Should The Next Arkansas Governor Be An "Arkansas CEO"?

When you listen to the discussions in Arkansas by candidates for Governor each person has views making a voter feel a sense of confidence.  It is still so early that nobody in the state knows which candidate will end up with the nomination for the Democratic Party and which will have the Republican Party nomination.  Most media outlets seem to indicate that it’s going to be a battle between Mike Ross (D) and Asa Hutchinson (R).  Both men have impressive backgrounds.  Ross served as Congressman as did Hutchinson.  Hutchinson also has the distinction of serving as a U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, and as the Administrator for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.  So, to the press at large it looks like these two giants will end up battling it out for your vote.  Ross will likely pull support from Governor Beebe and maybe even President Clinton.  Hutchinson could pull support from an array of powerful Republicans.  So far, Ross will not have an opponent, so he can concentrate on the general election and seems to have the party nomination in the hat.  Hutchinson faces Debra Hobbs and Curtis Coleman.  Most people in the press are simply ignoring Hobbs and Coleman, but for Hutchinson to do so would be a mistake.

Debra Hobbs, a State Representative, has name recognition in her area, and to a degree on the state level.  Curtis Coleman though seems to be a one-man train jumping from the four corners of the state as if the election will be held in the morning.  Curtis wants to approach Little Rock and the state with a unique view.  He wants to pursue Arkansas as a business venture.  While Hutchinson and Ross will be running on records, they will forget that those records are firmly solidified in Washington politics, something most Arkansas voters would rather have little or nothing to do with these days. 

Coleman presents a fresh view, a view that Arkansas can be better than it has been.  He presents a view that says, “Why is Arkansas trending in the bottom of the economic circle when compared with surrounding states?”  His question is simple, direct and important.  Regardless of who wins the nomination for the party, they need to listen to Coleman.  Coleman’s vision for Arkansas is one where taxes are low, job growth is steady, and those in need are taken care of without the rules and regulations of Washington overshadowing the state.  Attend one of Coleman’s events, and you don’t get the feeling that this is politics as usual.  You get the feeling that this is a business proposal.  He is proposing something simple.  Curtis Coleman is saying, “Let me be your Governor, and we’ll run the state as if I’m the CEO you hired to run your company.” 

Recently there was a post that showed the best states to start business in according to Forbes.  That list showed what Curtis Coleman has been saying all along…Arkansas isn’t making it.  It further proved another Coleman point; Arkansas is surrounded by state’s prospering with business.  Among the best states is Arkansas’ neighbor’s Texas (7), Oklahoma (14), Tennessee (15), and Missouri (30).  Arkansas came in at number 35 with Louisiana at 40 and Mississippi at 49.  This means 4 of 6 states surrounding Arkansas rank better for business.  Another way to look at this is that out of the seven states in the region, Arkansas ranks in at number five.  This is not a case where yelling, “Razorbacks are Number One” is going to make a difference!  The fact is Arkansas as Coleman has been saying is coming up short.

Curtis Coleman wants to change that.  He wants to see a state where Arkansas comes up number one in the region.  Arkansas should not be bringing up the bottom of the list for business.  Consider that Arkansas is home to:

ABF Freight

Acxiom

Am Tran

Candy Bouquet

Dillard’s

J.B. Hunt

Lion Oil

Murphy Oil

Mountain Valley Spring Water

Riceland Foods

Sam’s Club

Tyson Foods

USA Drug

Windstream Communications

If none of that list caught your attention, then you’re sure to recognize the Arkansas based company of Wal Mart. 

There’s no reason that Arkansas should be ranked number seven among the surrounding states.  It’s the basic argument that Coleman has set forth and he stands by each time he speaks.  Coleman doesn’t spend time saying why his opponents are wrong.  Curtis Coleman built a company going through the red tape of government both on a state level and a national level.  He deserves to be listened to at minimum by all candidates, but more importantly voters need to ask themselves one important question; “As a voter, do you want politics as usual, or do you want someone who will help propel Arkansas into a positive position for business growth, academic and vocational success, and prosperity not seen in the state in decades?”  If that’s what you want, then you want Curtis Coleman for your governor and CEO of the State of Arkansas.

 

References

"Arkansas Gubernatorial Election, 2014." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Sept. 2013. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.

"Asa Hutchinson." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.

"Best States for Business." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 2013. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.

"List of Arkansas Companies." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.

The Ted Cruz Filibuster Hours

This week Senator Ted Cruz took the Senate floor to perform an old fashioned filibuster.  Cruz had the same target that many American’s have these days….Obamacare.  Cruz was not, however, supported by everyone in the Grand Old Party.  Many felt his filibuster of twenty-hours was a waste of time, grandstanding, and even a ploy for attention.  In closed doors sessions, the normally quite and dignified Senator Boozman from Arkansas even complained about Cruz.  During the time used Cruz talked about the ills of the Obamacare, read a story to his daughter, and pushed into a twenty-one hour rant.  In the end, it seemed to change nothing, but on the other hand it might have changed everything yet unseen.

