Can you imagine what would happen if a Democratic Party HQ hung the American flag in a disrespectful way?  Can you imagine the howls from the Republicans?  Democrats would be labeled communists and traitors.  Hell, they’ve called us that over less.  But, as usual, the Republicans have no room to throw stones.  Especially if their Jonesboro HQ is any indicator:

That’s right, the American Flag outside the Republican HQ is touching the ground in that photo.

Now, to be fair, I drove by the headquarters this afternoon before posting and the problem was fixed, with another, much shorter flag hanging where the old one had been. But seriously, can you imagine if the shoe had been on the other foot? Do you think for a second that if Democrats had a flag drooping on the ground and Republicans had taken a picture of it that they wouldn’t be beating their chests in outrage and spreading it to everyone in earshot?

Monday night, the Craighead County Quorum Court decided that it was better to protect nepotism and encourage corruption than to show residents of the county that their government was open and honest.

The Craighead County Quorum Court voted 8-4 Monday against a proposed anti-nepotism ordinance that would outlaw the hiring of family members by direct supervisors.

Justices of the peace who opposed to the policy said the county hasn’t had problems in the past with nepotism and that the county “shouldn’t fix what isn’t broken.”

Best comment in that article right here-

“This is Craighead County, and we don’t have to follow other counties’ policies,” Justice of the Peace Jim Bryant said.

He’s right, Craighead County doesn’t have to have policies that protect against favoritism and corruption.  That stuff is for counties with good government.  Seriously, have you ever heard anything so asanine?  Thank you Mr. Bryant for that migraine inducing moment.

It truly is embarrassing that only four members of the Craighead County Quorum Court show any concern for protecting the tax payer dollar from corrupt practices.  There names- Kevin Hoke, Barbara Weinstock, Ken Stacks, and Fred Bowers.  As far as I’m concerned, they’re the only four who deserve reelection.

And the ones who voted in favor of protecting nepotism? Jim Bryant, Mike Cox, Mike Hawkins, Kenny Hendrix, Max Render, Terry Couch, Duane Harvey, and Ed Hill.  Oh, and outgoing County Judge Dale Haas didn’t sound too wild about the measure either…surprise, surprise.  (One JP, Mary Suiter, was absent due to illness.)

So, if you’re a Craighead County resident, here’s the contact info of all the JPs that voted no, courtesy of the Craighead County website:

District #3
Jim Bryant
2009 Magnolia
Jonesboro, AR 72401
Home-(870)-932-9506

District #4
Kenneth Hendrix
1400 Twin Oaks
Jonesboro, AR 72401
Home-(870)-972-0837

District #6
Max Render
3200 Moore Road
Jonesboro, AR 72401
Home-(870)-935-7031

District #8
Ed Hill
2207 Fox Meadow Lane
Jonesboro, AR 72404
Home-(870)-897-7900

District #10
Michael Hawkins
499 CR 360
Jonesboro, AR 72401
Home-(870)-932-3135

District #11
Duane Harvey
502 CR 702
Jonesboro, AR 72401
Home-(870)-932-5668
Work-(870)-935-2418

District #12
Terry Couch
4638 HWY 135 South
Caraway, AR 72419
Home-(870)-482-3996

District #13
Mike Cox
328 CR 408
Jonesboro, AR 72401
Cell Phone-(870)-530-0202

Why don’t you give them a call and tell them how you feel…Oh, and for good measure, here’s how you can send a letter to the Jonesboro Sun and let all the paper’s readers know what kind of county government they have.  But while you’re at it, don’t forget those that stood up for good government and responsible policies.  Call them and tell them to keep fighting and tell them that you have their backs.  And you should contact the absent member, Mary Suiter, and make sure she votes against nepotism the next time around.  (Remember, the paper didn’t specify the nature of her illness, so be extra respectful on that one.)  So, here’s the contact info for the good guys and the potential good guy Mrs. Suiter:

District #1
Ken Stacks
527 W. Washington
Jonesboro, AR 72401
Work phone-(870)-932-5530
Home phone-(870)-972-0303

District #2
Fred Bowers
801 French Street
Jonesboro, AR 72401
Home-(870)-972-6105

District #5
Barbara Weinstock
208 Wilkins
Jonesboro, AR 72401
Home-(870)-935-1117

District #7
Kevin Hoke
4008 Chapel Hill Drive
Jonesboro, AR 72404
Home-(870)-935-8647

District #9
Mary Suiter
2019 Pleasant Grove Rd.
Jonesboro, AR 72401
Home-(870)-935-7784

Again, if you’re a Craighead County resident, stand up for good government and tell your representatives on the Quorum Court that you don’t want your taxpayer money going towards nepotism.  And if they don’t listen a second time around, throw the bums out.

I live in Jonesboro. I’ve got to say, it’s a nice place to live, but like any place on the globe it has its problems and its features tend to get under the skin, especially when you start talking about the city politics.

