Bay of Pigs Veterans...Is Natacha Seijas Mad At Them? By Geniusofdespair

On Their 2005, 990 Tax Return, The Bay of Pigs Museum and Library 2506 Brigade states they got $90,000 in Government contributions. It appears that most of their Government Grant money comes from County Commission Discretionary Funds so I don't quite understand why they paid Paul Crespo $21,500 to prepare grant applications and do fundraising.

They got $10,000 from District 7 (Gimenez), $25,000 from District 10 (Souto), $20,000 from District 12 (Pepe Diaz) and $20,000 from the Mayor for a total of $75,000 in 2006.

In 2004-2005 they got $15,000 from District 5 (Barreiro), $5,000 from Distrct 6 (Sosa), $10,000 from District 7 (Gimenez), $20,000 from District 10 (Souto), $10,000 from District 12 (Pepe Diaz), for a total of $60,000.

Curiously, Natacha Seijas is the only Hispanic on the Commission NOT giving these guys money. I wonder why. And, I still think these Discretionary Funds are a bad idea and a misuse of our tax dollars, unless they decide to give some to our blog. That might change my mind.

P.S. Just got the most recent CBO Discretionary Funds, Natacha gave them $10,000 and the chair gave them $10,000. So why is the chair getting two sets of funds to distribute, one as Commissioner and one as Chair? This is so wrong...really. During this election cycle $3,825,252 dollars have been distributed by the 15 of them (one is counted twice and I included the Mayor).

I just found the Bay of Pigs have a separate entry on the new Discretionary Fund Speadsheet I just got, they are listed also under: Brigada 2506 (CAD) and got more money under that name, over $10,000 from Souto!

The Skinny on the Boehner Budget: from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities ... by gimleteye

I trust The Center On Budget And Policy Priorities to whittle down the blather, rhetoric and demagoguing on the budget. Here is what Robert Greenstein had to say, yesterday:

CBPP Statement: Updated July 26, 2011
For Immediate Release
Statement: Robert Greenstein, President, on House Speaker Boehner’s New Budget Proposal
Robert Greenstein
The Center On Budget And Policy Priorities

House Speaker John Boehner’s new budget proposal would essentially require, as the price of raising the debt ceiling again early next year, a choice between deep cuts in the years immediately ahead in Social Security and Medicare benefits for current retirees, repeal of health reform’s coverage expansions, or wholesale evisceration of basic assistance programs for vulnerable Americans.

The plan is, thus, tantamount to a form of “class warfare.” If enacted, it could well produce the greatest increase in poverty and hardship produced by any law in modern U.S. history.
This may sound hyperbolic, but it is not. Both the mathematics and the politics are clear.
The Boehner plan calls for large cuts in discretionary programs of $1.2 trillion over the next ten years, and it then requires additional cuts that are large enough to produce another $1.8 trillion in savings to be enacted by the end of the year as a condition for raising the debt ceiling again at that time.

The Boehner plan envisions no tax increases, with its entire $1.8 trillion in additional deficit reduction coming from budget cuts. Speaker Boehner gave documents to House Republican caucus members stating that the $1.8 trillion would come from “entitlement reforms and savings” and that the plan “includes no tax hikes.” In addition, Speaker Boehner told radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh that Republicans appointed to the special committee that will craft the $1.8 trillion in savings won’t support tax increases and, in the unlikely event that that committee proposed a plan with tax increases, House Republicans would vote it down anyway.[1] A House GOP aide toldNational Review more bluntly: “We appoint members to the committee, and we’re not appointing any Republicans who will vote for tax hikes.” [2]

Gun Bounty Program: I’ve Got the Skinny on my Earlier Post Questions. By Geniusofdespair

Well what do you know, I got the info I was looking for in my earlier post today (read it), on Gun Bounty Funds. The offices of Mayor Alvarez and County Commission Chair Moss both responded and here it is for you - hot off the blog press. From Marie Bertot, Media Relations Manager, is some very good news about the results of the Gun Bounty Program so far:

"Please note the Gun Bounty Program is not tracked by district. The stats from June 1, 2007, through March 29, 2009 are as follows: Number of Guns recovered is 285 and the number of arrests made is 171."

