Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

Silly voters; Capitol crew knows more than you do

By HOWARD TROXLER
Published December 9, 2004

The governor of Florida, flush from winning the repeal of high-speed rail, now will target the class-size amendment that the voters approved - against his wishes - in 2002. He said this week he will try to put a repeal on the 2006 ballot.

Apparently the voters are too dumb to govern themselves except when they happen to vote for somebody named Bush. Otherwise, they just have to keep voting until the governor likes the outcome.

For a guy who used to preach that Tallahassee doesn't have all the answers, Jeb Bush will wrap up his career at the other end of the spectrum: Tallahassee knows more than you do.

Some might say Jeb was proven right on high-speed rail - the very fact the voters agreed to reverse themselves justified his decision to seek repeal.

But is that how it's going to work from now on? The citizens petition to do what the Legislature has refused to do. The citizens work hard and get their idea passed. Then the governor and Legislature simply ignore and delay, and put it up for repeal the next time around.

Besides, the timing is a little transparent, isn't it? Jeb tried the whole year to keep any serious controversy out of Florida politics, so as not to hurt his brother. Now that chore is out of the way and all bets are off. Somebody can go let Katherine Harris out of the basement now.

Unfortunately, the governor's distaste for citizen petitions is not unique in Tallahassee. Remember, last year this Legislature actually considered creating a double standard - citizen ideas on the ballot would need 60 percent to pass, while the Legislature's ideas would need only 50 percent. I bet they try it again, too.

In case you didn't see this news back on page 5B the other day, let's drag it back out into broad daylight for another gander:

A "pure" document!

What exactly, do you think, they mean by "pure"?

The granddaddy of citizen amendments to our Constitution is the ban on commercial net fishing in Florida. The Legislature refused to act responsibly, year after year, until the waters of this state were almost empty. The citizens finally stepped in.

There's also the ban on smoking in public places that has made this state more livable. Do we really want to go back? Have you been in another state lately and had the culture shock of trying to eat in a smoke-filled restaurant?

How about the minimum wage that the voters of this state just approved? Or the Save Our Homes cap on property tax increases? Or the "polluter pays" amendment for Everglades cleanup?

Remember, the governor and Legislature even abolished the state university system so they could create local boards stuffed with their political buddies. The voters of Florida rebelled and re-created a statewide board.

Last, but not least, there's the odious industry of hog farming.

I know, I know, the "pregnant pig" amendment is held up as the all-time poster child for frivolous petitions. But is it really all that crazy to use the Florida Constitution to keep a devastating industry out of our state? If you want to see the alternative, go visit eastern North Carolina.

You say these things should be laws, not amendments? Great, sure, fine - then give the citizens the power to petition for laws, to bypass a Legislature that listens only to the industries that give it money.

Smaller class sizes. Alternatives to paving more roads. Less pollution, clean indoor air, strong universities, healthy marine fisheries - why, the nerve of these ignorant Florida voters!

[Last modified December 8, 2004, 23:29:13]