Richard Womack: No Pie for Me!

May 21, 2013 2 Comments
money_suitcase

There’s been a lot of gossip swirling around the vote to expand Medicaid in Arkansas. For example, how did proponents of expansion pick up 8 votes from Monday (when the bill first failed) to Tuesday when it passed? There’s been a lot of talk about bribery or extortion -- Rep. Nate Bell even went to the House floor and spoke of “threats” that had been leveled against House members. Rep. Bruce Westerman, in a fiery speech, asked members if their votes were worth “30 pieces of silver?” … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 General Assembly, Arkansas Legislature, Medicaid, Obamacare Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Warring Messages of the Private Option

May 17, 2013 5 Comments
38643_web_medicaid-signing

At the Saline County TEA Party meeting last week, Rep. Andy Mayberry told his constituents that the struggle over the private option made him feel like he was being forced to jump out of the third story of a burning building: There’s no way, if I just stand there, that I’m going to survive. I’m gonna burn. There’s a window over here that I can choose to jump out of and I might die in that fall. I know I’m going to die if I stay there and don’t do anything. But I might just survive … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 General Assembly, Arkansas Legislature, Medicaid, Obamacare Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

On the Arkansas Times, Part II

May 14, 2013 1 Comment
2013-01-04-ap-national-debtjpg-a5a0f274b81915b9

David Ramsey of the Arkansas Times regularly distinguished himself this session with his thorough coverage of the debate over Medicaid expansion. His account of the creation of the “private option” -- perhaps the biggest increase in the size and scope of state government in my lifetime -- was educational and gripping. But occasionally his work told us more about David Ramsey than it did about Medicaid expansion. One of the areas where his article fell short was in his discussion of the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 General Assembly, Arkansas Legislature, Arkansas Media, Medicaid, Obamacare Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

On the Arkansas Times, Part I

May 13, 2013 2 Comments
why-time-travel-is-impossible_66207_600x450

One of the legislature’s most praiseworthy achievements this session was passing a “voter ID” bill. If you read the unsigned article in this week’s Arkansas Times, though, you’ll see a very different perspective on voter ID. Indeed, the Times explained: Republicans say the new law will protect the integrity of our elections; some may believe that. But there's no evidence of substantial in-person voter fraud, the only kind prevented by the new law. There is plenty of evidence, however, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Arkansas Legislature, Arkansas Media, Elections, Voter ID Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Day of Reckoning in Saline County: Who Said It?

May 11, 2013 21 Comments
mystery legislator

Thursday night, the Saline County TEA Party hosted a town meeting so that their members could question the Saline County legislators who had supported the “private option.” About five state legislators representing Saline County attended; at least as many legislators from outside Saline County attended as well. Almost every public official who was there has been a friend of the Advance Arkansas Institute and, in some way, has fought for good-government reforms. But I have become … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 General Assembly, Arkansas Legislature, Gallery, Medicaid, Obamacare Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Legislators to Convene With Saline Co. TEA Party Tonight

May 9, 2013 8 Comments
don__t_tread_on_me_by_muslimpatriot-d3hgu4z

Tonight, the Saline County Tea Party has scheduled a forum -- at Brown's Restaurant at 6:45 in Benton -- inviting their state legislators to discuss the Medicaid expansion / "private option" that many of them supported. The original invitation to legislators, from Ed Hairston of the Saline County Tea Party, read We have many members concerned about your vote on this bill, they have asked me to invite you to our next meeting on May 9th to convince us to continue to support you. After that, Ed … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Arkansas Legislature Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Rep. Bell: “Powder, Lead, Walnut, Brass & Steel”

May 7, 2013 2 Comments
constitution_gun

The following is a guest op-ed by State Representative Nate Bell, a second term legislator from Mena. It was a spring night in the quiet Birmingham, AL suburb of Pleasant Grove.  The year was 1981. I was about 12 years old.  It was one of those nights where the air was perfect and most everyone was sleeping with their windows open.  Pleasant Grove was one of those towns where everyone knew each other. Our neighborhood was quiet and peaceful. Our house had those old crank-out style casement … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Arkansas Legislature, Arkansas Republicans, Gun Rights Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Health Care Boondoggle: Medicaid Doesn’t Improve Health Outcomes

May 2, 2013 4 Comments
piggybank320

Any government program is, by definition, a failure -- unless it improves peoples’ lives. Some conservatives think that improving people’s lives through government is difficult at best (and sometimes impossible), and that the burden of proof is on the advocates of social programs to demonstrate that they truly help people. I tend to agree. So I watched in disbelief as many Arkansas Republican legislators recently went along with Governor Beebe’s plan to expand the Medicaid program -- … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Arkansas Legislature, Health Care Reform, Medicaid, Obamacare Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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