OPINION | EDITORIAL: Union labels Another bill lawmakers should pass

It's not hard to figure out why there is so much opposition to collective bargaining, specifically when that bargaining is being done by government employees’ unions. Imagine being able to elect your own bosses, and their jobs depended on making you happy in your job, and nobody is spending their own money. Regular civilian taxpayers don’t get that kind of deal.

A committee in the state Senate passed Senate Bill 341 by Bob Ballinger (R-Ozark) earlier this week. Michael Wickline’s story said the bill passed in a voice vote “with no audible dissenters.” Yesterday, it passed the full Senate almost as smoothly. Now it’s onto the Arkansas House.

Sen. Ballinger says the bill applies to state-level governments such as agencies, departments and universities. Also the courts and—note well—school districts. (It would not apply to cities or counties.) Frustrated taxpayers have long watched teachers’ unions elect school boards and then negotiate with the people who owe their positions to those very same unions. It’s like negotiating salaries and benefits with yourself. It’s a nice gig if you can get it. Most people can’t. But most people, being taxpayers, certainly foot the bill(s).

The executive director of the Arkansas Education Association spoke out against the bill, which surprised few people. She said SB341 “directly targets our educators who have shown up every single day at schools and in every way possible teaching students, transporting them and serving them meals since the beginning of the pandemic, knowing they are putting themselves and their families at risk. They should be respected, not attacked.” Put aside, if you can, all those stories about teachers who—well before the pandemic—were considered “chronically absent.” Pre-covid-19, the papers noted that a considerable number of core teachers at J.A. Fair, Hall High and others would miss five days or more in a single school quarter.

But put that aside. This bill doesn’t “target” educators, or even their unions. Only the power of collective bargaining, which smart school districts are getting rid of anyway: “They can have a union,” Sen. Ballinger said. “They have their association. But as far as collective bargaining, we are prohibiting it from a policy standpoint as a state.” That is, if the Arkansas General Assembly approves and the governor signs. And they should.

School districts should work for the students first, then the community as a whole. Teachers are an important priority, but collective bargaining too often makes them the first priority, if not the only priority.

It’s going to take bold, determined, courageous action to take on the unions, even now. But that’s the nature of leadership. And education. And life.

CORRUPTION, POLITICS, AND THE ART OF HEALING

I may be sleeping in the dog house for revealing this, but my wife has a medical fascination with grotesque pimples, boils, etc. She is not alone. “Dr. Popper” has 4.2 million subscribers on YouTube. Her videos commonly get more than 20 million views, and now she has her own TV show. I don’t get it, but for my wife and millions of others, it is entertaining and informative.

This somewhat unpleasant topic does provide a useful illustration for the corruption we recently uncovered in our State government.  A boil is a bacterial infection of the skin that if untreated will grow and fester over time. Boils are disgusting to behold (stay with me here, I’m going somewhere with this), but never more so than when they are treated and drained.

Our State was controlled by one political party for 138 years. Over time, accountability and transparency disappeared into a vacuum that reached its pinnacle during the Clinton administration here in Arkansas. Corruption permeated the entire system. Without some adversarial tension, without oversight, the path of least resistance, succumbing to temptation, became the norm.

The stench we are now experiencing is evidence that the system that created and sustained the boil of corruption has been lanced. Arkansans have responded with understandable revulsion. The healing process appears ugly, and it stinks, but it has begun. While perfection in unattainable, we would be fools not to learn from the painful experiences we have endured.

Unlike Dr. Popper’s fans who find value in the information she provides; the citizens of Arkansas experienced the revulsion of corruption without any compensatory benefits. If there is to be an upside to our recent governmental moral failures, it must be in our individual and collective responses. We let our guard down once and suffered a regrettable but predictable consequence.

I am reminded of an incident years ago. I met the brother of a good friend who had warned me, as an attorney, that his brother had “no use” for lawyers and politicians. When we shook hands, this stranger I had just met wiped his hand on his jacket. It was done in jest, but the gesture was not lost on me.

