Arkansas Blog

Obviously one can glean from looking at the legislation at the link you provided, that it is not yet complete and will clearly have additional language clarifying the items you mentioned. That is a common practice up there, and i would assume you would know that.

ARK. BLOG: Still stupid

Then perhaps my good friend from Cabot should have spent more time filling in the blanks. Where was the need to rush to filing with such an empty piece of poor folk bashing?

Ya'know Repukes are truly hilarious, a few posts down Max cites Senator Mitch McConnell bemoaning the state of his party. And here we have a local pol demonstrating the exact behavior that has made them the minority party.

Right hand meet left hand, think ya'll could grasp a bit of reality between ya'?

60 IQ points required to be a legislator....damn that's putting the bar a little high...I was going to say a minimum of 45....I mean that is high enough to shit and fall back in it, as many of them do on a daily basis....

It looks to me that Harrison is about to br overtaken by Cabot as the redneck racist capital of Arkansas.

I guess right now is a good time to try to knock Harrison off the top since right now they are "powerless". While Boone County tries to overcome 2 inches of ice Cabot is throwing racist bombs.

Before anyone says I am libeling these two towns, ask any minority where they should not let the sun set on them.

No, Bus, what you're referring to is a 'shell bill', a legal vehicle for committees and joint committees to fill in as the session progresses; the lottery enabling bill is such a critter.

If Mr Carter had intended his very first bill as a legislator to be anything other than a nose grinding, Bible thumper grandstanding show of - nothing, he would have thought about such issues as: who's gonn'a pay for these tests? who's gonn'a administer them? what's gonn'a happen to those who flunk? what is flunking? why do we wann'a know this stuff in the first place?

A thoughtful legislator would've put more effort into his very first foray into the legislative arena.

Check out lil' Davy's positions on the issues. He's marching lockstep with most of the Republican party into the annals of marginalized political parties. Sad that such stupidity has been thrust upon someone so young.

one more time

Damn, Max, thats a big much, no?

Aren't there plenty of others to pick on over there, too?

What does Mr. Carter have to say for himself in regards to the bill?

ARK. BLOG: You may be right about harshness. You'll see some of his comments. It was not really coherent to me. We'll just have to see. But I just don't hold with drug testing as the panacea for anything. Except for profits for drug testing companies. Talk about expensive to implement.

Well, you can't really call this compassionless bill 'racist'. The vast majority of welfare in this state goes to whites. The percentage of drug abuses recieving help from DHS is probably no greater than that of honest hard working Republicans. Mr. Davey should divert his attentions to fixing the problems in DHS itself. Next...I suggest a bill that calls for mandatory drug testing of all elected officials in the State of Arkansas. What's good for us is good for them.

ARK. BLOG: Indeed, I think he's motivated by the many meth users in his neck of the woods, mostly white.

So presumably when he amends his shell bill to add the details he'll include funding for adequate substance abuse treatment?

I suggest the Legislature immediately place Breath-A-Lyzers at the entrances to the House and Senate and require that every legislator be forced to prove he/she isn't drunk before entering the chamber. THAT should weed out a whole BUNCH of the mischief-makers in the ledge.

Also suggest that each member present a certificate from a board-certified psychiatrist attesting that said member has not been diagnosed as (a) crazy, (b) lamebrained, (c) irredeemably stupid, (d) homicidal, or (e) a sociopath. No certificate, no legislation introduced.

"No, Bus, what you're referring to is a 'shell bill'"

Gee, thanks for clearing that up 70.

You're very welcome Bus, glad I could be of assistance.

Can someone help me understand how such a law would be "small government" e.g the kind that Republicans SAY they want? While I don't advocate for my tax $$ to buy drugs, I have a hard time understanding the cost-effectiveness of such a program, how it's not government intrusion into people's private lives and why this is such a pressing need for our state.

I'm with you earl...piss/breathe from the top down...instead of just all over us.

Not that many years ago, I was surprised by the number of legislators that legislated under the influence. And, then there's that around-town partying that occurs during each legislative session. Grandstanding hypocrites...who, if I heard correct, just gave themselves a raise. I was just thinking how underpaid our representative are...especially as related to the quality of their work. I am shocked, however, that there are any more Civil Liberties left to squeeze out of us.

