Yea!!!! The Progressives Moved Into the Spotlight!!

Tonight the District 24 delegates elected Jerry Rephan to represent them in the March 8, 2011 election for state Representative. The vote was Jerry Rephan 23- Q. Byrum Hurst 17.

Q Byrum stated he was the only one electable candidate due to his having already put in place a campaign organization that lost to Gene Shelby in the primary last Spring. Q Byrum citing all of his past relatives being 'good' lifelong Democrats, swore his allegiance to Jerry giving him his full support in the upcoming campaign, utilizing his volunteer staff to help Jerry hit the street running.. He claimed there was a ground swell of conservatism and both candidates shared their concern with funding state programs and the concern most people seemed to have which was witnessed by the outcome of the general election November 2, 2010.

Jerry expressed his concern and efforts to keep people out of jails and once in, to get them to be productive participating members of society rather than revolving door jail occupants. He also explained that child labor laws, Social Security, minimum wage laws, sweat shop reform were all Democrat values and issues. The Republicans' goal is to overturn all of those and return us to the era of the late 1800's when corporations ruled and people were little more than slaves to the machine. He explained that it costs $12,000 per year to keep a child in foster care. If we can teach parents how to support and raise their children in a safe and happy environment, all of society wins. Keeping children in their homes when its safe and secure is a better alternative to putting the parents in jail and the children in foster care.

We need to help Jerry get elected and help him keep this state from becoming another cog in the corporate wheel of forced labor. We are a Right To Work state which means we have an uphill battle to get wages that people can support their families on and not dependent on ArKids and Medicaid. Children deserve an education to give them a fighting chance to succeed. Parents need to be able to send their children to school with a full belly and warm clothes paid for from the wages they earned working for a responsible company.

Our taxes go to feed and support those employees that corporations refuse to pay a living wage. Taxes are being used as a tool to convince people into believing they are the ones who are paying the taxes and shouldn't have to. WRONG! Corporations don't want to pay anything particularly taxes for health care, retirement, education or anything that they can convince the public is coming out of their pocket.

Somewhere down the line, people will have to wake up and realize we are the Government. What WE pay in is what WE get out. If WE can't afford to pay in WE get nothing out. Washington's solution is to borrow and print more money. The states don't have that luxury. If Washington decides not to fund the states' needs, the states will have to raise taxes or cut social services. We are the 3rd from the bottom just above Mississippi and Washington DC on the poverty scale. Guess who is going to go hungry? Guess whose teeth will fall out? Guess whose children will die from lack of medical care?

The solution is to get a living wage, health care that is paid for by employers and not the state, retirement that is secured for the elderly so that they don't have to work to the grave and education facilities that actually teach people to be productive, involved citizens and not cogs in the corporate labor pool.

If anyone is paying attention in Washington, you know that the Republicans do not want anything positive to be accomplished by the Obama administration. With that thought in mind, what do you think their goal is for Arkansas?

Jerry Rephan will work to see that the people of Arkansas get to be safe, secure in their homes and able to support their kids without having to rely on the public dole. We can't afford to keep letting corporations off the hook. They need to pay every person that is willing to work a living wage that keeps those that have more from being over-taxed to cover for corporations' lack of civic responsibility.

Jerry Rephan neither approves or disapproves of this blog. The comments are strictly those of the editor.