We know that power and money invite abuse. The neighbors we serve know that politicians and lawyers are often around both. It’s no mystery why constituents are angry, pundits are cynical, and partisans attack opportunistically with a broad brush. Dishonest players in State Government stink up the whole system and make us all seem guilty by association.

Recently I opined that “no one was benefiting from being in Little Rock.” It was my admittedly clumsy way of saying that in my experience, I have not found the legislators in Little Rock to be routinely corrupt.  Most are simply decent people trying to make a difference. Sadly, the dishonest few cast a shadow over all the rest.

These recent scandals do show us that honesty is not enough. The air of power and money that public servants breathe requires more than honesty. It requires a diligence that looks for signs of trouble. Politics is a minefield that can obliterate the most honest among us.

With the help of God, I am personally resolved to go beyond “merely” being an honest man. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. As public servants, we must be proactive. Civility and collegiality are important, but we must never forget that our first loyalty is not to fellow legislators. Our allegiance is to the standards we profess, the people we serve and the Constitutions we swear to uphold.

Andrea Lea, Auditor of State, Endorsement

I’ve witnessed Bob live out his convictions in the midst of immense pressure and stand strong on conservative principles while the political storms raged. I’m confident Bob will continue to stand strong for the conservative values we as Arkansans hold so dearly. I was proud to call him a house colleague but I am even more proud to call him my friend.

End the violence, not our freedoms

Very few events in our society produce the emotional reactions that school shootings elicit among us. Murdering innocents is something that ordinary people like you and I cannot relate to. Like a drowning victim, we seem to thrash about wildly trying to find the answer to our question: how do we save our children from a repeat of this horror?

We feel a compelling need to “do something now.” Our federal and state constitutions task government with the responsibility of apprehending criminals while protecting people and property. It seems logical to ask, “what can government do?”

Many people argue that if guns are used to perpetrate the violence, removing the guns from society would remove the violence. This narrow focus in the search for answers might be sufficient if we lived in a different world where men were angels, as the saying goes. Unfortunately, we do not.

As a legislator who believes in the value of our freedoms, I ask, how can we reconcile our solutions with the unalienable right of self defense? To get good answers, we must ask good questions. While we may ask what government cam do, we must also ask what we, private citizens, institutions, and organizations can also do. I believe the longterm answer we seek requires a fundamental societal change, not an increase in government.

Furthermore, if our society sanctions violence and barbarism, what delusion allows us to believe that as a people we will be spared the consequences of that glorified violence? Abortion, movies that feature grotesque violence and video games where teens and pre-teens compete to murder and decapitate their opponents are either a cause or a consequence of this violence in society. It is foolishness to pretend there is no corollary between violence itself and our willingness to blatantly profit from it.

In Parkland, Fla., we saw layer after layer of government institutions radically fail the children in that school. Why? How? These are not merely interesting questions, they are essential to determining causes and solutions. Many people who want to see guns removed from our society are also victims of myths and misrepresentations from the anti-gun extremists for whom the constitution and the Second Amendment are remnants from an earlier time and are outmoded. I believe they couldn’t be more wrong.

As your elected representative, know that I will continue to seek real answers to get real results that will offer effective countermeasures against those troubled individuals who would perpetrate this senseless violence on our children. I am convinced that Second Amendment protections are compatible with well-conceived defenses that end vulnerable “gun-free” zones (regrettably perceived as shooting galleries by lunatics). We absolutely can and will protect our children and end this terrible blight throughout our nation. And, we will do it while preserving our liberties.

http://www.mcrecordonline.com/opinion/article_ff5ef082-2213-11e8-a5a5-436918accbc4.html

A transparent government is a better government

The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was signed into law by Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller (R) in 1967 and is one of the strongest protections of open government in the country. This allows the citizen to know what its government is doing so that the people can truly rule (regnat populus: the people rule – motto of the State of Arkansas). I often say that an engaged public is the key to good government and if government is allowed to hide its activities, any effort of the public to be engaged is practically subverted.

I really do believe this stuff and know that protecting our Arkansas Freedom of Information Act is a vital part of fulfilling our state motto. So why would I, or any legislator, support any exemption to our state FOIA? A good question, and one I should have to answer, or I am failing in my service to my constituents.

