Here are excerpts from recent editorials in Arkansas newspapers:
Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. April 28, 2019.
When it wants to, our government can behave like a thug.
That’s not to say the people who work for the government are thugs, but the sheer size of government can cast a long, imposing shadow over the individual in regulatory matters and when it comes to criminal justice.
In that latter model, it all seems good as long as we can easily assume the targeted individual is guilty, but one of the great things about this country is the protection it affords every American to keep an all-too-powerful government from running roughshod over the individual.
But that’s not the way it’s worked when it comes to asset forfeitures. That is, when the government wants to take property away from people as a form of punishment, even people who haven’t been convicted of a crime.
Most people will lose little sleep about a drug dealer who loses a shiny sports car that he used to conduct his illicit business. We suspect most people would also assume the government wouldn’t be able to take that sports car until it proves a criminal case against the alleged drug dealer.
That assumption would be wrong.
This is not small potatoes we’re talking about here. A University of Central Arkansas professor’s research shows Arkansas law enforcement agencies have seized nearly $88 million in cash in the last eight years. And that’s just the cash. Seizures have also included about 4,900 vehicles, 3,300 weapons and 1,000 other pieces of property.
Much of the money gets to stay with law enforcement. A percentage also goes to the state to buy equipment at the state Crime Laboratory.
Prosecutors, who have to file a civil case before the state can claim the property, stress they are judicious in their use of the forfeiture process. The stats, they say, can look skewed because a defendant may ultimately be prosecuted in federal instead of state court, even as state officials attempt to seize the property related to the crime.
Still, defense attorneys note that most people do not have the resources to retain a lawyer and fight for their property in court, so even when they are not convicted of a crime, they cannot afford to put on a strong defense against forfeiture. And in forfeiture cases, they actually end up having to prove their innocence rather than their innocence being presumed, as it is in criminal cases.
In practice, the government in many cases is simply taking property from people. It’s an overreach in many instances.
A new law in Arkansas was intended to help level the playing field.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 2019 on March 14. It should take effect in July. Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, and Rep. Austin McCollum, R-Bentonville, sponsored the bill. It passed unanimously in both chambers. It requires a conviction before property can be kept and sold off by the state or local authorities.
That sounds good, but critics say the law has too many exceptions and maintains the standard that the person whose property is taken has to prove it wasn’t used in commission of a crime before he can get it back.
Our take? Government should not be able to take anyone’s property until successfully prosecuting the person for a crime.
The current system is so weighted in favor of the government that it’s unfair. It also opens up too many opportunities for abuse.
Conviction of a crime ought to be at the center of the government’s ability to deprive an individual of liberty or property.
Is that too high a standard? Some prosecutors and judges will probably say so. But when government has the capacity to be a thug, our laws ought to set a high standard before that authority can be wielded against its citizens.
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Southwest Times Record. April 28, 2019.
National Infant Immunization Week is underway, a great opportunity to get into why vaccinations are so important.
While we listen to those who oppose vaccinations with interest, the numbers we’re hearing are hard to ignore. Measles cases in the U.S. have climbed to the highest level in 25 years, even though measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000. The U.S. is closing in on 700 cases this year, according to The Associated Press, in a resurgence largely attributed to misinformation that is turning parents against vaccines. Cases have now been confirmed in 15 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is the second-greatest number of cases reported since 2000.
Vaccinations, of course, aren’t just for preventing measles, although recent outbreaks in certain areas of the country have brought about more focus on that disease. There are many, many others to consider, from polio to hepatitis to pertussis and beyond, all serious diseases that can be deadly to someone, especially children.
The doctors we spoke with for our series of articles are all in agreement: Vaccinations are saving lives.
“If people could only look into the past and see all of that about diseases and illness, they would know that vaccines are important,” says Dr. Manar Ibrahim, pediatrician at Baptist Health Family and Pediatric Clinic in Fort Smith. “They would know that they should get their children vaccinated so they can remain healthy.”
A diphtheria outbreak killed around 15,000 people in America in 1921, Baptist Health’s Dr. Samina Nadvi reports. But between 2004-14, the CDC reported only two deaths from the disease. And a rubella outbreak from 1964-65 claimed 2,000 babies, yet since 2012, there have been only 15 cases of rubella reported in the U.S.
The progress can’t be denied. We can’t let preventable diseases return with a vengeance, not when the numbers we’re seeing show how powerful vaccinations are in helping keep our children - and ourselves - healthy.