EY....you have made an excellent point. Also, Conwegian, you have also brought up an interesting point as well. Somehow, I do not think drug rehab is in the plans....but that part would probably be contracted out to private firms with the DHS recipient liable for the costs of the rehab.

As awful and mean-spirited as this bill is, it will probably be popular and may even pass. Most people are very righteous when they're talking about taking somebody else's rights away. I predict that this bill will go far enough to pass the House and maybe even the Senate. Under pressure it may even get signed into law. Surely, it would not stand up in court. One never knows the depths to which we have sunk.

"It looks to me that Harrison is about to br overtaken by Cabot as the redneck racist capital of Arkansas."
Nah, look where his co-sponsor John Burris is from.

This is another fine example of Christian Right posturing.

Kick those druggies off the benefits! If they die or turn to crime it is not anyone's fault but their own, right?

This is just like the beloved position on abortion. 'I saved a baby'! Now as to it growing up to be a decent human being? 'Not one of my problems'.

The pros and cons of this bill notwithstanding... A minimum IQ of 60? Sounds like a good standard for posters of comments to the AT blog. Of course, we'd probably see a few familiar names disappear in the cut.

Even if this bill does become law, wouldn't most lawmakers agree that there be some age limit for drug testing? No state senator is going to want granny marge taking out her catheter to be tested.

This is not the first time I've heard this suggested by the local yokels in my neck of the woods in NEA. They get fired up thinking about all the meth heads living off the guv'ment graft.

Can't keep from looking at that picture. They're sure making them young these days.

I'd wager all the money in my pocket that Davy Carter didn't think about race when he filed this bill.
I'd wager that he was thinking of all those white meth heads who live in Lonoke County and White County and beyond when he filed the bill.
Carter, a laywer, while not a poster boy for the ACLU, has done quite a bit of work on the housing mess at LRAFB and has a fairly progressive track record for a Cabotian, whom are actually very accepting of blacks, especially the 2,000 yards rushing variety.
Anyway, Carter might not be as progressive as a Hillcrest limo liberal like Max but he's not exactly the Klansman that Max made Carter out to be.

ARK. BLOG: Read more closely. I had already written that Carter was concerned with local meth users, most of them white. Punishing pathology makes no sense to me.

Am I missing a point here? Why should anybody who chooses to use illegal drugs be allowed to sponge off the public money? Why should my taxes be wasted?

Maybe I'm being harsh, but I've had enough first had experience to know that these people need to spend their money on LEGITIMATE needs. Meth, weed, crack, etc., is not a LEGITIMATE need.

Then again our welfare system is so screwed up that once a person gets on, the system is designed to prevent them from ever getting off.

ARK. BLOG: Do you still think people are paid money under the welfare program?

What about SB216 by Sen. Altes....does it not purport to impose similar requirements?

Well now coz, are you going to include yourself on the cut list? You did of course make a post on this blog, so that means you must be in that 60% standard you placed all of us in. If so I say welcome. Now that we, in turn, know how you "feel" about us, we can make sure to step off the sidewalk to let you pass, rise and let you have a seat and simper in the presence of your greatness. I am thrilled to stand in your shadow.

He is indeed a dope. This is about as stupid a thing I've heard lately, and I hear lots of stupid s**t on a daily basis. Maybe this guy will run for Congress and fade into a vapor with the rest of the hate-filled right wing war mongers.

Max, as a landlord, I see "welfare" spending in cash every day. Please note that I'm clumping a lot of programs together.

A few weeks back I posted of a woman applying for an apartment. She is in her 20s with a number of illegitimate kids. She gets SSI cash, WIC, food stamps and a HUD voucher for her housing. She does not work, does not go to school. So yes, she lives off public assistance.

Are you saying these people do not exist? If so, you need to come down from your ivory tower and see the real world of being trapped on welfare.

Now to return to my question... if this woman lives entirely on 'welfare" why should she spending whatever cash money she has on illegal drugs?

