Miami Today’s Michael Lewis writes, “Economic engines purred in harmony Saturday… as 100-some future leaders heard our economy’s workhorses paint a glittering word panorama of Miami’s future." Miami's best and brightest shown a shining economic future by Michael Lewis
"The story was of suberb market position and a sparkling future—as it should be before bright young executives who are destined to keep the sparkle bright when the future becomes the present.”
It is probably just as well we weren't invited. We are not good in polite company. We would have been tempted to hand out barf bags.
How is this for a glittering word panorama: If you live in far West Kendall, and your work starts at nine in the morning somewhere east, you better leave your house at 6:15 because if you leave between 6:30 and 6:45, you will be stuck in traffic for two hours or more.
That’s just getting to work.
How about getting home, when you haven’t done the shopping for dinner yet or someone’s fender falls off? And it’s not just roadways. There’s drinking water quality—that's life and death.
Where are you, on that, Miami Today and Miami Herald?
Maybe the fact that the Miami Dade county commission allowed the West Dade wellfield protection zone to be violated isn't newsworthy. How the drinking water aquifer for 2.4 million residents of Miami Dade became contaminated with benzene by rock miners does not rise to the threshold of a news story, or, relevance in the question whether or not to empower an executive mayor, is that it?
The failure of local politicians to account for infrastructure along with the needs of population growth is a principle reason that the Miami Dade county commission is in a fight for its life with the public.
The vote in 10 days IS a referendum on the county commission and the serial ethical and corruption scandals it cannot stop.
We are not sure why union members who have to commute to work in intolerable conditions like the rest of us would give two seconds of their time to saving a government structure that puts them and us in harm's way, every day.
Changing the status quo is threatening. We get that part.
We watched the auto unions join with high paid executives to stop Congress from passing fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks year after year, while Toyota ate their lunch.
Many of those executives have rich retirement plans and second homes on Florida’s west coast, and many of those union workers are spending down their savings while they flip burgers wherever they can.
We don't need a crystal ball to see what happens.
Instead of an unreformable majority of the county commission, we need someone to hold accountable—a mayor elected county-wide—for when the future becomes the present.
11 comments:
You made me curious Gimleteye.
Readers in the west of the county, I would like to hear about your commute. When visiting my sister far West on Bird Road, it was the worst traffic I had ever been in - a Nightmare - and that was 15 years ago. I have not ventured out West at rush hour since. What's up out West, I want to know.
Sorry G.O.D. I live South.
Next time call me, I will help deliver the barf bags at these functions Gimleteye.
Gimleteye is following me to work? I sit in my parking space near work, my building lobby or walk around for two hours each morning in downtown Miami, waiting for my office to open. It's true. If I leave the home fifteen minutes later (at 6.30!) I'll be sitting on Kendall Drive or Coral Way or Bird Rode It doesnt matter which with my car running gasoline for 2 hours. Every time I feel bad having to commute from West Kendall, I think of my co-workers who live in west Broward.
Lets look at what the Blue/Green coalition has achieved... The election of 2006, protests on FTAA, etc. Enough about union-bashing.
ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THIS? IF IT IS TRUE WHAT CAN WE DO TO PROTECT OUR FAMILIES...
How the drinking water aquifer for 2.4 million residents of Miami Dade became contaminated with benzene by rock miners
FROM WATER AND SEWER DEPT.12/13/06:
The most recent data that I have is a sampling event on November 15, 2006. The data shows a benzene concentration of 7.96 parts per billion of benzene at Production Well #1 at the Northwest Wellfield. This well has been out of service since benzene was first detected in 2005.
SO BENZENE IS KEEPING SOME OF OUR WELLS OUT OF SERVICE.
FURTHER:
Bill Brant former head of Water and Sewer Dept. under oath concurred:
“...it seemed like, you know, sort of the
obvious culprit would be benzene coming from the explosives."
Mr. Brant testified that after circulating memoranda asking about blasting, he was pulled off the blasting project.
Long-term exposure to high levels of benzene in the air can cause leukemia, particularly acute myelogenous leukemia, often referred to as AML. This is a cancer of the blood-forming organs. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has determined that benzene is a known carcinogen. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the EPA have determined that benzene is carcinogenic to humans.
For how long did the majority of Miami Dade county commissioners know that a cancer causing chemical was prevalent in drinking water aquifers due to rock mining near the West Dade wellfield?
Did they know benzene was in the drinking water aquifer before or after they changed the law at the request of rock miners, to no longer require public hearings before rock mining permit modifications?
The maximum allowable standard for benzene by the federal govt is 5 parts per billion.
Readings at the West Dade wellfield have been as high as 9 parts per billion.
On August 11, 2006, 7 of 15 drinking water production wells in Miami Dade county were shut down because of benzene contamination.
Is that enough, before voters hold the county commission accountable? or do readers want to wait until 8 of 15 drinking water production wells are shut down?
And Everyone thinks the Water Shed Study is Stupid and Flawed?
From the facts produced by WASA it sounds that the Water Shed study wasn't inclusive enough.
What about the water contamination in the Redland with the trash heap? That was special, too. Guess who lives next door the owner of the heap? (hint: x county manager)
A few years ago I attended an informal lecture for colleagues and graduate students at Stanford University by the professor who conducted the study for the SF Water Mgn District and the many in the audience were amazed at the lack of standards and stupidity that went on in managing water drinking water in Florida. One scientist asked "Aren't there any environmental groups in FL to do something about [the dumb idea of using rock mining pools as aquifers that could easily become contaminated with bacteria spread to the underground aquifer and could not be eliminated with current technologies] this?" He wanted to know why the people were not outraged by such a plan.
Michael Lewis is a hit man for the BOCC. Who's paying him off?
Who really reads the Miami Today except for the legal notices?
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