Act of kindness

I'VE got an act of kindness. A man at a nursery in Jackson gave me a weeping willow tree because I was nice.

Great principals

DR. Mike Cowan deserves all of the Speak Out praise and more that he has been receiving for his virtual round the clock hard work as Central High School's principal. At the same time, it is my view that no one can hold a candle to Brother David Migliorino, Notre Dame Regional High School's principal par excellence. His commitment to his calling may be unsurpassed in the history of Catholic education. Without boring you with data, a cursory examination of what he has done during his tenure at Notre Dame is so manifestly successful it surely borders on the miraculous.

ObamaCare a start

PEOPLE had better hope ObamaCare stays in effect, as health insurance has been going up the past 20 years. The working people can't afford it if they have to pay for it. The Republicans have tried to destroy the unions, of which the union companies have paid the health insurance. Most companies do not provide any, or you have to pay for whatever deductible they want you to have.

Deer population

I have lived on the north end of Cape Girardeau for the last 15 years, and the deer population has drastically changed. In the beginning sightings were two to three occasionally, and then about five years ago I was amazed to stop when pulling into my subdivision and counting 15 deer crossing in front of me. In 2011 that number was crushed as my daughter and I drove home and stopped counting deer when we hit 30 in one group. The number has exploded in recent years and even though people may not agree with it, something needs to be done to help control them within the city limits.

Caring for dogs

THIS is in reply to the person who sent in the caring for dogs Speak Out comment. The person wrote how dogs are social animals, and why would you get one to chain it up in the backyard and forget about it? Kudos to you! I agree. It's not like you own a cow or horse that stays out all the time. Animals become mean without interaction. Dogs, since the beginning of time, were not owned to be mean. Ask Michael Vick what happens when you own mean dogs. Ask vets, breeders, pet store owners, trainers, humane societies, etc. Dogs are not meant to be owned and chained in a backyard.

Poor management

IN regards to the post office being out of money, if they are, I'm sure it is because of poor management and planning. I have a post office box that I pay a fee for and up until the last part of last year, about the time it was going broke, the clerks were no longer allowed to put mail in my box if it had my home address on it. Even if it has both addresses on it, unless the post office box is last. Otherwise they send it back to the sorting station and put a return to sender label on the envelope and then send it back to me about a week or two later. This is a lot of extra handling and a total waste of money since they are standing a few feet away from my box.

Approval rating

GUESS which political party's candidate has the highest disapproval record on record? The Democrats and President Obama? No! The Republicans and Mitt Romney. Nationally, Romney's disapproval rating is a whopping 50 percent.

Rediger, council

HAS Mayor Rediger and our city council learned nothing from the past four to five years? Haven't they learned that overextending financially, not having reserves on hand for a rainy day, not prioritizing needs over wants, is important? Obviously not. Let's see if voters put up with more of Rediger's "spend, spend, spend" and "ignore promises already made" type of leadership.

Squirrel problem

DON'T blame the deer for everything that is destroyed. I looked out my window and there was this squirrel that had clipped off a limb of my petunia plant and was blissfully eating on it, totally unaware that was a no-no.

Hope and change?

BARACK Hussein Obama was elected on a hope and change mantel. Millions of voters placed their confidence in his message. Fast forward to 2012: President Obama has stolen my hope and the only change I have is found in my pockets, wallet and checking account -- it's the chirping of crickets.

Strip-search

IF you are a modest person, please don't get arrested. The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the right of the police to strip search you, regardless of the offense.