ALL THUMBS
Posted on Saturday, May 10, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/brog/Editorial/60172/
Appearing each Saturday, “ All Thumbs ” is The Benton County Daily Record’s take on the people, events and issues deserving a “ thumbs up ” for a noteworthy accomplishment or good deed or a “ thumbs down ” for magnificent failure or just general stupidity.
Thumbs up to the fact that no one was fired during flamboyant multi-billionaire Donald Trump’s speech in Rogers last week. Trump was the keynote speaker at a fundraising luncheon for Economics Arkansas, which promotes economic education throughout the natural state.
Attendees got an education, all right, as “ The Donald” dispensed bits of wisdom ranging from, “ You have to love what you’re doing, ” to “ Always, when you get married, always have a prenuptial agreement. ”
Those in attendance were no doubt entertained — and relieved to emerge unscathed.
Thumbs up to the launch last week of a 211 information and referral system, which allows callers — by dialing those three easy-to-remember digits — to connect with community services and volunteer opportunities.
The service — already offered in 16 other states — was introduced locally by the United Way of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas Public Service Commission on Thursday.
Thumbs down to Hillary Clinton’s decision to keep fighting for the Democratic presidential nomination despite a bruising primary defeat in North Carolina and a narrower-than-expected win in Indiana.
Regardless of how one feels about Clinton or her opponent, Barack Obama — or about the party they’re vying to represent — this nominating contest has become tiresome. More than that, it’s become a national burden.
Enough’s enough.
Thumbs down to the continued rise of gas prices. The statewide average price for a gallon of regular gasoline climbed to $ 3. 52 last week.
Thumbs down to human smuggling.
Last week, Benton County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested a man for alleged human smuggling after stopping his van on Interstate 540 near the Washington County line.
The van was found to contain 12 Mexican nationals, according to BCSO Capt. Mike Sydoriak.
Thumbs up to news that the Benton County Election Commission is busy preparing for the May 20 party primaries and nonpartisan judge election — a process that includes preparing electronic voting machines for service. We’ve got our fingers crossed.
Thumbs down to news that some states — obviously taking their cue from presidential candidates John Mc-Cain and Hillary Clinton — are proposing summer gastax suspensions of their own.
These plans may sound good, but as tax cuts go, proposals like these don’t deliver nearly enough bang for the buck.
As we opined earlier in the week, they represent pandering at its worst.
Thumbs up to the strong attendance at last weekend’s Bentonville Dog Walk, an event held to rally support, and raise money, for the proposed Bentonville dog park. Almost 500 people, along with their four-legged friends, participated in the Dog Walk.
Thumbs up to news that Arkansas has one of the lowest drunk-driving rates in the nation, according to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services’ recently released National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Utah earned the best ranking — followed by West Virginia, Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina. The survey found that fewer than 11 percent of motorists in these states had driven under the influence in the past year.
Thumbs up to the Corporate Learning Division at Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville for being named the state’s lead institution for the Global Corporate College — an organization of educational partners that provides standardized training to businesses with a national or international reach.
Thumbs up to the volunteers who took part in Bentonville’s Clean the Streets Day, a joint effort between the city of Bentonville and Keep Benton County Beautiful. Clean the Streets Day is Bentonville’s local incarnation of the annual Great American Cleanup, in which communities throughout Arkansas and around the country focus on tidying up.
It doesn’t happen without volunteers willing to give their time to the effort.