That is 285 illegal guns off the street! I think those are pretty good stats. In response to Moss's $25,000 (also explained in the earlier post today) Ms. Bule from the Office of the Chair said:

"Regarding the Gun Bounty Program regarding Chairman/Commissioner Moss. After further discussion with my Chief of Staff, Mr. Bannerman, he discovered that you may be confusing the “Gun Bounty Program” with the “District 9 CRIMESTOPPERS Bounty Program”. Commissioner Moss did indeed allocate $25,000 from his discretionary funds toward the District 9 CRIMESTOPPERS Bounty Program which was a program connected to CRIMESTOPPERS “Unsolved Homicides” in District 9. After these homicides were not solved, the funds were returned to his discretionary funds. Only $1,000 were given to the Gun Bounty Program from Commissioner Moss’ discretionary funds to support the Mayor’s Gun Bounty Program."

If they had put "Crime Stopper" in the discretionary fund title, it might have been clearer, whatever, I now know what is going on. BTW, why weren't the crimes solved? Wouldn't the money be spent trying or was the money a reward that didn't have to be paid? I am so loaded with questions, I could drive them crazy. As much as I hate what these two did using the bed tax money for the Marlins stadium, I do think these crime preventative initiatives are good. I think addressing crime is always a good think and they should get some brownie points for that.

Even though I think Rebeca Sosa should not have voted for the stadium, and if I remember correctly, a couple of odious UDB line moves, I still do not include her with the unreformable majority. She is still reformable. Moss is not ALWAYS wrong and neither is the Mayor. You won't agree with them ALL the time. Be satisfied if you get some of what you want, because with the unreformable: You get zip.

Cuba Libre! Not the Drink --- But a place for your County tax dollars. By Youbetcha'

The Union for Cuba Libre is calling for an uprising against the tyranny in Cuba, which is a noble goal, but shouldn't they be doing it with the federal government’s policy people and not with our county tax dollars?

Cuba Libre is an organization, not a stylish beverage from the streets of Miami’s Little Havana. Reading the organization’s statement of purpose is little like listening to our beloved Commissioner Souto on a bad day. Mayor Alvarez must have understood something about this organization that is not readily apparent after all, he shelled out $5,000 of his 2008 discretionary fund to support the group’s endeavors.

Let’s ponder this one. Cut county support services to the community and give Union for Cuba Libre $5000.00. While we used to think that it was only the county commission doing bizarre things with county money, it turns out that Alvarez can do equally as well in the “waste of county dollars department.” (hit read more)

2008 was a huge election year. Alvarez and his fellow politicians wrote checks to people all over the county. Oops. Isn’t that an argument against discretionary funds? Nevertheless, I appreciate the need for discretionary funding; many times the money is used to do some great work in our community at a grass roots level. There is nothing to complain about when organizations are using the money to feed our hungry families.

However, I temper my enthusiasm for discretionary funding when county money goes to a politically based organization that has a very vague stated purpose. It may be a moot point, but Union for Cuba Libre, Inc. doesn’t show up in the state incorporation site, so we don’t even know who they are. The Cuba Libre website tries to lay their purpose out for us mere mortals; I don’t think it succeeds. Of course, something could be getting lost in the literal translation of the website, but somehow, I get the drift.

Alvarez did not need to give this group a $5000.00 for any other reason than it was an election year. The Union for Cuba Libre is calling for an uprising against the tyranny in Cuba, which is a noble goal, but shouldn't they be doing it with the federal government’s policy people and not with our county tax dollars?

Curley’s House of Style Has Your Tax Dollars! By Geniusofdespair

Curleys House of Style (I think they are also a beauty salon) is a non profit that distributes food, fliers, etc. to the needy. I know nothing about this non profit except that they asked for County Funds of $25,000 On June 10th at the Budget and Finance Committee meeting — the request came from Commissioner Audrey Edmonson, I believe it is from her discretionary fund account. I am all for helping people. I am not sure if I think the County should be administering funds to non profits in this time of budget crisis so I looked at Curley's House of Style's 990 tax returns for three years. They are on the County list of non profits that get funds. They did get County funds in 2006 and 2004-2005.

In 2006 they administered Program Services costing them $13,200 and the Management and General Funds to administer the services was $24,490. They claimed net assets of $772,587 at that time -- they took in $306,027 in 2006, part of that is county funds. I don’t know where they get other grants (maybe the County or City). In 2005 they claimed $150,000 in Contibutions/gift/grants. They administered $5,240 in Program Services and the Management and General Funds to administer the services was $18,750. They had net assets of $504,250 in 2005. In 2004 they administered Program Services costing them –0- and the Management and General Funds to administer the services was $30,800. They had net assets of $378,240. Based on 3 years, I don’t think their spending trend has changed in 2007 but who knows.

