TRUTH SQUAD: Mike Huckabee (Squelching the Huckabee rumors!)

[missionarywife]

I intend on dispelling rumors about about my candidate Mike Huckabee.

 

Truth Squad: Ethics

November 09, 2007

The Arkansas Ethics Commission created under the reign of Bill Clinton, has been misused as a weapon against Republicans. Governor Huckabee has been unfairly attacked regarding his ethics history while Governor of Arkansas. The overwhelming majority of the complaints were filed in the midst of one of Governor Huckabee's campaigns, and filed by Democrats to a commission made up of a vast majority of Democrats. The end result of those complaints was a series of negative headlines-and NOTHING else. Here are the facts:


The overwhelming majority of ethics complaints filed against Governor Huckabee in the state of Arkansas were regularly dismissed and / or proven to be frivolous.

It is important to note that many of these complaints were either filed by a member of the Arkansas media with his own agenda or were filed by a Democrat activist using the so-called reporter's story as the basis for the complaint.

The REAL story is that in the end, despite the many attempts, the only finding of an illegal gift was reversed on appeal.

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Huckabee Campaign Responds

 The Huckabee campaign responds to Hillyer’s hit piece:

THE HUCKABEE RECORD
Re: Quin Hillyer’s A Tale of Two Candidates:

The October 24, 2007 article by Quin Hillyer, “A Tale of Two Candidates,” is a biased and complete distortion of the record of Governor Mike Huckabee that needs to be addressed.

It is indeed disappointing — but perhaps telling — that Mr. Hillyer contacted neither the Governor nor the Huckabee for President Campaign for this article. The resurfacing of these old allegations, which have previously been addressed, and the Governor’s surge in recent polling, is also suspect.

Clearly, the facts show that Mr. Hillyer needs to do his homework. The overwhelming majority of ethics complaints filed against Governor Huckabee in the state of Arkansas were regularly dismissed and / or proven to be frivolous.

It is also important to note that many of these complaints were filed by a member of the Arkansas “media.” There was no mention in Mr. Hillyer’s work that these complaints were later dismissed by that same news outlet.

The REAL story is that, despite the many attempts, there has never been a finding that Governor Huckabee ever received an illegal gift. Period.

To attack Governor Huckabee’s wife, Janet, is the worst kind of journalism. As First Lady of Arkansas, Mrs. Huckabee served with dignity for many years. She was a leader behind the scenes during natural disasters within the state — and her support of education and children is second to none.

With regards to attacking his fiscal record as Governor, what “think-tanks” such as CATO or Club for Growth consistently fail to recognize is that, regardless of party or politics, governors are responsible for delivering better government and balanced budgets to the people they represent. What mattered most to the people of Arkansas is results — not rhetoric — which is why Mike Huckabee was elected and re-elected as Governor.

A fair appraisal of Governor Huckabee’s record reveals that he is an authentic, consistent conservative whose goal is to reduce both taxes and spending when he is President. Here are the facts.

* Regarding his record, Arkansas voters overwhelmingly approved of Mike Huckabee’s performance in office. He was elected to a four-year term as governor in 1998, after succeeding to office in 1996, attracting the largest percentage of the vote ever received by a Republican gubernatorial nominee in Arkansas. In 2002, he was re-elected to another four-year term. When he left office earlier this year, his job approval rating was in the high 60s.

* Without doubt, Mike Huckabee is a fiscal conservative who cut taxes almost 100 times in the state of Arkansas and returned almost $400 million to Arkansas taxpayers, including the first broad-based tax cut in the history of the state.

* He also doubled the standard deduction and the child care tax credit and eliminated the marriage penalty and the capital gains tax on the sale of a home. He reduced the capital gains tax for businesses and individuals. He indexed the income tax to protect people from paying higher taxes because of “bracket creep.”

* Governor Huckabee left the state with almost $1 billion in surplus, setting the stage for further tax reductions. He cut welfare rolls by almost 50 percent, while balancing the state budget every year of his terms.