Ted Cruz, already popular with our Tea Party brothers and sisters, managed to propel himself and Obamacare into the spotlight again.  The nation tweeted, Facebookers posted, and the news media ate up the moment.  It’s important to look beyond that though.  Cruz is already a national medial garner with his family history, and his supporters.  Like fellow filibuster, Rand Paul, Cruz has been able to show Americans that when nobody else will listen to them in Washington, he will stand up for them.  Try standing for twenty-one hours sometime.  It’s not an easy task.  Nonetheless, Cruz has now proven that no matter how much the odds are against him, he’s willing to listen to Americans and take a stand even if it means in the end he looses.   Remember, Americans love those who take a stand against the odds and loose….Remember the Alamo. 

Cruz’s actions may have just put his name on the GOP list for potential presidential nominations.  Americans are tired of politicians going to Washington and turning their backs on those who elected them, or using trick votes to get what they want while still looking like they support the folks back home.  Just ask former Congressman Mike Ross from Arkansas.  When Obamacare hit the floor, he voted against it, thus looking like a hero to those back home in Arkansas opposing the bill; however, what Ross won’t tell you is that he voted to move it out of committee and onto the floor for a vote.  In other words, he could have killed it in committee and he would never have had to vote on the floor.  His actions helped Democrats push through Obamacare without making Ross look like a sell-out.  Consequently, Ross is now running for Governor of Arkansas and he’ll likely tell voters how bad Obamacare is for the state.  Cruz on the other hand has stood up for the little guy.  It may have been a fruitless stand, or as stated before it may change everything.  Cruz could have just set sail to cruise right toward a GOP nomination.

Obama's Red Line at Home Equals Division

With words like "We don't need no stinking permit" We don't need bikers are planning to ride into Washington sometime during the Million Muslim March, which has a permit, on September 11th.  The bottom line....division.

Democrats and Republicans alike would be hard pressed to say that Obama's Washington is encouraging healing and brotherly love.  After all, there are 364 other days in the year that our American Muslim brothers could plan a march in Washington.  Why did they want to do this on September 11?  Why not September 10, September 8, or maybe even August 1st?  For a Muslim to plan a march on the nation's capital on September 11 is a much of a slap in the face as can be!

America is a great melting pot.  We have Muslims, Christians, Jews, Agnostics, Catholics, Hindus, Buddhist, Satanist and I'm sure somewhere there's some religious group that believes my 1975 Pet Rock is the savior of the world!  We tolerate all religions because we believe in a separation of church and state.  But we also respect each other.  Christians have killed Jews and Muslims in name of God in the past.  Catholics have killed Protestants in the name of the Father.  Yes, and Muslims have killed Christians in the name of God.  The fact is, most religions have some negative history behind them.  We'd all like to forget it and be able as Dr. King once dreamed to sit down at the table of brotherly love together.  Despite the great melting pot though, we all still have issues we deal with that will not let us sit down at that table yet, and for Americans in general, September 11 is one of those days we have issues concerning.

On September 11, two times now (thank you for that awesome response to the last attack President Obama) we have been attacked by those claiming to do it in the name of being a Muslim.  So, when a group of Muslims come together and say, "Hey, I know, Allah will be mighty proud of us if we have a march.  Let's do a Million Muslim March....and I know, let's plan it for September 11, 2013!  Yes, that will be mighty awesome."  Instead of sounding to Americans like a celebration of one of our fellow Americans individual beliefs, it sounds like they are saying, "Hey, I know, we can really piss off a lot of Americans if we plan a Million Muslim March on the same day that some of our nutcase brothers decided to kill as many Americans as possible and go see Allah!"

So, in the end the response is a bunch of bikers decide to hold a march, well a ride, on the same day.  They ask for the same permit that the Muslims got and get denied.....yes, the Obama government denied the permit for the bikers, but granted one for the Muslims.  Simply put, they mixed church and state for the Muslim March, but failed to allow what is essentially a civic group to march.

The answer is simple, hold your march...you have 364 other days to look into for your march.   Republicans and Democrats don't hate you, you're American Muslims, but have some sensitivity, not to mention honor for your country.  If you want to be an American, then be an American, but September 11 is Patriot Day, not Muslim Day or Christian Day, or any other religion's day.  It's a day to remember that fanatical Muslims from another country tied to terrorist killed our brothers, our sisters, our friends, and our fellow countrymen.  It's a day we can not and will not forget.  Don't make it a day we feel like American Muslims have no sensitivity to.  Let's make it a day all our brothers and sisters in this great country can take a moment to remember and recognize these were not our American Muslim brothers and sisters because true Americans, regardless of religion, don't turn and cause undue division in the UNITED States.