Golden Words From a Silver Tongued Salesman

h/t to ARRA News Service on posting this article from Family Security Matters. Here is some stand outs from the original article.

• Golden Words from a Silver-Tongued Salesman
• Mark R. and Renee E. Taylor
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• Snake oil salesmen of the 19th Century used to comb the countryside, selling their remedies to unsuspecting consumers hoping for a cure, or at least a quick fix, for their ailments. Without much more than golden words out of the silver-tongued salesmen, they set alluring traps for their artful chicanery. Weeks later, those sold a bill of goods by the salesmen’s trickery were worse for the wear, the only benefit going to the deceptive salesmen - now long gone - with the victim’s hard earned gold in their pockets...

• Huckabee’s actions regarding illegal immigration are an often discussed topic on blogs, forums and conservative news sites across the country, and particularly within our state. For instance, as a parting “gift” to Arkansas, we received a Mexican consulate in Little Rock - built in part with $10,000 in taxpayer money from the Arkansas Emergency Fund, while costing the Mexican government only a single dollar per month in rent. Sealing the deal with then-president of Mexico Vincente Fox, Huckabee continued the push for Arkansas to become a “sanctuary state” for illegal aliens...

• The media has portrayed Huckabee as strongly supported by homeschoolers across the nation. But in Arkansas? Not so much. As homeschoolers in Arkansas, we saw Mike Huckabee sign into law on April 5, 1999, HB1724, which gave Arkansas some of the strictest home school rules in the nation, including requiring parents to file a “Notice of Intent” by August 15^th of the school year, in which the home school parent must list courses and curriculum, school day schedule and the homeschooling parents’ education level, among other things.
• According to the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) website, HB1724 also states that homeschoolers refusing to participate in the state-mandated testing program would be subject to prosecution for truancy. Public school students are not subject to the same. Ironically, this is the same HSLDA that has endorsed Huckabee, along with the National Education Association (NEA).

• How would a President Huckabee handle presidential pardons? Like he did in Arkansas? Superb questions. Ask an Arkansan about the career criminal, Wayne Dumond, who was in an Arkansas prison for the 1985 rape of Forrest City, Arkansas, student, Ashley Stevens. According to the Arkansas Republican News Service blog (www.arragopwing.com), which compiled a comprehensive account of Huckabee’s actions in the matter, Huckabee pressured the parole board to release Dumond because, Huckabee thought, Dumond got a “raw deal”. With Huckabee apparently having few real facts into Dumond’s case or background, Dumond was released from prison, thanks in part to Governor Huckabee.
• Dumond subsequently moved to Missouri where he was convicted of the rape and murder of Carole Sue Shields and became a suspect in other cases. Dumond died in a Missouri prison in 2005.

If you recall, when I did post about this, in the full article it states that part of the condition of Dumond's release was that he pack up and leave the state of Arkansas. Meany ol Florida and Texas would not accept him into their state. Hmm, makes ya wonder how harmless Dumond was, huh?

• Pandering to illegals, flip-flopping on home school issues – even as Arkansas’ government schools continue with a dismal track record - and pardoning scandals are just the tip of the iceberg. We cannot afford to take the chance that a President Huckabee will not govern as the Governor Huckabee did.

I truly hope y'all are re-thinking about Huckabee, just like I did.

• Much has been said about Huckabee’s record regarding taxes in Arkansas. While he consistently raised taxes, such as the fuel tax, several sales taxes, corporate tax, cigarette tax, a “nursing home bed tax” and a 16 percent tax on snuff, he is claiming 90 different tax cuts, including the dubiously-needed exemption for the Arkansas Symphony from sales tax. All of this did little for the Arkansas taxpayer, unless of course one benefits from the reduced taxes on bets made at the Oaklawn Park horse track or the Southland Greyhound dog racing track in West Memphis.
• Bingo enthusiasts, I’m sure, were pleased when Huckabee repealed the 20% tax on their bingo cards. While Governor, Huckabee also raised the drivers’ license fee from $14 to $20. It seems he never met a tax he didn’t like. According to a January 14, 2003, report in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, our taxes per taxpayer increased a full 47% from $1,969 in 1997 to $2,902 in 2002.
• His “crowning achievement” seems to be his claim that he left Arkansas with an $800 million dollar surplus. What this tells us is that his various draconian tax increases were not all necessary as it is obvious that Arkansas, a not-for-profit state, has entirely too much of Arkansans’ hard earned money in its till - $800 million dollars worth. [more here]