* With respect to the tax and spending that he had under his control, spending rose about six-tenths of one percent a year during his ten-and-a-half year tenure. In Arkansas, over 90% of the state general revenue budget is spent on three things: education, Medicaid, and prisons. If the state entirely eliminated everything else but those three, it would save less than 10% of the budget. Despite those limitations, Huckabee managed to enact budget cuts.

Regarding Wayne DuMond, here are the facts:

* Governor Jim Guy Tucker gave executive clemency to Wayne DuMond, and commuted his sentence to 39.5 years. This action made it possible for Wayne DuMond to receive parole.

* The parole board was made up entirely of Governor Bill Clinton and Governor Jim Guy Tucker appointees. Governor Huckabee didn’t have one member on the board that he had appointed.

* Governor Huckabee never took action in the DuMond case that made him parole eligible.

* Governor Huckabee either denied the commutation and pardon request, or took no action (which is the same as a denial) on 4 separate occasions.

* This wasn’t Governor Huckabee’s decision to parole Wayne Dumond. Governor Huckabee had no authority to do that, as governors don’t have that authority in the parole process.

* The fact remains that Governor Huckabee didn’t commutate, pardon, parole or grant any form of clemency to Wayne DuMond.

* Governor Huckabee denied 2/3 of all pardon requests while Governor of Arkansas from July 15, 1996-December 31, 2006.

* Governor Huckabee denied 86% of all commutation requests during the same period.

* Governor Huckabee signed off on, and carried out 16 executions while he was governor, which were more than 20 other states that currently had the death penalty in place.

It’s interesting that this wasn’t an issue for 6 years (1996-2002) until the election year of 2002, when Governor Huckabee’s Democratic opponent, in the midst of a heated general election, made a political issue out of the case.

Finally, one more note: Calling him “The Huckster” in a hatchet job like this shows disrespect, not only to the Governor himself, but to the office he held for 10 1/2 years.

Governor Mike Huckabee has shown leadership, compassion and strength in tough times. In this important presidential election cycle, the facts are what matter to the American people.

Sincerely,
– John “Chip” Saltsman
National Campaign Manager
Huckabee for President

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AP) Gov. Mike Huckabee on Tuesday angrily defended a gift registry that was set up to help furnish his new home, and said the registry was put together by his wife's friends for a housewarming party.

"My wife has friends; she has lifelong friends. They wanted to do something for her," the Arkansas Republican told reporters after speaking at an event in downtown Little Rock. "It has nothing to do with who she is, other than she's their friend."

Huckabee has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination and has made trips to several important primary states.

He said he did not know the friends who set up the gift registry, nor did he know the names of the friends who hosted a housewarming party for which the registry was intended.

Huckabee said the registries at the Target and Dillard's Web sites were set up as wedding registries because there was no separate category for housewarming parties.

Huckabee criticized news outlets for reporting on the gift registry and said he felt he and his wife were being unfairly portrayed.

The news stories "created the impression that my wife has gone out and solicited gifts, which is absolutely untrue," Huckabee said.

Huckabee said he would report any of the gifts on financial disclosure forms if he's required to by law, but indicated he did not see any ethical problems by accepting the gifts.

The Huckabees married in 1974. They entered into a covenant marriage in February 2005.

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My Proud Record
I cut taxes and fees over 90 times as governor.

BY MIKE HUCKABEE
Monday, October 29, 2007 12:01 a.m. EDT

John Fund's view of my 10 1/2-year record as governor of Arkansas and my vision for America's future ("Another Man from Hope: Who is Mike Huckabee?") calls for me to set the record straight.

It's important to note that every living Republican in Arkansas who has been elected to either a statewide or a federal office has endorsed my candidacy. I'm grateful for their support and proud that in 1998, I received the largest percentage of votes ever received by a Republican gubernatorial nominee in Arkansas, and that Arkansans re-elected me to another four-year term in November 2002.

I am even prouder that, throughout my tenure as governor and lieutenant governor of Arkansas, I campaigned tirelessly for countless Republican candidates for the state house and federal office--and even helped get some elected.

