Don’t make the perfect the enemy of the good. Here’s a new one: Don’t make the good the enemy of the better. The Electoral College definitely could be better.

The Electoral College has served us reasonably well for two-and-a-half centuries, but its flaws are being exposed. Thanks largely to its winner-take-all system, the loser of the popular vote has won two of the past five elections. The country’s deepening red-blue division means only a few swing states are in play, allowing candidates to ignore the rest – including Arkansas. Unless you live in one of those swing states, your vote really doesn’t affect the outcome.

This election, like recent ones, will be decided in those swing states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. If 39,000 voters in those three states had voted for Hillary Clinton instead of President Trump, an entirely different set of people on my Facebook feed would be mad all the time. Clinton lost despite having 2.9 million more votes nationwide. Meanwhile, the 2000 election was decided by 537 votes in Florida.

So guess where the candidates will be focusing their attention? Not blood red Arkansas. The Democratic candidate will ignore us, and Trump can take us for granted.

Supporters of the Electoral College say it helps small states like Arkansas, but that’s not necessarily true. Because of its winner-take-all system, it potentially gives outsized influence to big states. A candidate can win the 270 needed Electoral College votes by winning the 12 biggest states by one vote each and not even be on the ballot in the other 38. Continue reading →

A good economy, or a debt-driven one?

By Steve Brawner, © 2020 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

If I gave you a lot of money, would that improve your personal economy this year? Sure.

But what if I merely loaned it to you – with interest? If you spent the money without making wise investments, you’d see an immediate improvement. You can live great on borrowed money for a while.

But over time, your standard of living would suffer. The burdens of living beyond your means would become a weight upon your shoulders. You would become dependent on further loans. And then one day, it all might come crashing down around you.

What applies to households applies to nations. You’ve probably heard that the unemployment rate is hanging around 3.5% nationally and in Arkansas. Jobs are plentiful, inflation is under control, and times are good.

But how much of this prosperity is real, and how much is merely borrowed? And what will happen when the bills come due? Continue reading →