Page 869 – Family Council

State Asks Judge to Dismiss Abortionists’ Lawsuit

May 20, 2020Jerry CoxAbortionAbortion, COVID-19, Life, Pro-life, Sanctity of Human Life

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge’s office has asked a federal court to dismiss a surgical abortion facility’s lawsuit against the state, according to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

During the COVID-19 pandemic the state has issued health directives restricting elective surgeries — including surgical abortions.

In response to these directives, the ACLU and a surgical abortion facility in Arkansas filed a lawsuit against the state.

On Thursday, May 7, U.S. District Judge Brian Miller rejected the ACLU’s request that abortionists be allowed to continue with business as usual during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now the State of Arkansas is asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit completely — which would rule out the possibility of the abortion facility and the ACLU appealing their case to a higher court.

All in all, this case has been a big win for Arkansas.

U.S. District Judge Brian Miller and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals both have indicated that Arkansas’ abortion restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic are constitutional.

The rulings provide precedent that may help uphold other pro-life laws that Arkansas has enacted.

Slowly but surely we are winning the fight to protect innocent human life in Arkansas.

Proposed Public Drinking District Fails in Siloam Springs

May 20, 2020Jerry CoxAlcohol, Public DrinkingAlcohol, Public Drinking

A proposal to legalize public drinking throughout a large portion of downtown Siloam Springs was soundly defeated at a city board meeting last night.

Six board members voted against the proposal; only one voted for it.

Act 812 of 2019 by Sen. Trent Garner (R – El Dorado) and Rep. Sonia Barker (R – Smackover) lets cities create “entertainment districts” where alcohol can be carried and consumed publicly on streets and sidewalks.

These districts can be permanent or temporary, under Act 812.

City officials in Siloam Springs discussed a public drinking ordinance extensively at their May 5 meeting.

The proposed ordinance would have permitted public drinking throughout much of downtown Siloam Springs.

City officials initially indicated that the ordinance would make it easier for bars and restaurants to offer seating areas outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the ordinance itself actually was more open-ended than that.

Under the ordinance, people would have been able to purchase alcohol to-go in bars or restaurants, and then carry and consume alcohol on sidewalks downtown.

Public drinking would have been allowed from 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM, Thursday – Saturday.

City officials heard overwhelmingly from their constituents on this issue, and they indicated that most of the people who contacted them did not want public drinking in Siloam Springs.

One director said she had heard from 53 people. Another heard from even more.

Altogether, discussion about the ordinance lasted nearly an hour and a half, but at the end of the night, the city opted not to legalize public drinking — even on a temporary basis.

This is a huge victory against public drinking in Arkansas.

It’s one of the only times that an ordinance like this has been so soundly defeated at a city board meeting.

As we have said time and again, public drinking is a scourge on the community.

It raises serious concerns about drunk driving and public safety.

Public drinking doesn’t attract new businesses or bolster the economy.

It hurts neighborhoods and families.

That’s why Family Council has put together a free toolkit to help citizens oppose these public drinking districts.

Our toolkit contains talking points, information about problems public drinking has caused in other states, photographs of public drinking districts elsewhere around the country, and other resources you can use to fight public drinking in your community.

Click here to download our free toolkit.

Photo: Brandonrush / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

Lottery Ticket Sales Surge Amid Pandemic

May 20, 2020Jerry CoxArkansas LotteryArkansas Lottery

According to KATV news, Arkansans have spent $17 million on state lottery tickets in the past seven weeks.

Lottery ticket sales have surged in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lottery officials say the uptick in sales could be the result of lower gas prices, closure of the casinos during the pandemic, and simply boredom.

However, our office recently analyzed weekly sales from the Arkansas Lottery, and it appears that lottery ticket sales in Arkansas rose after Arkansans began receiving economic stimulus checks from the federal government.

In other words, there’s a very good possibility Arkansans have been spending their unemployment checks and federal stimulus money on lottery tickets.

Here are five points worth remembering about the Arkansas Lottery:

The Arkansas Lottery relies heavily on scratch-off tickets despite the fact that these types of tickets can feed problem gambling and gambling addiction.
The Arkansas Lottery continues to sell scratch-off tickets that cost as much as $10 or $20 a piece. People who spend $20 on these scratch-off tickets have roughly a 66% chance of losing their money.
The Arkansas Lottery spends the vast majority of its revenue on prizes — upwards of 70%, which is far more than the typical state-run lottery.
The Arkansas Lottery currently spends about 15% – 16% of its revenue on college scholarships — which is about half of what the typical state-run lottery spends.
Because the Arkansas Lottery budgets so much for prizes and so little for education, the Lottery has failed to live up to its promise to provide $100 million per year in funding for college scholarships.

The bottom line: The Arkansas Lottery preys on the poor and desperate, and it has failed time and again to live up to its promises.

Photo Credit: Powerball and Mega Millions Lottery Billboard in Missouri by Tony Webster, on Flickr.