advertisement
advertisement
|
Thursday, March 20, 2008
(The following letter was mailed to Florida’s Democratic Party voters by Karen Thurman, the state party chairperson)
For a year now, the Florida Democratic Party has tried to comply with the Delegate Selection Rules of the Democratic National Committee. We researched every potential alternative process — from caucuses to county conventions to mail-in elections — but no plan could come anywhere close to being viable in Florida. We made a detailed case to the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee, but we were denied.
Our Democratic legislators in Tallahassee tried to set the Florida primary on Feb. 5, instead of Jan. 29, but, of course, their proposed amendment to House Bill 537 was greeted with laughter and derision from the Republicans who control the state government.
Does “537” ring a bell? It should. It’s the number of votes that separated Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore in Florida in 2000. It's the number that sent this country and this world in a terrible direction. We can't let 537 — or the Republicans — determine our future again.
The last thing America needs is a third Bush term. Despite the widespread anxiety that working families feel, not to mention the broad agreement among economists that we are in a recession, President Bush and John McCain blindly believe that the economy is strong. And let me remind you that John McCain endorsed President Bush's decision to deny health care to thousands of Florida children by vetoing an expansion of the successful SCHIP program. McCain also promises to jeopardize the financial security of Florida seniors by privatizing Social Security.
Last week, the Florida Democratic Party laid out the only existing way that we can comply with DNC Rules — a statewide revote run by the party — and asked for input. Thousands of people responded. We spent the weekend reviewing your messages, and while your reasons vary widely, the consensus is clear: Florida doesn't want to vote again. So we won't. A party-run primary or caucus has been ruled out, and it’s simply not possible for the state to hold another election, even if the party were to pay for it. Republican Speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio refuses to even consider that option.
Florida is finally moving to paper ballots, which is a good thing, but it means that at least 15 counties do not have the capacity to handle a major election before the June 10 DNC primary deadline. This doesn't mean that Democrats are giving up on Florida voters. It means that a solution will have to come from the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee, which is scheduled to meet again in April.
When this committee stripped us of 100 percent of our delegates last year, some members summed up their reasoning by saying, "The rules are the rules." Unfortunately, the rules did not apply to Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina when they, too, violated the DNC calendar by moving from their assigned dates. As the late, great Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “We must adjust our ideas to the facts of today.... Rules are not necessarily sacred, principles are."
The Florida Democratic Party has stuck to its principles throughout this debate. We've remained open-minded while never wavering from our commitment to an open and fair election that would allow all Florida Democrats to participate. Another late great president, Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
If Democrats heed this wisdom, we will win in November. America needs a great president again, but a President McCain will settle for the status quo and carry on the disastrous Bush tradition. We must stick together as Democrats. The stakes are too high and the opportunities too great. I will keep you posted on any major developments.
KAREN L. THURMAN
Chair, Florida Democratic Party
As a result of the sex scandal involving former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, the issue of prostitution is now once again being discussed and debated.
Referred to as the world's oldest "profession," prostitution is defined as the act or practice of selling oneself for sexual purposes. It is also defined as an unworthy use of a talent, quality, or the like, especially for personal gain.
What's interesting is that the former is illegal in all states except Nevada while the latter has been morally and culturally accepted since the beginning of time. This begs the question: is there any difference between a street walker/escort and a person who uses their physical beauty to attain a lifestyle that others labor very hard to attain?
Too often in our society we see evidence of the "trophy spouse," a reward received by those who achieve success in business or entertainment. The marriage consists of a person who sees a beautiful spouse as something to obtain and a person who deliberately shops lifestyle by any sexual means necessary.
Some would argue that prostitution should be made legal so that (just as with drugs) it can be regulated by the state and become a source of revenue enhancement. Further-more, sex between strangers would be safer since the government (as in Nevada) would require regular medical examinations to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
The problem facing this country is that we haven't reconciled these two definitions thus creating the existence of a double standard. We are quick to arrest and condemn the street walker/escort but would never think to shun a sexual opportunist.
The problem with this country today is not that we are a nation of laws but rather a nation that continually contradicts itself when it comes to morality.
JOE BIALEK
Cleveland
|