As governor, I pushed through the Arkansas Legislature the first major, broad-based tax cuts in state history--a $90 million tax relief package for Arkansas families; led efforts to establish a Property Taxpayers' Bill of Rights; and created a welfare reform program that reduced the welfare rolls in the state by almost 50%. We also doubled the standard deduction to $2,000 for single taxpayers and $4,000 for those who are married. In total, I led the fight to cut taxes and fees over 90 times during my 10 1/2 years as governor, saving the people of Arkansas almost $380 million. When I left office, Arkansas had over $800 million in state surplus.

One of my proudest achievements as governor was signing legislation creating ARKids First--creating health insurance coverage for more than 70,000 Arkansas children who otherwise might have gone without. I am firmly committed to finding a way to provide health care and a better education for America's children, who hold the key to our nation's future. Unfortunately, there seems to be a serious misunderstanding about my State Children Health Insurance Program comment at a recent presidential debate.

I was not criticizing President Bush's veto as a matter of policy, but as a matter of politics. I fully believe that Mr. Bush should have negotiated a compromise and not let it get to the point of a veto. Mr. Bush indicated he was willing to spend more than the $5 billion he originally proposed, but less than the $35 billion the Democrats pushed through, so there was clearly room to negotiate. In no way do I support spending an additional $35 billion, or moving two million children from private insurance to government insurance, or letting Schip be a step on the path to socialized medicine.

I believe that we must be good stewards of our environment and support many paths to reducing our emission of greenhouse gases, such as more nuclear power and alternative sources of clean energy. As part of our overall effort, I also support a cap and trade system, which has worked well for reduction of sulfur dioxide emissions. However, I do not agree with those who want all allowances to be auctioned off because I believe that will create too great a burden on businesses. The alternative to cap and trade is a carbon tax, which I don't support.

It is difficult to fully understand the institutional challenges of a Republican running for office in Arkansas. In 1993, when I was elected lieutenant governor, I was the fourth Republican to be elected to statewide office since Reconstruction. Students of Arkansas politics should talk to former Sen. Tim Hutchinson, Rep. John Boozman or former Rep. Jay Dickey, all of whom support my candidacy for president, but none of whom are cited in Mr. Fund's column, about these challenges.

Nevertheless, running for election and re-election, and more importantly, governing in an overwhelmingly Democratic state, prepared me to climb that next mountain: running for president and leading America with an optimistic vision and solid plans to successfully confront the complex challenges we face today.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

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[missionarywife]

Jan. 20, 2008 at 5:58 PM

The Club for Growth, a.k.a. "Clique for Greed," has invested no small amount of money and ad time to attacking Mike Huckabee's record in Arkansas. In so doing, the CFG has played fast and very loose with the facts, and ignores Huckabee's record of cutting taxes 90+ times during his 10 years as governor.

The Evangelical Outpost has already done a wonderful job of addressing the CFG's falsehoods. Here now is more historical background from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette which should further refute claims that Huckabee is a fiscal liberal. The taxes I address here are the same ones flagged on a CFG-sponsored website, not worth naming here.

Sales Tax, 1996

This was approved by Arkansas voters in a statewide referendum in 1996.

 

“Gov. Mike Huckabee, who generally favors tax reductions, said Saturday he would vote for an eighth-cent increase in the state sales tax for game and fish services, state parks and conservation.

"There is no greater potential we have in this state than that of tourism," said Huckabee, adding that he would vote for the increase.” (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 7/28/96)

 

Gas and Diesel Fuel Taxes, 1999

Arkansas roads were in terrible condition…

 

“The study of

1997 Federal Highway

Administration statistics submitted by all 50 states showed that Arkansas at the highest percentage of rural interstate miles in poor condition, 29.6 percent.” (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 04/12/99)

Huckabee supported a plan to expedite much needed repairs to Arkansas highways. The Senate approved a gasoline tax hike by a 33-2 vote; the House approved this by a 82-17 vote. These taxes financed bonds for highway improvements, which Arkansas voters approved by a 4-1 margin. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 3/17/99; 3/27/99)

 

“Arkansas voters approved by a 4-1 margin Tuesday a plan to issue $ 575 million in bonds to repair 372 miles of interstate highways. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 6/16/99)

The people of Arkansas spoke loud and clear, through their legislators and through the bond referendum, to improve the highways of the Natural State.
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Sales Tax, 2000

Huckabee approved legislation to raise the sales tax to offset a cut on property taxes, though he voiced concerns about the regressive nature of this plan. This plan was approved by Arkansas voters in a 2000 referendum and upheld by the Arkansas Supreme Court in 2002.

