Letter to the Editor from Sheriff Ben Stewart – RE: Alcohol Wet/Dry
August 20, 2012
Letter to the Editor:
As the special election for the wet/dry issue in Madison County approaches I wanted to give you something in writing so there would be no misunderstanding as to where I stand regarding this issue. This same issue came up during the election year of 2008. If you will look back at the “Questions to the Candidates” which ran in the Madison County Carrier newspaper just before the primary in 2008, you will see that I was opposed to the county going wet then. I am still opposed to Madison County becoming a wet county and that will not change. The following are a few of the main reasons that I wanted to bring to your attention.
First, to me this is not an issue that should be argued as right or wrong but what is wise and expedient for Madison County, especially for the youth in Madison County. I believe that alcohol is a gateway to other drugs and substance abuse. A decision based on that alone should be enough of an argument. I understand the different opinions and interpretations that some have regarding scripture on this issue as well. I would only direct you to 1st Corinthians 6:12. Can anyone truly say that having easier access to alcohol in Madison County is wise or expedient?
Second, it should be a simple deduction that easier accessibility will equal more use. It is very disconcerting that supporters of this issue have used the rational that easier access to alcohol will equal less use and less driving while intoxicated. I realize that there are illegal sales of alcohol as well as illegal sales of drugs that occur in this county. However, the fact that both are illegal does create a deterrent. Legalizing the sale of alcohol will not be a deterrent no more than legalizing the sale of cocaine. Our DUI arrests usually occur as people are leaving private parties or local establishments, not coming back from out of town.
Finally, I can tell you that making this county wet will only increase the work load of our deputies and police officers. The simple truth is that most problems regarding alcohol manifest themselves in the home. These will be in the form of domestic violence, battery, assaults, child abuse, child neglect and many others. Currently the average call ratio for the Sheriff’s Office is 160 events a day. This does not include the Police Department, EMS or Fire. I am convinced that this ratio will only increase with the advent of easier access to alcohol in our county. The worst part about this is that intoxicated people are usually combative which creates safety issues for our officers. Anything I can do to make anything safer for my deputies will be worth it to me. I will be glad to explain my position in detail with anyone that would like to meet with me in person. Thank you for your continued support of the Sheriff’s Office.
Ben Stewart
Sheriff of Madison County
I find it refreshing to have an elected official put his beliefs and convictions ahead of his own personal gain!!!! We live in an area that has a Godly man for a sheriff!!! We are BLESSED
Deputy I have great respect and appreciation for you for the job you do. We may disagree on our personal beliefs but I sincerely respect you and I thank you for the job you do.
I am not sure what you meant about me getting drunk with you. I have never been drunk in my life and I do not drink but I do enjoy freedom of choice and I like to see everyone else enjoy that privilege in this great country.
I am going to vote wet because I feel that the drunkeness problem is due to irresponsible people and not because liquor is available and those who choose to be irresponsible will be that way regardless of what laws are in place.
If liquor in illegal only the honest and responsible folks will adhere to it and those folks would adhere to it anyway. I see it somewhat like guns. If you make owning a gun illegal only crooks will have them and they will have them.
Thank you sir for the job you do in protecting us.
outsider, the The comment was “Sheriff speaks only for himself and not the entire Sherriff’s department” my statement is that he does speak for the Sheriff’s Dept. As a citizen and an American I do have the right to vote any way I want just like every other citizen. But as a Deputy Sheriff my public opinion is in line with our Sheriff. And out sider no you have never been drunk with me. It is a pleasure to work for a man whose only motivation is the well being of the citizens of Madison County and the safety of the men and women that work for him.
Deputy,
I would also like to say that I have the utmost respect for our Sheriff and I am sure that he would not act as a dictator and deny his employees the freedom to choose for themselves. I know several of his employees as well and I have the utmost respect for ALL of them regardless of whether they want this county to be wet or dry. They put on their uniform and put their lives on the line for us every day and we should respect them regardless of their personal beliefs.
Deputy,
Are you telling me that all employees of the Sheriff’s department feel the same way as the Sheriff?
