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Halter's Lies Refuted In His Press Release on So Called Holt Whoppers!
by Iris Stevens, teacher in Arkansas for 30 years
Halter sent out a press release (see below) which is pasted on Arkansas Times blog calling Senator Jim Halt the "King of the Whoppers" and listed so called "Six Whoppers from Jim Holt."
It just so happens that Halter himself told five lies in one of his whoppers (number 2 below) about the Women's Action Group and a Teacher Survey. I have first hand experience and was an integral party in both of these issues and have documentation to prove Halter is lying. (See Below)
Of course, everyone in Arkansas knows that honesty is a characteristic of Senator Jim Holt. Even the media that violently oppose him call him honest and have said he is too honest for his own good. Halter knows it is really hard for Holt to combat his lies because he is a millionaire and can put out all kinds of advertisements and the media won't call his hand on it because he is a Democrat.
Three lies from Halter press release: "Holt cites a bogus study conducted by the Women's Prayer and Action Group." That partisan group apparently only received 30 comments to a teacher survey they sent out six years ago."
Truth 1: The cover letter sent out with the survey that Halter calls bogus was signed by former Senator Peggy Jeffries, who served on the Senate Education Committee and later was appointed as a member of the State Board of Education by Governor Huckabee and was sent to 711 teachers from a number of schools in the state varying in size. See this link for copy of Jeffrries' letter http://www.wpaag.org/Teacher%20Survey%20Cover%20Letter.htm See this link for Summary of results. http://www.wpaag.org/TeacherSurveySummary.htm
Truth 2: There were 30 pages of teacher comments, not 30 comments, as Halter said, with 90% of them negative toward the educational reforms. 80% of the answers on the survey were negative but 90% of the comments were. There were so many comments they had to be listed in three sections on the web. See this link http://www.wpaag.org/TeacherSurveyComments1.htm
Truth 3: The teacher survey was conducted six years ago. The Women's Prayer and Aciton Group (WPAAG) was not even begun until 2004 as verified in the "About Us" information on http://www.wpaag.org/AboutUs.htm which has been posted there since the inception of the organization saying the organization began in 2004. I was in on the creation of the organization and attended the first meeting in 2004. The teacher survey was conducted six years ago according to Halter himself. See link to the survey and date http://www.wpaag.org/TeacherSurveySummary.htm I was one of the teachers who helped write the survey and my school was one of the schools that participated in the survey. Senator Holt won his first office in 2000 so he could not have had anything to do with the survey.
Another lie vs Truth: Halter picks one quote out of the 90% that are negative toward educational reforms saying, "Ironically, one of the first teacher comments to the survey said: 'Quality teachers can not be kept or hired unless Arkansas teachers receive a large pay raise.'" Read the teacher comments for yourself, and you will see that when money is mentioned in the comments by the teachers, it is most often in reference to the money wasted by the educational reforms. http://www.wpaag.org/TeacherSurveyComments1.htm
Another Lie vs Truth: Halter says, "Womens Prayer and Action Group which is headed up by Holt campaign volunteer Debbie Pelley." There is no way for Halter to know who is heading up the Women's Prayer and Action Group because there are no designated offices in the organization, and several different women take responsibilities and sign articles.
If Halter tells this many lies in one section of his whopper accusations against Holt, how many others has he told in the other five sections? See his full press release below.
Iris Stevens, Teacher in Arkansas for 30 years
P.S. Senator Holt is supported by teachers all over the state of Arkansas. Just so Halter can't say I am a bogus teacher, there was a story in Jonesboro Sun September 24,04 about an American Stars of Teaching award given to me, Iris Stevens, for increasing eighth grade scores by 22 percent in language. It was presented to me by a representative from the USDOE who flew in from Washington. This award is given to only one or two teachers in a state yearly. Again this is just to verify for Mr. Halter and the readers that I am a real teacher and not for the purpose of boasting. Name of article in Jonesboro Sun is "Teachers star at MacArthur" by Sherry Pruitt, Sept. 24, 04.
Thursday, September 28, 2006 HALTER NEWS RELEASE (This can be found online at http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/2006/09/jim_holt_is_a_liar.aspx)
Today the Halter for Lieutenant Governor Campaign released six "whoppers" Jim Holt and his campaign have uttered during the campaign for Lieutenant Governor. The Halter campaign believes that Jim Holt should be dubbed the "King of the Whoppers" for his penchant of making-up facts, figures and stories to suit whatever inflammatory rhetoric he is trying to sling on any particular day. The Halter campaign stated that this lack of temperament is not what is needed in an elected official who, if elected, would be a heartbeat away from the governorship. ]
"Jim Holt never lets facts get in the way of a good story and that trait is not what Arkansans need in their next Lieutenant Governor." said Michael Cook, Halter campaign manager. "His tendency to just make up facts and serve up "whoppers" shows he does not have the temperament needed to be a steady hand in state government. Jim Holt sure likes to talk, but he never can seem to get his facts straight or get anything done. No wonder he's been named by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette as one of the "Top Ten Worst Legislators" every time he was eligible and three times in a row. Holt's legislative record is rife with just talk - and no action."
1. "The issue of school
consolidation has gained political acceptance because those who support it
think they are saving money and not realizing the true cost," Holt said
in a recent news release. "The cost is sacrificing good schools... "
Further, in his quote Holt cites a bogus study conducted by the "Women"s Prayer and Action Group" which is headed up by Holt campaign volunteer Debbie Pelley. That partisan group apparently only received 30 comments to a teacher survey they sent out six years ago. Ironically, one of the first teacher comments to the survey said: "Quality teachers can not be kept or hired unless Arkansas teachers receive a large pay raise." We bet that teacher didn't know that Holt twice voted against giving teachers a needed pay raise. [http://www.wpaag.org/TeacherSurveySummary.htm]
3. "Bill Halter was
nominated to a low-level political appointment within the Social Security
Administration during the Clinton Administration..." - Jim Holt's Campaign
Spokesperson
4. "If he really loved
this state and her people, why did he choose to live in California the
last 25 or more years?" - Jim Holt
5. "I've have been
working tirelessly to reduce the tax burden in this state to bring in high
paying jobs." - Jim Holt
6. "Saying I haven't
protected rural schools is like my primary opponent saying, I'm a tax and
spend liberal." - Jim Holt
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