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Amendment No. 3 deserver support, 11/5

The Times has twice urged voters to reject Amendment No. 3 because it's a tool of big business. Rather than focusing on the special interests that may gain or lose by the amendment, why not consider what's in the best interest of all citizens?

The Florida Bar represents Florida's 80,000 lawyers, a diverse group of varying interests, political viewpoints and practice areas. We all share a passion for the rule of law and our democratic system of government. Our board recently voted overwhelmingly to support the amendment. Here's why:

- The U.S. Constitution has been amended only 27 times in 217 years. Both houses of Congress must pass the amendment by a two-thirds vote; it then must be approved by three-fourths of the states.

- Since 1968, 103 of the 133 proposed amendments to Florida's Constitution were adopted. Only 10 of those were approved by a majority of registered voters and some passed by fewer than 20 percent.

- In 2004, six of the nine proposed amendments still would have passed under a 60 percent requirement (protections against cruel and unusual punishment, economic impact statements for constitutional amendments, public records law requirements, workplace smoking ban, property tax exemption for parent living quarters and university governance), but protecting pregnant pigs, class size, and universal pre-K requirements would have failed.

- 67 percent of Floridians support Amendment 3, according to a recent Miami Herald/Zogby poll.

You don't subject the engine of our state government to repeated tweaking and tune-ups, except when really necessary. A 60 percent standard safeguards the public interest by preventing well-funded single-issue groups from foisting a minority position on the majority (a two-thirds vote is required for new taxes). When faced with this important decision Tuesday, let's remember the reason our schoolchildren are taught these important lessons about the Constitution: to carry the theories of our system of government into practice.

Murray Silverstein, 6th Judicial Circuit representative, Board of Governors, the Florida Bar, St. Petersburg

Senator, you better walk before you run Oct. 29

Get beyond skin color

I am deeply offended at Bill Maxwell's remarks in his column last Sunday and shocked that the Times' editors let the following comment be printed:

"He (Obama) lets whites feel like decent Americans who are not race conscious."

We know that, sadly, some Americans (black, white, Hispanic and others) are racially biased, but why would you do anything to perpetuate that bias?

Please do not refer to me as a "white" that "feels" the same as every other "white," because it simply is not true and it offends me - just as Maxwell has been offended many times by being treated unfairly based on someone's racist definition of him, the black man. Mr. Maxwell, you just turned the tables. Racism starts and stops with you and me.

So when Barack Obama or anyone else with his intellect, vision and sincerity has the courage to step into the political arena to make this world a little better, let's not focus on the color of his skin or mine. Let's focus on his vision and whether we (as Americans) believe he can use his intellect and resourcefulness to surround himself with others who will help him make a difference.

We are all Americans. We need to work together to make our country and this world a better place for all.

Melanie Sekora, Tampa

Senator, you better walk before you run

Obama should run

I am a 77-year-old WASP who votes more to the right than to the left, and I feel that electing Barack Obama as our next president would be the best way to unite all Americans, black, white, left and right. He could go a long way in dispelling the stereotypes we (blacks and whites) have heaped upon the black people.

He could influence some blacks to act more American, become more educated, speak so that even whites could understand them, and get them to stop the threatening acts, postures and hair-dos. He could encourage black men to take responsibility for their children, and become a positive role model and, above all, give them more hope.

Here's hoping that Barack Obama runs and becomes our next president and starts the United States on the road back to its past greatness.

Fred Otten, Tampa

A tax revolt that was only revolting Oct. 29

A taxing opinion

You guys are too much. The St. Petersburg Times moans and groans ad nauseam because the rich aren't taxed enough, but when rich Times personnel get a tax increase, we are treated to a column about how unfair it is. Editor of editorials Philip Gailey filed an appeal on a tax increase on his second home and lost.

Oh, the injustice of it all!

Francis J. Sullivan, St. Petersburg

Sweatshops, made in the good, old U.S.A. Oct. 29

Selective blaming

Robyn Blumner's well-timed column aims to persuade readers to vote Democratic, because of sweatshop conditions in Chinese-owned clothing manufacturing plants in the Northern Mariana Islands. At first glance this might seem a noble effort.

However, she starts her column by noting that these conditions began in the 1980s and points out that the clothing is qualified to carry the "made in USA" label. She then skips ahead to the late 1990s and ties Republicans to the making of these conditions.

I think a further review of this situation is warranted. These sweatshops were created in the 1980s, and at that time, Democrats were in control of both the Senate and House of Representatives. Why was this situation permitted to begin and who were the Democrats in Congress who knew about it? Why didn't they stop it? Why was it allowed to continue through the 1990s, when the Clinton administration was in power?

And why are only Republicans named in Blumner's column, given the blame for sweatshop conditions? Hmmm?

Larry Fox, Largo

Mom, Dad, their lover, then me

Sleaze doesn't please

Why you published this column last Sunday puzzles me. This is a newspaper, you know. Something this disgusting does not belong in anything less than a cheap pulp trash magazine. I couldn't read more than a few lines and was so shocked to see such garbage in a paper like yours. You keep this up and I'm gone.

Althea Brandon, Zephyrhills

[Last modified November 5, 2006, 01:22:40]