Inappropriate expenditures of taxpayer money and questions of legality?      Dec. 28, 2009

Times Record front page story 12/26/09 “City, County, team up for parks” 

What is the legal foundation, or is there one, that allows public schools and universities to become financially involved in a county project?

Observation, accompanied by some objective thought, one can only conclude that in this case Dr. Benny Gooden & Chancellor Paul Beran are putting an inordinate amount of funding into buildings and entertainment, and from posted statistics, too little into academics.

I suppose one can rationalize and achieve the desired results with very little effort.  Since there is a constant hue and cry from politicians and the various education unions for more funding, it seems here to be appropriate to demand what the authority is for Gooden and Beran to be so generous with the producers’ taxes, and in this case taxes that have not been produced, no accounting with reference to the expansionary processes that will occur, maintenance, insurance, equipment, salaries, and what the percentages of responsibilities would be.

To the Fort Smith Directors:

Please define “Quality of Place” which is routinely bandied about.  It is noteworthy that you call these efforts a “partnership”, but conveniently leave out the producers who make all your political excursions possible.  Further note: the government is always the SENIOR partner.

You are presently embarked on very expensive procedures while most have no chance of succeeding and at the same time, proposing new taxes on a struggling constituency.  What on earth are you thinking about?

1.       Riverfront baseball diamond, or some other tomfoolery

2.       Failed Convention Center

3.       Marshall’s Museum

4.       West End Park

5.       Ben Geren…soccer fields (for illegals?), softball fields, aquatic center, etc. etc.

Because some low level bureaucrats say we “need” does not translate to affordability.

Methinks Judge Hudson, Mayor Baker, City Directors, Benny Gooden, Paul Beran, et al should put together some detailed statistics on the total cost, maintenance, personnel, insurance, need, and then put it to a public vote.   I am concerned about the appropriateness and legality of putting public school and college money into a county project. Perhaps you may want to reconsider.

Kindest regards,

Joe McCutchen

Fort Smith

Cc: citizens     

P.S.  Have found the definition of the term “quality of place”. It was created by the” Department of Environment, Heritage, and Local Government” to improve quality, sustainability, livability, and design of residential and mixed-use schemes in urban areas.”

This could be straight out of Orwell’s “1984” and the Ministry of Truth’s creation of NEWSPEAK, in conjunction with their destruction of OLDSPEAK.  (Erasing the past, as in INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES by which a few prosper & the many are enslaved.)