It’s not just Arkansas

Re “We shouldn’t foot bill” letter by Jonathan Barnett: It would appear the gentleman who wrote this letter never travels outside the state. We should all want the rural areas to have more broadband as so much education is now virtual. Must he be reminded the Pacific and eastern states pay lots more in taxes than our little state? In fact, their taxes carry us most of the time. I like visiting other states and enjoy their subways, trolleys, etc. The U.S. is the United States, not just Arkansas.

I would wager he probably didn’t mind the trillions we spent in Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. I don’t agree with our four representatives nor our senators. But guess who will be at the ribbon-cutting ceremonies in their hard hats with shovels?

And seriously, you don’t think some of these leaders have traveled to Arkansas? With the Clinton Library and our national parks, to just enjoy the beauty of Arkansas? Some people need to travel outside their heads once in a while.

The national debt rose by almost $7.8 trillion during Donald Trump’s time in office. That’s nearly twice as much as what Americans owe on student loans, car loans, credit cards and every other type of debt other than mortgages, combined, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. It amounts to about $23,500 in new federal debt for every person in the country.

And this infrastructure act will pay for itself, while the tax cuts for the upper 1 percent cost us a couple of trillion. Shaking my head!

TERESA LOVERN MARACEK

Sherwood