The problem I see here is: THERE IS NO PROBLEM. I HAVE RETRACTED THIS WHOLE POST. CURLEY'S IS A DESERVING CHARITY, THEY NEED MONEY. DISREGARD EVERYTHING I WROTE. THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY CASH LEFT OVER ACCORDING TO THEM IT IS MOSTLY IN KIND WHICH FOR SOME REASON GETS CARRIED OVER. THIS IS ONE BIG FAT MISTAKE ON MY PART TO QUESTION ANYTHING ABOUT CURLEY'S. THIS IS MY OFFICIAL RETRACTION.

Here is the agenda item for Curley’s request for $25,000 which was approved on June 10th:

WHEREAS, Curley’s is a grassroots 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in August 2001 with a mission to improve the quality of life for low to moderate income families, elderly, youth, the abused, and HIV/AIDS infected individuals; and
WHEREAS, Curley’s provides bulk food products to County residents who are in need; and
WHEREAS, since its incorporation in 2000, Curley’s has fed and clothed several thousand of the County’s neediest individuals and families. Approximately 1,000 clients are served weekly with the provision of bulk food products, informational flyers on diabetes and high blood pressure, as well as job availability and financial literacy seminars; and
WHEREAS, the organization is faced with serious food shortages, impeding its ability to provide food to the County’s residents who are in need; and
WHEREAS, an allocation of $25,000 from the unallocated General Fund Discretionary CBO Funding will enable Curley’s to continue to serve individuals and families throughout the County,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board approves the allocation of FY 2007-2008 unallocated General Fund Discretionary CBO funding as follows: a one-time allocation of $17,000 to Roots in the City, Inc. and an allocation of $25,000 to Curley’s House of Style, Inc.; and authorizes the Mayor or his designee to execute agreements and amendments to the agreements necessary to effectuate the allocations for and on behalf of Miami-Dade County.

The County Commission 101: District 4, Sally Heyman. By Geniusofdespair

I decided I would do brief bio’s of the County Commissioners, Eye On Miami style. Some of you might not know a lot about County Commissioners, but you should! So I will do every Commissioner and here is District 4 (also see District 3, District 2 and District 1 -- IT HAS BEEN UPDATED since first published).

Miami Dade County Commissioner Sally Heyman can vote the right way, in my view, most of the time. The photo above shows her getting an award from the Urban Environment League for her no votes on moving the Urban Development Boundary. She is pictured here with Commissioner Carlos Gimenez and Jeremy Glazer (representing Commissioner Katy Sorenson).

The one vote that truly disappointed me was on campaign financing:


Heyman sponsored a bill to raise campaign contribution limits from $250 to $500, and to allow corporations to make contributions (they had been barred). This was her most disappointing vote. You can try to reverse this Sally! There were a few others I didn’t like, one having to do with Carrie Meek, but for the most part her votes are better than at least 7 of the other Commissioner (we call these 7 the unreformable majority).

Her financials are not very interesting: Her net worth in 2003 was $303,696, in 2004 it was $342,793 and in 2005 she was worth $337,990. Her net worth in 2007 jumped to $573,500 due to an inheritance. She shows no other income except for the County's $47,977. She has 5 acres elsewhere in Florida which she valued at $40,000 in 2004 and also in 2007.

Her Discretionary Funds for 2007 showed $7,000 to the Aventura Marketing Council (Greenberg Traurig’s Clifford Schulman should be happy). $10,000 went to “I Have A Dream.” Another $10,000 went to the Miami Symphony Orchestra. She also gave $7,000 to DERM. Most of her discretionary money donations were under $10,000, $2,000 to $5,000 being the norm. The three previous Commissioners gave larger donations to single entities. Heyman has a better handle on the giving than the first three commissioners but I still hate the use of a couple of million of our tax dollars on these discretionary funds.

The Inspector General's "Random Audits" of Non Profits: There are none!! by Geniusofdespair

The County gives plenty of money (millions) to non profits each year from our hard earned tax dollars.

Non profits seeking Discretionary Reserve and Office funds from a County Commissioner must provide: A Federal Tax ID and a W9 form. That is it, and the name, address etc. I said to myself: "What, they have to be kidding." Then on the second page of the form I saw that it says that the non profits that the county gives money to, are subject to random audits by the Inspector General's Office. I said to myself. "Well that is good." Considering that there are over 800 non profits on the Discretionary Fund list, I was glad to see there is a check in place to make sure the non-profits are legit.

