| Florida
Revisited: Turmoil in Paradise |
| What a difference a year makes. It was just last March that
I greeted you from St. Pete Beach, praising the pleasures
of the Sunshine State. A year has gone by and bingo and shuffleboard
are still "big time" down here. But the past year
has brought with it a high degree of turmoil hovering like
a dark cloud over this idyllic land. |
| Last November, the eyes of the world were focused on Florida
as we witnessed the election of a new president and the subsequent
unprecedented intervention of the U.S. Supreme Court in declaring
the winner. Night show comedians were ecstatic and a whole
new genre of jokes was born. |
| The leading culprit in causing all of the confusion was
revealed to be a chad, which until now, was known primarily
to geographers as a remote country in Africa. Although the
nation has accepted that fateful high court verdict, there
remains an ominous acrimony lingering between black and white
voters in Florida over charges that the very cornerstone of
our democracy, that every vote counts, was violated. |
| In a lead story on Feb. 18, the St. Petersburg Times reported
the results of its poll of African Americans in Florida that
found: "With extraordinary anger and bitterness, 91 percent
of Florida's black voters are firmly convinced that thousands
of their votes were unfairly rejected in November's election,
enabling the wrong man to move into the White House." |
| The St. Petersburg Times' poll was limited to African Americans
so, in the interest of balanced reporting, I conducted a mini-poll
of non-African Americans to get an idea of their reaction
to the election results and the process. Although my poll
was very limited and unscientific, I was struck by the sharp
differences between the races. |
| Jan and Bruce Dutton moved to Florida in 1960 and now run
the Small Adventures Bookshop in Gulfport. Both are Democrats
and said: "We're disgusted at how flawed the election
was." They believe the problem of errant chads was technological
because voters had to use a round punch to push out square
inserts. |
| Debbie, a registered independent, has lived in Florida for
three years and was mainly concerned about how bad Florida
looked and that it had become the butt of jokes on late night
TV. |
| Another source of my attitude-probing was a local newspaper,
The Gabber, whose inquiring reporter asked four people: "If
you could pass one law, what would it be?" Their responses,
presumably reflecting their highest priorities, covered national
medical care, abortions, cell phones and gay marriages. Not
one word about the election, alleged racism, or the need for
reforms. |
| Reactions on the international front weren't so apolitical.
Dan Grigonis, a native of Chile, but now a resident of New
Jersey, said "The U.S. election was an insult to intelligence
and the other countries of the world are laughing at us."
|
| This reaction was echoed by Gemmell Good, the intrepid Scotsman
we interviewed last year. Good quoted a quip he heard on BBC:
"The new U.S. president won by an overwhelming minority."
Who says the Brits don't have a sense of humor? |
| Whether one views this with humor or consternation, the
question of who really won is still a hot topic. Now, on April
4, news sources completed a review of more than 64,000 ballots
in all 67 Florida counties. Depending on how those ballots
were counted, either Bush or Gore would have won. So much
for closure. |
| The focus of this problem has been on Florida, but it's
becoming apparent that the "mad chad" disease isn't
confined to that state alone. Although less publicized, about
72,000 precincts in the country use those notorious punch
cards. |
| Fortunately, one bright spot is emerging from this national
chaos. The federal government and the states are reexamining
the electoral process and reforms are being developed. Even
Katherine Harris, Florida's Secretary of State who oversaw
the elections and became famous for her over-use of makeup
when appearing before a Congressional committee, has become
a convert of ballot reform. She is now proposing a $200 million
modernization program. |
| In the meantime, be assured that Florida continues to offer
all the pleasures one can wish for in the search for the Fountain
of Youth. |
| You can still play bingo seven nights a week and get free
transportation, donuts and coffee. |
| 0Caz's seafood restaurant has Happy Hour pricing all day,
every day, and "Gulfport On the Rocks" brags about
its bladder-buster on Sundays: Five bucks for all you can
drink. |
| One note of disclosure: I haven't patronized any of these
places but I can promise the sunsets are terrific. |
