During the Debate Sunday, Raquel Regalado said she would NOT vote for Donald Trump. By Geniusofdespair

Perhaps the Miami Herald DID NOT make it clear enough in its report yesterday as last night at dinner I was asked about Raquel Regalado voting for Trump.

Raquel Regalado said she would NOT vote for Donald Trump. When pressed further on who she would vote for by Jim DeFede Raquel Regalado said I do not think it is appropriate for the Mayor of Miami Dade County to endorse a candidate as they might be seeking Federal support, she spoke about the Dreamers as an example.

A big chunk of her support is with the older Cubans in Miami Dade County. How much further did anyone expect her to go? The fact that she said she is NOT voting for Trump is good enough to surmise who she will be voting for. After all, there are only 2 candidates. Carlos Gimenez said he would vote for Clinton. He has little support from older Cubans and has nothing to lose and everything to gain with his base.

It Broke My Heart: I Did NOT Vote for Debbie Wasserman Schultz because of Big Sugar Donations. By Geniusofdespair

I voted for Tim Canova in the U.S. Rep race instead of Debbie Wasserman Schultz. I think Debbie did better in the Defede debate but he did not ask her about the massive funds she has taken from big sugar over the years. If she had returned the money from them this year, I would have voted for her.

I said before that voting on one issue is stupid but that sometimes one issue is a deal-breaker.

For me, the sugar money is a deal-breaker. I wish Defede had asked an environmental question. I know my vote will turn out to be a protest vote but I just had to send a message. Canova cares about our environment. Debbie Wasserman Schultz  just doesn't care enough about Florida's environment.

Conservatives declare war on Big Sugar, and the result might be different this time ... by gimleteye

Progressive critics of the conservative right have always found solid ground by calling out the hypocrisy of free-market zealots who nonetheless tolerate government subsidies for big campaign contributors like Big Sugar.

It is a peculiar characteristic of GOP voters that they support free market principles with religious ferocity yet elect politicians who prop up crony capitalism in its worst form: government subsidies for agricultural producers like Florida's sugar industry that raise consumer costs for food across the board.

For a very long time, Florida Republicans and Democrats have taken their cue from Big Sugar and campaign cash liberally sprinkled in their direction by the Fanjul billionaires and other Big Sugar players. Irrespective of which party controls Congress, the sugar subsidy has been sacrosanct. According to a recent report in the Washington Post, that may no longer be true.

Big Sugar built its impregnable political fortress and wealth by allying its price support with farm policy benefits afforded to corn farmers in the midwest. In doing so, Florida sugar growers benefited from a block in the House and Senate that could not be budged; neither by the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal, nor by the Competitive Enterprise Institute nor even the ultra conservative Club for Growth.

While other crop subsidies have withered, Washington’s taste for sugar has been constant. The sugar program, which has existed in various forms since the 1930s, uses an elaborate system of import quotas, price floors and taxpayer-backed loans to prop up domestic growers, which number fewer than 4,500.

Sugar’s protected status is largely explained by the sophistication and clout of a small but wealthy interest group that includes beet farmers in the Upper Midwest, cane growers in the South and the politically connected Fanjul family of Florida, who control a substantial part of the world sugar market. That mix of factors has led to an eclectic coalition on sugar’s side, from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.).

The Post suggests that eliminating the hypocrisy embedded in GOP support for corporate welfare is now a high priority for powerful conservatives and political operatives.

“Defeating the sugar lobby is the next campaign after Ex-Im,” Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform said late Tuesday night. “Both are cronyism in its undiluted, inexcusable majesty. Both have survived because they perfected the skills to control Congress for their own profit. If they go down, no political subsidy will be safe. The implication of these wins is bigger than the ban on earmarks.”

It is not the first time that prominent conservatives have publicly railed against the sugar subsidy, but if midwestern corn growers are joining the fight to de-couple from other sugar growers -- to break up the Big Sugar cartel's privileges in federal farm policy -- that would be a novel turn of events.

Big Sugar is a key player in the shadow government that has turned both the GOP and Democrats into pawns for an industry that poisons people, through sugar's massive impacts on public health, poisons democracy, through sugar's phantom operations on elections, and poisons the Everglades.

