Columns

I’ve been experimenting over the past week. I decided to drive the speed limit. No pushing the limit, no the-cops-won’t-notice-if-I-go-a-mile-or-two-over attitude...none of that. I’ve driven the speed limit wherever I’ve gone, no excuses.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m as guilty as the next person of pushing the speed limit. When I’ve run late, I’ve driven faster than I should. I admit it. But this past week, I decided to do the right thing.

And it’s been a real education.

One Valentine’s Day we grew weary of the same old “Be Mine Forever” cards, the same old chocolate and the same old girls. Our town was fairly small. Me and Ricky, Yogi, Don and Buddy had been swapping cards with Jane, LaRenda, Graylene, Pam and Ruth Ann since the first grade. Miss Carolyn demanded it. Miss Dorothy, the next year, quoted her verbatim. And then Miss Belle and Miss Dinwiddie...well, you can see our problem.

What is it with Florida and children?

Every time I hear something on the news about a missing and exploited child, even before they say where it happened, my mind immediately clicks that it happened in our state.

It seems that, for whatever reason, children in Florida ages 3 to 13 are not safe, especially little girls. There was a time when you could lock your door and go to bed. You felt safe, knowing that when you got up your kids would still be there. But I guess that's a thing of the past.

It’s finally happened. The glow in which our new president had basked has faded.

One month after President Barack Obama took his oath of office, 60 percent of Americans approve of the job he’s doing, down from 65 percent three weeks ago. The percentage of people who disapprove has increased to 26 percent, up from 16 percent.

Some would argue that this is due to grumblings among Republicans. But numbers show that in mid-January, the majority of Republicans had a favorable opinion of Obama.