 

“Two proposed state constitutional amendments to provide tax relief likely will win voter approval in Arkansas in the Nov. 7 election, a new Mason-Dixon Arkansas Poll indicates…. Proposed Amendment 2, the Legislature's amendment to limit increases in the assessed value of taxpayers' real property after a countywide reappraisal and to require a tax credit of at least $ 300 on homestead property: 57 percent for, 21 percent against, 22 percent undecided. …
Huckabee said this proposal, "for those who desire property tax reduction, is an option. But they need to realize it will increase their sales taxes in the process." (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 10/5/00)

“Gov. Mike Huckabee voted Friday and said he voted against proposed Amendment 2 because it would result in an increase in the sales tax and that would hurt the state's poor people. …
"I'm pretty ambivalent about it," Huckabee said. "I think it's an option voters have if they'd rather have sales tax than property tax. I tend to think sales tax can be more regressive than property tax in Arkansas. Sales tax hits the poor people automatically. Property tax will only hit the people who own property.” (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 10/28/00)

 

“The state Supreme Court has unanimously upheld the half-percent sales tax increase enacted by the Legislature in 2000, rejecting a lawsuit that challenged the tax statute's constitutionality. ...
The increase, which took effect Jan. 1, 2001, raised $ 169.2 million last year to pay $ 152.3 million to counties to cover the cost of property tax credits of up to $ 300 per homeowner.” (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 09/25/02)

Cigarette Tax, 2001

I personally have no problem with raising cigarette or tobacco taxes to fund public health, particularly since tobacco is such a drain on public health. This story also highlights how Huckabee was able to work succesfully with an overwhelmingly Democratic-controlled legislature to achieve positive results. This is a critical skill lacking in Washington today!

 

“Gov. Mike Huckabee announced Thursday his support for raising the state's tobacco tax, giving pharmaceutical discounts to Arkansas senior citizens, expanding Medicaid coverage and putting more money into Meals on Wheels and breast cancer research.” (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 03/09/01)

 

“One part of his approach is to trim state government to offset his tobacco settlement plan's funding of more than 400 previously unfunded state jobs. The other initiates a tobacco tax that has lain dormant in state law since 1997 and shifts funding from his tobacco settlement spending plan to increase state services favored by a number of lawmakers.

The governor said his proposal would pair [money from the tobacco settlement plan] with revenue generated by a two-part tax, including a 2.3 cent-per-pack levy on cigarettes and a 2 percent tax on all other tobacco products. The combined revenue from the tax and the smoking-cessation program would free up general revenue, and the state would increase spending on breast cancer and cervical cancer treatments, elderly services and public school nurses, all of which are priorities among many Democratic lawmakers.

The governor took pains to stress that the Republicans were not acting in a partisan manner but had resolved differences to work with Democrats. He said he knew he would need votes from Democrats to pass the dozen appropriation bills that would implement Initiated Act 1, which voters approved Nov. 7.” (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 04/05/01)

 

Nursing Home Bed Tax, 2001

This tax or fee was passed to make up for the shortfall of federal Medicaid funds.

 

“The measure was contentious because it would mean an initial increase of about $ 2,000 a year for elderly patients who don't receive Medicaid, although supporters stressed that rates for many of them would have risen anyway. That's because nursing homes with a mixture of patients -- some who are covered by Medicaid and some who aren't -- would have to increase their rates for patients with no Medicaid, they said.