ARK. BLOG: Heartless Award of the Day. Social Security and housing vouchers are beyond the reach of the state, I believe. WIC and Food Stamp vouchers are not and they are not cash assistance. You'd deny prenatal food and post-natal food to kids because their mother was a drug user? Cold, brother. Cold.

Max, why do you think this such a bad idea? I know someone who not only gets her much-needed psychiatric drugs fully paid for, but also gets a $500 monthly stipend from welfare. She uses that stipend, not to live on, but to buy the illegal drugs that she thinks she needs to get through the day.

I think it's great that she gets her LEGAL drugs for free; she needs those. But why should she get away with wasting my tax dollars to feed her illegal drug addiction?

ARK. BLOG: I suspect what you call welfare the government calls Social Security disability payments. Disability. PUnishing pathology is cruel and ineffective. Encourage treatment. Pay for treatment.

How about that conservative small government?

As long as the GOP can't decide if they want government in or out of our personal lives, they'll continue to wander in the desert.

To starve a child because her mom smoked a joint is a symptom of our violent society, the polar opposite of the teachings of Jesus.

Given a choice between socialism and Big Brother, I'll take socialism every day.

Do dope heads and drug addicts should be allowed to raise their children and expose them to crack, meth, lsd, etc.?

Better idea: clean up DHS, revoke Act 1, take the kids away from their druggie parents and put them in GOOD homes with DECENT people.

Maybe, just maybe, if we spent a little money on treatment programs rather than bigger prisons we might be able to address these issues. Or, we can continue the course of dumping BILLIONS and BILLIONS of dollars into the "war on drugs."

Seems food stamps are one of the things they can withhold if, say, Mom or Dad had an old -- old, I say -- felony drug record. And for those of you who

Seems food stamps are one of the things they can withhold if, say, Mom or Dad had an old -- old, I say -- felony drug record. And for those of you who

Seems food stamps are one of the things they can withhold if, say, Mom or Dad had an old -- old, I say -- felony drug record. And for those of you who

Seems food stamps are one of the things they can withhold if, say, Mom or Dad had an old -- old, I say -- felony drug record. And for those of you who

Seems food stamps are one of the things they can withhold if, say, Mom or Dad had an old -- old, I say -- felony drug record. And for those of you who say take the kiddies out of that household, well, where ya gonna put 'em?
Figure out some other way to help end the drug problem, guys.
What we oughta rethink is the constant drug for this, drug for that, drug for everything advertising campaigns we are all subjected to. And not just the ridiculous, "Heh, heh, it'll make me bigger and won't that be fun, honey" nonsense.
Not comfortable in social situations? Ther's a drug for it. Just ask you doctor to prescribe it.
Squirmy kiddies? Drug those little suckers up to their eyeballs. (What happened to the tough mom/teacher look that tells that kiddie he'd better STOP THAT RIGHT NOW without a word ever being said? I've used that look on a misbehaving kiddie -- whom I did not know -- in Wal-Mart and he immediately stopped trying to tear a bench loose from the floor.) (Say, Davy Carter does look young. Maybe . . .)
Haven't we set up our kids to think that drugs are the way to brains, beauty, wealth or anything else (SEX?) they want? Next thing you know, they've decided that there's no reason to go to the doctor if they can get a little "help" on the street corner or in the locker room.
And we wonder why they "go bad"?

Good grief! I have no idea what happened. I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry . . . Looks like it's back to my meds right now.

Wow! Obviously this sort of topic would be heatedly debated, but it's even more dramatic than I expected. :) Isn't there a solution here, somewhere?
I work my butt off and barely scrape by, I've waited to have children until I could provide the "right" kind of life for them from my perspective, and I don't qualify for diddly squat in government assistance. I've paid for my education with my own money, too - thanks to federal loans. I never qualified for grants, of course. And if I fail a drug test at work, I lose my job, my income. So yes, I believe it is VERY unfair for someone to be able to "work the system" and not put forth the effort to be decent citizens like the rest of us and yet, they have enough cash to buy drugs. Yet, right now in our "System" there's not even a method to detect and thus treat drug abuse. How do you begin to fix the problem without first identifying those who suffer from it?
A LOT of people like me believe that there are just as many people on government assistance that really could take care of themselves as there are who really need help. Let's weed out those who are taking advantage of the system. Period. BTW - Is anyone working on a test for laziness? There should be therapy for that, too. Really.

