Member Submission – Floriduh – 6 May 2019

The following was sent by a member to the Orlando Sentinel:

I read with much interest in today’s Sentinel two articles…”Mom calls for change in prison’s practice” and “Lawmakers slap cruel price tag on democracy”.  For some reason…could it possibly be political…Florida has a propensity for establishing laws, policies, and practices that go against all professional studies and recommendations.  A mom’s plea for revision of prison practices after her son, who had recently written home about his looking forward to being reunited with his family and with only 18 months remaining on his sentence, chose to hang himself after months of solitary confinement.  At best such practice is ineffective per recent studies, but Florida chooses to ignore professional advice.  And then there is the Florida Fourth Amendment that restores ex-felon voting rights.  Such a policy, overwhelmingly approved by voters, has been shown to have a positive impact on helping disenfranchised citizens be reunited with their communities.  But with Florida policies that make it next to impossible to get a decent wage paying job, the Republican legislators heap on additional restrictions that makes voting restoration next to impossible in many cases.  Thus Tallahassee thumbs its nose at the Florida voters.  I have been a lifelong Republican but I find it embarrassing and next to impossible to support a party that seems to specialize in ‘shooting itself in its foot’.

Charles Munsey Jr.

Capt USN Ret