I find it very disappointing that George W. Bush is proclaiming himself president when all the votes have not been counted and he is trailing in the popular vote. The situation in Florida is so riddled with voting irregularities, confusion, mistakes, if not outright fraud, that this situation is far from resolved.

We are not in a constitutional crisis. We have the democratic machinery to resolve the issues if we take the time and have the political will.

The criticisms in Florida started during Nov. 7 before the polls were closed. This was not a political act initiated by the Gore supporters being depicted as sore losers. It is a groundswell of people crying out about injustices in addition to the confusing ballots in Palm County.

Nineteen thousand votes were discarded because of double punching. Many black people were prevented from voting. Polls were closed at 8 p.m. with lines of people waiting and with a court order to keep it open.

When the margin for victory is totaled as 327 votes and there are thousands and thousands votes under suspicion, it is the height of arrogance and disregard of democratic processes for the Bush camp to proclaim victory. Daniel M. Leibert Prospect