Arkansas Blog

Not bad commentary JB!

As the late, great observer of Arkansas politics, Pat Walsh, said repeatedly: Every honest politician has at least one aide, in whom he has total trust, who is up to something illegal or unethical.

Remember before Nixon when "politician" did not equal "uncaught crook;" and when they were caught, they weren't above the "due process" of common U.S. Citizens?

How times have changed . . . click on handle

Since Lu and others are still holding their high-paid positions, obviously the lesson is it's not what you know but who you know. And sadly, Max is part of it.

"Since Lu and others are still holding their high-paid positions, obviously the lesson is it's not what you know but who you know. And sadly, Max is part of it." Posted by: reallawyer

Huh?

Second Polecat's, "Huh?"

What part of "taxpayer thieves and liars" do we not get?

I'm sure Lu Hardin and the UCA Board have done a world of good.

I'm sure because they've told me so.

"I'm not really into looking up stuff for myself and stuff." Not.

Except I read Lu Hardin's latest denial-denial-justification in yesterday's D-G (this shizz is, what? Three weeks old?) where this lawyer (Lu Hardin) again lied about meetings and discussions and letters and admitted he was wrong about the Freedom Of Information Act and also the dates and names on his letters pimpimg for more money and got caught trying to justify his requested salary increase by comparing UCA presidential salaries to significanly larger schools.

Get real.

This is sleazy, shoddy, illegal rip-off behavior by Lu Hardin and the current UCA Board.

How can anybody trust or respect any of them again?

Get rid of them all, except the two Board members who spoke up to contradict Hardin's version and dates of events, whose names unfortunately escape me.

Until we start saying, "No!" at local and state levels, we'll never be able to say, "No!" at national levels.

As long as Lu Hardin and his Board cronies remain on the state's dole, even in part, we're all complicit in funding crooks and liars, as we've just witnessed in this sad and revealing ongoing episode.

"Nice" people who turn out not to be.

Can 'em an find a President and Board with ethics and integrity.

What. We're supposed to sit around an pretend we don't know what's gone on and is going on at UCA with Lu and the Board for the duration of his "contract?'

We're supposed to forgive and forget?

THIS is the message we want to send UCA students?

That you can lie, cheat and steal and come out smelling like a rose as long as you know the right people?

Yep. That's the message.

As long as Lu Hardin and his Board preside over UCA, that's the message.

"There's a danger to personal branding of a public institution"

Frank Broyles anyone? Look how well that turned out. And, that was about the man's public persona and private power and access to "public" funds.

Lu is not sorry. He hasn't learned a thing. He is only angry he got caught. He is stilling working the angles to get his hands on "his" money.

Clearly they're sorry...they said so...and they're fine, good people...they said so and their friends said so. And, clearly there's a different system of accountability for those at the top of our government/those with money, than the rest of us. How many years on the Board and didn't know EXACTLY what state employment law mandated??? And, Lu lied.

Guess hiring new legal help didn't help, either; 'cause it took media inquiry for the Board and its president to realize they didn't know what the hell they were doing, employment wise, and that lying makes for bad headlines.

Hopefully...Rush now knows EXACTLY what the Board can/can't do regarding state money/state employment. Perhaps a silver lining...

Whoever said the Faculty Senate President made a fool of himself...is crazy or hopelessly biased. He did his job; and he is correct.

Did anyone/everyone read the faculty rep's entire letter that he wrote to the UCA Board? I happened to pull it up this morning, and though I heard him on the news I had not yet seen this (at name). Wow! He really put it all out there.

Does anyone have the story on the cutting of retiree benefits? It sounds like a big deal, but maybe it is common place....I had not heard anything about this and wonder how it all came about. I am guessing that these specific cuts were known about when the board decided to speed up Lu's $300,000 bonus? It just seems like a big deal to me, but no one has really commented on it, so maybe it not that important.

Zelda, thanks for believing in "silver linings," please remember, we USED to depend upon administrative types to provide us with policy and procedures and facts like comparable salaries. I am embarrassed that I, for the most part, have always accepted that info without ever considering it may be presented in such a way as to lead me to the provider's hoped for conclusion. After going thru this experience, I assure you that it will not happen again. I know there are others who care about UCA as much as I do but I know I care a lot, too. One reason I like our President is that he dreams of being bigger and better than we have ever been and for me, that is the first step towards getting there. YOU WEAR BE OUT EVERY CHANCE YOU GET AND HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE FOR EVERY DECISION I MAKE. You do "get it" and you make me better by holding me to a better standard than I have delivered in the past. Thank you

DHO, I will get you the specifics on those benefit cuts and post them tomorrow afternoon after I get home from work. I am confident I know but before I go "on the record" let me check.

HA-rfhiii,

"I am confident I know but before I go "on the record" let me check." Looks like perhaps you have learned a lesson or two.... don't know if I can say the same for your pres, I guess time will tell.

I think we all appreciate the time you are taking to clear things up. Lu is lucky to have you on his side.

DHO - Why would anyone be willing to say anything definitively to most in this group? Any and every word can be jumped upon and attacked in nano seconds. Yet, I still take the whipping and try to help those understand what those involved may have been thinking. Most reserve the right to ridicule and blast me but the thought that they might not have it completely right has never crossed their mind. I am on the side of UCA. I have been thru 4 Presidents in 20+ years on the Foundation and the Trustee Board. I will be there long after our current President has ridden off into the sunset. I really think that for most UCA stakeholders, they measure Pres Hardin's contributions as a whole and have yet to define his presidency by this single incident. The next few days will be telling times for the school and the President. I appreciate your comments.