Other side of the coin

Dear editor:

Because of the pandemic, many Hot Springs citizens need help. Businesses have shut down, hundreds have lost their jobs, the number of food lines has increased, people are finding it difficult to pay rent and/or utility bills. It’s been a tough year for many.

However, there are some wonderfully worthy things taking place in Hot Springs and all over Garland County. Let us all praise the good Lord for the generosity of individuals, charities and owners of successful establishments who have demonstrated remarkable compassion for neighbors in need.

On the other side of the coin, is there a secret?

Where are justifications for the enormous bonuses The Sentinel-Record reported that our city officials granted? If those officials are public servants, they owe us an explanation for such extravagance. If they are not public servants, the funds should have come out of their pockets, not from our taxes — especially as so many of our citizens are struggling to make ends meet. Are those officials accountable to us or us to them? Would a true explanation include arrogance or the abuse of power?

Furthermore, what about employees who received those bonuses? We haven’t heard anything about the compassionate rejection of the funds from them. Aren’t their salaries already two or three times that of most Hot Springs citizens? A guest columnist in the Dec. 19 issue of reported that results from a 2019 survey identified poverty as our number one health issue. Had those funds been used to purchase Christmas presents for needy children, thousands more smiling faces and happy hearts would have resulted.

Bob Sowell Hot Springs