OpinionNovember 21, 2000
SPEAK OUT
WHY DO people keep saying the Republicans are usurping the rights of the Floridians who are so dizzy they can't cast a ballot? The leftist media would have us believe that it is all Dubya's fault they can't do hand count after hand count after machine count. ...
Not Dubya's fault
WHY DO people keep saying the Republicans are usurping the rights of the Floridians who are so dizzy they can't cast a ballot? The leftist media would have us believe that it is all Dubya's fault they can't do hand count after hand count after machine count. The reality is Florida law, while allowing recounts by whichever method, still must be done in the time frame set forth by law. Incidentally, that law was initiated by a Florida Democrat and approved by all the Florida legislators. Simple logic also tells us that if the voting machines have a known and accepted 10 percent margin of error, the error is factored into all votes, not just the liberal vote. The errors the machines ignore are the human errors such as not punching the ballot correctly, not voting in all categories or voting twice in one category. The correction isn't by introducing more human error by hand counting ballots and arbitrarily trying to think like the person who cast the ballot. At least the dizzy Floridians didn't elect a dead man to the U.S. Senate.
Drunk drivers on bikes
JUST WONDERING if anyone else has ever seen or almost hit a bicyclist who was swerving so badly one can only imagine drugs or alcohol were involved. I almost hit a man at Fountain and Park one night and watched a woman fall off her bike several times going down Park during the day. It is scary.
Real estate bargain
IF ANYONE is stupid enough to think the Democrats have a monopoly on the purchasing of votes, I have some oceanfront property in Kansas I would like to sell.
No religion in schools
IT MAKES me cringe when I read comments about how Christianity should be the religion recognized in our public schools. Don't these people realize that, as public institutions which are funded by the taxes paid by the public, there should be no religious bias since the public is made up of individuals who have their own personal belief system. If religion were to be a part of our public schools, then it would stand to reason that Jewish children should be able to recite from the Torah and Islamic children should be able to read prayers from the Koran and receive equal time with the Christian children saying their prayers aloud. Not every one believes the way you do. Keep religion in the church along with the Nativity scenes, and keep the prayers in our hearts where they can't be taken away from us. Let our children learn their school lessons and ethical behavior in the classroom. Let the children learn their prayers and religious instruction in the home and in the church. As we reflect on Thanksgiving this week, shouldn't we remember that our forefathers left their homelands because of religious persecution?
Clinton beats both
WHEN I compare the intelligence of President Clinton to that of Gore or Bush, they both lose. Yes, I, like many other Americans, would vote for Clinton again. Gore isn't exciting, but I certainly cannot get excited about Bush. For that reason, I voted for Gore and would do it again.
Isn't this murder too?
I WANT to ask those anti-choice individuals out there: How do you feel about the fact that we have more or less managed to elect a president to office who, in his home state, led the nation in executions? Those of you opposed to abortion, how do you feel about the death penalty? Or about war? If an abortion is murder, then isn't the death penalty murder too? Or do some people have the right to commit murder sometimes? Enlighten me, please.
It's the media's fault
I WAS watching Fox News about the election, and the commentators made a really good point. If the election had never been called and Bush declared the winner, then the counting would still go on and this would be called a close race. People would want a definite winner. No one would think Gore was being selfish, and both sides would want the hand count. But since it was called, Republicans think Gore should concede and give the election to Bush. You can thank the media coverage for all of this hassle.
Biased against Gore
DOUBLE STANDARDS are everywhere I look in this Republican paper. All of the people in Sunday's Speak Out column were so totally biased against Al Gore it's not even funny.
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Gore won most votes
I WOULD especially like to respond to the person who said Bush won fair and square and that if he were Bush, he'd fight to the bitter end. Why is it not OK for Gore to fight to the bitter end? After all, he did win the popular vote by over a quarter of a million votes, a lot bigger margin than Bush's 930-vote margin in Florida. This is a democracy, and all Americans (not just Republicans) are entitled to the benefit of knowing exactly who won, no matter how long it takes.
Ain't over yet
IN THE words of Yogi Berra, "It ain't over until it's over." So the moral of the story is for you Republicans to quit trying to tell Al Gore to give up the fight. He won the votes of more than half of the American people who voted. Can you say the same for George W.? No, you can't!
Stand up to university
AS I was driving down North West End Boulevard, I wondered what was going on. Cars weren't parked solidly on both sides of the street and surrounding side streets and in Capaha Park. Then it dawned on me. It's Sunday, and the college isn't in session. When are the college officials going to stop wasting money on useless items like the waterfall and River Campus and build some parking facilities to get their students' cars off our city streets? It's about time we got rid of our do-nothing mayor and city council and elected someone who isn't afraid to just say no to whatever the university wants. I nominate Jim Drury. He seems to be the only person who has no fear of them. I can assure you he would get this family's vote.
Gore cut Nader votes
I THINK it is a mistake to say Ralph Nader cost Al Gore the election. Rather Gore kept Nader from getting his 5 percent of the vote by telling people that voting for Nader would be a vote for Bush. So I think Gore owes Nader an apology for taking away part of his electorate.
Uninformed voters
FLORIDA ISN'T the only state that has some stupid voters. Missouri has its share too. This was the comment I heard one day after the election: Gore, was he the one for or against abortion? How uninformed can you be?
An approved ballot
I WOULD like to respond to Donn Miller's letter to the editor stating that the ballot in Palm Beach County was illegal. If it is illegal, then the Democrats are to blame seeing how it was a Democrat who designed the ballot in the first place. Also, the ballot was approved by both Republicans and Democrats. So what is the problem?
Support for VIP worker
MY SON has worked at Fruitland VIP sheltered workshop since it opened. We have gone through a lot of supervisors. Some we wish would stay. Others we could not wait until they left. It takes a special person to work with special people. Connie Pair is one of these special supervisors. I have talked to many of the other parents, and they feel the same way. We love you Connie. We want you to stay. Don't forget we are behind you all the way. And so are most of the clients.
Can't carry home state
MEMO TO Al Gore. If you can't carry your home state nor even your home district. What part of "You lose" do you not understand?
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