Lt. Governor Bill Halter and AR State Representative David "Bubba" Powers

Halter : No 'Thank god for Miss,"

By Ken McLemore

GateHouse News Service

Thu Jun 11, 2009, 04:41 PM CDT

Hope, Ark. -

“For me, first, middle, and last, this has not been about the lottery; but, about education,” Halter said.

Taking an almost revivalist tone with a generally receptive audience, Halter reminded the 200 or so attendees in the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope Purtle Meeting Rooms that UACCH will benefit directly from the overwhelming passage of the lottery amendment.
Halter said that Arkansas has for decades had a 48th-49th in the nation mentality.

“It’s demoralizing; it sets low expectations; it diminishes hope,” he said. “If you look at the economic history of every city, state, region or country, that, short of discovering oil or natural gas underneath your feet, the only sustained long-term way you can drive income growth in any state, city, region or country, is through the power of educating the workforce.”

He related the story of a public speech he gave during the campaign where a man in the audience rebuked Halter’s assertion that Arkansas has remained 48th-49th in economic and educational benchmarks throughout the lifetime of practically everyone in the room.

“All my life, and for the life of every person in this room, Arkansas has been either 48th or 49th in per capita income out of the 50 states,” he said. “As soon as I said that Arkansas had been 48th or 49th in per capita income for the life of every Arkansan, a hand shot up in the back.
“He said, ‘Governor Halter, that’s not true,’” Halter added. “I looked at him and said, ‘Tell me what you mean.’ And, he said, ‘In my lifetime, we’ve been 47th.’ I looked at him and said, ‘Well, tell me what you mean.’ And, he said, ‘Well, I’m 83 years old, and before Alaska and Hawaii were admitted to the Union, we were 47th.’”

Halter said that parents recognize that they will “do anything” for their children; but, what does that mean?
“But, sometime between the birth of those kids and the time they get to high school, something happens to too many of them; something happens along the way,” he said. “Those parents come to realize that their income levels are not going to be sufficient to afford a higher education for their kids.”

Halter argued that the passage of the lottery amendment to fund higher education scholarships will change that.
“Arkansas will be the first and the only state to devote every dime to state scholarships,” he said.
Beginning in 2010, Halter said every high school graduate in Arkansas who maintains a 2.5 grade point average or scores 19 or higher on the ACT or an equivalent test, will be eligible to receive a scholarship to any public or private college or university in Arkansas.

“You get a scholarship; it’s just that simple,” Halter said.
He said enabling legislation passed this year will set the funding levels at $5,000 per year at four year institutions and $2,500 per year at two-year institutions.

“For those of you familiar with our public higher education, that is virtually full tuition,” Halter said.
He said that within five years 30,000-35,000 Arkansans will benefit from the lottery-funded scholarships.

“There is no more appropriate place to tell about this than at the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope,” Halter said. “No lieutenant governor will ever again come to Hope, Arkansas, or any other community in the state and have to talk about the fact that for their entire life, and the lives of other Arkansans, we have been 48th or 49th.”
New member investors of the Hempstead County Economic Development Corp. recognized Wednesday included Kent Hendrix, McLarty Auto Group, Mike Purtle Construction, Rainbow of Challenges, and Red Carpet Employment Agency.