Page 5 - Florida Sentinel 9-20-19

Editorial/Column
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One Bad Apple Shouldn't Spoil The Bunch
Ireadily admit that I'm not the brightest light bulb in the room and that a lot of things continue to perplex me. For instance, I still haven't figured out why some black people continue to sup- port Donald Trump?
I also haven't the slightest idea why a 6'5,'' 250 lb., NFL quarterback like Cam New- ton likes to embrace female fashion? And it never ceases to leave me puzzled when- ever I hear about a person, freshly released from prison, engaging in illicit activities that could send him or her right back?
That last one really both- ers me because it, not only, wracks my mind but, every time it happens, there exists the potential for negative consequences to befall the millions of people locked away who want nothing more than the opportunity to reclaim their lives. This is largely due to the fact that, each time someone gets out and does something stupid, their fight for emancipation becomes that much harder.
This dilemma crossed my
mind the other day when I opened up the paper and read a story about a 53-year- old man who was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for robbing a pawn shop. While his crime wasn't ex- traordinary, (people knock over those types of establish- ments on a regular basis), what had me shaking my head in confusion was the fact that he had only been on the streets 4 months after serving a 20-year sentence for doing the exact same thing.
You want to believe that wisdom comes with age, but an incident like this clearly proves that those two things don't necessarily go together as often as they should. In some instances young dum- mies simply grow up to be old fools.
These are the types of crimes that advocates for criminal justice reform cringe over because they make their arguments against mass incarceration more difficult to present. I mean, it's not easy to con- vince lawmakers, many of
whom believe strongly in harsh sentencing, that their stance is wrong when you have pea-brained individuals continuously partaking in the kind of delinquent be- havior that makes throwing- away-the-key seem like the best option?
Even though a majority of ex-convicts attempt to live on the right side of the law upon their release, the only ones the public notices are the knuckleheads they see on the evening news who act as though they miss their for- mer living arrangements. And, each time it occurs, it sets the reform movement back a little further.
In a perfect world the ac- tions of a few can't-get-rights wouldn't be a reflection on all those who come from similar circumstances. But, unfortunately, this isn't a perfect world.
It is one that too often be- lieves in painting every per- son who looks the same, speaks the same or who once participated in the same type of lifestyle, with the same brush. And, when it comes to former criminals; that means when one screws up those left behind and their fami- lies, end up paying dearly for his or her mistake.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbar- ronice@gmail.com.
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Sabotaging The Voters’ Will
e are so close to hijacking the American system
of Democracy until it’s scary. We refer to our state legislators and the Trump administration who have positioned themselves to sabotage the will of the voters, and voter approval of constitutional amend- ments.
In case you missed it, two states voted not to hold primary elections in 2020. This means that voters will have to choose between large numbers of candidates in general elections, instead of narrowing the number of candidates in primary elections.
It’s easy to see how this law will allow people who don’t receive the majority of votes to win an election. Moreover, some counties/states are voting not to place Donald Trump’s name on the 2020 ballot.
No matter how we feel about the behavior and flaunt- ing the refusal to cooperate with Congress, allowing gov- ernmental parties to do this is a ski trip down rocky slopes. This means that we have nearly become a dicta- torship.
On a local level, the Florida Legislature has “trumped” the voters’ will to restore voting rights to ex- felons by implementing a law that requires the felons to pay for all costs associated with their arrest and trial in the courts. This is tantamount to charging a fee to vote.
Moreover, the Florida Senate is attempting to repeal the Transit Tax voted on by the voters of Hillsborough County to fix our roads and streets.
Voters clearly approved the penny tax because of the poor condition of our roads and streets. If voters allow these actions by people whom we elected, we need to re- move them from office when trying to be reelected.
Meanwhile, we urge you to call your elected officials in Tallahassee and let them know that you do not sup- port any law that they enact because they do not like how voters cast their ballots.
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5-A