It's that time of year again.
You've shopped and shopped but you still cannot find that perfect gift for that special person.
No problem. Here, as an annual public service, is my list of special gifts for special people.
• Perhaps first on our list should be a gift for Asa Hutchinson, our new governor: How about a nice pair of track shoes to help him carry out one of his campaign promises? He said in his campaign advertising that, if elected governor, he would "hit the ground running and never look back." He'll need good traction because it's easy to lose your footing when you're trying to direct something as cumbersome as a state government and negotiate with a legislature that can be fractious.
• While we're still checking our gift list for politicians, let's not forget President Obama. Sure he was elected to a second term and no president can ask for more than that, right? That might be true, but Obama could well be looking under the tree for a gift of a legacy of being something more than the president who foisted on the public a mandatory health care system that might or might not survive the upcoming Republican Congress.
• OK, one last dip into politics. The Arkansas public might have received a big gift in having an actual two party system emerge in state politics.
We'll have to wait and see if the politicians will in turn bestow a gift on the public by working together efficiently and productively for the overall good of the state or if the two parties will instead bicker and squabble and create a political rift between southern Arkansas and central and northern Arkansas.
• Arkansas Razorback football fans received an early Christmas gift when the Hogs put together two shutout upset wins and surprised a lot of folks by winning enough this season to get invited to a bowl game. A bowl win over old Southwest Conference rival Texas would be icing on the cake and packaged with great hopes for next season, a wonderful Christmas present and way to celebrate the New Year.
• Razorback basketball fans are well on their way to receiving a double gift this year. Both the men and women's basketball teams are off to fine starts and things look good for the season and tournament time.
• While considering the previous two items, Hog fans might want to pause to thank those responsible for sending three recent gifts. Those would be coaches Brett Bielema, Mike Anderson and Jimmy Dykes.
• A last sports gift is going to the many Dallas Cowboy fans in the area. They're already enjoying the gift of the Cowboys finally having the kind of season their fans have been hoping for and expecting the past several years.
• Finally, in the sports gift department, the New Orleans Saints and their fans could be getting a much larger gift than they deserve. If the Saints win their last two games, they could win their division with an even 8-8 record and qualify to host the opening round of the playoffs. That's kind of like the Arkansas high school athletics association rewarding some teams
• The year will end with the great humorist and entertainer Bill Cosby maybe hoping for the gift of forgiveness for apparently abusing women on a regular basis while posturing as an example for human behavior. Perhaps the best gift for him would be for now to have the wisdom to be truly remorseful and retire away from the public light.
• The nation's drivers and businesses with fleets of vehicles got an early Christmas gift this year when gas prices began to plummet. It could be the gift that keeps on giving if they stay this low or drop even lower on
through the winter and heading into the summer vacation travel season.
• A companion gift to falling gas prices is on back order and delivery depends on if it actually is produced. The gift would be to American consumers in the form of lower prices, thanks to the dropping gas prices for businesses that had to raise their prices back when the cost of gas was extremely high. Airlines have already demonstrated they don't intend to cut passengers any slack in ticket prices and instead take advantage of their lower overhead to pile up the profits. Will grocery chains and other suppliers of goods pass along their savings in transportation costs to customers?
• A gift for me has been this column being read in the Banner-News by you fine folks. I wish you a very merry Christmas and a prosperous and healthy New Year.
(Jim Edwards writes this column for the Banner-News. Contact him at [email protected])