YOU HAVE TO ADMIRE AND RESPECT THEM, BUT...

At the present time, there are 24 individuals listed as active candidates for governor. Of course, many of those will be weeded out at the qualifying deadline for not having the proper number of petition signatures or the fee. Only four of those people --- two Democrats and two Republicans --- can currently be considered serious candidates.

While one has to admire and respect anyone who offers themselves for public office, to be considered anywhere close to having a serious shot in a state as large and diverse as Florida takes a lot of money, name recognition, and support to sustain the campaign for a period of nearly a year. Many of the 24 candidates have none of the above, and several are attempting to sustain their effort by financing it themselves.

Also, many of the "secondary" candidates generally tend to be concerned with or highlight only one or two issues. One gubernatorial candidate from this area I know focuses on eliminating the FCAT and grandparents' rights.

While riding home yesterday I was listening to Billy Joel's concert CD from a tour to Russia several years back. The lyrics of one of my favourite songs from the "Piano Man" made me think of some of thest poor folks striving to be heard:

There's a place in the world for the angry young man
With his working class ties and his radical plans
He refuses to bend, he refuses to crawl
And he's always at home with his back to the wall.
He's proud of the scars and the battles he's lost
He struggles and bleeds as he hangs on the cross
And he likes to be known as the angry young man.

Give a moment or two to the angry young man
With his foot in his mouth and his heart in his hand
He's been stabbed in the back, he's been misunderstood
It's a comfort to know his intentions are good
He sits in a room with a lock on the door
With his maps and his medals laid out on the floor
And he likes to be known as the angry young man...

And there's always a place for the angry young man
With his fist in the air and his head in the sand
He's never been able to learn from mistakes
He can't understand why his heart always breaks
His honor is pure, and his courage as well
He's fair and he's true, and he's boring as hell
And he'll go to his grave as an angry old man.