Sunday, November 20, 2011

Crazy ass Republicans and other absurdities in the Miami Herald today like Casinos. By Geniusofdespair

Miami Herald Absurdities today (due to making their staff do double-duty reporting):
Occupy Miami camp - Good subject but why would you get Conservative Republican Columnist Glenn Garvin to write it? How about a reporter not a columnist Miami Herald? You need a reporter without such a strong bias. You are blurring the two when you assign columnists to report. Please note readers, reporters are NOT columnists and visa versa. Check out Columnist Jim Morin's video ode to Occupy sentiments.

That would be like getting a sports fishing Columnist to write about three crazy-ass Republicans with houses in Big Cypress Preserve that actually didn't appear to be doing much fishing. Wait, the Herald did that today too - both stories were on the front page. Susan Cocking didn't mention that Bill Losner (Pictured on the front page) was accused of running off the road and whacking an environmental icon, Lloyd Miller, after a heated environmental meeting in 1993. A civil case was filed by Miller and settled out of court.  Instead she made out these 3, Developer/rock miner Bergeron included, to be pinnacles of environmental protection - especially Bergeron.  He is a well known Republican fund-raiser but he is just as well-known for bad sprawl developments and rock mining. Cockling,  a columnist/reporter (lines blurred) usually found on the sports pages, might have talked to environmental reporter Curtis Morgan to give a bit of the other side of the story. Morgan is not a columnist. Cockling made Losner and Bergeron sound almost heroic. The third mentioned, Barbara Jean...what can I say good about her? Not much, so I will say nothing.

I have been to meetings and have seen at least two of those mentioned in the article blocking environmental protection measures again and again. Losner is a pain in the ass when it comes to anything that doesn't help his farmer buddies increase the value of their farmland for sprawl development. Losner repeatedly harassed former Community Council Chairman Pat Wade and South Florida/Everglades Organizer for the Sierra Club Jonathan Ullman.
The third absurdity is not in the Herald reporting but that the Herald pointed out that dumb as ever Floridians would hand a gold mine to the casino industry with only a 10% tax.  Illinois charges casinso 50%, Rhode Island 73% and New York 66% -- yet casinos still appear to make money in all those places. What are we RUBES?? Get smart Florida. If you are going to create riches for a Malaysian Company and you are going to let our American dollars flow out of the country, and you are going to hand our downtown over so tourists will only benefit by it, at least keep some of the money here in Miami and Florida. Here is a rallying cry for our legislature:   

60% or more - or no dice!

Also worth reading in the Miami Herald today: Armando Codina on gambling (yes, believe it or not I agree with Armando Codina - a no-brainer he wrote: "The bill would tax these casinos at a 10 percent rate, with all the money going to Tallahassee. No tax money stays here in Miami, where the tax is generated, and where we would need it to mitigate the impact of mega-casinos.") and Carl Hiaasen (very funny):
Gambling’s top political ally, state Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, recently said: “It blows my mind that a business group would say competition is a bad thing." Apparently the Fort Lauderdale Republican dwells in some weird parallel universe where Ford salesmen are elated to see Honda open a dealership down the street.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Genuis - Thank you for writing my thoughts this morning. The Losner environmental piece along with Bergeron literally made me lose my coffee. What a crock. Yes, it would have been nice if someone asked Curtis his thoughts, especially with Losner. The only person missing was Epling, but he may still be in hiding from his ex wife!

As to the Gaming.........Only in Miami would this fly so quickly with absolutely NO real fact checking. Hiassen's piece was spot on with this one. And, Codina writing against it, then the LBA supporting it, I guess for those non English speaking jobs!

Anonymous said...

Tax the hell out of the casinos. Don't forget to include the hotel room taxes, environmental taxes, rental car taxes, alcohol taxes and whatever else comes to mind. Genting has plenty of money.
When offshore companies invest in Miami they should know it comes with a heavy price tag. If the legislature wants to make Miami a world destination spot with all the pretty bells and whistles it is going to cost someone.
Let it be Genting who will be trying to sign Jeffrey Loria and David Samson as their lobbyists.

Anonymous said...

Herald games. Sell the land for large profit, support gaming in the past, but now want more time to think about it? The Herald knew from the sale what Genting wanted.
These fake news articles about OWS in Miami by a right wing talking point Fox News aficionado TV critic Glenn Garvin are so slanted that they should be an op ed column. Poor Susan Cooking's love fest missed any real background history of the players in the article. There used to be a time when reporters actually did research to balance their reporting.

Anonymous said...

LBA head spoke in favor of the legislation. They are on the wrong side of every issue.

Geniusofdespair said...

Truthfully, I went to Bayside this week and had dinner, I went to the International Book Fair twice and the Arsht center to see Perlman.

Would I have gone to any of these venues if the casios were there? A big fat "No". It would be too hard to get around downtown.

Beth said...

The Miami Herald Editorial Board speaks with forked tongue. They should have read Carl Hiaasen before posting that editorial.

Anonymous said...

Morin's comic genius translates to the cartoon very well.

Geniusofdespair said...

I agree, I think that was Morin's best animation yet.

Anonymous said...

I, too read the articles by Codina and LBA.

Codina was right on, responsible and well thought out. All our taxes going to Tallahassee? Are these people mad? I agree, tax them to hell as high as we can go and make sure Miami gets the money. Who do they think will be dealing with all the proablems thiese casinosa re sure to bring?

We need to hold the Dade delegation's feet to the fire. Let them know in no uncertain terms that we want nothing less than at least a 60% tax.

The LBA? Emptyest article I have read in a long time. Complete drivel.

Anonymous said...

hate when the few 'against casinos' team up and vent their positions: sinful, addiction, etc.
Please .... live and let live. The silent majority WANTS casinos!
Please let Miami be the QUEEN she deserves to be.. a great city. Stop being so negative.

Geniusofdespair said...

Last idiot, so if you want the deal don't be silent but at least get us a GOOD deal. Complain about the 10% giveaway. I'll support it for 60%, and I want most of that for Miami Dade.