I wanted to see if there were any questionable charities on the list. I called the IG office and spoke to the Deputy Inspector General, Alan Solowitz. I said I wanted to do a public records request of all the audits that the IG office has done on non profits that the County has contributed money to (I didn't make it specific only to discretionary).

He said: "We have never done an audit of a non profit."

It is time for me to get on the county gravy train. I have a Federal Tax ID Number so all I have to do is think up a charitable sounding name, pay $150 to incorporate it and scurry over to County Hall with a sob story and talk about my "large membership" (which translates into votes at election time in a commissioner's eyes) and try to get some of that commissioner's $350,000 money pot.

TV Commentator Michael Putney on County Commissioner Discrectionary Funds. By Geniusofdespair

I hate to toot my own horn but I have been complaining about these funds since Nov. 18, 2006 and in multiple posts thereafter! Putney wrote about it today in an op ed (Get rid of officials' slush funds) almost 3 years later. And, I did call the Inspector General's office Michael Putney. They said they NEVER did an audit on any of these Discretionary Fund recipients. And, you miss one point: Why can't we give to most of the charities ourselves? Why do we need Commissioners to give OUR MONEY and get all the accolades? I am glad to see that Gimenez has softened his position and that Sorenson is open to change. According to Putney:

Katy Sorenson, who says she'd be willing to forgo the current discretionary spending arrangement in favor of a regular budget process in which the commission collectively allocated the money.

Gimenez says that he would consider it, too. They're on the right track.

Putney says:

Altogether, Miami-Dade commissioners give away almost $9.5 million annually, according to Miami Herald reporters Matt Haggman and Jack Dolan. The money comes from a variety of sources -- the majority from federal Community Development Block Grants -- but in the end it all comes from taxpayers. Most winds up in the pockets of small business people who need a little financial boost or with nonprofit, charitable and community-based organizations that provide generally worthwhile programs and services.

But some unknown part of the money winds up in the hands of people whose principal qualification is simply knowing their county commissioner. Or perhaps it's the commissioner who wants to get to know his constituents and throws a little party for them, courtesy of his District Discretionary Fund. For example, ''Pepe's Summer Blast,'' thrown by Commissioner Jose ''Pepe'' Diaz at the bargain price of $10,850.

Confessions of a Man Who Ran. Guest Blog By Whilly Bermudez

Whilly Bermudez is a rare breed: He challenged a County Commissioner and even got the Miami Herald Endorsement. Of course, he lost but he had guts to run. I checked in to see what Whilly is up to now...

Thanks for giving me an opportunity to express my views as a resident, not a political candidate, on the election process.

Let me start with some background information. It wasn't until my first experience running for office last year that I learned first hand about campaigning and its seedy side. I challenged Commissioner Joe Martinez and I learned that corruption exists at all levels in a campaign. Every where I went, every hiding place and rabbit hole, I could find almost NO one that liked, sympathized with or shared the views of Joe Martinez. But money talks...volumes! His $350,000 (and about $300,000 in Discretionary funds) insured his victory. My $15,000 was no match. Try fund-raising against an incumbent who donors fear or can control. (hit read more)

In the end, The voters were not aware of Joe's ethically challenged behavior and his devotion to special interests -- particularly developers. Now voters can see an example of his egotistical splurge of tax-payer money - a rockstar type mobile home with his name is huge letters plastered on it. I’m talking about the type that the Jonas Brothers use for their national tour. Yes, our money used for self-promotion. Too bad this mobile monster wasn’t around when he was running against me, I would have had a better shot. Enough about Martinez, except I hope the rumors aren’t true, that he will run for Mayor.

I wonder how the election process became, the best fundraiser wins? This is now the measure of success: Money. Unfortunately, he or she who promises to serve special interests will win the fund raising game. Special Interests are where the money is. Those organizations or individuals will shell out any amount of money in order to keep that specific candidate who they know will grant them favors.

There's no question why incumbents are virtually impossible to defeat. They have bucks from special interests and discretionary funds - a winning combination. There are little restrictions on discretionary funds. How these officials use these funds is where the lack of ethics begin. For example, some donate funds to local churches so that those pastors can get them votes in return when election time comes around.

One more no brainer, we also need term limits for Miami Dade County Commissioners. I think that good government rests on the shoulders of term limits. Additionally when we vote for someone it should not be based on how many mailers we receive at our home, or how many signs, commercials, or propaganda we see. To get good people in office citizens should do research and even invite a candidate to a homeowners meeting for a face-to-face. I know that I was always willing to meet any resident at any time even one-on-one. If a candidate is not willing to visit to discuss any issues - they are not worthy of your vote.