In 2017, the Arkansas legislature dealt with many bills that, if enacted, would provide new exemptions to the state FOIA law. Many of them were extremely broad in scope and would have done real damage to government transparency. Almost all of them were motivated by good intentions, but many of them could have had real detrimental effect on the citizens’ effort to control their government.

Many of those bills came to the committee I have the privilege to chair in the House of Representatives (House State Agencies), and most of them never made it out of that committee. Not because they were ill intended, but because of a potential for ill effect.

So, coming back to the question I should answer: why did any of them make it out of that committee?

As technology continues to develop and society continues to change, we find ourselves in a situation where the release of some information would have a far greater impact on the safety of individual citizens than the protection it provides to the public by accountability. That’s a mouthful, so let me provide some examples.

Several of the FOIA exemptions that passed this last legislative session dealt with security plans for schools, the governor’s office, State Capitol grounds, and other high risk locations – places never considered high risk targets in the past, but today could all be the target of terroristic activity. These exemptions were attempts to prevent sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.

There were also exemptions that dealt with body cameras worn by law enforcement officers. One exemption was designed to protect the privacy of citizens who may be accused, but not yet convicted, and the other exemption would protect the dignity of an officer killed in the line of duty.

All of these exemptions passed into law have at least one thing in common: they were reasonable, both in scope and impact, and were designed to protect the public and their public servants.

I would argue that making these types of amendments to our strong FOIA laws actually further strengthens transparency and does not degrade it. It allows records to be made, information preserved, and citizens’ privacy protected in limited and necessary situations, without attacking the direct purpose of our FOIA laws, which is government transparency and accountability.

If we cannot make these types of reasonable alterations to our FOIA laws, the types of alterations that keep sensitive information out of the hands of terrorists and protects the privacy of citizens, we will find ourselves in a situation where the public will demand a repeal of our FOIA laws, something that no person who understands the value of government transparency wants to see.

As a bit of a post script, I would like to say, let us not allow this line of reasoning to go too far. Every proposed exemption to our state FOIA should be thoroughly vetted and scrutinized closely. It is good that the media and other citizen groups see themselves as the protectors of the act and the transparency it provides. Without this diligence, something great we hold here in Arkansas could be lost.

Exploring options for Madison County’s jail issue

by Sarah Capp and Bob Ballinger State Representatives

The struggle of counties trying to find ways to fund the incarceration of criminals is nothing unique or new. In the last few years, many other counties have had to address funding issues concerning their county jails. Like Madison County, budgets have been hit hard by the costs incurred by having to house prisoners in jails in other counties. Not only is the county responsible for housing of those incarcerated, but also for the transportation to and from court and for healthcare services. These transportation obligations take law enforcement officers away from Madison County and off the streets of our towns and cities, making our communities less safe. So, how do we fix it?

The voters of Madison County have rejected a tax to pay for a new jail three times now. Currently, those arrested in the county stay for 24 hours before they are sent to the Washington County Detention Center at the tune of $62 a day per prisoner. The long-term viability of sustaining this protocol is heavy on the minds of local leaders and townspeople.

Recently, many counties have addressed these same issues and how to move forward, including Franklin, Logan, Marion, Phillips, Baxter and Woodruff counties. None of the aforementioned counties had the luxury of tapping into their general budget to fund constructing new facilities. Normally, the answer lies in capital improvement bonds and taxes.

As far as state funding availability, Madison County is eligible for a USDA Community Facility Loan with favorable terms, 3.5 percent fixed interest rate up to 40 years. Additionally, the county is eligible for a grant of 15 percent of the project costs up to a max of $50,000 through the USDA Community Facilities Grant Program. Every dollar from outside of the county helps, but it is clear that we will have to generate the bulk of the revenue ourselves. It’s important to develop a plan that is best for Madison County.

The answer may also be a regional jail shared by several counties or managed exclusively by Madison County. This would help the county in that we could enter into a longterm contract with the state to house state inmates in our unutilized space at a rate that would generate some revenue for the county. It is possible that we could collect enough from the state to pay back a bond and help fund the operations of our new jail.