On the Big Sugar front, Florida environmentalists welcome Grover Norquist and the Club for Growth: "Enough is Enough!" One would think this a story big enough to warrant just the smallest nod by the Miami Herald, by WLRN and WPBT, and television news in Florida.


Exclusive: Corn refiners declare war on sugar, conservative groups jump onboard
WASHINGTON POST
By Tom Hamburger and James Hohmann June 24 at 6:00 AM

For decades, it’s been an unspoken rule among Washington’s agricultural lobbyists: advocates for one crop do not attack other crops, so that everyone’s benefits can be protected.

But a leading member of the traditionally united community plans to do just that: the Corn Refiners Association is about to invest heavily in an effort to unwind the lucrative breaks afforded to sugar, which are among the most generous in U.S. agriculture.

The Corn Refiners, representing companies that produce high-fructose corn syrup, just hired 10 outside lobbyists for an aggressive, unorthodox attack on the federal sugar program just a year after a new farm bill was signed into law. Their first target is the agriculture appropriations bill, now moving through a House committee.

The Jim Defede interview: Daniella Levine Cava and Lynda Bell … by gimleteye

Jim Defede did a solid interview -- which may be the only face-to-face on TV -- between the two candidates for Miami-Dade county commission District 8; incumbent Lynda Bell and challenger Daniella Levine Cava. You can view the debate, here:


Lynda Bell has the political moves, down. The only sign of nerves; reflexively swallowing before calling Daniella Levine Cava a liar repeatedly. Lynda looks like she's channeling Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann. Daniella, a first time candidate for public office, did well enough to register her key point: it is long past due, to restore public trust in government and that she has the background and credibility to do that.

That said, the time compression of the half hour format is debilitating. With an hour, it might be possible to penetrate the smooth talking points. Although Defede expertly handled the problem of time compression/ clarity, his task was clearly to keep things moving, checking one box after another on his script. As a practiced politician in front of a camera, Bell had an advantage: just call your challenger a liar repeatedly and maybe that's the point that will stick in voters' minds. For a newcomer, it is hard getting used to how to make one's points to the shallow convex lens of a TV camera.

Defede was correct: Lynda Bell is in a battle for her political life. In terms of knowing how to make a point to a TV camera, it is interesting that the politician Bell most resembles is former county commissioner Natacha Seijas, who has taken Levine Cava's side of this contest. Like this blog, Defede's program was watched most closely by the handicappers.

Right now this race is about the ground game; absentee voters and getting-out-the-vote. Less than three weeks to go …

Jim DeFede: Bear Cut Bridge Fix: Not the way to go? By Geniusofdespair

Really good video. If you don't see it here is the link to this investigative report by Channel 4. Sounds like the $31 Million quick fix is not the way to go. Watch this video. Both County Commissioners Zapata and Suarez are troubled by the county fix. I predict that this will be back before the County Commission thanks to the DeFede report.

Jim Defede Asks Hard Questions on Dolphins Corporate Welfare. By Geniusofdespair

Loved Facing South Florida's Jim DeFede interview this morning with Mike Dee from the Marlin's (well that is embarrassing, what was I thinking?) and Rodney Barreto (lobbyist and Superbowl Committee shill) . This video is just of one question Jim DeFede asked -  about why only Miami Dade County would be contributing toward the Dolphin stadium upgrades and not Broward.  What a lame answer. Dee said he would REQUEST that all the activities that were in Broward last Superbowl be centered in Miami Dade County.  Sounds like bullshit to me "REQUEST". We pay and Broward benefits. All the arguments were lame. DeFede hammered Dee on why the team owner isn't supporting a referendum. Out of time he says, DeFede didn't let up.

DeFede also has a clip with Norman Braman giving his argument against the rquested tax financing. He made some good points, one billionaire to another.

After watching the show and hearing that Marlins Spokesman Mike Dee say they wanted taxpayer money to do upgrades to the stadium's lighting, etc. I began to think about poor Macy's. Why should they have to pay to fix their lighting, their elevators etc.  They benefit the community.  What would the County Commission do if Macy's held Miami hostage and said they would leave the community if we didn't pay for their upgrades? Where does it stop?

The whole show is a half hour. Jim DeFede is hard hitting. Watch the WHOLE show.