Deputy? Are you one of the deputies I got drunk with? I can see where someone who has always lived here wouldn’t realize this but this letter shouldn’t have been submitted. He’s the sheriff. Of course he’s supposed to be against it. It makes it look like he’s posturing up and flexing his position.
Madison Outsider, the Sheriff does speak for the SHERIFFS department.
Thanks Ben for your post. You will have my vote for as long as you need it! I believe the supporters of this “movement” are entirely self-serving and have only their own onterests in mind…
The Sheriff mentioned drugs in his editorial, that is another subject that I am very interested in. I wrote the following editorial for the local El Paso News Paper a year ago and the note has been in my web page since along with other tidbits pertaining to “Fast and Furious”. http://amodmp-int.com
Drugs are another problem we may vote on someday.
Drugs Will Never Go Away
While working for a major engine company with factories in Mexico, I met a journalist in El Paso who worked in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, spending several years investigating the drug racket in Mexico. The guy made some very interesting points. I was told that ten percent of Mexico’s gross national income came from drugs. If he’s correct, the Mexican government can’t afford to shut down the drug trade. (Correction! Today 08-13-2011 as I write this note), I was informed by this same journalist that a full one third of Mexico’s gross national product now comes from drugs.)
The view in the United States is that, the Mexican problem is bribery and corruption. If we could only get Mexican officials to be honest, the drug trade would die out, right? But, the reporter pointed out, no government will ever shut down 1/3rd of its economy. Especially in a country that has, no economy. He pointed out that in many villages, most income comes from growing drugs. Farmers get 70 pesos a day by growing corn, a farmer can get 170 pesos a day by growing marijuana or poppies. It lets them live decently, which only matters if you’re the one who doesn’t. Most Latinos think, that drugs are an American problem. If the gringos don’t want to use drugs, they wont buy them.
In the States, we talk about drugs, but do little. Why? Well, if you look at the amounts of money involved, you can easily conclude that some people in society are making out like bandits. I’m not sure who gets it yet, but I will someday. A cynic like myself might suspect that somebody is getting paid off. People have prices. Drug dealers have the money. What would it take to make a serious attack on drugs in the US? It would take an assault on the black ghetto, where most drugs are sold. That of course is politically incorrect and would cause anarchy. It would also mean jailing large numbers of whites that use these drugs. This action is also politically incorrect. Legalization of drugs is easy to talk about, California and others tried to legalize pot, but now find themselves under attack by the Feds. Politicians on the take, do not want to see the cash flow dry up. Drugs are worth far more being illegal than legal. There is still enough public hostility to drugs in the US, to make legalization a dead end. Those who profit from drugs have the resources to overcome any and all attempts at legalization.
The question becomes: Who really cares about drugs? The answer seems to be: Not many. Yes, parents don’t like drugs, but they don’t want the schools militarized and heavy penalties applied might end up on their own kids. The effects of drugs on kids are bad, but most survive. Parents from the Sixties aren’t really horrified. They’ve been there, done that. It seems to me that the anti-drug effort has had a weird feel to it. We throw a lot of young men in prison on drug charges, largely because they’re mostly dumb and easy enough to catch. At least our Madison County Drug guys make it seem so. However, the efforts we do make against drugs don’t make a dent in the problem. The effects of law-enforcement are easily measured by checking the availability and price of drugs on the street. Drugs are still cheap, and easy to get. The war on drugs really is a joke. Hundreds of billions if not trillions of dollars have been spent the last fifty years on this so-called war on drugs. Yet, drugs are still available and easy to get, absolutely nothing has changed.
I believe that drugs have become an accepted part of our economy. Nobody really expects it to stop. I believe Politicians are involved somewhat. Some nations depend on drugs for the well-being of their citizens. Many parents don’t care much. High-schools look the other way, Police departments inherit huge quantities of drug monies and equipment for their coffers and life goes on.
Alas! Drugs do provide work for Police and for people like myself that like to snoop around, and write stuff.
I guess we’re all in it together?
Semper Fi Ben.