This solution also has potential drawbacks. It would mean that the county would be constructing a facility that would be bigger and more expensive than we acutely need to serve the county. It would also mean that, longterm, we would be dependent on the state to continue to utilize the space or we would be stuck with the full costs associated with the jail’s operation. Regardless, the community should have the opportunity to weigh those risks associated with the state cooperation option.

Next week, we will be meeting with local leaders to share ideas and information and hopefully help develop a plan that would allow our county to move forward using a conservative approach that benefits the county and her people.

We’re committed to finding solutions and believe one is on the horizon.

http://www.mcrecordonline.com/opinion/article_b71f5d56-1193-11e8-942b-432edb10a682.html

Grateful for Modern Medicine

Polly Ann Ballinger

Healthcare is often a hot political football. Both sides fight over what government’s role should be in health choices and the financing of healthcare. I obviously have my opinion (like with most things, I don’t see more government as the answer to the problem, but the problem itself), but in this article I just hope to express my gratitude to live in a country with the best healthcare in the world. On Dec. 30 at 7:19 p.m., my wife and I were blessed with a new baby girl, little Ms. Polly Ann Ballinger. This was our eighth baby overall, so we thought we knew what we were getting into.

Labor was progressing slow and steady and momma and baby were both doing real well. Sometime shortly after 7, Polly’s heart rate dropped drastically and we couldn’t get it up. Dr. Lisa Bearden and the staff at Northwest Medical Center worked quickly to get Jessica back to the O.R. for an emergency cesarean. In the process, they discovered that Jessica’s uterus had completely ruptured and that she had lost a lot of blood.

A complete uterine rupture is a serious complication for both the mother and the baby where the lining of the uterus ruptures and the baby moves through the opening into the mother’s abdomen. This obviously requires immediate surgical intervention, without which the life of the mother and baby would likely be lost. Fortunately, complete uterine ruptures are extremely rare. But often, even with modern medicine, they are fatal.

Dr. Lisa Bearden and the hospital staff were professionals who were full of compassion. Without their close observation, through the instruments of modern medical technology, we may not have even been aware of the drop in Polly’s heart rate and the need for intervention. Without a skilled doctor and nursing staff, they may not have recognized the emergency and moved quickly, or may not even be able to carry out the procedures in a way that would preserve the life and health of my baby and my wife.

When faced with a rare and catastrophic emergency, Dr. Bearden and the staff stayed cool and acted with as much precision as possible in the situation. I am glad that God put us in a time and place where this type of care is available and an individual like Dr. Bearden could be there for my family. There is no doubt that the hand of God was involved in so many aspects of what led up to the events that occurred a little after 7 p.m. on Dec. 30, but it was the hands of Dr. Bearden and the staff that God used to save the lives of Jessica and Polly Ann that night.

As things get more and more crazy in this world, and we reminisce about how things used to be, I want to be sure that I recognize that we still have a lot to be grateful for. Today, I am grateful for a new healthy baby and wife. I am also grateful for the wonders of modern medicine and the hands of trained professionals who serve us in healthcare. See,  Grateful for Modern Medicine

David Barton Endorsment

“The ideas that made America great are falling out of fashion in the media and our public institutions. As a result, the Constitution and our founding principles are in peril. Something needs to be done. That is why I am proud to endorse Bob Ballinger for the Arkansas State Senate. Bob not only knows what is at stake for our country (and the world) if we lose our light of liberty but he is a constitutional conservative with a proven record of fighting for our founding principles in the Arkansas legislature." - David Barton, American Historian 

Senator Ted Cruz Endorsement

“Bob Ballinger, is a friend who worked tirelessly for my campaign across the state of Arkansas. Now, I am proud to endorse Bob for State Senate. Bob is committed to conservative values, economic freedoms, and constitutional truths. I know he will serve Arkansas well.” - Texas Senator Ted Cruz