CBS TV Reporter Jim DeFede Looks at Julio Robaina's Record. By Geniusofdespair

Jim DeFede decided to check Mayoral Candidate Julio Robaina's rhetoric while campaigning against the facts. They didn't match up. DeFede reported Julio touts his successful record in the city of Hialeah but others beg to differ:

“...he’s destroyed the city,” said Barbara Hernandez, president of union representing a majority of Hialeah’s 1,600 employees. “I believe he acted out of malice toward the residents and its employees.”

Have You Contributed to the Vile Natacha Seijas Recall Yet? By Geniusofdespair

Come on people fork over some dollars for good government. This video is from the LAST recall effort of Seijas. It is a Jim DeFede classic, if you don't see video, this is the link.

Hialeah Julio (Robaina) Gets the Microscope Over at Channel 4 and Miami New Times. By Geniusofdespair

Channel 4 says Hialeah Julio:

"...is being investigated for alleged acts of loan sharking, mortgage fraud and tax evasion, CBS4 News has learned. The investigation, confirmed by three law enforcement sources with direct knowledge of the ongoing federal probe, stems from allegations made against Robaina by Luis Felipe Perez, who plead guilty last year to operating a $45 million Ponzi scheme."

Watch the DeFede, CBS 4 video on Robaina -- it is bad for this wannabe Miami Dade County Mayor.

Lest we forget, on another front, Franscisco Alvardo goes into some of Hialeah Julio's questionable business dealings in the past, saying:

The department's investigation determined Robaina had committed ten violations of Florida's administrative code, including dishonest dealing, failing to maintain trust funds, and failing to comply with a subpoena. On July 18, 1994, Robaina signed a stipulation agreement that required him to pay a $2,000 fine.

A tale of two mayors: Miami Dade Carlos Alvarez and City of Miami Manny Diaz ... by gimleteye

Jim DeFede, reporting for Channel 4 television, also writes a noteworthy column.

"I finally understood how far Alvarez had fallen when I read Myriam Marquez's column (in the Miami Herald) extolling the greatness of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, whose term in office, she said was "heading toward a strong finish." In the same column she derided Alvarez as "not living up to his promise as a reformer." It was a column about a good mayor and a bad mayor and in Myriam's view Manny Diaz is the good mayor. Manny Diaz – the good mayor? Excuse me a second but while typing that last sentence I threw up a little bit."

DeFede's "Anger Rules the Day in Miami-Dade" is a must read and reminds me how much Miami Herald readers lost when he was forced out of the paper. He doesn't give Alvarez a free-pass: far from it. But he does enumerate why public anger is more appropriately focused on the serious problems in the tenure of Manny Diaz as City of Miami Mayor. That politics is a mess in Miami-- and poorly understood by observers like Marquez-- is no surprise: they were a mess before the economic crash and the crash has only magnified them. But failing to clearly see those political faults BEFORE the crash-- by the mainstream press in general-- has only magnified the blurry images as the crash intensified. There is a lot more to report, why anger rules the day in Miami-Dade. That anger is not going away, any time soon. How that anger is being harnessed by the same forces that unleashed it is well worth consideration by journalists and voters.

Jim DeFede takes on U.S. Senator's Law Firm. By Geniusofdespair

DeFede says that Florida Senator George LeMieux's law firm, Gunster Yoakley, arranged for visa's for foreign sheet metal workers to work in Sunny Isles because they possessed "special skills". Not so say construction workers on the job site. See the video which includeds a room full of angry out of work construction workers. George can't say he didn't know what his law firm was doing, he is on the Corporate papers as a director. That shoots Rep. Illeanna Ros-Lehtinen's defense of him full of holes.

Gonzolo Sanabria wants to be elected commissioner in a municipality where he never cared enough to vote ... by gimleteye

News that Gonzalo Sanabria was running for Coral Gables City Commission summoned memories of meetings of the county planning advisory board where Sanabria served as the pro-development vote collector for many years. As a citizen who attended many Planning Advisory Board meetings having to do with the Urban Development Boundary, I had first-hand experience how votes are tallied by applicants for development long before citizens ever stand up to the microphone to state their point of view. (please click, 'read more')

The stock scripts--like Sanabria's-- are so familiar, base, and worked out beforehand; that even newspaper reporters wonder what the fuss is all about. Hasn't it all happened before? What's the big deal? Every point is vetted by land use lawyers cozy with planning board members who will vote like Sanabria to move the Urban Development Boundary, defaulting to positions that might be useful in subsequent court cases, etc. etc.

