Columns

This week marked one year since the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The ruling rectified its mistaken 1973 decision by reversing Roe v. Wade and sent the issue of abortion back to state legislators, where it belongs.

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U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman

State Capitol Week in Review, June 16, 2023

The good news is there is an election for the President of the United States next year. The bad news is that the election rhetoric has begun. Let me rephrase that. The campaign continues... While it is true elections only come around every two and four years, the campaigns never end. Just as the Christmas items at Walmart are displayed well before the time, so do the ads for candidates. Expect to see signs in yards anytime now. I will continue to inform, as always, the process of our election for President. The Constitution has set the process which is afforded to the states for details and implementation. There are actually two elections, the primary and then the national election on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November. The primary election determines the parties’ (democratic, republican) candidate. In November, the parties run their candidates against each other. Now remember, not all primaries are on the same day, some are real early and others late. Each state sets the date. Arkansas’ primary election day is March 5. There is a Republican ballot and Democrat ballot. In Arkansas, you may choose either one, but not both, regardless of your orientation or bias and you can vote for the other party on the November ballot. You do not have to be registered a democrat or republican, but you do have to be registered to vote in the county you live in. It’s not complicated and it’s reasonably fair. It is the Electoral College that seems to confuse people. Some don’t like it at all and those are often people who do not understand (or do not want) our constitutional system of governing. That conversation is for another day. The debates begin as mudslinging trends. Listen to the candidates and choose for yourself. Make an informed decision. Do your own homework, don’t rely on the media or ads that spin either way. Who would you like to see leading the most powerful country in the world? Good or Bad.

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When veterans who risked their lives in service to our country visit a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facility to receive the care, benefits, and services they earned, they should not have to face political ideations and influence before they even walk through the front door. The VA, which is supposed to be apolitical, is meant to provide healthcare, education, benefits, and other vital services to our nation’s veterans, not push any outside political agendas.

State Capitol Week in Review, June 9, 2023

Is your passport up to date? I encourage you to check and find out! U.S. Passport Services are continuing to see unprecedented demand for passports. During the pandemic, many people put their travel plans on hold. Well, now that most everywhere is back open and travel restrictions are being lifted, more and more people are traveling abroad. That means more and more people are realizing that they need to renew or apply for passports, leading to an increased volume of applications.

I take pride in being an American, but that is not acceptable for some. I take pride in being a Christian, and that is beyond reprehensible to some. I take pride in owning a gun (ok, guns) but it is simply not acceptable to some. And, I take pride being a biological male married to a biological female with no intentions or aspirations of changing, oh, but that just isn’t appropriate for some. As a matter of fact calling one out as a biological male/female seems to be offensive and flagged according to AP Style guidebook: Avoid terms like biological sex, along with biological male and biological female, which opponents of transgender rights sometimes use to refer to transgender women and transgender men, respectively. They are also redundant because sex is inherently biological.

In Fiscal Year 2023 alone, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized over 14,000 pounds of fentanyl coming across the southern border. That’s enough to kill the entire U.S. population ten times (3.1 BILLION people).

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