Supporters said the bill was the best way to get a steady stream of new revenue to the state's nursing home industry, which contends it is on the verge of collapse as it struggles with federal patient-care reimbursements that are among the lowest in the nation.

There are about 22,000 nursing home patients in Arkansas, about three-quarters of whom rely on Medicaid.
Arkansas has 239 nursing homes, seven of which are not in the Medicaid nursing home program and will not see any of the benefits from the new tax.” (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 3/10/01)

Sales Tax, 2002

Note here that Huckabee avoided a tax hike in earlier years with smaller cuts, but was finally forced to raise the sales tax to avoid draconian cuts to education, prisons and health care.

"Gov. Mike Huckabee announced in November a $ 142 million cut to state agencies -- including $ 14 million for scholarships programs -- after revenues fell below projections." (2/2/02 Arkansas Democrat Gazette)

The post-9/11 recession left no other options for balancing the budget.

 

“The sales tax increase would, among other things:

• Raise the average teacher salary by about $ 1,000 a year for the next two years…
• Make room for about 900 more prisoners and reimburse county jails for housing state prisoners.
• Keep pace with Medicaid growth that's been 15 percent to 18 percent in recent years. The money will help nursing homes meet state standards, among other things.
• Establish a "super project fund" to entice major industrial plants to Arkansas.

 

During fiscal 2002, state government was hit with a $ 227 million revenue shortfall. But Huckabee, unlike governors in several states experiencing similar financial problems, refused to call for a tax increase. Instead, the state cut programs including teacher raises, college scholarships and Medicaid.” (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 11/15/02)

 

Rising health care costs also (and again) to blame...

 

“The lion's share of a projected $247 million increase in state spending on the Medicaid program over the next two years would be funded by the sales tax increase proposed Thursday by Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Hanley said the $247 million increase, which when matched with federal dollars would generate a total of about $988 million over two years, is necessary just to ensure that the current level of Medicaid services are maintained.” (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 11/15/02)

 

Income Surcharge Tax, 2003
Tobacco Tax, 2003

And again, health care costs continue to skyrocket while Washington fiddles and creates new entitlements for prescription drug coverage.

 

Gov. Mike Huckabee and legislative leaders acknowledge that the $ 100 million tax increase enacted during last week's special session is only a temporary budget fix if the economy doesn't improve and growth in Medicaid and other programs isn't contained.

Spending on Medicaid, corrections and education at public school and higher education levels takes up 91 percent of the state budget, the governor said. "That's where the cost is, and that's what continues to go up. They go up at a higher rate at the expense of everything else."

It would be up to Congress to make changes that would allow the state to cut its Medicaid costs, Huckabee said. Controlling spending on education and criminal justice will be up to state officials, he said… (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 5/11/03)

Arkansas was not alone in facing financial hardships in 2003...

 

"2002 [was] the first year in modern history that [we] collected less money than the year before," said state Revenue Commissioner Tim Leathers.

That year Arkansas was caught in the financial typhoon that hit most states. Thirty-nine other states collected fewer general revenue tax dollars in 2002 than in 2001, leading to widespread budget cuts and tax increases nationwide. ...

"It sounds like Arkansas is pretty typical," said Nick Jenny, a fiscal analyst for the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government in Albany, N.Y. "There's the really bad year in 2002, and this year things are pretty flat. What we're seeing is about a 2 percent revenue growth [among states in 2003] and that barely gets you past inflation." ...

The growth in revenue didn't cover Medicaid expenditures, Leathers said.

Nationwide, state Medicaid spending is expected to grow by 8 percent.

In Arkansas, state Medicaid expenditures grew from $1.5 billion in 1999 to an expected $2.5 billion in 2003.

"The main engine that's driving Medicaid costs are prescription drug [cost increases]," Jenny said. "There was some increase in [Medicaid] enrollment which is what you'd expect in an economic downturn."

The Arkansas Legislature on May 8 voted during a special session to raise income and tobacco taxes by $110 million for fiscal 2004 just to keep pace with Medicaid and with the cost of running the prison system.

