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Sliver of voters set the course for the future
- Citrus Springs boy, 12, struck in road
- Floral City mobile home burns
- Public trust betrayed
- Monday Conversation: Kathy Turner Thompson ‘hooked on history’
- Outgoing county head rose to meet the times
- Bay progress lost
- School district charged with unrealistic duty
- JUDI'S JOURNAL 05/18/2013: A tree grew in Eden
THE ISSUE: The primary election.
OUR OPINION: Voters make the choices.
The great thing about elections is that they are like a cold front sweeping through the Florida peninsula. They wash away all of the pollution and we are reminded that we live in a great place.
The primary elections are over and most of the verbal and printed pollution is temporarily behind us. Here are a few observations about what took place:
+ Incumbent candidates did much better in 2012 than they did in 2010 when all of the sitting officeholders got the boot. On Tuesday, both incumbent county commissioners — Joe Meek and Dennis Damato — won re-election. In 2010, none of the incumbents won re-election.
+ The primary season had some of the nastiest campaigning ever seen in Citrus County as candidates hid behind unlimited funding to political action committees to launch their attacks. Floridians are being made fools of by their own politicians who created campaign finance laws that hide the facts. Finance reports were not released until the Friday before the Tuesday election — blocking any real information being released to voters in time to take the slush-fund sources into consideration. The laws are a joke.
+ Early voting was huge in Citrus County, but many voters lost the opportunity to participate in the debate during the last weeks of the campaign because they had already voted. While the supervisor of elections loves early voting, it may not be the best process for making good decisions. Remember that it was just a few years back that a local candidate for school board was arrested at the mall for sitting in his car without his pants on. That was not an advisable campaign strategy, but imagine how bad you would feel if you cast your ballot for him in early voting?
+ More Republicans in Citrus County voted than Democrats. According to voting results, 38 percent of the Republicans showed up and only 23 percent of the Democrats. Since everyone got to vote in the open primary, it’s hard to understand. Since there are no Democratic candidates in five of the races, the final decision was made Tuesday.
+ The overall voter turnout of 27.06 percent was pretty low compared to other counties in Florida.
+ Voters made their choices on Tuesday, and we all need to respect the final decision. Citrus County is still a small enough place that we can put aside political grudges and work together to solve the county’s many problems.
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none of the above
It is suggested a column be offered for voters, "none of the above". Much of what is offered by way of candidates reminds me of the joke about the gentleman looking down on an object on the ground. It looked like a turd. Picking it up, it felt like a turd. It smelled like a turd and tasted like one also. The punch line: "sure glad I didn't step in it". Or is the punch line: "sure glad I didn't vote for it". If all we are offered to vote in as our elite is crap of one form or another to make the laws that are destroying constitutional freedoms,,, who is inclined to vote? A no vote is my unspoken outrage against what is being offered up. It is just more government, for government. Laws, regulations, codes, rules for a bigger government and a suppressed people.
And if this comment aimed at the lowly local government isn't depressing enough, look at what is coming up for the presidential choices - - - again. We are not smart enough to have answers, but we can plainly see this is wrong. We can see as we go to work (if we can), the problems are just beginning.
sorry
c.w.c.
501's, 527's, PACS, & Super PACS
The left still doesn't get it, as evidenced by this opinion piece. PACS are absolutely necessary because, for too long, the media has been in the business of picking elections winners and losers. This particular election seems to have left a bad taste in their (Chronicle) mouths as they clearly had an agenda, until an opposing voice was heard. IF the media were even handed in their coverage, and criticism, then they could be trusted. However, they are not, and cannot. Option 2 is to tell all of your readers up front who you are for, and all articles will be slanted as such. EVERY election is mean and nasty, but until recently, it was all one sided.
Our elections laws are not "a joke". What is a joke is a paper pretending to be balanced, then using their pages and pens to eviscerate every individual that stands in the way of their agenda.
Do I think the Chronicle, and others, are truly this corrupt? You bet!
The voters of Citrus County have spoken, at least those that cared enough about the issues at hand, and the future of of our county. Yes, we can all get along. We most certainly will not all agree, but we can get along and treat each other in public, private, and in print, civilly.
The truth will set you free!