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Florida Pool Pro
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• March 2015
PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
John Garner, Sr.
FSPA President
Shut up or vote
Does that sound harsh? Maybe not harsh enough! It
is a pitiful reality that in our country’s recent history we
did not get off our derrieres and first register to vote and
then to vote at every opportunity. At a recent election
held in northeast Florida in St. Johns County, less than
16 percent of the electorate showed up to vote. We
continue to accumulate more and more government
restrictions and regulations with politicians trying to
make a name for themselves with bills passed with little
or no regard for common sense. They try to create all the sensationalism they
can with the help of the media. Too many times I hear people complaining
about problems with our country and these are the same people who are not
exercising their privilege to vote.
When you look back through our country’s history and the wars and conflicts
that we have fought and think of the suffering and lives given willingly for our
freedom and preservation of those freedoms, is it too much to ask that you
vote? I’ve heard all the excuses – I might get called for jury duty (wrong, that
comes from your driver’s license!) or my one vote doesn’t count. Just imagine
if 60-70 percent or more
of the eligible population
showed up to vote. It
is not too hard today –
they have early voting,
absentee voting or go to
the real polling precincts
on Tuesday. Could you
imagine the fear evoked on
politicians if we showed up
in force on Election Day?
It will be the same old
