Tuesday, July 15, 2014

My Dear County Commissioners: Miami Dade County is On Life Support.

You are about to approve a Cuban Museum on Parcel B. Fine, use valuable WATERFRONT land to score points with a few Cubans. All I care about: does this museum have any money? Does it need to be on the waterfront?  If the Perez museum needs money, what do you think this is going to cost us over the years? Wasn't this land promised to OTHER constituents as a park. I guess that isn't important. Whatever, no money for libraries, police, infrastructure is unfunded -- For instance: Cruise ships have to idle their engines all the time when in Port  (do you know how much pollution that causes? Maybe it is equal to 40,000 cars in an hour for each cruise ship docked (sometimes 4). Think about that infrastructure needed. We have billions of unfunded infrastructure.

The Mayor wants to layoff detectives because of the lean budget. THINK COMMISSIONERS.  The county gave almost a million dollars to a defunct school according to an Inspector General Audit.  Something is very, very wrong and you guys had better start thinking instead of pandering.  Use what little brainpower you appear to have to make sense of the county.  We need you to stop voting on new things and fix what we have. All of this was in today's Miami Herald. Do you even read?

And ask for an audit of the damn budget.

Cordially, Geniusofdespair

P.S. Does anyone remember those old Mickey Rooney movies where the world is collapsing around them and they say "Let's have a Show"? Well this is the same, the world is collapsing around the County Commission and they say: Let's build a stadium or museum. Yep, that will fix it.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think they should put on a show.

Anonymous said...

It is my belief they should not approve anything that cost money. Is that really true about the cruise ships? Can't they use those Gob funds they were going to give to their rich supporter friends for that?

Anonymous said...

Jennifer Moon is incompetent. This is what happens when you decrease departments you get inefficiency.

Juan said...

The tea party and the Gimenez mantra of no taxes and the viability of libraries Seems to have resonated with the Hispanic and black communities . Rather the lifting the bar he has appealed to self interests
I believe folks are reluctant to give any additional resources to County . government due to its ineptitude . Ironic that voters Would provide additional resources to Miami -Dade college but our local state representatives whose political philosophy seems to be "in loco parentis". Or better know as "father knows best". Miami Dade College has an effective and visionary leader who they are loath to support .. Again on the tea party mantra .. And the hell with education (they don't want an educated electorate who might then figure out what light-weights they are) ..they are the "know nothing party" and they want to keep it that way .. Starve education .. Libraries etc not a coincidence.

I hope the chickens will come home to roost if Mayor makes good on his promise to slash libraries .. Or they follow that mental giant commissioner Souto and put libraries in parks. (Which will screw up both) maybe the schools and libraries should hire the Heat, Dolphin and Beckham lobbyists ..or Little Freddie and the mayor's son ..bet they would get resources they need then. Does anyone see anything perverse about Gimenez and cronies falling over themselves to award $$ to these ventures while slashing essential services ?

Gimenez has been effective being Dr. NO a role he played as a county commissioner. He has stayed on message railing against the very government and employees he purports to lead.
He has no vision other than what is written for him in his I-pad or is related to stadiums or his lobbyist friends and family.
The commissioners are are bunch of empty suits and skirts. Suarez is smart but his stability is questionable. The rest on the commission are not exactly the best and brightest and will follow Gimenez blindly.

Gimenez may be Popular. So were the ancient Roman emperors who gave the people bread and circuses. His legacy will not be what he accomplished but rather what He dismantled.

Absent an articulate and creditable candidate we will have Carlito for six more years.

God help us!
( or at least Daniella)

Anonymous said...

No more of this money & land shuffling to private special interests. The cuban community can afford to buy land on the waterfront if they want a museum on it. Parcel B should not be used for it nor should the County subside any more of these private/public partnerships because the private part gets all the money and benefits and the public gets the bill. We are broke. We cannot afford essential services. No more of these pork projects!

Anonymous said...

How many Cuban museums do we need? Isn't there still one in the Roads (near St Peter and Paul) inside an old firehouse that the City gave away?

Anonymous said...

There is only one priority...get re-elected. Balancing the budget sometimes requires active intellectual engagement. It also takes community outreach to educate property owners about tax decisions. If you govern by sound-bites and bumper sticker statements, the results are not likely to be smart or defensible. Welcome to the world according to Carlis Gimenez.

Anonymous said...

To the fourth poster, Juan:
Miami-Dade's effective and visionary leader will retire very soon. Wait till you see who will be the college's new "leader"!

Anonymous said...

Some of the detectives in this city are awful. Its like living in a bad episode of the Dukes of Hazzard.

Look at the Herald today. Two offices wrestling each other on camera. Its so bad its not even funny anymore.

The last big crime I read uncovered by detectives was a bunch of bicyclist running red lights. This is not how we want to spend our tax dollars.

I'm all for spending on almost everything else, only these detectives, have been displaying destructive behavior for years.

