You either believe there is a role for government protecting the public good, or, you don't :... by gimleteye

An outstanding and sobering view of Houston's difficulties coping with three years in a row of 500 year floods. The New York Times report might have been exactly of Miami-Dade had Hurricane Irma or Maria delivered a direct blow.

For years, the local authorities turned a blind eye to runaway development.

The story of Harvey, Houston and the city’s difficult path forward is a quintessentially American tale. Time and again, America has bent the land to its will, imposing the doctrine of Manifest Destiny on nature’s most daunting obstacles.

Unfortunately, nature always gets the last word. Houston’s growth contributed to the misery Harvey unleashed. The very forces that pushed the city forward are threatening its way of life.

How many times do we have to say it? Probably until the King tides come up, then don't go back down. Then, the politicians who encouraged development in flood plains, in the historic Everglades, and at the mangrove shoreline will all disappear. They will be forgotten as other emergencies rise to the surface and other leaders are summoned to the stage.

I am Running for Office and Tax Reform Explained From A Math Challenged Person. By Geniusofdespair

I am thinking seriously of running for office.

I want to run against Democrat Nicholas Duran in State House District 112. I want to foil his campaign mainly because of his vote against Jose Javier Rodriguez.  Nick: When a Democrat finds themselves voting with Daphne Campbell they should stop and think about what they are doing.  Besides, I wouldn't even recognize the guy and he is my Representative.  I just need a good photo of myself and someone to manage my campaign for free and I will be ready to go. Oh, and I need a cool sounding PAC name. I would think the Republicans would help me on all those fronts.

 My platform: I like unions, no new taxes except on Rick Scott's house, yes to environmental protection, cupcakes (The good kind, not from Costco or Publix. There would be a choice of fluffy chocolate or pink strawberry with red wedding cake) at all my events, no to anything for big sugar and FPL. No to pumping your damn sea level rise water into Biscayne Bay or connected water-bodies. 

My first move would be no sales tax for buying kicks if you have Florida ID. Everyone needs good kicks. 

My slogan: Sea Level Rise Ain't for Sissies.

Need to know: Who is going to pay my airfare to Tallahassee? Oh, and I need someone to bake cupcakes.

Taxes:

I suppose I am not the right one to ask about tax reform but here it is.

I hear they are going to take away medical deductions. To most of us that is a big loss unless you are super healthy and don't pay for medical insurance.

They are going to take away the tax deduction you pay for State and City taxes. That is a big loss for people who live in New York City and suburban people who work in the Cities. They pay taxes to both the State and the City in addition to the Feds.

So what if they double the individual deduction, the elimination of the medical deduction, the State and City tax deduction, and the mortgage deduction -- in combination  -- is better for most people/families than the increase of the individual deductions.

Anyway, no matter what they do, I expect my taxes to go up with the tax overhaul. Yours might go down by a couple of $100 a year if you are really lucky. Trump's base probably does not pay taxes so he doesn't have to worry about it. 

Trump and his brand of ideology has to go ... by gimleteye

Voters, 2018 is around the corner. Punish the GOP at the ballot box for inflicting so much damage to democracy & American prestige.



For an eye opener on US abdication to China on the world stage, pick up Evan Osnos on Ezra Klein's podcast around min. 30


And... is this what Trump voters want? #unhinged "In the United States, the 400 richest individuals now own more wealth than the bottom 64 percent of the population and the three richest own more wealth than the bottom 50 percent, while pervasive poverty means one in five households have zero or negative net worth."

The New Mayor of The City of Miami: Francis Suarez. By Geniusofdespair

Francis Suarez with almost 86% percent of the vote becomes the Next Mayor of the City of Miami.

Francis gave a unifying speech to the crowd - Pregnant wife Gloria looks on. Francis said that we are all one City whether Republican, Democrat and Independent.  Success for all --- yadda, yadda --- He  also used his dad's H T Smith quote (see below)

Proud Dad, Miami Dade County Commissioner Xavier Suarez

Dad, Xavier gave Francis some advice as he embarks on his term as Mayor of Miami:

Make Miami and the world safe for democracy. Care for all particularly the least, the lost and the last, to quote H T Smith.

Stand firm to those who would have you compromise your principles.

And remember I’ve got your back and so do about 500,000 Miamians who find hope in your young shoulders, inspiration in your boundless optimism and strength in your amazingly inexhaustible energy.

Mom Rita?

County Commissioner Jean Monestime.

City Commissioner Keon Hardemon in cap.

The lovely Rebecca Wakefield, Chief of Staff of Ken Russell. Didn't see him.

Juan Cuba - Democratic Party Chief for Dade County. Love to diss Dems to him. Surprisingly, he still answers my calls. Such a nice lad.

Power Couple Maribel Baliban and Terry Murphy.

Lobbyists Brian May and Rodney Barretto taking selfies in the Lobby. They do love lobbies.

