A Lot in the Stack
GO-AR endorsements, states' rights, UA's Middle East studies, notable date, Epstein (again)
There’s too much in my stack to show, even during this “in between” 5th Day of Christmas. If you’re not a Conwayite, skip down to my Arkansas and National stack below.
Conway
Why not make cuts? Conway’s City Council has been told there’s a need for a “significant increase” in December sales tax revenue to meet budget goals.
Election hit: After voters recently approved a 1/4 cent sales tax hike for public safety capital, Conway’s Council again slapped voters and first responders upside the head: they re-allocated $50,000 of designated public safety funds back to the City’s General Fund less than a week after the election. Conway is not serious about public safety, but oh, the “sense of place” we must pursue!
Question: WHY does the all-Democrat-leaning City Council regularly immediately vote to waive all readings of proposed ordinances? Could it be because the issues are already decided before the public is made aware at twice monthly City Council meetings? Sure seems to be that way. Democrats have totally dominated the City Council in Conway for at least 30 years. I’m looking for a change when four Council seats are up for election in November 2026.
Arkansas
UA goings-on: After UA-Fayetteville dismissed the director of the King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies for making public, pro-Iranian political comments without disclaiming her UA employment, a majority of state Senators led by Republican Senator Dan Sullivan issued a letter that backs UA. Although the media paints the director’s removal as a racist move (automatic unless you’re a white person, of course), #themoreyouknow — Did your Senator sign it?
GO-AR 2026 endorsements: Influential Gun Owners of Arkansas has listed their endorsements for the 2026 election cycle, noting that “Voter engagement is also expected to play a pivotal role this cycle.” Remember, statewide primaries are about 2 months away on MARCH 3!
Everybody’s got one: Former state Republican lawmaker Carlton Wing, now head of newly named Arkansas TV (formerly Arkansas PBS/Arkansas Educational Television Network), insists he and his team “had very definitive discussions” with PBS about how the loss of $2.5 million in federal funding would result in severing ties with PBS. However, AETN Commissioner Annette Herrington says in an email that the “push to move with undue speed in disaffiliation with national PS programming” leaves “78% of Arkansans supporting PBS content” hanging, after Harrington voted with another commissioner against the severance. To add to the confusion, PBS has reached out to the Commission chairman to say they had no warning of the pending severance (?).
No surprise: It’s no surprise that Bill Clinton appears in the latest tranche of Epstein releases. But, here’s a question: if the DOJ redacted only victims or under-age gals, do you think someone should look into these pictures more closely?
National
Wonder who they are? We searched but so far have not found a list of which 40 state legislators from 30 states have created a new bipartisan state legislative leaders group. The Assembly of State Legislative Leaders will focus on states’ rights and ending federal intrusion into state lawmaking.
GDP, wow! The real gross domestic product (GDP) for Q3 2025 comes in at 4.3%, above Q2 growth of 3.8%, and above the expected 3.2% — but this WONDERFUL news seemed to slip right by the media!
Westerman Wins: Congressman Bruce Westerman’s SPEED Act just passed the House in a 221-196 bipartisan vote. His bill, which speeds up federal approval for infrastructure, energy, and conservation projects, moves now to the Senate. However, Senate Democrats are expected to demand significant changes to “protect renewable energy,” and moderate environmental advocates in the GOP are set to push back as well. President Trump’s recent pullback on offshore wind projects has made Senate passage tricky, if not impossible.
If you can stomach it: Jack reminds me regularly that a well informed voted needs to read both sides of political matters to truly understand them. So if you want to understand more about how the Democratic Socialists of America is moving into our political primaries across the country, the New York Times (consider the source!) took a deep dive here at the December DSA Convention held in New Orleans.
Why take anyone? In Arkansas, it seems the Republican Party will allow anyone who’s able to pay the exorbitantly high filing fees to run for office with the coveted “R” behind their name on the ballot. North Carolina Republicans must’ve been the same way; look who’s the only candidate so far for 2026 in NC Senate District 22: Lakeshia M. Alston, who actively voted in each Democrat primary beginning from 2008 to 2020. Whadaya say, does this stunt totally disrupt the Republican primary process and ultimately favor Democrats in the general?
MAGA: I love that President Trump ordered a review of all the exhibits at the Smithsonian in order to re-do and correct the woke versions of our culture and history that the Clinton-Obama-Biden years changed to vilify America. Now the White House warns the Smithsonian that ”if the museum system does not submit more documentation to the administration to enable a review of its content, funds may be withheld from the institution.” The deep state resists. Is it true, “history is written by the victors”?
If you know, you know: Secretary of State Marco Rubio is emphasizing that “the days of NGOs, an integral part of the ‘Foreign Aid Industrial Complex’, sending aid often in direct opposition to America’s priorities, are over.” As a fan of DataRepublican and Mike Benz, who have exposed massive NGO corruption, I sure hope so! They revealed that Senator Tom Cotton "serves as a Director at the International Republican Institute (IRI), one of eight core NGOs aligned with the political establishment. While IRI is closely tied to the Republican Party, its agenda and interests fundamentally conflicts with President Trump’s policies. Funded primarily by taxpayers, IRI received $130,689,289 last year, much of it from USAID....”
Lower drug prices: In the “didja know” category, President Trump’s newly inked “most favored nation” (MFN) drug pricing plan brings lower prices to only Medicaid and a small part of Medicare, with plans to bring on Medicare later. The TrumpRX platform will use discounted DTC (direct to consumer) pricing for some drugs (DTC drugs are not covered by insurance). The plan also guarantees MFN pricing for any new drugs and requires pharmaceutical companies to invest in manufacturing, with at least $150 billion in commitments to far.
Notable date: Leading up to our 250th birthday this year, December 19 was the day 248 years ago that about 12,000 members of the Continental Army, along with many of their wives and children, arrived at Valley Forge, a pivotal and well known milestone in our great American Revolutionary War. Our forefathers, American patriots, suffered intense cold, hunger, disease and fatigue along with very low morale -- conditions that created a magnificent reshaping of George Washington’s army and forged the dedication, endurance, and resilience America stands for today.
from Washington and Lafayette at Valley Forge painted by A. Chappel, Engraved by H.B. Hall
It’s STILL Christmas Season, ya’ll!
"We searched but so far have not found a list of which 40 state legislators from 30 states have created a new bipartisan state legislative leaders group. The Assembly of State Legislative Leaders will focus on states’ rights and ending federal intrusion into state lawmaking."
One would think they would want to have the list known, unless it's a group of squishy moderates.
Someone needs to do their homework on Tom Cotton- WEF, etc person, not who he portrays himself to be.
Those having a R by their name means zero. My Representative, Brit M. Is a prime example of someone who could care less about those he claims to represent and to top it off he flat out lied to me. Guess I shouldn’t be one bit surprised.
Meantime, President Trump played the Demo-rats well on the Epstein drama. I can’t believe how stupid they are (and sick)!