In the next election, WE CAN DO BETTER. Vote for new blood, new faces, and new ideas. Don't help incumbents turn your district into their personal career.

Obscene Amounts of Money in Miami Dade County Commission Races. By Geniusofdespair

Money Spent in 3 of the 6 2006 Miami Dade County Commission Races (taken off Dept. of Elections Website):

Heyman
Total Collected $394,596.23
Discretionary funds spent: $466,140* ($166,140 carried over from previous year) Heyman spent the most of any other commissioner

Souto
Total Total Collected $366,450.00
Discretionary funds spent: $308,480*

Rolle
Total Collected $408,060.00
Discretionary funds spent: $292,600*

When you consider this is the money raised to get you a $6,000 a year job...you have to wonder what is really going on.

I think the job is desirable for one thing (I am not considering anyone is dishonest at this moment): so these people can satisfy their power lust – they need ego strokes. I suspect most commissioners get a thrill out of developers and lobbyists puffing up their egos. Although the lobbyist/developer crew appear to grovel at Commissioner’s feet, the Commissioners never realize that these same puppet masters laugh at them behind their backs and brag to people, like me, that they can walk into any Commission office unannounced (We normal people either can't get access EVER or must wait weeks for an appointment for most of them and then half the time, just their staff keeps the appointment).

*Commissioners get $300,000 a year each to dole out to non-profits such as PTA's, Community Associations, Seniors Groups, etc. That can buy a lot of favor (which translates into votes)!

Commissioners Giving our Tax Dollars to Non-Profits: Bad Idea. By Geniusofdespair

In 2006 Vile Natacha Seijas gave $40,000 from her 2006 Discretionary Account to the Hialeah Chamber of Commerce and Industries for Programmatic Support and $30,000 in the previous cycle. They do NOT have a non-profit in that name in State Corporate Records but this one is close: It is called Hialeah Chamber of Commerce Industry Foundation, Inc. which I assume is where the money actually went. The only 990 Tax return available was from 2001 for this foundation, received Dec. 27, 2002 by the IRS. The only support they had that year was, coincidentally, for $40,000. I am going to assume it is from Natacha, but I could be wrong as I don't have the Discretionary records for that year. At that time and now, Herman Echevarria was/is President of this Foundation.

According to IRS records this group is related to the Latin Chamber of Commerce, Inc.

What program did they support with the $40,000? Actually, I don’t really know. Look at the graphic at top (hit on it to enlarge it) and you tell me what they did with the money because this is what they submitted to the IRS, telling them what they did with it.

Again I ask: Why are we letting our useless County Commissioners give these non-profits our hard earned tax dollars? Give us this money back and let us do our own giving! Or, at the very least George Burgess, make the non-profits submit a few years of 990's.

Miami Dade County District 9’s Crime Watch Bounty Program. By Geniusofdespair

Commission Chair Moss, gave $25,000 of his 2007 discretionary funds (our tax dollars) to the District 9 Crime Watch Bounty Program. Why only District 9? I guessed it was a gun buy-back. Most of the other commissioner’s direct-to-district contributions are for a couple of thousand dollars. This is the only one that was substantial, that is why I was curious.

I called the City of Miami Gardens to find out what they spend on their Gun Bounty Program and have decided that Moss's expenditure is to a good program, not just a buy-back, and here is why:

Miami Gardens told me in the buy-back gun program, where a person gets about $100 for a gun, the police get broken down guns and some that have been stored in an attic, in other words, doing no harm. The Gun Bounty Program is different. After a crime, the Miami Gardens Police force (the county's newest police force - about a year) gives out cards saying if you report an illegal gun (it will be kept confidential) you get a $1,000 reward when the police arrest the gun owner. They said no one standing around a crime scene is ever a witness (scared?). Since they started the program, about 5 months old, they already snagged about half dozen guns.

This is getting guns that are actually used in crimes off the streets. Miami Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez launched the County Gun Bounty Program in May of 2007. I called Moss's two offices to see why he targeted his discretionary funds for this program to one district (as opposed to the entire county). The women I spoke to at the district office and the downtown office didn't know his motives and they said Moss is out of town. Are there not enough funds in the county budget or is this how the program is funded, by district? I called the Mayor's office to see how successful the program is in the county, asked for statistics and budget, they said they would get back to me. So I will report again on this...if anyone ever gets back to me.

Yes, it is probably splitting hairs but this sort of thing, when you can't get a straight answer at the County, annoys me. Miami Gardens was easy in comparison. The info was at their fingertips.

