local politics

Who won the Council seat in Orange Park yesterday?  Haven't seen anything about the results in newspaper or on TV.

I just had a call from a woman taking a survey.  I started to just hang up as I often do on people who intrude on "my down-time".  However, as I just finished my training on being a poll worker, I was intrigued to see this side of the political process also. 

In my previous jobs I have written survey's for marketing purposes and for employees so I know what is a good unbiased survey.  However, this survey was very biased.  It first ask me if I intended to vote in the next election and I said yes.  I actually already have a ballot which I plan to mail in as I will be working in the election.  However, this survey was about the local sheriff and crime in Clay County.  Now, maybe I should have an opinion on the sheriff's current job but I don't.  After several questions, I begin to understand the gist of the survey.  After, I was asked (paraphrasing) "Do you think crime is up in Clay County because it is up everywhere or because of activities in the sheriff's office such as changing of officer's schedules or moving them to traffic duty?"  Well, immediately the phrasing of this question ruffled my feathers as it appeared very bias and I could tell this survey had a purpose and was not unbiased.  I immediately told the person giving the survey that I could tell that this survey had an agenda and I no longer wanted to participate.

In a perfect world an elected official would serve the public for one or two terms and then step back and let a new voice and ideas take over. I have lived in northeast Florida since the early eighties, and this has only happened once that I can think of. It was Congresswoman Tillie Fowler, but she kept her word and stepped down as promised.
In an other post on this site people are having a big discussion that it takes a big name, big money, or both to get elected. Not really true, as someone has already pointed out in St. Johns County last election big money and name recognition did not help. People were fed up with development and elected two commissioners that promised to stop or at least slow down development. It was also suggested that only a certain number or “qualified” people be allowed to run. May I ask who gets to pick who is qualified and how many. No thanks this is America anyone that wants to run and meets all qualifications should be allowed to run. Plus it was also said a fund be set up and each candidate be given an equal amount from the fund and that is all the money they can spend on their election, or at least that is how I interrupted the post. Where does the money for this “fund” come from? Let me guess TAX money, no thank you. The sad fact is it takes money to get elected. If you do not like where a candidate gets his money from, run for office yourself, or find someone you can support and go door to door for him or her and collect money, hold bake sales, yard sales, car washes, whatever it takes (but don’t stand on street corners or in traffic earn the money don’t beg it) to get your person elected. On election day offer to drive people to the poles to vote, and that is the biggest problem people do not vote.

When another young American falls in Iraq and another critic of the war jumps on that growing bandwagon, that veteran joins a long, long list of men and women who have made sacrifices unimaginable to most regular folks.  And those veterans who have made sacrifices and survived to tell about it are justifiably proud of their part in defending an American way of life guaranteed by the creation of the U.S. Constitution and its first 10 amendments enumerating certain rights that cannot be taken away by government.

Even as children in elementary school, we all learn the virtues of a government in which the majority rules and people can take part in the process of selecting their own representatives who will help make government's most important decisions.   Little kids know about heroes like George Washington and there's probably an FCAT question somewhere that mentions "government of, by and for the people."