The vote on Florida City Commons for instance, outside the Urban Development Boundary, in 2003 is exactly to the point. In the Miami Herald, Sanabria--now candidate for Coral Gables City Commission--defended his vote saying, "The environmental protections were there."

Bull. The Hold The Line Campaign, coalescing more than 150 business, community, civic and environmental groups, formed exactly because environmental protections for wetlands outside the UDB are NOT there. In the case of Florida City Commons-- a Lennar development that died on the vine but would have put more than 6,000 homes in Biscayne Bay wetlands-- the scam included the county surrendering control of future permitting to Florida City, whose weak commitment to environmental rules doesn't need explanation, only a drive through the area.

The entire history of development in south Florida is riddled with massive development projects seeking ways around environmental laws and, mostly, succeeding. That's the logic that Sanabria represents.

Because of the backroom dealing, I assumed Sanabria was making an opportunistic run at the Coral Gables City Commission for reasons that are obscure. Since that time, news that Sanabria has never even voted in a Coral Gables municipal election bears out that point of view. Joe Rasco made a run at Coral Gables city manager. Reportedly, Sanabria is gathering support from interests who wanted Rasco, one of the county development insiders, in that position. For some unstated reason, Republican office holders in the state legislature are also mounting a campaign in Sanabria's defense despite the fact the election is non-partisan.

So what does Gonzolo Sanabria really want?

Insider politics in Miami-Dade are invisible to the public. The pushing and pulling for influence and power never makes it to the pages of the daily newspaper. (Jim Defede was the last journalist to consistently report out those politics and he did it, not for the Herald, but earlier for Miami New Times.)

You don't have to be clairvoyant to see that even in the most lackluster economy since the Depression, that the lobby for development--as represented by Sanabria and his campaign manager, Armando Guttierez --are always looking for an edge; always looking for compliant public officials willing to carry out their zoning and permitting requests. As a former chair of the Latin Builders Association, Sanabria certainly was a full participant in the winding of the inner clockspring of government.

Most people wouldn't think much of failing to vote in a municipal election or blowing through a manatee protection zone (as Sanabria was apprehended, doing); but when that person is running for a public office, the underlying motives of deserve to be clarified. Uniquely among Miami-Dade municipalities, Coral Gables has advanced zoning and planning codes that are more visionary and restrictive of insiders who use the rules (or not) to break the rules to generate incremental profit from what is originally permitted or allowed. They help elect candidates who will be faithful to the principle that governmental processes exist to be gummed up. It's not hard work and it is done all the time.

It is really too bad that well-meaning people have fallen for the clap trap, but there it is. Hopefully Coral Gables voters will have reasoned through what is at stake in next week's municipal election and understand that Sanabria, who never voted in a Coral Gables municipal election, should not be voted for, in this one.

Steve Shiver and Miami Transit: An introduction to ethics ... by gimleteye

The transit fiasco in Miami-Dade, reported this weekend by The Miami Herald, begins: "It was Nov. 1, 2002, four days before a historic election aimed at reshaping the transit landscape in Miami-Dade County, and a backroom deal was quietly being cemented at County Hall. What (voters) didn't know: Just before the election, then-Transit Director Danny Alvarez and then-County Manager Steve Shiver inked that secret deal with a powerful labor union that had campaigned hard for the tax. ... County commissioners never voted on it. Even former Mayor Alex Penelas, who spearheaded the 2002 campaign, said in a May interview that he was unaware of the agreement his transit director and county manager had cut."

Hmmm. 2002. It reminded me of a story Jim Defede wrote for Miami New Times on Shiver: "Introduction to Ethics." Here's a little taste of what Defede had to say (and too bad he doesn't still say it, for either the New Times or the Herald):

"On Friday, February 15, Steve Shiver will attend a course on ethics. (Insert your own joke here. Let me get you started with a couple of easy ones: "Hey, Martha, get the skates. Looks like Hell is about to freeze over!" or "Steve Shiver taking a class in ethics? What's next, hookers going to school to restore their virginity?") Shiver should have taken this class a year ago when he became county manager. Instead he blew it off. It was only after the Miami Herald published a front-page story last month noting Shiver's failure to undergo ethics training -- a requirement for all new county employees -- that he finally agreed to put in an appearance."

