Letters | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

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Don't close the door

Hang on to PBS! Arkansas' governor and former Republican legislator Carlton Wing see losing PBS as a good choice for Arkansas. Who needs "Sesame Street" and "Masterpiece Theatre" and "This Old House" and Ken Burns, right? We get spelling bees, Arkansas high school sports, and Quiz Bowl. Don't get me wrong. I'm a retired teacher and former academic coach; those events are important. But I am with former first ladies Barbara Pryor and Gay White. We must fight to stay connected to PBS and seek additional state and private support.

Give us access to a world that includes Arkansas, but also includes culture beyond our borders and programming that showcases nature and science around the world. Give us news with commentary not constrained by whatever political flavor is controlling the airwaves. I want to know what is happening on foreign shores and what is going to impact not only my life but also the humanity of the people involved.

When we talk about educational television that is available to the entire state, it is not just schoolchildren who are affected. Whatever your education or profession, a good life means access to lifelong learning. Whether your interest is politics, art, music, nature, crafts, travel, or entertainment, PBS' programming is diverse and designed for multiple ages and interests.

On a recent morning with PBS, I visited a Venice lagoon and listened to craftsmen who make colored glass in exquisite patterns. I rode down America's Route 66. Then I visited Istanbul. For people with health, financial and family travel limitations, PBS opens the world and challenges us not only to think, but also to dream. Please don't close the door.

MARY M. SMITH

Fayetteville

Religion and politics

It seems our president is delusional. His posting of a bizarre AI-generated photo in the middle of the night is proof. Whatever he was trying to communicate with that photo is craziness. Will someone please tell him that he is not Jesus Christ nor a doctor? When the public reacted to his craziness, he lashed out at the pope, of all people. Oh, I forgot, he has also posted pictures of himself as the pope.

Can we please keep politics out of religion? The pope is certainly qualified to speak out on matters of religion and theocracy, regardless of what JD Vance thinks. But in my opinion, our political leaders should keep their personal religious concerns to themselves. Our Constitution protects us from religious persecution and bars religion of any kind from interfering with governance. Let's keep it that way! In the meantime, get this man a mental evaluation ASAP.

MELODIE MARCKS

Fayetteville

Say no to vouchers

When food stamps were first introduced, we were a mid-20s couple with one working and one in medical school. I reviewed the necessary qualifications for enrollment in the program and was tickled that we qualified. I proudly shared with my spouse. However, he poured water all over my enthusiasm, pointing out that this program was for the poorest of the poor and not intended for those of us who were heading quickly up the economic ladder. I reluctantly conceded his point and did not pursue it further.

Decades passed. We moved from a small university town with good schools to Little Rock where, because we arrived in August, we had no option except the neighborhood school or a private school. What with the move, setting up the job site, hiring new people, finding physicians and dentists, it took me a year to figure out the byzantine LRSD system. After that year, one child moved to an excellent junior high (as they were called then) and one child was offered the opportunity to skip a grade where forever after he would be the youngest member of his cohort. I visited every public and private school system in the area, where I found that no private school offered anything exciting and innovating. However, returning to his neighborhood school was a nonstarter. The waiting lists for other public schools I found acceptable had over 100 names. I finally found a Montessori school with a teacher who had more than 20 years of experience who, when interviewed, showed understanding, commitment, and skill. We gladly paid for two years of private school before he was able to matriculate to the same excellent junior high.

There were no vouchers then, but I speculate that we would not accept them for the same reasons we would not enroll in food stamps. My taxes went to support public education of all children as they continue to do. To those who have children in private schools for whatever reason, please do not accept vouchers and take away funding from public schools. Our state and, indeed, our nation needs the best in public education.

NELL MATTHEWS

Little Rock

No rubber-stamping

Donald Trump's ludicrous monument to himself, the Trump Arch, will require approval by Congress. Taxpayer funds will be used. The proposed site is on federal park lands. The proposed monument would violate the Washington, D.C., building height restriction. Congress would have to approve this ridiculous monstrosity, a monument to Trump's narcissism.

Presidential libraries are commonly seen as being dedicated to a president's time in office. Private donations are usually used for the construction of these libraries. This is the proper and legal way for a former president to commemorate his time in office. As a practical matter, do we really need the Washington, D.C., landscape and skyline cluttered with arches dedicated to 45 different presidents? No? Well then, why should there be one for a man who is, arguably, considered to be one of the most hated men in the world?

Congress can stop this. They can refuse to fund it. They can refuse to change the height restriction. They can refuse to allow this particular construction on federal parkland. The problem: Can you think of any Republicans with enough spine to push back on Trump's idea of a humongous monument to himself? Most of them may think this is a horrible idea. So far, not a peep of dissent out of any of them.

Maybe the voters should be allowed to weigh in on this. If Republicans can retain the House and Senate, they'll be able to rubber-stamp whatever foolishness Trump does in the next two years. He can tear down all the monuments in Washington and just leave the one dedicated to himself. I'm sure our six Arkansas members of Congress would be fine with that. Or we can restore some sanity to the world and vote out the five of them who will be on the ballot in November. Voters' choice.

MICHAEL FOX

Conway