Careful with your vote

I’ve never been very complimentary of my Garland County state elected legislators. I do believe I’ve been equally critical, Democrat or Republican. I’ll never forget what then Sen. Terry Smith told me, after flipflopping on a tobacco tax raise he had been adamantly against: “What do you expect me to do? Make the governor mad?” Like his successors today, he’d forgotten he was responsible to his constituents.

Still, El Dorado’s Trent Garner has lowered the bar to the point he makes my Spa city officials look good. Recently, he moved to approve procedures to possibly impeach sitting judge Wendell Griffen. Which I’d applaud, were it not the pot calling the kettle.

Garner’s public antics this session make the likes of Jason Rapert, Charlie Collins, and Bart Hester appear timid. First, after the governor (and mainly the SEC) insisted on some common-sense measures on the idiotic concealed-carry bill, Garner loudly and proudly voted against those, citing the “God-given right” to carry weapons anytime, anywhere, in our state. Trent, God didn’t invent guns, man did. The word appears nowhere in the Bible. By your logic, God invented nuclear and chemical weapons. So we all have the right to tote those anywhere as well?

Then Garner touted a proposal to make public protesting a crime. Our forefathers, who had the wisdom to make the most important amendment to our Constitution the first one, would sure be proud of that.

El Dorado, be careful what you wish (and vote) for; as to Rapert, Collins, and Hester, step your game up next session. Garner is rapidly surpassing you in honing his skills as publicity hound and in introducing useless and dangerous legislation. Given time, he could usurp you guys.

Some things you can’t make up: As I’m penning this, the front-page headlines include “Sewer-line fixtures to force closures, re-do at Capitol.” Priceless. Hope you can use that headline again in the 2018 elections. ANTHONY LLOYD

Hot Springs