EYE ON ARKANSAS
Editorial n Conservatives who claim to love the Constitution are forever wanting to change the Constitution. One might almost question the sincerity of their affection. Congressional Republicans have tried repeatedly — and will again — to limit free speech by means of an amendment that would allow Congress to ban the burning or other “desecration” of the American flag. They would let Michele Bachmann rewrite James Madison, and they’ve won House of Representatives approval of this proposal on several occasions. Fortunately, a more sober-minded, Democratic-majority Senate has declined go along. The Tea Baggers have barrels of bad ideas and one of the worst is their balanced-budget amendment, but since the Baggers run the Republican Party now, this scheme too gets taken seriously. The proposed amendment would require a balanced federal budget every year, cap federal spending at 18 percent of gross domestic product, prohibit any tax increase without a two-thirds majority of Congress, and prohibit any increase in the national debt without a three-fifths majority. If the amendment was adopted, the government would be unable to respond to emergency, whether military invasion, natural disaster or economic downtown. The central government was paralyzed just that way under the Articles of Confederation, and that was a big reason for the adoption of the Constitution — so that the government could raise revenue. The Founders considered and rejected restraints such as those now urged by right-wing radicals. (Who are not strong on American history, obviously. One of the Republican presidential candidates, Herman Cain, confused the Constitution with the Declaration of Independence throughout a speech announcing his candidacy. Bachmann and Sarah Palin have demonstrated broad ignorance of America’s past too.) Texas Gov. Rick Perry, yet another spooky Republican presidential hopeful, has announced his support of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages nationwide. Though Perry purports to believe in states’ rights, he’d strip states of the right to legalize same-sex marriages, as a few of them have done. Perry may actually see more in the Constitution that he doesn’t like than he does. Certainly the business about separating church and state can’t sit well with him. Just last weekend he was hosting what he called a national day of prayer in Houston, he and like-minded others praying and preaching up a storm. All this was done in partnership with the fundamentalist American Family Association, a Tupelo, Miss., group that opposes abortion and gay rights and believes that the First Amendment’s freedom of religion applies only to Christians. The U.S. Constitution, that noble document, must be protected from friends such as Perry and his kind. It barely survived the last Texas president.
201 East Markham Street, 200 Heritage Center West, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, Arkansas 72203 Home page: http://www.arktimes.com • E-mail: arktimes@arktimes.com PUBLISHER Alan Leveritt EDITOR
PHOTOGRAPHER
MANAGING EDITOR
ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR
SENIOR EDITOR
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Lindsey Millar Leslie Newell Peacock
Brian Chilson Mike Spain
Max Brantley
Patrick Jones
Mara Leveritt
Rafael Méndez Bryan Moats Sandy Sarlo
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Katherine Smith Daniels Sarah DeClerk Darielle D’Mello Angie Wilson
REAL ESTATE SALES EXECUTIVE Tiffany Holland
CLASSIFIED SALES EXECUTIVE Challis Muniz
David Koon Bob Lancaster Gerard Matthews Doug Smith
DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING
AUTOMOTIVE ADVERTISING MANAGER
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
SPECIAL PROJECTS
Robert Bell
Michelle Miller, Manager
SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR
EDITORIAL ART DIRECTOR
SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Phyllis A. Britton
Kai Caddy
Tiffany Holland
Heather Baker Kelly Ferguson Josh Bramlett
ADVERTISING TRAFFIC MANAGER Roland R. Gladden
ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Kelly Schlachter
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Tracy Whitaker
IT DIRECTOR
Robert Curfman
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Anitra Hickman
CONTROLLER Weldon Wilson
BILLING/COLLECTIONS Linda Phillips
OFFICE MANAGER Angie Fambrough
PRODUCTION MANAGER Ira Hocut (1954-2009)
association of alternative newsweeklies
FOR SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE CALL: (501) 375-2985
16 AUGUST 10, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES
SHANNON FRAZEUR
Fatal attraction
COOL DOWN: Children receive a much-needed respite from the heat at Riverfront Park in Little Rock. Highs are forecasted to remain in the 90s this week. Shannon Frazeur submitted this photo to our Eye On Arkansas Flickr webpage.
A tale of two taxes n The organized campaigns for and against the tax proposals to be voted on Sept. 13 by a small subset of Little Rock kicked off this past week. The pro-tax Committee for Little Rock’s Future emphasizes that “the penny” will go to “create a bold vision for Little Rock.” The group opposing the proposals calls them a “$500 million tax” and says that’s too much. It’s smart politics to simplify the issue by hermetically connecting the issues, but the voters on Sept. 13 actually will cast two votes on two fundamentally different tax measures. Voters — the final legislators in this referendum — need to think about these taxes (and their impact on the city) individually. If they do so, more split tickets may be cast than either side expects — or wants. The arguments for the second ballot item — a permanent 5/8-cent sales tax for operating expenses — are markedly stronger. The sales tax is an inherently regressive tax, but the state constitution sharply limits the revenue enhancement tools available to municipalities. Little Rock also is a special case because many suburbanites and tourists use city roads and services on a daily basis and would pay a decent share of the tax. Whatever the problems of city government, there is simply no doubt that Little Rock needs more revenues for its current services and the mostly worthwhile new projects to be covered by the permanent tax. The opposition claims that this tax is too big, but does not argue that additional revenues aren’t needed. The city’s inability to meet its contractual obligations to raise the pay of police and firefighters and the closure of alert centers in challenged neighborhoods a year ago will be nothing compared to the ugly budgeting process in the years ahead without new revenues. If raised, the permanent sales tax will still be below many Arkansas cities that lack the complex issues facing the state’s largest city. A rebuilding of trust between government and citizens, a plan to close race and class divides in the
Jay Barth city, and a sense that public schools in every part of the community work are all essential to propel the city forward. But, new revenue is fundamental for the city to progress. The justification for the other ballot item — a 3/8cent tax that covers a variety of capital projects across its 10-year lifespan — is considerably weaker. Some of the projects to be funded by this tax (such as the new 12th Street police station) benefit poorer parts of the city, but more benefit wealthier West Little Rock and business interests. The city failed to pay for sprawl to the west with impact fees and now proposes that all of its citizens pay for new roads and firehouses in that area with this tax. As a result this tax plan is decidedly more regressive. While many of the “economic development” components in the proposal can most charitably be deemed “ill-defined,” other parts will indeed immediately create lower-wage (but essential) jobs that will benefit parts of the city facing enormous unemployment rates. The creation of needed jobs and a number of valuable services (goals markedly absent from the recent national economic debates) nudge me towards a “yes” on the 3/8-cent tax at this writing, but I continue to grapple with this second ballot item. Thoughtful, progressive folks are front and center in both the pro- and anti-tax campaigns. It’s crucial for the city’s lawmakers — in this case the rank and file voters — to ask tough questions in the month ahead so that they make the right call on these two tax proposals. Jay Barth is the M.E. and Ima Graves Peace Distinguished Professor of Politcs at Hendrix College.