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Hope for economy, fear for environment By Dani Dodge As Vina Wise leaned over the bar at Bleachers Bar and Grill Wednesday night, she only sipped at her blush wine, but she literally lapped up every word of Al Gore�s concession speech. "I�m so relieved," Wise said as Gore finished his remarks, which were broadcast on at least eight televisions within the bowling alley bar. "I can have a life now. We have five TVs in the house and they�ve been on 24 hours a day on FOX News except when we were sleeping." Vote totals The latest, unofficial returns in the presidential race. * -- denotes winner. ELECTORAL COLLEGE (270 needed to win presidency) *George W. Bush (R) � 271 Al Gore (D) � 267 FLORIDA POPULAR VOTE *Bush � 2,912,790, 49% Gore � 2,912,253, 49% U.S. POPULAR VOTE Bush � 49,820,518, 50% * Gore � 50,158,094, 50% Wise, the 50-year-old owner of a Medford foster care home, actually rushed to the bar inside Lava Lanes a half hour before her bowling game was scheduled, so she wouldn�t miss Gore�s speech � the final chapter of a drama that has riveted her and much of the nation for the past 35 days. And while the predominant expression at the bar Wednesday was relief that the vote counting and court battling were over � others across the county had more emotional reactions to Bush�s win more than a month after ballots were cast. Business leaders gleefully predicted a better economy, while environmentalists fretted about erosion of environmental gains made in the last few years. Republicans hailed the triumph of democracy, while Democrats decried the partisan nature of the nation�s courts. And the long, drawn-out battle has pushed at least nine Jackson County residents into canceling their voter registration, County Clerk Kathy Beckett said Wednesday. Most said they didn�t feel their votes really counted anymore. One of those disheartened was David Dushane, an Applegate resident. "The entire political circus, even the U.S. Supreme Court flushing our Constitution, is too much for me," Dushane wrote in an e-mail to the elections office. "I am neither for Bush or Gore, however, I did erroneously believe that every vote counts. ... With all due respect, please remove my name from the elections." But Perry Atkinson, chairman of the Oregon Republican party and general manger at KDOV radio, said he felt with Gore�s graceful concession and Bush�s strong leadership, the country will come out of this election tougher than ever. "It�s too bad we went through these 36 days, but it proved how strong our democracy is," Atkinson said. "And Bush really has the potential to be a great president by taking a country that has gone through this and moving forward." Bill Anderberg, president of both Answer Page and the Chamber of Medford, Jackson County said Bush should be able to push forward positive economic trends. "I think that hopefully a Bush presidency will mean less government intrusion on business," Anderberg said. "And I think we will see some tax relief that will stimulate the economy." But environmentalists weren�t celebrating Wednesday. Charlotte Holzkamper, chair of Rogue Group Sierra Club, watched Gore�s concession, but didn�t bother to tune into Bush�s speech, saying, "I have better things to do with my time." She said she and other environmentalists are "heartsick." "We believe that in many instances the work we�ve been doing for the past few years will be undone," she said. "Big oil will reign supreme." Both Holzkamper and Cathy Shaw, Ashland�s mayor and a leading Democrat in the Rogue Valley, expressed concern that minority votes weren�t properly counted in Florida. Shaw also said she was shocked by the court decisions. "One of the civics lessons my family and I learned is the country is partisan to the core," Shaw said. "That includes the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. That was a little bit of a disappointment." But one thing most area leaders agreed on, as well as people at Bleachers Wednesday night, was that the U.S. voting system needs an overhaul. "We need to change how they do vote counts so this never happens again," said Pattie Dungey, a 42-year-old Medford resident, as she went about her bowling game. "I think the United States must have looked like a fool to other countries." And then, there�s always those who just don�t care. Jeff Harris, 24, of Winston, has never voted and doesn�t expect he ever will. He watched the Gore and Bush speeches at Bleachers only because they dominated the bank of televisions in front of him. "I�m glad it�s over," Harris said. "I�m tired of seeing it on TV." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.