Around HereBy Leo CoughlinNobody asked me, but - …Folks in Largo are buzzing - stunned by huge compensation paid to city officials (which translates into exorbitant pensions) and worried about lots of spending of money not yet in hand. One former commission member predicts there will be two new faces on the City Commission come November. Taxpayers are boiling mad, and who can blame them? ...The corruption in college sports - chiefly football - is beyond belief, almost as bad as that among the politicians in the bought and paid for U.S. Congress. The answer - do what the Ivy League Eight did years ago: de-emphasize the whole thing, no scholarships, no big business. Then let these jackanapes who have contributed to the ruin go get real jobs. …Time for a name change. One Chicago White Sox pitcher has a name that some folks recognize immediately as a very serious vulgarism. We won't put it down here for fear of offending those in the know. (Check the Chisox roster, you curious souls.) …Whatever happened to the idea of Clearwater Beach and Sand Key going independent from Clearwater? No news on that for a while. (Of course, it's a non-starter, a pipe dream for its advocates.) …The honey v. vinegar approach always has to be considered. There is one figure familiar at the Largo citizens comment microphone whose points are invariably well taken and correct. But the nastiness and invective he hurls at the commission gain nothing; that approach is counter productive. …Then there is the fellow who fights many worthy battles for his neighborhood. But instead of making his point succinctly in writing to City Hall, his aims are wrapped in combustible rhetoric that sweepingly takes in all known political philosophies and tries to fix blame for the Napoleonic wars. Just doesn't work. …Mysterious voice on the scene. "Watchdo"" is writing a blog and has some of the Largo government hicockalorums shaking in their boots. Lots of anger and fear running wild in City Hall our sources there tell us. …At long last, some good news, pointed out by our clever friend - "The U.S. has found more than a trillion dollars of untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan. And here is the even better news - the country comes pre-invaded." …One local politician, rejected by voters, seems bound and determined to keep a feud going with an old opponent who bested him in an election. As the experienced ones know, you can't take these things personally. What happens among grown ups is this - you run for office, you lose, you move on. No problem. Simple, hey? You don't turn it into a lifelong obsession to "get" someone. …The financial horror story has gone on in Largo for years and the mayor and City Commission members have sat silent, comme ci, comme ca, evidently. Now newcomer Curtis Holmes is turning over rocks and finding stuff that has high officials very nervous. …Our observant friend notes, with some wry humor, that the Indonesian toddler who got world attention because "he was smoking 40 cigarettes a day (two packs) has cut back to 10 a day. His parents say now he smokes only when he drinks." …My Daddy told me to never trust a guy who had two first names or two last names. He may have been right, come to think of it. …Whatever happened to Freddie Fender? …One luminary featured on TV wrestles with our language daily. One malapropism he fails to avoid is referring to the "calvary coming to the rescue." It is cavalry, mon ami. Calvary is the site where Jesus was crucified; cavalry comes from a Latin word meaning horse. …Guess who? Two years ago a senator was running for high office who had promoted a bipartisan immigration reform bill that was designed (obviously) to garner votes from Hispanic voters. Now that senator, trying to keep his seat, is very strong on anti-immigration sentiment and policy. The immigration policy is not the issue with this fellow - the question is how blatantly craven can a politician be and still keep head held high? …My Daddy also told me that heroes very often have feet of clay. True dat. …Some college football coaches are upset and allege that agents give players inappropriate benefits. Nothing like being squeaky clean and collecting $4 million a year for coaching (more than any college president in the country makes) and making sure that those play-for-nothing players continue to get nothing. …How can anyone care about the Tour de France - a lot of bicycle riding to no real purpose? …One local ex-politician (maybe not so "ex") is exercising damage control (one guesses) in attempting to (and maybe succeeding) control what a close family member is allowed to read in the public print. Hmmmmm…
|