One of the most bizarre things about Jonesboro city politics is the way the city council elections are run. In most towns and cities, candidates run to represent their ward and have to win an election in their ward. However, in Jonesboro, candidates for the city council have to run and win a citywide election to represent a particular ward of the city. This has led to situations where you have candidates who win the ward they were running to represent, often by overwhelming margins, but got creamed in other areas of the city. Besides being undemocratic, this has also lead to a distinct lack of minority representation on the city council.

So, why am I talking about this here? Because progressive change for this state starts at the grassroots level, in our local communities. From there it grows and spreads across the state, and eventually has some impact on the national level. By pushing for progressive change at the local level, we are building and strengthening our hand for inducing change at higher levels.

Besides that, the Jonesboro system of city council elections is just plain wrong. It deprives voters of certain wards the representation they voted for and it works to keep out progressive and minority voices. Personally, if Jonesboro progressives want to change their community for the better, changing to a ward system would be a good place to start.

I just got back from working volunterring at the Jonesboro office for Bill Halter’s campaign.  I didn’t do a lot, just grabbed a bumper sticker and then went outside to hold up a sign and wave a car, but the results were telling.  We got a lot of waves, honks, and thumbs up signs.  One guy leaned half way out his vehicle to wave at us and one lady took both of her hands off the wheel when she waved.  Only one person flipped us off, and we had a good laugh about that one.

If you want to help out at the office, it’s at 128 Southwest Dr. here in Jonesboro and we’re going to be doing some phone banking and canvassing soon.  If you’re not registered to vote, you have until Monday to do so if you want to vote in the primary.  In other words, REGISTER!!!!  And while your at it, you might ought to consider shopping at the Halter campaign store.  At least get a bumper sticker!

Update: Just so there’s no confusion, I was volunteering.  I’m not going to work for or be paid by the Halter campaign or ANY campaign.

On Wednesday evening, I got to attend two events with Bill Halter here in Jonesboro, and let me tell you-Bill’s going to win this thing!  I’m convinced of that more than ever.

The meet and greet and town hall event was held in a room that was too small for the crowd that came.  I couldn’t get a good headcount, but the room was full and overflowing into the lobby as people were still coming in.  It was a diverse cast, with African Americans, veterans, teachers, liberals, conservatives, moderates, gay people, elderly people, young people, and others all in attendance.  Halter worked the room like a pro, and I walked away incredibly impressed.

Let me say one thing before I get into the nitty gritty.  This is not exactly the same man we saw in 2006.  It’s evident from the way he talks that his young family has changed him a bit since he first ran and his girls came into his life.  He brags about them, beams when he’s talking about them and his wife, and you can see that they’ve helped open him up in a big way.  When we first saw Bill Halter, he tended to be somewhat aloof.  Now he seems genuinely warm and personable, and while he never said as much, you could tell from the way he discussed his family that they are what helped him to bridge that emotional gap necessary to succeed in Arkansas politics.  Or at least that’s what I think.

It didn’t take long for Halter to cut from his excellent kick off speech, to talking real issues.  He again voiced support for a public option people could buy into.  He laid out ideas on how to combine federal programs with state programs to guarantee a college education.  And when he didn’t know an answer, he admitted it and tried to address it to the best of his ability.  The issue of the VA came up several times, as there were at least four veterans in the room, and while Bill stressed he wasn’ t well versed in the issue he pledged to find out more.  I hope he details a statement on that sometime soon.

At some point, the issues of DADT and DOMA were raised.  Bill again voiced support for repealing DADT, and each of the veterans in the room jumped in and said the same thing!  This in a supposedly conservative, anti-gay state coming from supposedly anti-gay service men.  On DOMA, Halter acknowledged that Arkansans had spoken on marriage, but he still stood up for the rights of people “in any loving, committed relationship” to have certain contractual rights.  Later, at the fundraiser, I was impressed by just how tolerant and unafraid of being associated with LGBT people Halter really is.  He stood there talking to both myself and my partner for a good long while, and when I pointed out to someone else there that he had stood up for folks like us when others made it clear we weren’t welcome, he thanked me for doing so.

There was a funny moment towards the end of the townhall.  A woman stood up and asked, “Are you aware that unions are supporting you?”  “Yes.” Halter replied, seemingly wondering like the rest of us where this was going.  “Well that’s good.” She said, “Because I got a call from the Lincoln people telling me that last night.” “Was it a push poll?” Halter asked.  “Yes and I told them just what I thought about her!” The woman shot back.  The room howled.

The 1st is Lincoln’s back yard, and Halter is demonstrating real strength here.  The polls are showing him gaining, and if he’s doing well here I can’t imagine what it’s looking like in the other three districts.

By the way, to the Lincoln staffer filming the event: Smile!  You’re on candid camera!