Arkansas Blog

Joyce Elliot. Elliot, a former state representative and classroom teacher, served as chairman of the House Education Committee and co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Educational Facilities. The Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers (PACT) elected

Elliott president in 1985.

Wonderful Choice for Beebe my EX State rep she will bring loads of ideas to the team........

I'm feeling better already we going to have to watch them like a hawk !

Carry on People .....

Excellent choices. For the first time since 1996 we've got professionals in control of the ship of state. This crew knows how state government works inside and out. It's about time.

I may be reading this the wrong way, but it looks like more of the same is coming our way. I'm curious to see how the OK Attorney General's case goes against the AR chicken houses. Seems Beebe was thinking about that when he brought on Harriman. Rather than protecting our water and resources, it looks like Beebe is going to take the side of big money poultry producers. Hopefully not. I called the AG's office about this issue last summer and got no response. They all got secretive and were in "meetings" every time I tried to get a straight answer. When I called I noted that several of the defendants in the lawsuit had donated money to Beebe (and A$a's) campaigns. Looks like more big money deciding what's good for Arkansas natural resources rather than experts. Who woulda thunk it? Max, care to ask your boy Mike what he sees in the future of this case and how it will affect the average Arkie?

Well....I don't know. I still have a chill in my bones from the Eamon Mahony years when he was the head of Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Company in Fort Stephens. Under his watch the gas company pioneered dirty tricks like turning off your gas because you'd been a customer so long you didn't have a deposit.

Oh they'd apologize out the whazoo, but they'd say, since your gas is turned off, how about putting up a deposit. And no matter if you were a Ward, Sparks, Yantis, or Echols, you had to put up a deposit to get your gas turned back on.

In the Eamon Mahony years the price of gas sky rocketed way ahead of national trends even though Fort Smith sits in the middle of a rich gas field. In the Eamon Mahony years bullet proof glass was installed at the payment windows and the hired help was told to be as nasty as they could be. Tits were sharpened every morning to keep them at pit bull strength.

His cut throat style stuck with AOG after Eamon retired and is why I am entering my 7th year as a sweet burning propane customer. This appointment is strike one against Mike Beebe in my book.

It's a mix of good and bad apples and we know what happens in that mix, eventually you must make cider or lose the entire barrel of apples.

Was enlightened to see Don Nelms in there. He has served unselfishly in Washington County as one of defenders of our unusally good enviroment. Don began as a history teacher then acquired a Honda motorcycle dealership in 70's which later became Honda auto dealership then when opportunity knocked he acquired the Fayetteville Chevy dealership.
Don has always been an active Demo voice in Washington County.
Good to have the booming portion of NWA represented by a clear headed fellow.
_

You guys wanted it you got it.... let's see how the Arkansas economy outside of the NW does over the next 8 years...... I'll check back in then.....

100 years of Democrat rule is extended and we will still be on the bottom when this one is done........

Like all the lobbysts on the team.....

Yes, TeddyR, the only reason the economy in NW Ar does well is because they vote Republican.

That may be the most ridiculous thing ever said on this blog. Hands down.

The only thing missing from this team the Jack Abramoff of Arkansas, Don Tilton.

No surprises today my friends. Of course Harriman was going to be the Chief of Staff. Any governor needs a very smart best friend to be the chief. It is not a job for someone you just met or hired. Of course Don Tilton doesn't come in to the office. He was there 30 years ago as a pup working for Bumpers. He will remain the dominant lobbyist at the dome, more powerful and more expensive than ever.

Beebe meanwhile begins the dance of selecting from the resumes in front of him tonight. The young kids who worked hard on the campaign who take the junior staff jobs in the administration. The senior campaign people who take the senior office jobs. The trusted and old political friends who are owed somehting and are tapped to run agencies. The delicate dance of the new governor is to blend all the favors owed, with true competence when it comes to hiring. People who think this administration will somehow be radically different from Huckabee will be disappointed. After ten years of Huckabee, many forgot that the shine wears off the new guy pretty quick. Beebe also starts out dealing with some very high expectations. Max...I hope you are not disillusioned by the time the gavel comes down to open the new session in January. I also think many of you Huckabee bashers forget how Tucker left office. You saw the chaos and public unprofessionalism....you can only imagine the trashed offices and shredded routine documents that awaited the Huckabee team. Huckabee will leave with more class than Tucker did.

ARK. BLOG: Oh, yeah. Huckabee will leave LOTS of documents to peruse.

