School shooters: Tell us what they did, not who they are

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

Many questions are being tossed around the news media landscape regarding the causes of school shootings. Is it the guns? Violent video games? A lack of morals in society?

The one question members of the news media don’t ask enough is, how much of this is our fault?

As demonstrated in videos released this week that had been made by the Parkland, Florida, school shooter, journalists must be careful lest their breathless, wall-to-wall reporting and dramatization of a tragedy encourage copycat crimes.

A few thoughts …

– Responsible journalists should not give shooters the publicity they seek by publishing their names and likenesses. Otherwise, they’re encouraging people like the Parkland shooter, who in those self-made videos declared, “It’s going to be a big event, and when you see me on the news, you’ll all know who I am. You’re all going to die.” Continue reading →

Recess is back at 24 schools

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

Twenty-four Arkansas schools are giving their kids more time in recess, and the only bad news is that all of them aren’t.

As reported by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Monday, those schools are participating in a pilot program this upcoming school year. In addition to physical education classes, their students up to fourth grade will have 60 minutes of recess daily, while fifth- and sixth-graders will have 45 minutes. In contrast, the state minimum is 40 minutes of P.E. per week plus 90 minutes of additional physical activity, including recess.

Among the participating schools are Marguerite Vann Elementary in Conway, Elmer H. Cook Elementary in Fort Smith, and six elementary schools in North Little Rock.

Recess started increasingly being seen as expendable in the 1990s, and that trend continued after the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind law in 2001. As a result of its emphasis on test scores, letting kids play was seen as a luxury that schools and states couldn’t afford. After all, this is America, where the key to success is working harder not smarter, right?

Continue reading →

It was a good day for the governor – plus, why your vote matters

vote, Mark Moore, 16-year-olds, Arkansas primariesBy Steve Brawner, © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

It was a good night for Gov. Asa Hutchinson – actually, a good two days.

On Monday, he visited the White House, where President Trump sent a tweet endorsing him and praising him for his “incredible job.” Then on Tuesday, Hutchinson won almost 70 percent of the vote in an election he said was “about the soul of the Republican Party.”

He now enters the general election campaign with a huge fundraising lead and a huge advantage having “Gov.” in front of his name and “R” behind it.

Meanwhile, Tuesday saw the defeats of two of his least favorite legislators, Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, and Sen. Linda Collins-Smith, R-Pocahontas. Both oppose his Arkansas Works health program and oppose him at other times, too – King especially and vocally and sometimes not nicely. They were defeated by Republicans much more agreeable to Hutchinson: King by Rep. Bob Ballinger, R-Berryville, and Collins-Smith by Rep. James Sturch, R-Batesville.

Here are some other observations following Tuesday’s results. Continue reading →

A pledge to reject debt and protect future taxpayers

tax, taxes, debt, deficits, spending, trillion, State of the Union, deficit hawks, balanced budget amendment, Jonathan BydlakBy Steve Brawner, © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Members of Congress shouldn’t be signing pledges. They take an Oath of Office to “well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office,” and that should be enough.

But if they’re going to sign a pledge not to raise taxes, they ought to sign another one promising to hold down spending. And if they’re going to abide by the first, they should abide by the second.

Forty-six senators and 208 House members have signed Americans for Tax Reform’s “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” promising not to raise taxes. According to the organization’s website, all six members of Arkansas’ congressional delegation have signed it. It’s been a powerful force in American politics. Signers have been reluctant to do anything that might be perceived as violating it, such as letting fuel taxes rise with inflation to pay for highways. In the meantime, Congress enthusiastically has cut taxes, as all six members of Arkansas’ delegation voted to do in December.

Continue reading →

Better way to elect, or select, judges?

Alabama, blue wave, school boards, Hixson, Breanne, red tide, judicial electionsBy Steve Brawner , © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Let’s say you were on trial for a murder you didn’t commit. Your fate would be decided by average Arkansans.

Which process would you prefer?

A. A small group of focused people from all walks of life would hear both sides of the case through an orderly process. You would have a chance to testify. By the end, they would have adequate information upon which to make their decision.

B. Maybe a million distracted Arkansans would decide your case along with other cases by clicking “guilty” or “innocent” on an electronic ballot. Their information would be limited, and much of it would come from 30-second ads and mailers produced by anonymous people who say you’re guilty.

If you chose “A,” that’s the jury system. If you chose “B,” that’s the way we elect judges.

Continue reading →