Tampa Bay Times from St. Petersburg, Florida • 85

P3OT1 TIMES HT WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 1992 GUEST COLUMN Day of reckoning dye for corrupt pofliHical systems ly cannot be counted upon to bring about any change that their constituents back home might view as negative to their re-election effort. So it appears we're still mired in the muck when it comes to addressing the real problems confronting this nation. The campaign for the presidency is long and arduous on the candidates and their families. The constant travel, pressing of the flesh, smiling when bushed (pardon the pun), and appearing to be all things to all people in order to get elected take their toll. If it's difficult on the candidates, well, they made the choice to run.

For us, the viewing public, the length of the "hostilities" leading up to the November election is interminable. The sound bites, political analysts, evening news bulletins about the candidates and, in short, the inescapable bombarding of the airwaves with commercials and testimonials are enough to enhance the stock of the cable networks as we scramble, often in vain, for relief from the gobbledygook, embellishments, plain lies and, of course, the negative ads the candidates will most certainly use on one another. We will see debates that are not really debates at all but, instead, are carefully structured forums to present a candidate's point of view, to have him appear in control of the situation and, above all, to avoid the tough issues and items that should be brought out for intelligent discussion. A demonstration of where each man stands on important issues is rarely seen. Is it any wonder that we are saddled with limited choices and that there is growing disenchantment on the part of the electorate? Is it any wonder that we have to endure the monstrous excesses the members of Congress have perpetrated, when they know that their constituencies Disgust with the political system prompts people to reject the notion that voting can bring about any change in this nation; a self-fulfilling prophecy, indeed.

Were it possible to have nearly all the young and disinterested and the poor and disenchanted vote, the effect would be significant and probably devastating to the status quo. Nearly half the eligible voters do not participate in the most basic fundamental right few nations the world grant their citizens: the privilege to participate in the selection of who will be governing them. Very sad, indeed. A few unexpected upsets in the primaries, specifically in Illinois, have raised the specter of a movement to throw out the incumbents. The scandal in Congress over kited checks represents only the latest in a long series of improprieties and excesses the members of Congress have perpetrated.

Sooner or later the electorate will get angry and a backlash will be the result. Is this the year? I'm not so sure. The legislators are, for the most part, safely ensconced in their comfortable and rewarding legislative seats. Their competition is usually not as well known, is underfinanced as a rule and, of course, offers no guarantee of improvement. Some angry voters will vote against any incumbent, but I suspect that the 90-percent-plus recidivism for legislators will continue.

I am somewhat ambivalent on this matter, anyway; in a general housecleaning, we also lose some good legislators. In the last analysis, the severity of the recession and its effect on the growing number of job seekers likely will determine the outcome of the election in November. Neither Bush nor Clinton currently offers much hope for the future, and members of Congress certain will continue to support them? Is it not significant that some of the finest legislators are quitting because of frustration with the lack of progress in solving the heinous financial dilemma into which this country has spent itself? Is it any wonder that the rest of the world views the machinations of our electoral process with revulsion? When will the obscenity of spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the re-election campaigns of the Congress, the presidency and the underlying state legislatures be curbed? The history of this great nation teaches us that there comes a time when the people will rise up angry and bring about the changes that the elected will not effect. Are we about to see this happen? I don't know, but the day of reckoning is in the offing. Too many ills proliferate among our poor, our homeless, our addicted, our undereducated, our sick and uncared for.

Add to that the myriad of unemployed who have given up the pursuit of jobs in sheer frustration. The day of reckoning is coming: It is inevitable! So, as the 1992 campaign drones on, in self-defense I'll watch sports and old movies, Dick Van Dyke Show and Kojak reruns on the election-coverage-free cable stations, go to the movies, read more books and vote in November against the less distasteful of the candidates. Heck isn't that the American way after all? Eric B. Moch, former director of admissions and records at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago and longtime School Board member in Niles Township, retired to Treasure Island in 1990. Eric Moch The movie Nlir, shown recently on television, made me yearn for the reincarnation of Woodrow Wilson, a statesman and man of ethics who demonstrated a strength of character; a man who worked to resolve the nation's problems by basing his decisions on the common good, not mere political gain.