Are any of them in Beebe's Sunday School class? That's how the Huckster operated. Ask Highway Commissioner Prissy Hickerson.

Max, you are a true piece of shit.

Uncle Earl, Huckabee started with Barclay and Von Gremp, two members of the legislature who had experience and years of state service and kept Wiess and the DF&A boys so I think he did have some people of experience with him, unlike your limited memory suggests. Learn your Arkansas history before you make stupid remarks.

Beebe acted like he was a right wing conservative on the campaign trail, and then the only legislator named on his transition team is the most liberal legislature at the Capitol. Joyce Elliott received a zero on the evaluation of legislators by American Family Association. She voted against Parental Consent for abortion (89 Representatives voted for it); she voted for homosexual adoption, for Separation of Church and State, against allowing In God We Trust license plate, No on student led prayer, no on suspension of license for alcohol possession, and yes for public drinking. She voted for tuition of illegal immigration and against police arrest of illegals. I think on the campaign trail Beebe took an opposite position on all or almost all of these issues. Anyone surprised. The only way most of the Democrats get in office is through deceit.

Well chris, your side lost yesterday. And if some Democrats pretended to be more conservative than they really are, it pales next to your buddy the Uniter.

Among the lies he told today in his press conference was that he came to DC to change the tone of government, like we were all fighting worse under Clinton and he was going to make us love one another. How well has that worked out for us?

I think it's going to take a bunch of rabid liberals to drag the pendulum back towards the center where life flows more gently for all God's chill'en.

Your boys have 2 years to make us out liars and crooks. My boys have 2 years to prove they're not. I look forward to seeing which of us is right.

Does anyone know if or how Ruth Whitney will be included in the Beebe administration?

Looks like it depends on how much cash she raked in for the campaign. Here we go again with crooks and theives.

Well big whoop.Beebe's a good ole boy and the Democrats have their fair share of crooks.so what. Yeah, in a perfect world a few honest/honorable politicians would be 'the' dream. But we're in Hell 'cause of monkeyboy and his kool-aid drinking enablers; and most of us are simply thrilled to be out of this seemingly endless descent. I'm thrilled to see the bottom.much less dream of climbing out of this nightmare. So, no, it's not news to me (or to most Arkansans) that Beebe's a solid good ole boy.with all the accompanying baggage. Nor is it news that many of the National Dems will line their pockets with lobbying money...like their Republican brethren. The news from this election is that for the first time in six years there's a smidgeon of hope that our country will not continue its ungodly, immoral descent into an unchecked Imperial Presidency.will not continue acting like we've got the biggest penis in the world.will not continue to act like we're the only people who count. I especially have hope that we will either recognize that the Iraq War is a doomed nightmare and act accordingly, or recognize the compromises that must be made to ensure a real victory for the entire Middle East.

Well, oops...my Word didn't translate correctly. Long story short: My computer WILL NOT register at Type Key (it's the computer) so I have to send it to another computer...and I'm not patient enough to put up with some of this stupid, irritating computer crap. So unless my posts are completely incomprehensible...they'll stand as is.

FYI, in case anybody doubted, never fear, Beebe & Co. will reward all of their friends in the Chicken industry with what good campaign contributors deserve, tax payer funded assistance in damaging our natural environment and our relationship with our neighbors.
Nationally, a vote for the Democrats was a long over due vote for change. In this state we are only transitioning back from the new old boys' network to the old old boys' network. Elliot and Nelms are great choices, but it's clear who the dominant players will be.

McDaniel to Take Active Role in Poultry Litigation
By James Gordon
11/8/2006 11:40:57 AM

Attorney General-elect Dustin McDaniel, fresh off Tuesday night's victory over Gunner Delay, laid out some of his general plans as attorney general.

McDaniel said he intends to take an active role in three main areas of litigation facing the state.

Among those is agriculture litigation, specifically the case filed in June 2005 by Oklahoma Attorney Drew Edmonson claiming that runoff from the improper handling of poultry waste has polluted Oklahoma streams and lakes. Companies named in the lawsuit included Tyson Foods Inc. and George's Inc. of Springdale, Simmons Foods Inc. of Siloam Springs and Peterson Farms Inc. of Decatur.

"This represents a huge threat to all areas of agriculture in Arkansas, not just poultry," McDaniel said.

The case is currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. In May, current Attorney General Mike Beebe requested to intervene on behalf of the people of Arkansas.

Don for head of ADEQ!! Makes sense and that current Director was Campaign Manager for the not-so-great candidate that just disappeared one day from State service-