Defede goes on, revealing the content of some Shiver emails: ""I am really excited about 2002," (Shiver) wrote in a message to employees at the beginning of the year. "We must be able to create a working environment that promotes enthusiasm, creativity, and the sense of being part of a true team. To do this, each one of us must commit to certain principles that we embrace every single day of the year." Later he added, "I am very committed to Miami-Dade County, as are all of you. So day, night, or weekends my door is always open. Let's make this the year that Miami-Dade County Government becomes known as the most user-friendly, progressive government in America."

"I do think there is a stigma with the constant association of employees with a lack of ethics," (Shiver) declared. "I truly believe there's a fundamental good in people, that there is a basic code of what's right and what's wrong. I'm focusing on the 99 percent of the employees that are working hard and not focusing on the 1 percent that give us a bad name."

Defede concludes, "Shiver will never understand that he's part of the 1 percent. Let's just hope the other 99 percent don't allow themselves to be fooled by the pretender in their midst."

That was in January, 2002. Some good that ethics class did.

On Manny Diaz, Defede gets it right... by gimleteye

Good to see Fred Frost with Defede's lead quote: but I wonder why Frost is completely AWOL on criticizing the elected official much more critical to their members' future: County Commissioner Natacha Seijas whose growth-at-any-cost policies have kept union members strapped to their cars for long and expensive commutes from distant home to places of work. While it is true that Seijas is on no one's short list for advancement, still it would be good to see some fresh thinking from the unions on their blind support for her.

DeFede: Diaz Faces Tough Fight For Cabinet Post
Fred Frost, the South Florida head of the AFL-CIO is not thrilled with the prospect of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz being considered for a cabinet position in the Obama Administration.

Nov 21, 2008 3:35 pm US/Eastern
DeFede: Diaz Faces Tough Fight For Cabinet Post
Fred Frost, the South Florida head of the AFL-CIO is not thrilled with the prospect of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz being considered for a cabinet position in the Obama Administration.

"We're not happy," Frost told me Friday morning. "If anyone from the Obama campaign were to ask, we'd tell them not to expect a ringing endorsement from us. He has shown poor judgment when it comes to trade agreements and stood back and did nothing while union workers were being brutalized during the FTAA."

Downtown Miami was turned into a virtual police state during the 2003 Free Trade Area of the Americas summit, with police accused of indiscriminately assaulting protesters, including retired union workers who had traveled to Miami from around the country to speak out against the trade agreement.

The city's Civilian Investigative Panel condemned the police conduct during the summit saying the police reacted with an "unrestrained and disproportionate use of force" and that "civil rights were trampled." The city was been forced to settle numerous lawsuits with individuals hurt or wrongly arrested by police.

"Manny Diaz has never apologized, never addressed what happened during the FTAA," Frost said. "He refused to meet with us to talk about it."

Last year, the AFL-CIO and the Florida Alliance of Retired Americans, filed a lawsuit against the City of Miami. That lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial early next year. Which means if Diaz is named to the cabinet he would be going through confirmation hearings in the U.S. Senate around the same time he would be required to appear in court to defend himself against the union's claims he violated their First, Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth amendment rights.

Frost also complained that Diaz has failed to pay workers in the city fairly. "We passed a living wage ordinance but the city never enforced it," he said. "We had to take it to a lawsuit to get the city to do what was right. That kind of stuff bothers me. I have a problem with that."

Frost's troubling comments come at a time when Diaz is under serious consideration for a high level cabinet post.

Two senior Democratic sources advising the Obama transition team tell CBS4 News that Diaz is one of the leading candidates for the Housing and Urban Development job and is also under consideration to be Transportation Secretary.

"Is it real? Yes it is," one of the senior Democrats told me, adding he believed the HUD job was more likely to happen. "I think he has a lot to offer."

Politically, appointing Diaz would serve two very pressing desires of the Obama team – the need to name a high profile Hispanic to the cabinet and the desire to reward Florida with a cabinet position.

"I think it is important for Florida to be represented in the cabinet," the Democratic source said. "And I don't see another Florida Democrat that qualifies."

