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Today's Letters: Ex-felons deserve to get back their voting rights

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published March 8, 2007

The governor of Florida is considering allowing ex-felons to have their voting rights automatically restored, and that subject needs to be looked at fully.

While it worries some people that felons could vote, I believe the debate has many sides.

First, they have paid the price the judge ordered.

Second, the common person does not receive the same type of justice the rich and powerful get and are more likely to be felons. (Look at Hollywood or Congress and the wrist-slappings the people there often receive.)

Third, only about 40 percent of those eligible voted in the last election. The turnout for ex-felons I'm sure will be even lower.

Fourth, not all who are convicted are guilty. Just consider the false and overturned convictions of those on death row, based on DNA. These are the most carefully tried cases. There also are times when a prosecutor goes outside the law to get a conviction. It adds insult to injury to harm ex-felons even more by taking their voting rights away.

While there are many more reasons to allow all Americans to vote, the ones I've mentioned are powerful.

Thomas R. Hochschild Sr., Clearwater

A priority?

Well there's quite a foofaraw about voting rights here in Florida. Even the New York Times is sounding off about it (A goal to restore voting rights, March 7). That editorial holds that Gov. Charlie Crist can "vault Florida to the forefront of a national movement ... " if Florida automatically extends voting rights to ex-offenders.

What makes anyone think that voting rights are the main thing that these folks are concerned about? How about helping them back to civilized life with a chance for a job with a living wage, a decent place to live, and other amenities of life outside of prison?

Has anybody noticed that even those of us who haven't been to prison aren't all that concerned about voting? The turnout in Tampa's mayoral election this week was 15 percent, as reported by the St. Petersburg Times.

Mortimer Brown, Lutz

Applause for Rubio's sales tax proposals

Steve Bousquet's article in Saturday's paper (Maybe Rubio needs economics class) much like Howard Troxler's column the week before (Big ideas, each with potential downsides) continues to levy criticism at House Speaker Marco Rubio and the House suggestion that we can somehow survive without taxing everyone out of their homes. While both are quick to find fault at the idea of an increased sales tax, neither offers any solutions of his own.

Bousquet states that a sales tax would be regressive to low- and moderate-income families, especially renters who currently pay no property tax. But renters are one of the groups hurt most by our current system, since rental properties are not protected by Save Our Homes and therefore the escalating annual tax bill must be passed through in the way of higher rent. They do not even get the advantage of an income tax deduction.

I would suggest they are hurt worse. Many also tell me that affordable rental property is becoming more scarce than the ivory-billed woodpecker.

If we are going to rely on sales tax primarily for revenue, then let's tax everything (including newspapers) except food, medicine and professional services. If we really want to help local businesses, tax Internet sales as well. Many other states currently do this and it will put an end to the advantage of buying online. I believe most taxpayers would gladly accept these compromises in exchange for their property tax bill.

I applaud Speaker Rubio and the House for applying some progressive thinking to our current housing stalemate. While no tax is ever perfectly fair to everyone, most studies suggest that user fees come the closest. No doubt a cap on government spending is critical as well. At least with the House proposals, maybe some of those renters will have an opportunity to do something that most can only dream about today - become homeowners.

Richard Knipe, St. Petersburg

Medicare devalued

With the exception of a few, the medical community treats Medicare patients as second-class citizens. In the past few months, a doctor has refused to take me as a patient because Medicare doesn't pay enough. He accepts my spouse's private insurance. Most recently, a surgical clinic delayed a surgical procedure because I was a Medicare patient. Though I was in pain, they made me wait because I did not have private insurance.

Citizens on Medicare are people and should be treated the same as the rest of the citizens. If our government did not give billions of dollars in foreign aid to nations that waste the money on corrupt officials, we could have national health insurance like the rest of the civilized world.

This second-class citizen will remember his treatment in the next election.

Dell Edwards, Pinellas Park

Disabled, terrorized

"How do they expect you to live?"

"They don't! They expect you to die so that they won't have to pay out money."

The conversation above actually happened a few days ago. A friend asked how I have been doing. I said that I was fine but still struggling with the Social Security Administration and trying to recover from 16 months of having no income. I explained to my friend that my disability benefits stopped two years ago because I had tried to return to work and failed. I went on to say that my monthly benefits have been paid for a few months now, but I can't recover from 16 months of no income, homelessness, carlessness and living on food stamps and the charity of friends.

That is when my friend asked the question above. I responded without hesitation and only now consider how terrible and serious my answer is.

Thousands upon thousands of Americans have died with pending applications for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. Many of them are suicides. I myself have contemplated the syllogism:

I cannot work and make a living. I cannot get disability benefits to live on. Therefore, I cannot live.

That is the terror inflicted by the SSA.

Gregory H. Lawrence, Sarasota

Stop the license plate fad March 2, commentary by Martin Dyckman

Find another way

As a transplanted Northerner who lost no relative on either side in the Civil War carnage, I empathize with both Southern and Northern compatriots who seek to honor the memory of family members who did. But displaying on a license plate the Confederate flag (a symbol of divisiveness), or arguing that the war was fought over states' rights, not slavery (which is an attempt to perpetuate a fiction), is not the way to go forward.

Let's honor our fallen by resolving to settle future disagreements among ourselves peaceably, truthfully. Let's honor them by resolving to do all possible to prevent the insanity of warfare.

Joseph H. Francis, St. Petersburg

Roadside crosses

Driving hazard

I realize many people feel the need to grieve while honoring a roadside cross in memory of their lost loved ones. Seeing these roadside memorials may sooth their pain, but I nearly died avoiding a car that nearly stopped in my path to read the name on a cross. I believe having them is a serious distraction.

There are many ways to handle grief, but placing these memorials on the side of the road is simply irresponsible and endangers the lives of motorists who are just trying to reach their destination.

I can't help but wonder how many lives have been lost because someone just simply wanted to know the name on the cross.

Carolyn Davidson, Lutz

The Luis Palau Tampa Bay Festival

Festival defamed

Your headline on March 4 for this festival was A Christian carnival show. It wasn't a carnival, it was a festival. A "carnival show" connotes a circus-like atmosphere with a freak show and "carnies" hawking their wares. I guess this is how the St. Petersburg Times views Christians. Would the newspaper have called it a carnival if it had been a Jewish or Muslim festival? I don't think so!

It's just another example of the moral corruption of the paper. Let's have another story about Joe Redner; there is usually one at least every week. Or how about more details of the city manager's sex change. Or senior porn stars! But Christians get together for a "festival" and the Times calls it a "carnival"!

Jennie Jordan, St. Petersburg

[Last modified March 7, 2007, 22:46:28]