Alas, no one on the political horizon is even close to having the Wilson intellect or strength of character needed to attack the problems facing this country. The lack of courage to express views that might threaten a political base needed for re-election is rampant among our elected officials with the White House no exception. What is the difference if you are a liberal, a conservative, a reactionary or a middle-of-the-roader, or whatever label currently is attributed to politicians? What is needed is the will to solve problems that are damaging to this country. These problems cannot be resolved by partisan bickering, posturing for the electorate or candidates who are not qualified to lead this nation and cannot even offer up, in their electioneering rhetoric, a plan for America that presents even a germ of hope for success. If we discount the spurious campaigns of Pat Buchanan, Jerry Brown and, most recently, H.

Ross Perot, we are left with a choice between President Bush and Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton. Is it any wonder the majority of voters stay home on Election Day? Bad news for the country but not necessarily for the candidates. Why, you may wonder? Well, if those truly affected by the nation's ills would become involved, neither a Bush nor a Clinton would be running for the presidency. Obig B3) inm2irkt approved, sumothei' derailed The outdoor market in Bayonet Point would bring too much traffic to U.S.

19 and State Road 52, commissioners say. By STEPHEN HEGARTY Tlma Staff Writer Road 52. County staffers recommended approval, and the Planning Commission unanimously approved the request by the TJX company, which owns TJ Maxx discount stores. But commissioners said they simply disagreed with the county staff. "Common sense tells me flea markets attract lots of cars and lots of people," Commissioner Bonnie Zimmer said.

I would "have to deny it until something's done on (State Road) 52." Zimmer's comments were applauded loudly by audience members from the Sundance Lakes Travel Resort Park, which is near the proposed flea market. Sundance Lakes is owned by Sam Hachem who also owns the USA Flea Market on U.S. 19 about half a mile south of the proposed site of Value Mart. "I'm not sure we need another flea market," Commissioner Sylvia Young said. "I do not agree with staff." Commissioner Ann Hildebrand tried to work out a compromise, saying that despite traffic concerns, the county would benefit from having a major national retailer in what otherwise would be an empty storefront.

The TJX company intended to operate an indoor flea market selling mostly new merchandise. Value Mart was to be in a building, which had been an Ames department store, at the northwest corner of U.S. 19 and State Road 52. "I think we sent a poor message to the business world," Hildebrand said. She questioned whether commissioners intended to reject other requests from businesses with plans in the area and to tell them "business cannot be allowed to develop." Hildebrand was silent when the vote was taken, which is recorded as a vote for approval.

Commissioners Zimmer, Young and Ed Collins voted to reject the plan for the Value Mart flea market. Commission Chairman Mike Wells was absent Tuesday. The commissioners' votes were applauded by the dozens of concerned residents who showed up to oppose the request. Those residents some of them vendors at the USA Flea Market described the intersection of U.S. 19 and State Road 52 as a center for congestion and danger.

"Living where I live, I've seen the accidents," said Beth Russ, who lives near the intersection. "It can't handle the traffic it has." "We're concerned about the safety and health of the people of Sundance Lakes," said Thomas Hancock, director of the Sundance Lakes park. "It's a flea market, and flea markets attract people." One vendor told commissioners that people associated with the proposed Value Mart flea market had come to the USA Flea Market trying to get vendors to jump ship to Value Mart. But the question of competing businesses never was directly raised at the meeting Tuesday. "It was never an issue to begin with," said Laurice Hachem, whose husband, Sam, owns the USA Flea Market.

"The more shopping you have in an area the more people are interested in shopping in the area." Plans for an indoor flea market in Bayonet Point were derailed Tuesday by the Pasco County Commission after residents complained the market would make a horrendous traffic problem worse. I Moments earlier, plans from the same company for a nearly identical flea market at U.S. 19 and Trouble Creek Road sailed through unopposed and won unanimous approval. Commissioners rejected the proposed Value Mart flea market in Bayonet Point despite the county staffs contention that the business would not trigger a "significant change" in traffic at U.S. 19 and State If- frddrH SALE ENDS 5-10-92 REG.

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