George Pouliotte
You said it chicken soup, the streets will be covered in blood from the 300 DUI fatalities we will have everyday if Madison goes wet. Maybe we should just outlaw everything and become a communist nation where we have no freedom to make choices. That is what this election is REALLY about, having the freedom to make a choice!! People are coming up with some wild stories, while entertaining, they just should the mentality of this town. I have lived here my whole life and I can say that I am truly disappointed in what this town has become. We have successfully run off almost every business that has tried to come in here. People hate change because they are scared, greedy and ignorant. This town is dying.
Remember when walmart wanted to come into town? “it will put the downtown stores out of business” well guess what. They were already closing due to high prices and little selection. Now we have no walmart and no stores.
Remember when nestle wanted to come in, “they will dry up the river and suck the springs dry” well as of yesterday that river looked pretty darn full to me.
People come up with the most outrageous stories to try to scare you into thinking the gates of hell will open up if we go WET. Guess what!!! Madison IS and ALWAYS has been WET!!! There is no shortage of alcohol here. There are 2 major oppositions to the WET movement, the preachers and the bootleggers. Which one are you???
Really? Just when this entire issue had entered the realm of the surreal, the sheriff takes a stand! Maybe we should make cars that only go 20 MPH, head on collisions would not be nearly as deadly. Or perhaps we should ban firearms. No, better yet, lets ban bullets. Its hard to kill someone with an empty gun. But hey, it is possible. And let’s think about it, kitchen knives surely are a weapon of choice, especially when the fight is in the kitchen. OMG. Is this really happening? Is this the Twilight Zone.
This is very interesting
http://www.madisonyes.com/alc-stats.php
I happened to be driving in lake park the other day, got behind a car with a madison tag, i was going same way, I also noticed a sticker on window about supporting florida sheriff Assoc, Well, when vehicle went over I-75 i knew where it was going, and yep into the liquor store, I watched as person went inside….. good old madison money going to georgia, good keep it up, It keeps our taxes lower here.
and regardless if it is sold in Madison or not there is still whiskey being drank everyday…keeping the county dry does not keep alcohol out of the county it only keeps money out of the county
I thank the Sheriff for his honesty. That’s why I voted for him and I will continue to do so. I can like somone, even if we do not agree on all things. I will continue to travel to Lowndes County from my lifelong home in Cherry Lake for my job with its good pay and benefits. While there, I will buy GA gas and shop the liquor stores. I may even hit one of the restaurants on my way out. Well, sounds like I just spent about $100 in one WEEK (maybe more if the GA income tax on my paycheck is included). Meanwhile, lots of nice, church-goers are doing the same thing, including my sis-in-law who likes Lord Calvert for a steak marinate. Madison’s the bedroom community of N. FL, great place to live, little else. I’m voting wet, but a doubt the status-quo will change.
Thanks for the forum, John.
Ben, I for one thank you for you opinion on this matter. I have read all the comments and it seems no one is reading between the lines one of the points that our good sheriff is trying to make. With the sheriffs ofice allready being hammered by a large call ratio , I hope your not one with a very bad emergency that they won’t be able to get to because of to many alcohol related incodents. Lets face it, small town, we only have so many deputies.
As far as votes are concerned, Ben im sure you will have all the votes you need from the people that understand what you are trying to do for this county and that some forget what you have all ready accomplished.
I don’t believe Ben is trying to sway anybodys vote, If you think that then you don’t know the man himself therfore you should not cast you opinion. The deputies work hard trying to keep this town safe for everyone, Yes would just make it a lot harder and some might just suffer because of it. So the way I see it right now we are fortunate to be dry, if the safety of you families , wife’s and chrildren from impaired drivers, or maybe assults are not much of a concern to you then I guess you’ll vote yes. I understand that some may not believe that this would have that kind of an effect, but what if it did, You will sure be calling on the sheriffs office then.
Thanks ben for your opinion in this matter as Sheriff and citizen of Madison. Hope it does some good
Let me get this right, I think I’m missing something here; the county is dry now, right?…and we’re not discussing national prohibition?