The Miami Herald on County Commission Discretionary Funds. By Geniusofdespair

I have written about this subject for a very long time here is one example. The Miami Herald's Matt Haggman wrote today that discretionary funds are being used to gain votes. Duh. We could save $9.5 million doing away with these funds. You forgot one thing Matt. The recipients are NEVER audited. We don't know a hill of beans about some of them. I looked up Wounded Healers' 990 tax return for the calendar year 2006. There were no numbers on the return. None! It was filed but everything was “0” or “NA”. Not to worry, County Commission District 7 gave them $13,000 of our tax dollars in 2007 so I guess they are back in business.

Read this Haggman article in the Herald all you transit tax supporters.

And, don't miss the Ghost Town article in the Herald that Gimleteye linked to above. It is really good. However, I reported on my own Ghost Town in Florida City March 1st! That is BEFORE the AP story Gimleteye!! I have extensive photos in this post (see left for an example). I guess Eye on Miami knows where the stories are. There appeared to be two homeowners living in the abandoned looking Tower View Villa's. And Miami Dade helped with funding to get people into this loser development to boot! They waste our money and then can't come up with money in the budget for transit. I think it is a crock.

County Commissioners: Buying Votes? by Geniusofdespair

County Commissioners creatively disburse their discretionary money when it comes time for reelection. The odd number district Commissioners are running. This is not illegal, just interesting to note what they do as election time nears. These two are on the Agenda today:

RESOLUTION APPROVING THE ALLOCATION OF FY 2007-2008 DISTRICT DISCRETIONARY RESERVE FUNDS OF:

DISTRICT 13 (Natacha Seijas)
St. Thomas University $10,000.00, North Twin Lakes Elementary School 2,500.00, American Senior High School $30,000.00, Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School 3,000.00, Meadowlane Elementary School $5,000.00, North Hialeah Elementary School $1,000.00, Palm Springs Elementary School $5,000.00.

DISTRICT 11 (Joe Martinez)
$1,000.00 to the Black Affairs Advisory Board - Pillar Awards, $500.00 to Victim Response Inc. - The Lodge, $13,000.00 to Little Havana's Activities and Nutrition Center - Meals on Wheels in District 11, $10,000.00 to the South Florida SPCA Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Inc., $15,000.00 to West Dade Community Services, $1,000.00 to Adams & Adams P.A. Trust Account - Samantha & Brandon Navarro (Officer Maggie Navarro), and $1,300.00 to West Kendall Baptist Church.

Mayor Gimenez wants to end County Commissioners' excess funds. By Geniusofdespair

Mayor Gimenez wants to stop County Commissioners from carrying over the excess funds in their office budgets. They have a few million in their slush pot now. It was worse a few years ago. They each had an additional $300,000 plus besides their "office budget" of over three quarters of a million each. The office monies comes out to about $10 million dollars of our hard-earned tax dollars. Commissioner Heyman has about $800,000 she is carrying over. In other words, she didn't NEED that much to run her office but she has it saved up anyway. Gimenez is not a miracle worker so I don't expect any changes to this policy but we can hope. Joe Martinez, the Commission Chair, might make believe he supports it because he wants to be mayor. The Miami Herald says:

“The practice of discretionary funding, it needs to stop,” Gimenez said. “You can fund services through a normal budget process.”

Two years ago, a Palm Beach County grand jury — charged with addressing a “crisis of trust in public governance” after a string of public corruption convictions — called for a slate of reforms. Topping the list: ending county commissioners’ discretionary funds.

The report said most of the money went to laudable efforts, including worthwhile community groups and nonprofits, but the process of commissioners individually handing out the funds smacked of unseemly political patronage that “at a minimum, politicized the manner of funding” and created a negative effect “in both fact and perception.”

GOP Hard Drive Damaged: And your next Speaker of the House is ... Paul Ryan? ... by gimleteye

Well, what about the next Speaker of the House of Representatives, second in line to the presidency? It could be Daniel Webster, the Republican Congressman from North Florida whose district disappeared yesterday! thanks to GOP gerrymandering judged to be illegal by the Florida Supreme Court. On the other hand, as the website OpenSecrets details, Congressman Webster lacks the political money-raising clout of, say, Congressman Paul Ryan.

And what about Ryan, whose penchant for the political limelight resembles a moth circling a flame? Yesterday, gaggles of cameras reversed roles, chasing the congressman who is off for a week back in Wisconsin to "consult with his family" about taking the job. He most certainly will.