Representative Charlene Fite Endorsement

“Over the past five years, as I’ve worked with ninety-nine State Representatives, I’ve learned who to trust and who not to trust. I’ve learned who is working for the people, and who is working for personal glorification. I’ve learned who is effective and who is not. I’m proud to say that Bob Ballinger is trustworthy, works for the people of his district and of Arkansas, and is a very effective, conservative legislator. That’s why it’s my privilege to endorse Bob Ballinger for State Senate. I can think of no one in the Arkansas Legislature who would work harder for the district and state. I encourage my friends and supporters to vote Ballinger!” - State Representative Charlene

Second Amendment Endorsements

I am pleased to announce a couple important endorsements.  Two organizations dedicated to protecting our rights as set forth in the Second Amendment to our US Constitution has chosen to give me their endorsement.  I appreciate their vote of confidence and share their concern for our fundamental freedoms.  Thank you NRA and Arkansas Carry!           

Endorsements

Meet & Greet October 9

YOU’RE INVITED!

Join Hosts Vic Kennett along with Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and the Kids  (bring your camera!) for a casual meet and greet with Bob Ballinger, our candidate for State Representative of district 97.


DATE?               Tuesday, October 9, 2012
TIME?               Drop in between 4:30 to 6:30 PM
WHERE?          Storm Solutions  -- The old Brashear’s Furniture building at 206 Springfield St. Behind The Main Theater

BOOK SIGNING BY THE DUGGARS!

This is Great opportunity to meet Bob, ask questions and meet the Duggars!  Bob is a local attorney who has served as a public school teacher and a small business owner.

Vote for him or not… Your presence will be appreciated!

Meet & Greet September 27th

You are cordially invited to attend a

Meet and Greet

at the Home of Dr. Brian and Mrs. Martha Disney

Thursday, September 27^th, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

The Candidates will include:

Representative Jon Woods

State Senate District 7

Representative Charlie Collins

State House of Representative District 89

Bob Ballinger

State House of Representative District 97

Kyle Sylvester

Washington County Circuit Clerk

4250 Sassafras Hill Road, Springdale, AR

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At the Corner of Sassafras Hill Road

and Guy Terry Road

Children are welcome!

Attire:  Casual

Call Bob Ballinger at 870.350.5175

for more information

Join us for Food and Fun!

"Those Voices Don't Speak for the Rest of Us"

Campaign photos

Arkansas gas prices are higher than those of surrounding states

Hootenanny! April 14th

At Beaver Dam Site Park

Bring your family out to meet our future District 97 State House Representative, Bob Ballinger. There will be plenty of Bluegrass Music, Food, and Fun for your whole family!!

Where?

Beaver Dam Site Park
348 Dam Site Lake Rd.
Eureka Springs, AR 72631
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When? 

Saturday April 14th, 11:30-2:30

Park website

Contact Bob at 870.350.5175

Ballinger announces run for District 97 State Rep.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday February 23, 2012

Bob Ballinger announced that he wants to serve District 97 in the Arkansas State House of Representatives. He told the large crowd of over 100 supporters gathered at the Berryville Community Center Thursday afternoon that he would count it a privilege to serve them.

Ballinger, a local attorney, says he is “conservative with convictions” and that his philosophy of Government is “rooted in the belief that individuals are elected to serve.”

Supporters met later in the day to discuss district issues at the T & T Diner in Sonora.

“A good leader and representative for our district must focus on the interests of the people of District 97,” said Ballinger adding that he looks forward to the opportunity to serve the district in a position of true servant leadership.

“People should be concerned about moral weakness in their representatives. My goal is to promote integrity in the state legislature rarely seen in our state government. I will not say one thing here and something altogether different in Little Rock.”

Ballinger feels that his experience as a public school teacher and coach, a small business owner, and an attorney gives him insight into community needs and solving problems.

“I am a conservative who supports low taxes, private property rights, state independence and sovereignty, limited and accountable government, and the protection of our individual liberty and freedom.”

“Government’s only function is to protect and to serve. We have an obligation, as stewards of the rights that God provided to us, to hold our government accountable to stay within its limited role.”

Ballinger is the immediate past president of the Berryville Chamber of Commerce and is husband to his bride Jessica and father of five children Bobby, Lydia, Asa, Shiloh, and Titus.