Regarding Sheriff Stewart
Sir, I do respect your opinion however I’m quite taken by surprise for your speaking out on the Wet/Dry issue. I have never seen nor heard of an elected Sheriff telling his/her opinion to their constituency of a subject yet to be voted on or at least without being asked first.
I have been around large and small cities all over the world. I’ve found that alcohol does not make the drunk, alcohol does not make the jerk. It’s that weak human being that become these despicable things. Whether alcohol is sold in this county or not, these thing won’t change, the weak will always act badly. Alcohol has been around for thousands of years and will continue to be so. Were I the Sheriff, I would want to know where these suppliers are in my County all nice and legal, and paying taxes.
Apparently we have a few bootleggers in our prim and proper County (unknown to most of us until now), most likely they would go away had they the competition of a legal tax paying source of alcohol.
Sheech! That Mr. George really started something didn’t he?
Dan
Sheriff Ben Stewart is right on target with his reasons why Madison County should not vote “Wet.”
However, the supporters of this proposition don’t care about the facts and reason. They only want convenience. This election is about convenience and nothing but convenience. It will still be the same excuse – convenience – if the county remains “wet” 10 years from now.
I feel sorry for the ones trying to pin the “slick politician” badge on Ben. Sorry but he doesn’t fit that mold and that’s apparent. He’s solid. His views really are his views and anybody who knows him knows this. I bet you money he laughs if he reads the pouting comments about not voting for him again. I doubt they ever did. Hey I’m sure they are still wet back in South Florida. Why don’t you go back and find out? GO BEN!!!!!!!
Bad move sheriff. We all knew where you would stand being in your position, you did not have to publish it. You just lost my vote.
I went to Tallahassee last week to buy a bottle of good champagne for a special occasion. I went to one of the larger liquor stores there and the owner had heard about the Madison wet/dry issue coming up.
He said he sure hoped it stayed dry because he had lots of customers from Madison shop in his store and some that bought liquor in large amounts.
I find it ironic that the only establishments that wine can be shipped to in a dry county is the churches for communion purposes..
I think we should also remember that our Sheriff speaks only for himself and not the entire Sheriff;s department and the church leaders only speak for themselves and not their entire congregation. If you don’t believe me ask some of them.
@LM:
“De l’audace, encore de l’audace, toujours de l’audace” -Danton
Google Translate: Boldness, even audacity, always audacity
Thank you Sheriff Stewart for being a man with enough depth to voice your personal opinion on the impact a particular touchy subject might have on our community…too many POLITICIANS “ride the fence” on such subjects in an effort to PLEASE EVERYBODY and not make waves. This results in the voters being left guessing what our county, state, and federal leaders really stand for and believe in….in other words, alot of pure politicians full of hot air worried about coveting every little vote no matter what it takes…we’re sick of that! So, don’t worry about those who base their vote on whether or not you agree with them on a wet/dry issue….the majority base it on whether you are fighting crime and trying to put the safety of our county first!
And P.S. eddie….Being elected to public office sometimes ACTUALLY MEANS BEING THE BEST INDIVIDUAL FOR THE JOB! Don’t be so freakin’ jaded! Lol
Now be honest. Is anyone really surprised by this?
Think back a couple of years when our fine sheriff led a ceremony for a fallen officer in front of the courthouse.. Do you remember the scripture he read? More importantly, do you remember the version of the scripture he read from? Welcome to the ruse Sheriff!.
Eddie, if you think this is just about popularity….not wisdom, you ain’t been paying attention. Belief in the lord Jesus Christ, as personal savior, and dedicating ones life to full time Christian service will get you far with the peasants.
Praise the lord!
Wonder who is keeping book on the odds for this issue now?
“Life can be a cold hearted bit.h…and then you die”.
Being elected to public office implies popularity….not wisdom.
Just a quick question what percentage of calls are alcohol related. Laws enforcement is for safety of the public and to up hold the law no matter wet or dry that is what your paid to do SERVE the public.
Ben, this is dicouraging. This reminds me of the last sheriff when he used his position to sway people’s votes. I will not vote for you again.