Ryan emerged to the national stage as the young, telegenic second fiddle to Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP candidate for president who really did lose to Barack Obama. Back then, Salon published "Five crazy things Paul Ryan actually believes". The highlight:

If Grover Norquist — he of the immortal “bathtub” quote — were going to take a male lover, it would be Paul Ryan. When the CBO projected the impact of Ryan’s Republican budget proposal’s over the next four decades, it found that government would be cut to its smallest level since 1950. According to an analysis by the Washington Post, Ryan would cut 40 percent from transportation, 40 percent from education and training, 30 percent from “income security” programs for the poor. As Derek Thompson pointed out in the Atlantic, if you project forward Ryan’s defense spending plans, he would cut 91 percent from all other non-discretionary spending. No, that is not a typo.

In other words, Ryan is the perfect serum to the radical right that poisoned the GOP and now wonders why so many, many Americans consider the party to be toxic to the future of this great nation. That is, unless cooler heads prevail and a candidate emerges who could also garner enough votes from Democrats to prevail in a majority vote for the next Speaker.

That outcome is improbable because any Republican with a cooler head in Congress has already been decapitated by the radical right. The sheep cower in a corner of a meadow. The wolves herd them with practiced skill.

Who bears responsibility for the chaos engulfing the GOP?

Look no further than the cast of characters who populate the stage to be the next Republican candidate for president. These won support by embracing the notion that to save government, government is the enemy. If they can't do it quickly from the outside, they have done it from within by hobbling missions of agencies; starving budgets, cutting science in favor of ideology, putting lobbyists for industry in the middle ranks where they can do the most harm, far from the prying view of reporters or TV cameras.

Government doesn't work because it is designed to fail. That is the GOP's significant achievement of the last 30 years.

The biblical admonition, "whatever a man soweth, that shall he reap", applies. So the GOP's hard drive is damaged; the massing components on the jumbotron screen hooked to the GOP by optical cable are jumbled and tie back to corrupted files, speeches, and ideas emptied of meaning except apparently to voters in red states like South Carolina, praying to God to stop the flooding even though their representatives in Congress voted against national flood insurance because the only right thing to do with government is shrink it to the size it can fit in a bathtub and be drowned.


In the vice-presidential candidate's bizarro universe, some rapes are worse than others and abortions are never OK
SALLY KOHN, SALON
THURSDAY, OCT 11, 2012

While Mitt Romney’s defining quality seems to be his inability to define any consistent viewpoints on the driving issues of the day, Paul Ryan is running on a pretty clear and consistent record. And unlike Romney, who changes his stance according to his audience, Paul Ryan has clung to extremely unpopular ideas even in the face of public backlash.

Miami Herald, on the permanent incumbency... by gimleteye

I'm still hoping that Mike Pizzi, city councilman for Miami Lakes, will run against Natacha Seijas-- if only to reveal for Hialeah voters the real motives and machinery behind the unreformable majority of the county commission.

As G.O.D. notes below (and as eyeonmiami has blogged about repeatedly), Miami-Dade county government is stuck in hardened cement. Nothing can change. A permanent incumbent majority will not reform itself, will not abide by the recommendations of the Charter Review Commission, and is interested only in its own power. (The comments by sitting commissioners, that their individual discretionary funds -- each more than $300,000-- do not serve political purposes was nothing short of laughable.)

I hope that the Herald is as tough in its editorial endorsement/recommendations for political office, in the Fall, as it is on the front page today.

The emerging theme on this blog, and from our readers, is that the only possible reform is doing away with the county commission altogether. How could that be accomplished? How would basic services be provided? You tell me.

High on the Barf-o-Meter: Dorrin Rolle Gets an Award Sept. 12th as a “Pillar” of the Black Community. By Geniusofdespair

Miami Dade County Commissioner Rolle was selected to get a Pillar’s Award for “Public Service” for 2008. He was selected by the Black Affairs Advisory Board’s Heritage Planning Committee. He will be formally recognized at the Eighth Annual Pillars Awards Dinner. If you want to go, tickets are $60 per person and sponsorship packages are available.

I was thinking they were hard up for someone in that category but then I saw who makes up the group: County Employees! “The group is comprised of volunteer Miami-Dade County employees who plan and implement activities that highlight the rich cultural contributions of the African Diaspora.” The Black Affairs Advisory Board Trust Fund got $12,100 from Commissioners’ Discretionary funds in 2006-07 (none from Rolle, maybe he was anticipating the award).

