Trickle-up theory
Date: 3/8/2007
By:
Warwick Sabin
Through thick and thin, there has always been one group of dedicated Americans whose support for President George W. Bush has been unwavering: The wealthy.
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Plugged in
Date: 2/22/2007
By:
Warwick Sabin
One reason why the South remained solidly Democratic during the mid-20th century was the enduring gratitude to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who brought electricity to the poor, rural parts of the region.
According to one historical account, "Although nearly 90 percent of urban dwellers had electricity by the 1930s, only 10 percent of rural dwellers did. Private utility companies, who supplied electric power to most of the nation's consumers, argued that it was too expensive to string electric lines to isolated rural farmsteads. Anyway, they said, most farmers were too poor to be able to afford electricity."
It's hard to imagine that there was so much inequality when it came to such an important resource.
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Park and ride
Date: 2/15/2007
By:
Warwick Sabin
I found myself in an unusual place around 5 p.m. on a recent weekday: On Cantrell Road, west of Mississippi Street, driving toward downtown.
Normally I would be headed in the opposite direction, sitting in the slow-moving traffic and unaware of how far it stretched behind and ahead of me.
It was strikingly different to pass mile after mile of cars packed bumper-to-bumper, to see the helpless and frustrated looks on the drivers' faces, and to suddenly understand the magnitude of the problem.
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Opposites attract
Date: 2/8/2007
By:
Warwick Sabin
The formal coalitions in the Arkansas Senate - the "Brotherhood" versus the "Otherhood" - are well-documented.
More interesting, however, are some accidental alliances in the state House of Representatives that cut across partisan and ideological divisions.
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On merit
Date: 2/1/2007
By:
Warwick Sabin
Will merit pay for public school teachers lead to better academic performance by students? I don't know. So far the results are inconclusive.
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Empowered
Date: 1/18/2007
By:
Warwick Sabin
The most frustrating thing about rising fuel prices is that we are powerless to do anything about them, at least in the short term. We know potential solutions exist, but they always seem to be blocked by those who have an interest in keeping us dependent on gasoline. So we have no choice but to pay whatever they charge.
A similar dynamic affects what we pay for basic electricity.
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Bird in hand
Date: 1/11/2007
By:
Warwick Sabin
In the days leading up to the opening of the new legislative session this week, the big debate was about tax cuts.
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To the moon
Date: 12/28/2006
By:
Warwick Sabin
The real hope for Arkansas lies in self-sufficiency, which is derived from conservation, fresh thinking and making the most of what you have.
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