The dearth of Florida Democrats comes from the fact that most of the well-known individuals who could be called on to take a cabinet post are members of Congress and are unlikely to want to give up their seats.

It is the need to appoint a Hispanic to the cabinet, however, that is really driving Diaz's name within the Obama camp. The Hispanic vote was critical to Obama's election and he has pledged to create a cabinet as diverse as the people who elected him.

"Manny is just lucky he is a Hispanic Democrat with a high profile," said the second Democrat advising the transition.

Ten days ago, Diaz's name was mentioned in connection with a new post Obama is planning to create, the White House Office of Urban Policy. With Diaz's background as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, such a job would seem a good fit for Diaz.

But with Hillary Clinton now in line to be Secretary of State, beating out New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson for the post, Diaz's name was suddenly elevated to cabinet consideration (Further complicating matters, late Friday the Washington Post reported Richardson may be named Commerce Secretary.)

"This is all happening very fast," said the second Democrat. "And what is really happening here is that Manny is promoting himself, through the U.S. Conference of Mayors, trying to get an appointment."

This Florida Democrat, as well as others I have spoken to, expressed concern with Diaz, calling Diaz "a Johnny-come-lately" to the Obama campaign. During the primary, Diaz supported Hillary Clinton. And even after Obama won the nomination, Diaz held back his endorsement for a long time. In fact, Diaz was one of the few – if not the only – speaker at the Democratic National Convention in Denver who did not endorse the Democratic nominee during his speech to the convention delegates.

Diaz waited until the closing weeks of the campaign to endorse Obama.

"Manny is going to have a tough time making it through the vetting process," the second Democrat said.

The vetting process for all cabinet appointees is extensive. In addition to a 60-page questionnaire, which delves into all of the nominee's financial dealings and business relationships, it also involves a background check by the FBI, including FBI agents interviewing friends, associates, and even neighbors of the nominee.

Diaz has faced questions about his ethics in recent years. His decision to own a restaurant housed on city land raised one set of concerns, but that was nothing compared to the revelation back in 2004 that the mayor's restaurant was behind almost $200,000 in rent payments to the city, that it owed the county nearly $100,000 in delinquent property taxes and that it had stiffed the state almost $250,000 in sales tax payments.

It was only after I reported those problems four years ago that the mayor sold his stake in the restaurant.

The mayor's relationship with city hall lobbyist Steve Marin will also be an area for the feds to review. Marin, a close friend of Diaz, received several no-bid contracts from the city.

Then of course there is the debacle surrounding the city's efforts to settle the infamous Fire Rescue Fee case, in which Manny Diaz and then city manager Joe Arriola were either duped into paying a handful of people $7 million or were complicit in the outrageous deal. Either way the case does not reflect well on Diaz's judgment or ability.

There will be other issues, as well, including his decision to enter into a multi-million dollar land deal with then city manager Arriola and Johnny Winton, who was a city commissioner at the time. The three waited months to disclose their private business dealings, and in the meantime, Arriola and Winton engineered a $53,000 pay raise for the mayor, ramming it through the city commission without any advance notice or allowing the public to speak on it.

In 2007, Diaz was charged with violating the conflict-of-interest provisions of the County's Ethics Ordinance because of the land deal with Winton and Arriola. He pleaded "no contest" and was found guilty by the Commission on Ethics and Public Trust. Diaz was fined $250 and given a letter of reprimand.

But ultimately, it could be Diaz's problems with organized labor that may cause him the most trouble. Frost was on the phone today with national union officials discussing what to do about Diaz's name being mentioned for a cabinet position.

When the local AFL-CIO filed its lawsuit against the city, it was the union's national leadership that gave it the green light.

Frost asked the question: Can Obama really appoint someone to the cabinet that the largest labor union in the country is actively suing for beating, tear gassing and brutalizing its retired workers?

It was Diaz, after all, who hailed the police response during the summit a success and gave it the name, "The Miami Model." That term, the Miami Model, is now a source of scorn within the labor movement and was derided on editorial pages around the country. The Miami Model earned Diaz a special place in labor's memory. It now all depends on how long a memory they have.

Several years ago, I interviewed Richard Trumka, a former coal miner who had risen to through the ranks of labor to become the national Secretary and Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, a position he still holds today.