Without the tax increases, tens of thousands of Medicaid recipients would have lost some nursing home services, home nursing care, disability therapy and other services.

Also, state prison officials said they would have had to close a prison.

Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Republican who initially resisted tax increases when the budget crisis hit two years ago, called for a tax increase this year to keep services in place. ...

Other legislatures have had similar struggles over tax proposals.

Idaho had its longest legislative session ever as lawmakers debated a sales tax plan by Republican Gov. Dirk Kempthorne. At least one other Republican governor, in addition to Huckabee and Kempthorne, is pushing tax increases this year.

In Alabama, Gov. Bob Riley, who defeated a Democratic incumbent last year, has called the Legislature into special session starting May 19 to consider a $1.2 billion tax package.

The federal government is allowed to engage in deficit spending and is doing so in vast amounts at this time. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 5/18/03)

An interesting side note...

 

Adjusted for inflation, the largest tax increase in Arkansas history was enacted in 1983 during the administration of Gov. Bill Clinton. The Clinton-backed 1 percent increase in the state sales tax to pay for improvements to the state's education system raised $ 162 million a year at the time - about $ 300 million if the same tax covering the same goods and services were enacted today. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 5/11/03)

Internet Taxes, 2004

Huckabee supported an amendment that would extend the moratorium on Internet access taxes for two years, instead of a permanent ban.

 

"Also arguing that the [permanent ban] violates states' rights, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said it was akin to 'putting a federal stop sign on a state road'." (Bond Buyer, 2/24/04)

Michigan Gov. John Engler, a widely respected fiscal conservative and former governor of Michigan, voiced the same concerns in testimony to Congress in 2001.


I'll stack Huckabee's record of accomplishments and judicious fiscal management against any other presidential candidate. Any current or former senator can claim to have a conservative fiscal record, but the fact remains that those senators did nothing to stop a runaway spending train in Congress. I have far more respect for executives -- governors or mayors -- who had to balance tough decisions on cutting programs versus cutting taxes. Cutting taxes may be ideologically salivating to some conservatives, but it can also be reckless stupidity when it leads to basic services being denied to citizens, or teachers or public safety workers being grossly underpaid their worth. If that's fiscal conservatism in 2007, no thanks... I'll take Mike's brand of Christian conservatism any day.

These supplement my previous posting on Huckabee's tax record. Again I'll point out that these tax hikes were fueled by skyrocketing Medicaid costs, for which states were left holding the bag, no thanks to Washington. What good were Senators McCain, Thompson and Clinton? The senators have the luxury of deficit spending, but Governor Huckabee and most other governors do not.

Don't lose sight of the real tax-and-spend villians in our country -- it's called the United States Congress.

Gas and Diesel Fuel Taxes, 1999

Huckabee supported a plan to expedite much needed repairs to Arkansas highways. The Senate approved a gasoline tax hike by a 33-2 vote; the House approved this by a 82-17 vote. These taxes financed bonds for highway improvements, which Arkansas voters approved by a 4-1 margin. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 3/17/99; 3/27/99)

The people of Arkansas spoke loud and clear, through their legislators and through the bond referendum, to improve the highways of the Natural State.

Sales Tax, 2002

Note here that Huckabee avoided a tax hike in earlier years with smaller cuts, but was finally forced to raise the sales tax to avoid draconian cuts to education, prisons and health care.

"Gov. Mike Huckabee announced in November a $ 142 million cut to state agencies -- including $ 14 million for scholarships programs -- after revenues fell below projections." (2/2/02 Arkansas Democrat Gazette)

Income Surcharge Tax, 2003
Tobacco Tax, 2003

The Arkansas Legislature on May 8 voted during a special session to raise income and tobacco taxes by $110 million for fiscal 2004 just to keep pace with Medicaid and with the cost of running the prison system.

Without the tax increases, tens of thousands of Medicaid recipients would have lost some nursing home services, home nursing care, disability therapy and other services.

Also, state prison officials said they would have had to close a prison.

Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Republican who initially resisted tax increases when the budget crisis hit two years ago, called for a tax increase this year to keep services in place. ... (5/18/03 Arkansas Democrat Gazette)

(Original Poster)

[missionarywife]

Jan. 20, 2008 at 6:01 PM Here are some things about Huck and illegal immigration:


Governor Mike Huckabee is against illegal immigration and supports the deportation of illegal immigrants captured in the U.S.

But, as recent events show, enforcing our immigration laws is not as simple as merely rounding up illegal immigrants and deporting them.

Back on May 24, 2005 we talked about Governor Mike Huckabee's stance on illegal immigration in a blog titled "Mike Huckabee On Illegal Immigration: The Kids Matter." This post was prompted by a huge amount of criticism the Governor received for advocating prenatal care for the unborn children of immigrants and in-state tuition eligibility for Latino children who graduate from Arkansas high schools.

In a nutshell, Huckabee's stance on illegal immigration is that illegals who are caught should be deported. Period. But if they are not caught, and instead remain here to raise their families, Huckabee's pro-life sentiment drives him to support providing prenatal care for all unborn children--no questions asked. And because the Arkansas constitution dictates that all children, regardless of legal status, be provided with public education K-12, Huckabee believes those who graduate and are academically eligible deserve to be eligible for in-state tuition rates.

In other words, the children of illegal immigrants should not be punished for the crimes of their parents. The kids matter.

Since we posted that story, a new development has arisen in Arkansas that perfectly illustrates why Huckabee is right on this issue. But you don't have to take our word for it.

Here is a very interesting and important editorial about Huckabee. It is interesting because it very effectively describes his stance on illegal immigration. It is important because it was published by The Morning News in Northwest Arkansas, which has one of the fastest growing Latino populations in the United States.

As you read this editorial, you should remember that almost no other area in the U.S. has experienced a more rapid or more overwhelming change in its local culture than Northwest Arkansas.

Several days ago, federal immigration officials, without first alerting Arkansas law enforcement, raided a poultry plant in Arkadelphia, AR. They rounded up over 100 illegal immigrants and hastily deported them. That's fine. What isn't fine is that the feds did not take the necessary time to see that some 30 children of the deportees went with them. Many of these children, some infants and many natural born American citizens, were effectively orphaned. Now that you are up to speed, here's The Morning News' editorial:

The Morning News
Huckabee Right About Children Left in Lurch

Gov. Mike Huckabee has a definite flair for infuriating people by refusing to adhere to a rigid party line. That's one of the things we appreciate most about him, although we still have our disagreements. This talent was most recently displayed when Huckabee weighed in on the recent immigration raid on an Arkadelphia poultry plant. The raid netted 119 people who were working at the plant and had bought fake IDs from a former worker. Most, if not all, of those arrested in the raid have since been deported. In a simplistic world of bumper-sticker politics the arrest and deportation of 119 illegal immigrants would be non-controversial. No one -- including the governor -- endorses law-breaking.

But in the real world there are all too often complications. There are added considerations that go beyond the simple formula of "They broke the law so they should be arrested and deported." In this case there were some 30 complications. About 30 children were left in limbo when one or both of their parents were arrested without warning and removed from the country. Huckabee thought those children, some of whom are U.S. citizens by birth, deserved more consideration. He went beyond just saying so and directed the state Health Department and the Department of Human Services to provide whatever assistance they can to these children. Huckabee also released $1,000 from his emergency fund to buy food, clothing and even school supplies for the children.

That brought the wrath of the righteous down on the governor. Jim Harris, a spokesman for Huckabee, said the office has been getting calls from as far away as California from people irate over the governor's supposed coddling of illegal residents. But that's not what this is about. Huckabee has never suggested that those 119 people shouldn't have been arrested and dealt with according to the law. What he has said, and we agree with him here, is that the arrests and deportations could have been better coordinated between federal, state and local agencies and that the interests of the children could and should have been taken into account. There was no urgency, nothing to justify separating these families this way. That's what this is about and to his credit that's what Huckabee, and not his cranky callers, understands.

(Original Poster)