Speak Out 3/20/14

More Medicaid?

Be careful this year. They're talking about redoing the state Medicaid. They want to extend it to allow another 300,000 people on it. All they keep saying is that "we paid this money into the federal government and it's going to other states." True, we would get a little bit of money back for the first couple years. But after that, then the federal government money runs out and then the state has to pick up the tab. After looking at the last few years' budgets, I don't see where we have any extra money to fund extended Medicaid. It's nice to give people more and more, but somebody's got to pay for it. Since nobody's stepping up with ideas on how to pay for expanded Medicaid, maybe we ought to leave it the way it is for the next 10 years and see if we can afford it.

Limbaugh column

I love the euphemisms of David Limbaugh. He had a classic the other day, describing voter suppression as "election integrity measures."

Community district

Time for neighborhoods to unite and form a CID for our neighborhoods to get enhancements -- such as better security and clean streets, since the city is unable to provide such services. Forming our own taxing district so that we can use other people's money to make our neighborhoods safe is the way to go.

Unfair comparison

It's ridiculous to compare Reagan to Obama. Reagan did not have the terrorism that we have in 2014. Obama showed his strength in going after Bin Laden. It runs much deeper than Biden or Obama. Putin is not stupid. He knows that America is war-weary. He knows that the American people don't want to go to war. Probably we can't even afford it because of Iraq and Afghanistan. Putin is a very intelligent being. And he knows when the time is to take advantage of the situation. So, it's just very different, the world that Reagan was in and the world that Mr. Obama's in. Considering the world he's in today, I think he's doing a pretty good job.

Public service

I wanted to say I'm happy to see all the people who are taking interest to run for public office, but remember two important things. No. 1, whether it's a council or board, it belongs to everyone in the board room. And when you come to the meetings, you leave friendships at the door. You are there not for yourself, but for representing other people.

Abortions, taxpayers

In Speak Out, a reader said it was not "we" murdering 55 million babies. We, as taxpayers, fund "Planned Parenthood" even if we do not like it. Then "Planned Parenthood" performs abortions with our money. We are involved.

Snow removal

This winter when schools have been out for extended amounts of time -- it is because of the icy conditions on rural roads. Just because a family can get to Wal-Mart does not mean the school bus can get to them. Many families rely on the buses, and they are not equipped to travel on icy roads. Would you want your child sliding on some of these rural roads? Believe me, Bollinger County does not clean or try to clean their rural roads.

Raising children

There's a sign out in front of Blanchard School. It says something like "The best contribution you might make to the world isn't something you accomplish, but someone you raise." They should leave those words up year round.

Opinion cartoons

I just loved the cartoon on the opinion page, editorial page of the Missourian today, which is March 12. It shows Obama and his "masterpiece" painting. In fact, you have had so many cartoons on Obama lately. They just absolutely hit the nail on the head. Keep up the good work.