Flawed research from the 1990s attempted to make a link between some vaccines and autism; that science has been debunked, however, but when internet usage and social media became more common, the misinformation on vaccinations continued to spread. It’s dangerous to allow yourself to only be informed by what you read on the internet or discuss with other like-minded individuals. We urge any parent who is skeptical of vaccinations to sit down with their doctor or another health expert to discuss their concerns. All parents only want what’s best for their children, but doing what’s right for them starts with being as informed as possible. If there are fears of the effects of vaccinations - whether it’s a risk of autism or something else - express those concerns to your doctor. It’s important to keep that conversation going, Dr. Nadvi says.
While diseases like measles and mumps are rarely fatal, there can be serious side effects. Perhaps people who had these diseases as a child (as many of us did) don’t realize the potential for problems. Diseases like polio left lifelong effects on many of its sufferers (think President Franklin D. Roosevelt); if polio was still a common disease, would more people be on board with vaccinations, knowing the types of crippling effects that come with diseases like it? The recent measles outbreak could be only the beginning of other outbreaks of other diseases. Surely no one wants that to happen. When vaccination rates drop, diseases can spread more easily, putting people at risk, including babies too young to be vaccinated and people with medical conditions that don’t allow them to receive immunizations.
The unfounded allegations about the side effects of vaccinations are not based on medical evidence. Very few children should avoid vaccinations for medical reasons, and parents who make it a personal choice not to vaccinate are putting their children and others at risk. When an unvaccinated person is able to spread a disease to others, it becomes a public health issue. We urge those with any questions about vaccinations to sit down with an expert to express their concerns. Younger parents who perhaps never had measles, chicken pox or other “childhood” diseases may be more likely to question immunizations. Parents have every right to ask questions and receive accurate answers from experts.
Vaccinations are easy to get, whether they’re through a doctor or one of the area’s health units, which are part of the Arkansas Department of Health. Between the Sebastian and Crawford county units, close to 12,000 people received vaccinations in 2017. Cost or a lack of availability are not realistic excuses for not having a child vaccinated.
Information on vaccinations is out there. Take a look at our series of articles today and make up your own mind. Being as informed as possible is the only way we’ll all be able to stay healthy together.
“Vaccines are the single biggest miracle of modern medicine,” says Dr. Don Phillips, Mercy Clinic doctor and member of the Arkansas Medical Board. “Nothing has stopped preventable death more than vaccinations - period.”
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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. April 29, 2019.
“The facts may change, but his opinion never does!” - Fake praise of President George W. Bush by Stephen Colbert
Sometimes politicians change their minds. Sometimes a lot. It’s possible that they - being people, too - learn as they live, gain additional understanding on a topic, and change their views. Our president sure seems to have done that with vaccines, and it’s a welcome move.
It’s a growing problem in this country: some parents deciding they don’t need to vaccinate their children. Apparently wiping out things like polio just isn’t as impressive as it used to be. Even though there were many generations of Americans who would have given their all for such a day. Instead they gave their lives. Or their children’s lives.
But our president has come around. He now urges parents to vaccinate their kids. For this, even Never Trumpers should compliment his actions.
“They have to get the shot,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “The vaccinations are so important.”
The president’s comments come as the number of cases of measles in the United States this year already has surpassed previous yearly totals this century_less than four months into 2019. That according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Measles can kill children. This country, and its doctors, had the virus completely beat in 2000. But now cases are increasing because a few parents think they know better than the most learned pediatricians. In this digital age, information can be accessed pretty darn quick, but not all of it is good. Or accurate. Some hacks with their all-natural blogs have convinced parents that vaccines are a sham, and essential oils are all they need. That’ll be $19.99, please.
Fortunately, our president is listening to the people who know what they’re talking about, and this time using his bully pulpit for good. Doctors have a pretty good idea of how to keep the human body from getting sick, and vaccines are considered one of the top 10 great public health achievements by mankind.
Some kids can’t have vaccines due to medical problems, and the rest of us understand. But they are the rare case. Those kids rely on everyone else to get their vaccines for something called “herd immunity.” (And fewer people with measles decreases the chance they will get it.)
President Trump previously took a dangerous stand on the issue, once suggesting the debunked theory that vaccines cause autism, according to USA Today. Thank goodness he’s put that thinking in reverse. It’s important.
Vaccines have never caused autism, according to those with degrees, and with the one study that showed such a link easily debunked, there’s no reason to believe that conspiracy theory anymore. Rather we should believe man never did land on the moon. It’s not as dangerous.
Parents, get your kids vaccinated, and keep them healthy. “Eradicated” should be more permanent than it’s been of late.
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