Absurd comparison
So Mike Masterson thinks that a fair way of evaluating Joe Biden's presidency after a year will be to compare the gas price then to what it is now. Using his rationale, how about comparing the number of covid infections and deaths in a year to what they are now?
Of course, it's difficult to take anything seriously from a supposedly well-informed newspaper columnist who is just now admitting that Joe Biden's presidency is appearing "increasingly likely."
KATHLEEN BEATTIE
Little Rock
A trustworthy system
The No. 1 priority for all American citizens regarding our voting system should be that each legal vote is counted accurately and that only legal votes in each state are counted. Joe Biden, Donald Trump and all their respective supporters should fundamentally agree. Our media need to independently and without bias investigate election system fraud and report the facts surrounding poll watchers who have signed sworn affidavits under penalty of perjury regarding illegal vote counting, especially in key battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. Hearings are being held with state legislatures and a number of lawsuits regarding these voting irregularities have been filed in those states.
Hopefully the mainstream media including this newspaper are committed to reporting on these actions that affect who will be president but more importantly in confirming the integrity of our election system as a pillar of a free democracy that leads the world. The president-elect is named when the electors vote on Dec. 14. In the meantime we need to be laser-focused on the process working according to the legal requirements in each state, be ready to support our next president, whomever that may be, and know in 2022 and 2024 we will have a trustworthy vote-counting system.
BOB HAYDEN
Little Rock
An American tragedy
In the United States of America, millions of people are hungry. Before the pandemic, the need was huge; now it is dire. Senior citizens are hungry. Veterans are hungry. Forty million people struggle with hunger, with 11 million of those being children. I could go on, but the statistics are easy to find with a simple online search. This is a tragedy.
If you have more than enough to meet the needs of your family, think about giving generously. Consider donating to feedingamerica.org. They provide food to hundreds of food banks nationwide. Or simply give to the Arkansas Foodbank or a charity of your choice.
PATRICIA PHILLIPS
Little Rock
Confirmation given
John Brummett's Sunday column confirmed two of my long-held convictions: First, education matters; second, women are smarter than men.
EARL RAMSEY
Little Rock
Must champion truth
Partisan division will have a little different look in 2021. The anti-democracy Trump Party will be struggling to maintain control over the pro-democracy Republican Party. Conservative Republicans who still believe in democracy allied with the Democrats in the 2020 election to overwhelmingly defeat Trump. Will the authoritarian Trumpists continue to look for ways to suppress the vote, or will Republicans once again embrace democracy and reject the Trump cult?
Trump is a liar. Those who support him support his lying. Obama was not a Muslim from Kenya. That was a lie. The coronavirus isn't a hoax. That is a lie. I believe we have the most coronavirus cases and deaths because we have incompetent leadership at the top. Saying it's because we do more testing isn't just a lie, it's just plain stupid. Trump did not win the election. That is a lie. The election wasn't stolen. That's another lie. Everything about QAnon is a lie. Look for the Trump Party to support more of these crazies in congressional races in 2022. It seems Trump has no health plan other than to destroy Obamacare. Saying Trump has a health plan is a lie. Trumpists are not willing to protect insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions. Saying otherwise is a lie.
I believe conservative Republicans are going to have to champion the truth if they want to take back their party and remain a viable political force in this country. Treating American voters like they're all stupid and will believe any fairy tale they're told isn't going to work long-term. It worked in 2016. Not so much in 2020. It's true that the Trumpists will always be able to fool some of the people all of the time. Just not enough of them to win any more national elections.
MIKE FOX
Conway
A whole other class
Hats off to you, Philip Martin. How cleverly and directly you spoke to those who would dare to characterize your writings as sometimes "personal," "trite," or "mundane" by citing the singer-poet Merle Haggard's "Hungry Eyes" line, "another class of people" kept "somewhere just below." That, sir, is clearly genius that could derive only from the depths of a man's soul, both yours and his.
JERRY McINTYRE
Little Rock
Clinton used pardons
In the Saturday edition, Jim Lancaster was critical of Trump's pardons. He failed to mention the fact that Bill Clinton issued 456 pardons when he was in office.
JOHN P. SELIG
Corning