Speak Out 5/12/15

** Major league trash

If you want to see where mini litterbugs breed/grow, go to some Little League Baseball games. Little kids throwing tops off drinks and junk food packaging and the parents never pick up what they toss nor tell them not to.

** Cuba relations

Echoing Cuban President Raul Castro, I would like to offer a sincere thanks to Pope Francis for helping expedite improved relations between the U.S. and Cuba.

** Meaning?

At a time when many are calling for the abolition of fraternities and sororities on college campuses, SEMO is moving full speed ahead in the construction of a Greek village. I don't know what it means.

** Groveling

The Southeast Missourian has apologized so many times and in so many ways for a recent mistake it made makes begging for mercy, even groveling seem to be insufficient. With that in mind, one wonders if future steps will include requiring Southeast Missourian personnel to wear hair shirts, beat themselves with whips and be torn limb from limb on the dreaded rack.

** Miner point

Why would the Southeast Missourian show such disrespect to Miner, Missouri since its "pull factor" (a measure of economic well-being) is twice that of Cape's? In a recent article you dismissed Miner's No. 1 area ranking as an "anomaly." I've been a student of the colorful Miner City Council for decades. Knowing them as I have in the past as well as currently, if any of their members get wind of your published put down, they're liable to treat the staff and management of the Southeast Missourian to some throwed rolls and pass-arounds at the nearby Lambert's Cafe and top it off with an entree of knuckle sandwiches.

** Prom queen

It was so refreshing to celebrate along with Carley House, as she was crowned a special prom queen at Central High in Cape. Way to go, Carley.

** Dental coverage

Gov. Jay Nixon released $67 million in restricted spending for this year's budget Wednesday. He last year withheld more than $700 million of authorized spending to balance the budget. Some had been released before Wednesday. The released money includes $10 million in transportation aid for local school districts, $15 million for college scholarships, millions more in matching funds for building projects at public universities. Funds released at the University of Missouri-St. Louis were $10 million ... (that) will help build a new business administration building. About $269 million in the budget is still being blocked by him, including money for dental coverage for adults on Medicaid. I ask you, is this fair? I have a disabled child who is in dire need of dental care, and he can't get it because we can't afford it. And yet, our governor is withholding this money that is due them for this dental coverage? Come on. Let the money go where it belongs. It's funded by us hard-working tax-paying citizens, governor.

** Vicious dogs

I read with interest about the dog breeds deemed vicious in Chaffee. They listed Rottweiler, Doberman, chow and certain dogs of mixed breeds. This is ridiculous. I had a chow lived to be almost 16, and he was just a big old pussy cat. It's all in the way you train a dog. It's not their breed. You can train any dog up to be mean and vicious. But the breed means nothing.

** Brady balls

You can't tell me that a professional like Tom Brady, who has handled a football thousands of times over his career, could not tell the difference in the inflation pressure between 13 and 11 p.s.i. That's 15 percent. He could do it with his eyes closed. He's a cheater, no doubt.