So it seems they are just giving an award to “one of their bosses.”

Florida Water Woes, Continued ... News From Bullsugar.org

Algae reached Islamorada this week.
Yesterday, during the height of tourist season, a large algae bloom appeared, lapping the docks at Worldwide Sportsman in Islamorada. Worldwide is part of Bass Pro Shops, the largest retail fishing company in the world; thousands of visitors are going to see this. Earlier today Keys fishing guides took a day off work to spell the word 'HELP' with their flats skiffs in the affected area.

Is Tallahassee paying attention? Maybe. Also yesterday, dozens of people from South Florida — doctors, fishing guides, boat builders, realtors — traveled north to speak before the Florida Senate Appropriations committee in favor of SB10, the bill that will create a dynamic reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee, to send clean freshwater to Florida Bay and ease the cycles that trigger algae blooms. The bill passed committee, and heads to the senate floor next.

SB10 calls for expediting a critical project in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) called "Component G," signed into law in 2000 by Jeb Bush and Bill Clinton. For 17 years, Component G has called for a 360,000 acre foot (120 billion gallon) reservoir in the EAA so that water from Lake Okeechobee is cleaned and sent south, instead of shunted east and west. The algae blooming in Islamorada today, like the toxic algae crisis in Stuart last summer, are grim reminders that we need this solution badly. That is the premise of the Now or Neverglades Declaration and the impetus for SB10.

SB10 is Senate President Joe Negron’s priority because he calls Stuart home. He knows firsthand how urgent — and preventable — this crisis is. Despite enormous pressure from the sugar industry, he has mustered the political courage to elevate this issue to the point that a real solution is in sight, and for that we are very grateful.

Unfortunately, the sugar industry has responded against SB10 with even more opposition than anyone thought possible, with over 100 lobbyists pressuring every lawmaker in Tallahassee. The day before the Appropriations hearing, the bill was changed to shrink the size of the EAA reservoir to 240,000 acre feet (80 billion gallons), with a possibility but no assurance of reaching the 360,000 acre feet called for by CERP. Did the science behind Everglades restoration change last week? If so, we weren't told about it.

We don’t want to inconvenience the sugar industry any more than necessary to stop the destruction of the St Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries. We certainly don’t want to derail this bill, which has taken so much effort and courage on the part of so many. But slashing the size of the reservoir at the 11th hour by 34 percent? C’mon. We know that the brunt of this short-change will fall on the people of Fort Myers and Stuart, and that’s already been happening for far too long. But we've also learned that in times of drought, Everglades National Park and the Keys are in the crosshairs. Stuart’s problem is Islamorada's problem too, and the solution is storing, treating, and sending *enough* clean freshwater south to keep all three estuaries in balance.

As Joe Negron said in January, “We have a right to live in this community and in southwest Florida without having our beaches and our rivers destroyed.” That goes for the Keys and Everglades National Park too. This may be our last chance to send water south, so let’s not blow it. But this may also be our last chance to build a system that solves the whole problem, so let’s not shortchange it, either. Fix it the way CERP calls for, with a 360,000 acre foot dynamic reservoir.

Thank you, Patagonia!

Patagonia became a force in the conservation of wild and beautiful places by supporting local groups with genuine passion and ambitious goals. This week the company announced generous support for Bullsugar, joining us to a legacy of world-changing grassroots movements. We’re humbled and grateful, especially for the Patagonia outfitters around Florida that lobbied to fund Bullsugar.

Thirteen Patagonia dealers from every corner of the state joined together to contribute their discretionary grant allocations to Bullsugar, to help us promote the Now Or Neverglades Declaration, undam the River of Grass, and restore three estuaries that represent some of the richest fisheries on Earth. There’s a solution in sight, and we’re honored to get Patagonia’s help to implement it. Click here to see the participating outfitters.

-Chris
Bullsugar.org
http://www.bullsugar.org/P.S. We need your help. Bullsugar and the Now Or Neverglades Declaration are making a real difference. If you can, please click here to make a donation for Florida's clean water future.

Private Foundation “Wounded Healers” Got $13,000 from District 7 Discretionary Funds with a Numberless Tax Return! By Geniusofdespair

I looked up Wounded Healers' 990 tax return for the calendar year 2006. There were no numbers on the return. None! It was filed but everything was “0” or “NA”. Not to worry, County Commission District 7 gave them $13,000 of our tax dollars in 2007 so I guess they are back in business. They are a nonexempt Charitable Trust.

We need to stop these funds or at least require 990’s for these non-profits to get money.