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Need a Drink?
by James Glaser February 29, 2012 
I live in one of only four counties in Florida that are Dry. Madison County, which borders the George State line, has no liquor stores or bars. We do have a few beer only bars, but now there is a group of people who must need a drink so badly that they are sending out a petition to every household in the county trying to get a vote on this on the November election ballot. So, I am writing a letter to the editor to see if I can sway a few more people into keeping Madison Dry. Really, if you want to drink here it is only a few miles away, and for sure we have every illegal drug known to man here in the county if you just have to get high. I just think it is nice that Florida still has a few Dry counties. With 63 Wet counties in the state, if you have a real need to drink, then I say move to one of those counties. The following is my letter. Dear Editor: I received my petition to put liquor sales on the ballot in Madison County in the mail today. The petition came from some organization which calls itself Madison Yes. It is signed by a Ted C. Ensminger, but gives no other information about this group, like who belongs to Madison Yes, who is putting up the money, is it a for profit group looking to open a bar, or is it a non-profit that just feels the people of Madison County need a closer place to buy alcohol? As I read the petition, I thought that maybe, while we are at it, we should just go ahead and expand this petition. Heck, we already have gambling in the county, and if we are going to start drinking, too, we might as well jump right in with both feet. I think the next obvious step after getting the right to drink down the block from where your kids play, is to get a few strip clubs going. Let's save some money and get strip clubs and alcohol on the same ballot. They do seem to go hand in hand in all the economically successful areas of the country. Really now, can't you see where a few strip clubs along with a couple of dance halls would put Madison County on the map? Now, to be more serious, there is plenty of alcohol in Madison County right now, along with every other drug people get high on. Madison is one of only four "Dry" counties in the State of Florida. Those who want to raise their children in counties that have alcohol sales have 63 other counties to choose from, but I guess that is not enough of a choice for some. It seems strange to me that the sale of alcohol is so important to one segment of society that they will not allow even a few counties to remain dry. Of course the liquor industry is rich and powerful, and I suppose they look at Madison County as a potential market in which to expand their profits. With liquor sales reaching a high point in most of the state, additional new sales in Madison County I am sure is tempting. I always hate it when a group pushing something uses dishonest statements to bolster their claims. In that petition I received from Madison Yes, it states: "Last year nearly 70% of Suwannee County voted YES on this issue." I doubt if 70% of the eligible voters even voted in that election, let alone 70% of the people who live in that county. Let's do a reality check: the real vote totals last year in Suwannee County were 7,489 for alcohol sales to 3,612 against. The US Census puts the population of Suwannee at 41,551 in 2010. That tells me that it took only 18 % of the population to pass this law, not the 70% that Madison Yes claims in their letter sent to voters yesterday. Like I said, I don't like it when people make dishonest claims to get their way. A small minority of the Suwannee County citizens got their way, and now there is one less Dry county in Florida To be honest, Madison County being a Dry county was a draw to get me to move here. In my life I have seen a lot of women and children abused by drunken fathers or boyfriends. Also, I have seen a lot of children abused by drunken mothers. Alcohol does that to many people. That is so sad for those women and children, and it is costly to the whole community. So, I want to ask all the citizens of Madison County to give this ballot petition a lot of thought and prayer. Remember, just like in Suwannee County, less than 20 some percent of the citizens of Madison County can change the law for the other 80 of the people who live here. If in your Christian heart you feel our children and our community are better off without liquor sales, then for starters, don't return the petition. Then, if there is a vote on the issue, please vote NO. But don't just vote, get your spouse, your friends, and your church members to vote NO with you. Post Script: On the envelope used by Madison Yes to mail out these ballot petition forms, printed in bold red ink on the front of the envelope are the words, "KEEP MADISON COUNTY MONEY IN MADISON COUNTY." However, the address used on the envelope provided to return your petition is C/O DIRECT MAIL SYSTEMS 12450 AUTOMOBILE BLVD CLEARWATER FL. 33762-9946. It seems that Madison Yes, can't keep their own money in Madison County, when they have to hire a company in Clearwater to do their petition drive. This really makes you wonder just who is behind this drive to get easy access to liquor in Madison County doesn't it? Sincerely, James P. Glaser |
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