Riff Raff, Opinions/Editorials

The mission thing

A month or so ago, I mentioned to a friend and colleague that we needed to plan the direction of our firm over the next couple of years. He responded that first we really needed to develop a mission statement for the firm (as we don’t have one).

Sun, 06/03/2012 - 2:45pm

NASA must think bigger

On Thursday, a space capsule known as the Dragon touched down in the Pacific Ocean.

Thu, 05/31/2012 - 7:38pm

This can’t be BS

Many metro areas around the country have what was once referred to as a “good suits” club — a collection of well-resourced business decision makers able to build or sustain a dynamic regional economy.

Mon, 05/28/2012 - 6:50pm

Realtors and severance taxes

If proponents of a higher severance tax gather enough signatures, that measure may be presented to Arkansas voters on the November background.

Mon, 05/28/2012 - 10:22am

College crackup and the online future

In the coming decade, emerging technologies will thoroughly transform higher education. Although distance learning and computer-assisted education have been around since the 1960s, financial pressures are forcing institutions to develop aggressive online programs.

Wed, 05/23/2012 - 5:11pm

The college cave

Excessive specialization has created a culture of expertise that has distorted higher education and had a negative impact on faculty members, students and the broader society.

Tue, 05/22/2012 - 7:08pm

Competition is killing higher education

Competition, we are constantly told, encourages individuals, institutions and companies to take the risks necessary for innovation and efficiency.

Mon, 05/21/2012 - 9:09pm

Early disqualification

In light of bullying allegations against presumptive GOP Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney when he was a high school student, I feel it necessary to come clean before being outed by the Washington Post or the Van Buren Press-Argus Courier or the Farmington Post or those reckless, unprincipled and

Sun, 05/20/2012 - 4:07pm

Maybe Coburn?

Beyond the colorful pageantry implicit in even the most ambitious of presidential campaigns, reality says the presumptive party nominee who challenges a sitting commander-in-chief holds little control over the outcome, assuming a candidate’s chances are not terribly imperiled by a less than capti

Sun, 05/20/2012 - 4:02pm

Job polarization solutions

The worsening crisis in Europe and the slow recovery in the U.S. are distracting attention from a longer-term problem.

Sat, 05/19/2012 - 11:42am

Work values

Work is a worthwhile endeavor. Hard work is what made the United States of America the world’s greatest economic power.

Fri, 05/18/2012 - 6:06pm

Governor’s race shift

It was already going to be a crowded field.

The 2014 Democratic primary for Governor — which offers much more political intrigue than many match-ups in the 2012 cycle — was expected to be a heavyweight clash between Attorney General Dustin McDaniel and U.S. Rep. Mike Ross, D-Prescott.

Tue, 05/15/2012 - 10:22am

Documents don’t justify transit tax

The people who want to increase the Washington County sales tax for an excessive expansion of public transit view the Northwest Arkansas Transit Development Plan (TDP) as their justification.

I say the TDP justifies nothing, and the plan even says it doesn’t justify a sales tax.

Sun, 05/13/2012 - 2:31pm

A fortunate son

A lot has changed in Mom’s world.

Sun, 05/13/2012 - 10:18am

It’s Time to Fix Fannie and Freddie

Followers of the American housing catastrophe were greeted with encouraging news this week. Fannie Mae, the government-owned mortgage-finance company, reported a $2.7 billion first-quarter profit.

Thu, 05/10/2012 - 10:26pm

The issue of gay marriage

“I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties,” Vice President Joe Biden told NBC’s David Gregory on “Meet the Press.” “An

Mon, 05/07/2012 - 5:31pm

Regional solutions

Be thankful.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 4:48pm

Community courage

Six months ago, I first became aware of how prevalent child sexual abuse was throughout the United States and in our community. Learning that 1 in 5 children are sexually abused before turning the age of 18 was, at first, too difficult for me to comprehend.

Sun, 05/06/2012 - 4:41pm

Obama’s miss on Afghanistan

Perhaps the biggest surprise of President Barack Obama’s appearance in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday (May 1) wasn’t the trip itself, but his use of the occasion to make a head-scratching speech and sign a strategic partnership accord that raises more questions than it answers.

Wed, 05/02/2012 - 9:38pm

A Postal Service fix?

Like a Pony Express rider wobbling toward Fort Laramie with an arrow in his hat, the Senate bill passed last week to reform the U.S. Postal Service is far from its goal and facing attack from all sides.

Tue, 05/01/2012 - 8:54pm