County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava Birthday Bash. By Geniusofdespair

Their combined Birthday is 124 Years! Rare footage of Daniella hitting the dance floor with Husband Rob.

Sean McCrackine, Chief Honcho in Daniella's office and Former State Senator Darryl Jones in rear.

Birthday Boy, Dr Rob Cava.

Activist and charming guy, Mo Abety. He is founding President and former CEO of the Children's Trust.

Daniella Levine Cava and Congressional Candidate Debbie Mucarsel (mu-car--sell) Powell

Former Miami New Times, now Pulitzer Prize winner Jake Bernstein on the Paradise Papers ... by gimleteye

Jake Bernstein makes the excellent point: Miami real estate values are soaring beyond the reach of ordinary citizens and voters because they are parking lots for offshore cash.

To extend the thought: voters are hostage to a financial system that mostly operates in the darkness. Our politics tacitly support and endorse the entrapment of individual hopes and dreams because, the perpetrators claim, it's "first amendment rights" or other feeble excuses.

The Paradise Papers point to a fact that most people know to be true: the global financial system is rigged. What most people don't do; connect the dots back to state legislators and federal elected officials who not only tolerate but in some cases benefit directly from the secrecy.

Please be sure, if you have charitable donations to make, to support independent journalism like that which produced the Paradise Papers.


Opinion | OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
New York Times
The Paradise Papers Hacking and the Consequences of Privacy
By JAKE BERNSTEIN NOV. 7, 2017

Last month, the international law firm Appleby announced it had been the victim of a hacking and that information on its clients was in the hands of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the news gathering organization that broke the story of the Panama Papers in April 2016.

On Sunday, material from that hacking became public. The Paradise Papers exposed the hidden financial dealings of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Queen Elizabeth and the athletic apparel company Nike, among many others. As revelations about tax-dodging airplane purchases and secret Russian ownership in tech companies came to light, Appleby declared that it takes its clients’ confidentiality seriously and billed itself as “not the subject of a leak but of a serious criminal act.”

Love my BMW I3 electric car ... by gimleteye

It’s less expensive than a Tesla. It’s not a Nissan Leaf or a Chevy Volt. The i3 is the in-between price BMW. It’s range isn’t long, but it has a 3 gallon backup to rescue you if stuck beyond a charger. So far, the car marries function and form better than any car I ever owned, and I was an early Prius adopter.

The tires are too small and narrow and the car too light for a luxury or extended highway ride, but for city streets and traffic, it is terrific.  The engineers built a great car, and one that incorporated sustainability through the choice of recycled materials in the interior to the energy sources that drive the factories where the car is built.

The home installation of an outdoor charging port (ChargePoint, I bought it on Amazon.) was a little tricky and expensive, but listen: by that point, I was all in. With the i3 you are not driving a compromise, you are driving the future. And with climate change, it can’t come soon enough. 

Paradise Papers ... here ... by gimleteye

Quartz online

Vice News:

And here: "The Paradise Papers Make Republican Tax Plan Look Insane".

British broadcast regulator OFCOM deals harsh blow to Murdoch empire, cites BIAS at Fox News and Fox & Friends ... by gimleteye

Cheery news to begin your Tuesday: the British broadcast regulator OXCOM sharply rebuked the Rupert Murdoch Fox News empire, specifically citing Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson for bias in programming.

The media regulator Ofcom has ruled that the Fox News programmes Hannity and Tucker Carlson Tonight breached impartiality rules covering British broadcasting.

The rulings relate to coverage of the Manchester Arena bombing in May and Donald Trump’s executive order in January that restricted travel to the US from seven majority-Muslim countries.

Investors interpreted the rulings as a setback for the Murdoch family’s hopes of taking full control of Sky, sending shares in the satellite broadcaster down 1.7% on Monday.

21st Century Fox, which is controlled by the Murdochs and owns Fox News, is trying to buy the 61% of Sky that it does not own in an £11.7bn deal. The deal is being investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority on the grounds of media plurality and commitment to broadcasting standards.

Why is this good news in the USA?

Because the point of view that our entire politics have been thrown into chaos by Fox needs validation. "Fair and balanced" makes a mockery of truth and fact.

Advertisers AND viewers should flee from Fox, whose attractions are based on exploiting human weaknesses, frailties, and appeals to ambulance-chasing, fear and division.

Fox will howl like a stuck pig. Just turn off Fox.

For readers with an attention span, try this from The Economist: "Once considered a boon to democracy, social media have started to look like its nemesis."

Sunday Photo with Music to View With It. By Geniusofdespair

The deep dive into Trump and Florida ... by gimleteye

Thanks to the reader who alerted me to Jay Mackenzie on Medium who self describes as a “watcher on the wall”. Would love to read the response to his work from the Republican insiders who read this blog.

https://medium.com/@JamesFourM?source=linkShare-b52ff61558a3-1509882120