Trumka, one of the most powerful men in the labor movement, repeatedly singled out Manny Diaz for contempt when I spoke to him in December 2003. He was furious Diaz refused to meet with him and other members of organized labor after the FTAA debacle. He said Diaz "had an obligation" to hear from the workers who were abused. "[Diaz] had a chance to stand up for freedom of speech and freedom of assembly and [he] took a pass," Trumka said.

He told me back then Diaz made "a big mistake" by rebuffing labor. And then he promised: "We're not going away."

Five years later, we'll see if that's true.

Elena Carpenter's "Miami Monthly" by Geniusofdespair

Over and over I think to myself while reading it, during the past six months, that Elena Carpenter’s “Miami Monthly” magazine has great graphic design. I don’t know if Art Director M. Oswaldo Lozano should get the credit but someone should. I just thought I would mention it here, that I am impressed. Good graphics make for easy reading.

I also like the "City Watch" Section. It is a handy guide on what is happening throughout the county. I have often suggested the Miami Herald do the same. Granted it is probably edited press releases but I still read it. The DeFede column: It has been subdued over the past few months, I am looking for more biting subject matter from this master reporter.

DeFede: Fact from Fiction of Oil Drilling Off Our Coast. By Geniusofdespair

In the Web Column "Separating Fact from Fiction on Offshore Drilling". Reporter Jim DeFede said:

“The United States sits on three percent of the world's oil supply but we consume 25 percent of the world's oil. And the fact that it would take seven to ten years for any oil to be produced from those offshore wells, and that it will have no impact on the current price of gasoline, has been all but lost on Bush, McCain, and Crist.”

One of the questions I had was why are oil companies just sitting on permits (DeFede said the oil and gas companies have stockpiled nearly 10,000 permits). Here is the answer from the DeFede report:

“There are a number of reasons. The capacity of our oil refineries are near their limits, so no matter how much oil we pump out of the ground, turning it into gasoline presents a whole different set of problems. Another possible – and dare I say it -- cynical reason for stockpiling the permits and the land is to bank them for future use when the oil prices will likely be even higher.”

County Commissioner Natacha Seijas: Here is what you look like on TV. By Geniusofdespair

For those of you who do not know Natacha Seijas she is a most vile County Commissioner who abuses the public when they appear before her (see DeFede video - link on right side of page - to see her in action).

Natacha: I just thought you might like to see what we see (5/13/08): That really angry face we all know so well. I guess you have a mirror so I am not showing you something new. However, on this day we got a hint of cleavage which is something new for all of us. You should cover that up while you are in Istanbul (on our dime). I just realized she left on her trip today, leg 3 of her world tour, thanks to our tax dollars!

Here is another photo with Terry:

Normally I am a Union Supporter but not in Miami Dade. By Geniusofdespair

A press release went out saying that on May 11th:

Unions of the South Florida Labor Movement will officially endorse Miami Dade County Commissioner (District11) Joe Martinez for re-election. All leaders are invited to attend the press conference.

That means union members will be at the polls to support this little bully Joe, with the Napoleon complex. Do they get paid to take the day off to give out flyers and hold signs?

What went wrong with unions? I was a teamster in the 70’s. Why are union leaders polarizing their outside supporters by sucking up to really bad County Commissioners, like Martinez and the ever vile Seijas. I guess we know why: They throw unions crumbs.

Union members, you are not helping our government or our community by supporting crappy candidates like Martinez. You must start looking more broadly at community issues, as you are alienating the very people that support unions. And, union members, you should make union leaders look at the Joe Martinez “I am not a crook speech” (DeFede video link on right of this page).

Natacha Seijas Goes on vacation on our dime again by Geniusofdespair

Thirteen people are going to India on behalf of the County to encourage trade! Barf bag please.

Brian Andrews will report (tonight at 6pm on Channel 4) on the $500 a night hotel stay at a 5 star resort when the Hilton in India is 1/2 the price. Airline cost to India $1,600 coach. Express travel did the planning.

Jim DeFede said ITC does these trips all the time and he has seen no evidence of trade ever coming from any of them. Audio Feed of Interview by Jim DeFede

What does Miami lose, with scandals... by gimleteye

Here is what Jim Defede has to say:

"What Taxpayers Really Lose With Scandals
Jim DeFede Is A Commentator For CBS4 News

(CBS4) MIAMI Is it just me or does there seem to be a lot of scandals lately?