Anonymous said...

How dare those Cubans? Who do they think they are? Ridiculous to support a museum for that trash! What have they contributed to this community?

Anonymous said...

They already have a museum - how many do you need? Where is the Columbian museum and the Mexican Museum, and the German Museum?

They are apparently not contributing now, except to Lynda Bells campaign, taking now -- not contributing. Butt head.

Anonymous said...

MDPLS own a Cuban Collection and it's endangered by the Mayor forced eviction of the Main Library from two of four of its floors. Siphoning special taxing district dollars through a fake "rent" to the ISDept destroys the
History of our community along with our future
access by generations to come.

One man, Carlos Gimenez, has done so much
damage.

Anonymous said...

Honestly -- what about the "freedom tower" across the street? Why build another museum - especially when the downtowners will revolt big time -- and they are becoming a powerful group - and professionals with money. Wise up Commissioners -- the Cuban museum can go somewhere else -- a downtown park - not.

Anonymous said...

God and Gimlet:

How long are you going to allow this biased tirade against Cubans? For shame!

Steve Cody said...

The Freedom Tower seems the perfect place to put a Cuban Museum. That way, we'd no new capital expenditures and the parcel that was promised as a park could finally be developed as such.

Geniusofdespair said...

What anti cuban tirade, get a thicker skin. I have been called a spaghetti head, I don't care. People saying we don't need another museum is perfectly fine. I don't need an italian museum by the way. I think any museum on this site would elicit the same reaction. It is that it is a building, not what is in the building that is making them so mad.

Anonymous said...

who needs libraries? people can just go to all the Cuban Museums taxpayers are funding to learn everything they need to know in this town

Anonymous said...

G.o. d.
Blogger above called Cubans "trash". You wouldn't allow that being posted about any other minority.

Anonymous said...

There is also a Cuban Museum in Hialeah Gardens. U of M in Coral Gables has a big Cuban history collection. There is a $10+ Mil Cuban Museum under construction (see above). And now the Herakd reports the Miami Dade College plans a Cuban Exile History exhibit at the Freedom Tower. Duh. By the way, the salesmen pushing the Cuban related business venture on a waterfront park admit they do not have two nickels to rub together.

Anonymous said...

Fact. A one acre site blocks away from Parcel B is selling for $125 MILLION. (Herald online July 15th, 2014.) Parcel B is over 3 acres. Parcel B has better views. Much better.

Anonymous said...

You know what the happens when the Mayor dissolves the investigation units? Your police reports will be assigned to under staffed detective units and your robbery or break-in investigation is going collect dust on a desk, because there aren't enough people or time to investigate and process a crime.

You wonder why police officer morale is in the toilet? They along with the civilian staff see whats happening to their careers. They will never be able to keep up with the influx the mayor's paperwork and they will be burnt out.

Not that dealing with a rising crime rate will not burn them out. You see, bad guys know when the police are under staffed and the baddies will be very busy running amuck to your and my dismay.

Anonymous said...

How could any sane society approve and fund another museum again and again for an island ninety miles from the shores?

We need incentives for an industry not welfare system for the nostalgic.

Anonymous said...

"We need incentives for an industry, not welfare for the nostalgic". Great line. Anyone see the 70 and 80 year old Cubans at County Hall? They were demanding that elected officials give their favored Cuban architect (salesman) a waterfront site worth $250 Million? No-bid contracts much? Who is looking out for the taxpayers?

Anonymous said...

This Mayor And the county commissioners who voted against funding like commissioner Sosa a former teacher don't like or understand or appreciate or use libraries. And they don't respect the 6 million people in our community who do use the library system. It's a national shame.
Intelligent people who care for these niceties like libraries will vote with their feet and leave. Enough if this nonsense.

Anonymous said...

This Mayor And the county commissioners who voted against funding like commissioner Sosa a former teacher don't like or understand or appreciate or use libraries. And they don't respect the 6 million people in our community who do use the library system. It's a national shame.
Intelligent people who care for these niceties like libraries will vote with their feet and leave. Enough of this nonsense.

Anonymous said...

County Commissioners are poised to give away $400 MILLION worth of taxpayer owned waterfront land (Parcel B) to a motley crew of connected insiders YET they can barely find a few scraps for libraries.

Anonymous said...

Miami Herald Editorial Board states Parcel B should be preserved. Herald mentions 4-5 other sites and organizations that offer or will offer research on the Cuban exile experience. Herald admits Miami needs more park space. More open and green park space.

Anonymous said...

Lead by Bovo, Diaz, Bell and Sosa 6 Cuban commissioners and Zapata and Dennis Moss just gave away Parcel B to a couple of well connected insiders. The Administration admitted the site was not considered surplus AND no RFP was demanded.

Anonymous said...

No RFP? No bidding? Commissioners just gave away $250 mil worth of land? Dopes or corrupt?