Okay, Max. So maybe I misunderstood your response to my previous comment, but it sounds a lot like you're saying it's fine for drug abusers to waste disability payments, because disability is not the same as welfare. Please correct me.

Also, I'll admit that I''m not sure precisely which level of government (federal or state) supplies her $500 to spend on pot and painkillers. I would be happy to ask her all about it and find out, for the sake of argument, but the fact remains that whatever agency's name is on the check, it's still coming from taxpayer money, and it's going directly toward her habit.

Somehow I doubt it's disability payments, since she's certainly not physically disabled, and from what I can see she's not mentally disabled to the point that she is unable to work. She's in college, after all, and doing a fairly good job of wasting government funds on her tuition. I say "wasting" because, really, what sort of grades do you think she's making when she's high all the time?

Since the legislators receive salary for legislating controls for DHS, then they receive services from Department of Human Services. So the legislators shall have mandatory random drug testing daily while in session starting with dear ol' Davy.

Is Mister Carter related to a Mister Aiken?

Max, you said "cold, brother"... yeah, unfortunately at times I have to be. Not proud of it either, but I've had to develop a thick skin at times.

About two years ago I had to evict a woman with kids... the woman had let a druggie move into the house and he was selling. The woman had kids too... two girls and a boy. I remember their faces as the sherrif escorted them out... and arrested the boyfriend for being stoned: he had lit up in front of them.

Sometimes I wonder what happened to them. I felt sorry for the kids... but the mom and her boyfriend were selling out of MY property and just two blocks from a school. What can you do?

We had a grand dream once for a Great Society... but for too many years I've watched the corruption take over... watched people learn to jimmy the system and not do an honest day's work. I've seen pezzonovantes in the government throw away good money just to satisfy their own egos and sense of being "in power." Democrat and Republican.

Damn... I'm getting melancholy in my old age.

Max, do me a favor tonight... take a look at your family, have a drink of your favorite beverage, and be glad you have a good brain and a strong drive. Fight for what you believe in.

ArkansawTravler -- Looking at my post, I don't recall pointing fingers at anyone in particular. The fact that you spoke up must imply a guilty conscious of sorts. Don't worry, there is room for you in my shadow. :-)

Whacked -- I'm SO with you on this.

Oh, God. Sitting at the rail at Cajun's, who should join me but -- you guessed it -- Davy.

"Did anybody ever tell you you look like Clay Aiken?"

"No. I don't look anything like Clay Aiken. He's gay. I'm not gay. I'm Republican."

"Okay. Wanna dance?"

"No. I don't dance. I'm married."

"Cool. What are you doing HERE?"

"Research. Among my constituents."

'What?"

"My constituents."

"Look. You're great looking. Sharp dresser. I bet you can tear it up on the dance floor. It's okay if you're gay."

"I'm not gay. I'm married."

"Cool. Let's dance."

"I'm not gay."

"It's OKAY, Davy! C'mon! Let's dance!"

"You're fun!"

"You remind me of Clay Aiken."

"I'm not gay."

"Let's give 'em somethin' to talk about. C'mon, baby. Bump with me."

"Seriously. The hair's great. Great cut. Love your highlights."

"Jesus, Davy. If only I weren't a dyke."

"You're a dyke?"

"Yeah. I'm married."

"You're -- "

"In Massachusetts. It's too bad."

"Huh . . . ?"

"You're such a great queen. C'mon. Lemme buy ya a beer."

"I'm not gay."

"Lite or stout?"

"Could I have a Cosmopolitan?"

"Sure thing, Davy. Hey, bartender! Double Cosmo!"

"What's your sign?"

" 'Yield.' "

"Down the hatch, Davy."

'Course, I'm straight and Democrat. I just LOVE fucking with closeted Republicans.