Even by South Florida standards we seem to be going through a particularly nasty spate of governmental chicanery.

A dozen people were arrested in the city of Miami for operating a private business on city time and using city resources. They even had a catchy name for their little enterprise - The Firm.

Miami's Housing director, Barbara Gomez, is being forced to resign after the obvious was uncovered--that the city was doing bupkis when it came to providing affordable housing for those who need it.

But don't cry for Gomez, she's going to receive a pension worth a million bucks.

Perhaps the saddest scandal is the Poinciana Park debacle. Miami-Dade County gave the development rights to this vital piece of land in Liberty City to a shady developer who promised to build a world class biopharmaceutical center but in two years couldn't even deliver a two-story garage.

The saga of developer Dennis Stackhouse is a tale we have seen repeated over the years: An individual comes along vowing to help the people of the inner city, but in the end the only person he ends up helping is himself--to our tax money.

And so while The Miami Herald continues to write stories about the Stackhouse affair and the state attorney's office probes for criminality, the community is left waiting, more jaded and more cynical than before.

That's the real crime because a story like this shatters what little confidence we may have in our elected officials. When people lose faith, when they lose hope, you have taken away more from them more than can ever be counted in dollars and cents.
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My comment on Defede's:

First of all: yes, there have been more scandals. But be aware that these scandals are the outgrowth of the same visible effect of declining housing markets in Miami: public officials, namely city and county commissioners, who were blinded by the building boom that peaked in 2005.

So far, you have to read a blog to even know that the building boom, that peaked in 2005, spread bad seed across the State of Florida but concentrated, so heavily, in Miami-Dade County.

It is as though the mainstream media had no opinion on the subject, when it was happening. More often than not, critics were dismissed either as "extremists" or not credible like representatives of the Growth Machine. Civic movements, like "Hold the Line" on the Urban Development Boundary, were never held up for praise or comment beyond the fact of their existence: on the order of a nuisance.

It didn't have to take so long, to uncover the scandals. So far as I can tell, one reason it has taken years for these scandals to materialize is that white collar law enforcement in Miami Dade County, at both the state and federal level, is at a nadir.

One of the biggest unaccounted for costs in the war on terror has been the diversion of law enforcement budgets, already insufficient, away from public corruption and white collar crime.

I'd love to see an investigative piece by the Miami Herald, looking at the amount of resources, for instance, dedicated to mortgage fraud.

The Firm--in which an entire city department was converted in full daylight into a private contract engineering company--happened because the surrounding culture was one of quick riches and schemes supported by elected officials in the grip of the Growth Machine.

The County Housing Agency scandal--in which millions of dollars and promises were diverted into the hands of second and third tier lobbyists--happened because first tier lobbyists (who rub shoulders with presidential candidates even today) had given the keys of the county kingdom to a political elite. While African American county commissioners ran over to the side of lobbyists and property speculators in distant districts, their own districts were being looted.

The Poinciana Biotech "Park"--Carrie Meek still thinks she did nothing wrong supporting "growth" in her community, even if banner planes could have been flying over the site with "FRAUD" printed in big letters and still the political elite would have fawned over whatever she was in favor of.

Defede says that the real crime is that this shatters whatever little is left of our confidence in elected officials.

Well, OK. But Jim, this is a sort of perpetual deadend for commentators and pundits: of course voters are indifferent and apathetic, largely because of what they see in the corruption of politics--whether illegal or just skating on the edge.

And, of course, nearly every candidate for local office who puts themselves in the spotlight of a campaign to unseat an incumbent is ignored by the mainstream media and vastly outspent by the Growth Machine.

I think that the attention should be focused less on what citizens are feeling, than on exposing who exactly are charter members of the Growth Machine, because what people need to see more of is how the machinery works and who benefits.

I couldn't help but notice, for instance, that Miguel De Grandy--former state legislator, architect of redistricting, supporter of the status quo and opponent of any challenge to it--has been appointed to the Charter Review Commission for Miami-Dade County.

To see the Growth Machine at work, the mainstream media should shine light on charter review, who is directing debate, and the chances for reform.

It is a scandal that advocates for reform aren't given a greater voice, in the mainstream media, than the proponents for the Growth Machine. Isn't it?