A seemingly incongruous pairing–the voting rights of Florida ex-felons and the piecemeal progress on normalized relations with Cuba–actually have something very relevant in common. It’s called enlightened self-interest.
While it brings out the best in us, simply doing what’s right–as in idealistic or principled–is sometimes a bonus in a doing-what’s-pragmatically-best-for-us scenario.
Take the restoration of voting rights for (most non-violent) ex-felons. It’s hardly automatic. Or humane. Thanks to Gov. Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi–and a bureaucratic maze that has become a de facto dead end–rights restoration is now a virtual oxymoron. As a result, Florida is now home to nearly 1.5 million disenfranchised ex-felons. And counting.
It’s arguably not fair to not help former inmates rebuild their lives after having served their state-mandated sentences without incident. But there’s much more to it.
It also flat-out helps society when the no-longer incarcerated are allowed to fully rejoin society. That’s because the recidivism rate among disenfranchised former felons is significantly higher than those who have had basic rights restored. As in under former Gov. Charlie Crist or in most other states. In other words, society–all of us never-were-felons-in-the-first-place sorts–is a helluva lot safer when fewer of its ex-felons are disenfranchised.
It might make an effective, tough-on-crime-and-criminals sound bite, but the reality is that this is so much more than an ex-felon issue. And it’s more than just a feel-good, generous gesture. This is about all of us feeling safer when ex-felons–and most of them do get out–are back in our midst. It’s about us.
As for the parallel with Cuba, we all know that normalized relations with a neighbor country– revolution, tragedy and family feuds notwithstanding–has humanitarian aspects that range from familial visitations to limiting the number of Cubans who die at sea because of the wet-foot, dry-foot immigration loophole. And improved geo-political relations with the rest of our Hemisphere is hardly incidental.
But from a narrow, purely self-serving perspective, unfettered relations–including a trade-promoting, terminated economic embargo–would benefit no state more than Florida, no city more than Tampa and no port more than Port Tampa Bay. Rick Scott, Marco Rubio and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen might not be impressed, but it matters to those whose ideology is common sense.
Beyond that, environmental issues–including storm tracking, coral reef preservation and oil-spill prevention–and drug-running interdictions are other bottom-line priorities that should resonate for obvious reasons. We directly benefit. First priority is what’s best for us.