Opinion

Couple years ago, could have been three: the doctor’s office for a flu shot, or maybe the annual physical. Having taken my blood pressure, the nurse began to record it when she noticed the tab of my file. It amused her. “Two-twentyfour,” she chuckled. She turned to explain that I was the 224th person to become a patient of the physician whom she had assisted almost from the beginning of his practice.

My wife bought a new car in late January. It’s a nice ride.

Last week in this space, we republished an editorial from the Saline Courier regarding a bill currently under consideration in the state House of Representatives that would change the way the public is notified about what city and county governments are doing.

It is of absolutely no significance to the reader that, in the late summer of 1975, Jimmy Carter and I crossed paths for the first time. Carter, I assume, forgot that exchange minutes after it ended, as surely he did the several that followed. It is of some significance to me, for that initial meeting — an interview — was a learning experience: Sell a candidate short at your own professional peril.

Elected representatives in the Arkansas Legislature are currently introducing and reviewing a bill that would be harmful to the citizens of Arkansas. If this bill passes, we would be the first generation of Arkansans to be less informed than our parents about government activities that impact each of us.