Key: LRSD school board elections could happen next year

LRSD

Education Commissioner Johnny Key, right, answers questions from Clinton School Dean Skip Rutherford.

By Steve Brawner

The Little Rock School District could have a school board election so it can be returned to local control as early as May but more likely in November, Education Commissioner Johnny Key said Wednesday.

During a question and answer session at the Clinton School of Public Service, Key was asked by Dean Skip Rutherford to name the earliest possible date the LRSD could be released from state control.

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If you’re going to be offended by the NFL, these are better reasons

NFLBy Steve Brawner

It’s not surprising that people are offended seeing NFL players kneeling during the national anthem. After all, if it weren’t offensive, the players wouldn’t make a statement by doing it.

But many other things are happening in that stadium that are more offensive.

Let’s start with the fact that as paying customers and TV viewers, we’re watching, and encouraging, young men as they suffer permanent brain injuries.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is a degenerative disorder that has been found in the brains of numerous deceased players. The latest was Aaron Hernandez, 27, who killed himself in his jail cell while serving a life sentence for murder. The disease robs its victims of years of their lives, while wives and other family members bear a terrible burden caring for them.

The link between the game and the disease cannot be denied. But the NFL, in the finest tradition of the tobacco industry, did exactly that until 2016 after settling a lawsuit with former players.  Continue reading →

Why Trump may be the best thing for the dreamers’ hopes

Trump, DACA, dreamersBy Steve Brawner

Ironically, American presidents sometimes have extra freedom to do the opposite of what they made their name talking about. For that reason, President Trump might – emphasize “might” – be the best thing that could have happened for those DACA kids to gain legal status or even citizenship.

The two most obvious examples of this dynamic are Presidents Nixon and Reagan. Nixon was a fervent anti-communist, but he was the one who opened the doors to a relationship with communist China. Reagan was the Cold Warrior who increased defense spending, called the Soviet Union the “Evil Empire” and told Mr. Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. Then he negotiated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Gorbachev, destroying 2,692 missiles between the two sides.

Nixon and Reagan were able to do these things because no one could doubt their intentions. Nixon could befriend the Chinese because everyone knew he wasn’t soft on communism. Same for Reagan and the Russians. Can you imagine a “make love, not war” president trying to sell the INF Treaty to Congress and the American people?

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Time for a new ‘ism’ – ‘future generationism’

By Steve Brawner

Are you the type whose beliefs don’t always fit neatly into a conservative or liberal label, but “moderate” sounds too mushy and none of the other “isms” fit?

Or what if one of those labels does fit, but you’re worried about the overall state of American politics, where it’s all about today’s winners and losers? Meanwhile, negative consequences are passed down to our children and grandchildren whenever possible because, hey, they don’t vote.

If any of that describes you, may I suggest calling yourself a “future generationist”? Continue reading →

Here’s Arkansas Week for Sept. 15, 2017

Here’s the latest Arkansas Week, the public affairs show that airs on AETN. Hosted by Steve Barnes, this week’s guests were UA journalism professor emeritus Dr. Hoyt Purvis, attorney and columnist Autumn Tolbert, and yours truly. Topics were President Trump and DACA (how could it not be?), the state’s uninsured rate (now below the national average), and Rep. Steve Womack’s potential chairmanship of the House Budget Committee.