John Brummett makes a point worth considering: Do we do ourselves any favor by establishing independent public agencies to safely sequester them from the supposed evils of political influence?

Like the Game and Fish Commission.

Advertisement

Like the Arkansas Lottery.

Like the Little Rock National Airport.

Advertisement

Are power grabs, poor bookkeeping and crazily self-interested spending a healthy thing? Brummett concludes:

I am tilting at a windmill, of course. Nothing about this will get changed. Any serious effort to repeal independence in any of these cases would be met with dire warnings of horrid political repercussion.

But it cannot hurt every once in a while for someone to point out that we forfeit public accountability when we distance government from electoral politics — and that, by the way, we indict only ourselves when we say we do not trust the competence or integrity of the people we elect.

Be a part of something bigger

As a reader of the Arkansas Times, you know we’re dedicated to bringing you tough, determined, and feisty journalism that holds the powerful accountable. For 50 years, we've been fighting the good fight in Little Rock and beyond – with your support, we can do even more. By becoming a subscriber or donating as little as $1 to our efforts, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers to expand our coverage and continue to bring important stories to light. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, it's clear that our readers value our great journalism. Join us in the fight for truth.

Previous article The wrong side of history Next article Retail comeback?