An Ozark View: The Boys From Hope and Hope For Arkansas

By Dr. Bill Smith / the Ozark Guru:  I did not post a commentary on Saturday night or on Sunday regarding Mike Huckabee's decision not to run for President in 2012. Figured the lame street news and other bloggers had the announcement well covered. If you are one of the few who missed Huckabee's announcement, Gateway Pundit has the video.

As we (Ozark and Mrs. Guru) often do, we watched The Huckabee Show to hear Mike's decision. We enjoy Mike's take on many things but have noted that many of his liberal guests and some of the guest musicians to be worthy of the remote's mute button - our version of voting them off the show. Now, after a day of reflection, here are a few comments related on "Boys from Hope" and Arkansas.

At present, we do NOT know if Huckabee may make the 2012 GOP Ticket as VP or what has or will happen to the HUCKPAC money that been collected. Hopefully, the funds will be used to help other conservative candidates? Certainly found it interesting that Donald Trump provided Huckabee some "video love' at the end of “The Huckabee Show.” Wonder how much that cost?

Of interest to me is his dream of living in Florida. Everyone is entitled to dream. However, in all the years of campaigning throughout Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, a "boy from Hope," who became an Arkansas preacher, Arkansas Lt. Governor, Governor and won overwhelmingly as Arkansas' "favorite son" vote for the GOP Presidential nomination, never mentioned to his fellow Arkansan voters that his dream was to live somewhere else.

Gov. Huckabee & Dr. Bill Smith

We have met Mike Huckabee at campaign and Republican events. We moved 17 years ago from Florida to the Arkansas Ozarks not for a million dollar home but for the wonderful million dollar Ozark views already created by God. Mike, repeatedly at events and in speeches locally, said how much he loved Arkansas and even loved the Ozark Mountains, rivers, and lakes and wished he could live in our area. Maybe he said the same thing to the voters in the Delta where he duck hunted. Was he just schmoozing us for our votes and support?

Maybe, after traveling the U.S. campaigning and experiencing national success, he realized his money could be better sheltered in Florida than in Arkansas. Unfortunately, Mike as Arkansas Governor did not work to make Arkansas an income tax free state like Florida or our neighboring states of Texas and Tennessee. Maybe he didn't have a dream yet. Let's permit him to speak later on his dream.

Pix Via The Clinton Foundation Website

After experiencing the National lime light, the two "Boys from Hope," Arkansas, appear to agree that they are never going "back to Hope" except for maybe some more commercials. And now, they have both skedaddled out of Arkansas.

Former President Clinton who had been the former Arkansas Attorney General, the former Arkansas Governor for 12 years, and an Arkansas licensed attorney before being disbarred, moved "up north" to New York City. He opened his primary office in Harlem for the William J. Clinton Foundation with headquarters in Boston, MA. Not sure that was Bill's big dream, but of course his wife, Hillary, wanted to move to New York to be a U.S. Senator since she had "no hope" either in Arkansas or in her former home state of Illinois where Barack Obama was the "chosen one."

Clinton Presidential Library

Former President Bill Clinton does return to Arkansas to squeeze nickels out of people, to toss out a few fearful endorsements (ask former Sen. Lincoln), to hug as many women as possible, and to visit the William J. Clinton Presidential Library. The library is often identified as "The Big House Trailer." It overlooks the Arkansas River in Little Rock and it is the probably the least presidential looking library. No, you will not see the famous "blue dress." Also the rumored numbers of affairs and sexual encounters in Little Rock have nothing to do with the street named after him. Little Rock has lots of great attractions and if you are in the Little Rock, it is worth a visit to the Clinton Presidential Library just to see the replica of the White House Oval Office.

Enough on noted first boy from Hope, back to second one - Huckabee: After losing the 2010 Presidential bid, Huckabee went to work for Fox News and has his own TV show and shares his fantastic voice on radio (both are great moves on his part). However, last December, he and his wife surprised there fellow Arkansans by declaring their dream was to live someplace other than Arkansas.

While Mike Huckabee still has a home and family in Arkansas, he has changed his primary residency to the Florida. He now resides in Walton County, Florida where they are building a three story home estimated value $3.3 million. Hey, there are no income taxes in Florida as in Arkansas. Also, no more having to be the former Arkansas preacher, he can enjoy the good life somewhere other than Arkansas.

Mike Share's His Dream

Specifically, why did he move to Florida? He has told us in his own words, "Growing up as I did in Hope, AR, it was a dream to do something like this. Living here is a dream. Our first place as young marrieds was a $40-a-month duplex, which was probably overpriced. And since I am in Manhattan weekly, it is slightly easier to get there from here with the new airport. Now if we could just get non-stop flights to New York, it would make my wife very happy. . .

We have friends who wanted to have a place here for some time. They found two lots and they bought one and we bought one. . . . It’s less likely to be crowded and there is a great attitude among people here. In South Florida, all of New York and Connecticut relocates there. But South Walton is all Southeastern Conference. I can order grits and people know what I’m talking about. Not to mention, the most beautiful beaches in all of America,” he said. “It’s an incredible, magnificent area with the best restaurants that are on par with those in Manhattan, but you don’t have to hijack a Brinks truck to pay for the meal.”

So unlike Bill Clinton, Mike Huckabee, avoids the Brinks trucks and settles in Florida for his dream home and lower taxes. I am happy that Mike and Janet Huckabee have found their dream home even if it is in Florida. I am definitely happy that Bill and Hillary are no longer in Arkansas. However, if Bill Clinton, now a New Yorker, moved to Huckabee's Florida neighborhood, we can just image the interesting discussions that the two "Boys from Hope," Arkansas, could share about the good old days in Hope when they did not have "two nickels to rub together."

Now, it is time for Arkansans to forget the clichés from these "Boys from Hope" and to stay focused on restoring our individual rights and our property rights, limiting government interference in our lives, and setting free the economic engine of prosperity so that all Arkansas will have less dependence on government and on others. We must increase the "real" opportunities for our citizens and restore the freedoms and liberty for all Arkansans.

True, we will have to replace elected officials and bureaucrats who still fail to grasp the desire of Arkansans to be free of plantation politics, big government spending and control, enslavement to entitlements, and denial of opportunities via legislation and regulations.  Hope for Arkansas is now! The transformation process has begun. Our State Motto rings true! We are restoring "Regnat Populus" - "The People Rule."

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