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It’s not hurricane season yet but a quick glance at recently released surveys about Miami might easily give the casual observer the impression that Miami is atleast thunder-struck – and not in the good kind of way, in case you are wondering. Over the past month, Miami has been hit by a maelstrom of surveys, polls, and studies that have rated it the “most miserable city in America,” “most vain city in America,” and “the second most rude city in America.” To add to this downward-spiraling media trend, a recent study (“Leading the Pack in Corruption”) by University of Illinois has ranked Miami the “5th most corrupt city” in the country. You might also find it interesting that Florida was ranked “4th most corrupt state.”
The study based its findings on an analysis of the number of “public corruption convictions” in different cities and states across the United States. On a regional level, it might seem weird that Miami would be ranked so high – after all, in 2010 only 21 public corruption convictions were logged. Compared to many other cities listed in the top 15, for that time period, Miami’s number of corruption convictions ranks relatively low. To get a better picture, though, take a look at the number of public corruption convictions in Miami between 2000-2009 – a whopping 404 convictions! During those critical years, Miami ranked — narrowly — in 2nd place, only slightly behind the most corrupt city for that period of time: Newark, NJ. (more…)
La revista Miami Today lamento el hecho que los bancos actualmente todavía están ajustado por dinero. Ahora en vez de continuar haciendo ejecuciones hipotecarias, los bancos están haciendo más hipotecarias reestructurados. En diciembre, el país logro 224,395 ejecuciones hipotecarias, con Florida segunda solo a California, y Miami, tercero de las ciudades las más grandes, detrás de Las Vegas y Chicago.
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Ask a random person in Miami what issues have a highly negative impact on local communities and it would be near impossible not to hear: Foreclosures. Especially since the so-called “housing bubble” busted years ago, Mi
ami has been thrown into chaos, with families frantically struggling to figure out not only how to put food on the table but also how to keep a roof over their heads. When the massive bank bailout took place years ago, millions of Americans were shocked when the U.S. government used our tax dollars to bail out the very banks that were complicit in causing the economic recession and foreclosing our homes. Not any less shocking, the very banks that are ripping families out of their homes are continuing to put profit before people. However, recent events have created a lot of buzz about an “end” to the foreclosure crisis; whether we will see the end to this crisis or not, struggling Miamians, such as Angela Samuels, are still eeking it out and seeking comprehensive solutions.
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Como siempre, las revistas están tratando a designar las ciudades más felices. La revista Forbes recientemente clasifico a Miami como la ciudad más miserable en el país, la razón la cual es el enorme número de ejecuciones de hipotecas y la disparidad entre los ricos y pobres. La revista Travel + Leisure clasifico Miami como la segunda ciudad más grosera del país. Y la revista Living Social clasifico Miami como la ciudad más vanidosa del país.
Miserable. Vanidosa. Grosera.
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Hoy es el Día de San Valentín. La tradición es a pasar el día romántico con su amor. Abrazos, besos, caminadas por la playa a la puesta del sol. Pero por algunas parejas, no necesitan esperar hasta el Día de San Valentín; se dan cariños durante todo el año. Por ejemplo el amorío entre los bancos, las corporaciones, el 1% y el Partido Republicano.
Regalos como subsidios, rembolsos, exenciones de impuestos, contribuciones financieras y contratos sin licitación cambian manos diariamente. Los políticos que controlan el presupuesto, el presupuesto hecho de los impuestos colectados de nuestro dinero, lo reparten a sus más grandes contribuyentes, que son el 1%. Todo mientras nosotros no tenemos nada.
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Passion was in the air yesterday, as residents joined together on Valentine’s Day to pointedly address U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s lack of love. Yesterday, Miamians flooded Rubio’s Miami office, delivering a special Valentine’s Day treat in order to lampoon his over-committment to the super-rich and to call out his under-committment to working families of the 99% who struggle to achieve the very “American Dream” that Rubio himself touts as the paramount achievement. Several dozens of passionate Miamians sent their message by flooding 
his district office, delivering an over-sized and sarcastic Valentine’s Day card from the 1%: “The tax breaks and loopholes have been great for a few, but none of it’s possible without politicians like you!”
Love is in the air. As we approach Valentine’s Day, couples across Miami-Dade County are stocking up on chocolates, roses, and an assorted variety of treats to express their loving sentiments. Here in our own backyard, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio got an early start on expressing his love – however, the way he’s “pouring out the love” should give every beating heart pause. Here are a few samples of the pre-valentine day gifts that Rubio has thoughtfully prepared for us. If you find your pulse slowing to a halt, don’t be surprised.
(Warning: The following might cause heart-break)
En esta temporada de elecciones nacionales, es fácil empezar a ver todo a través del lente de los partidos políticos. Pero en general la verdad es más complicada y matizada. Por ejemplo el senador estatal René García, republicano por Hialeah, actualmente preside la Comisión de Salud del Senado estatal.
García presento el proyecto SB 1294 Programa Florida KidCare, que tiene como objetivo permitir a niños que son residentes permanentes legales acceder al programa. Bajo una cláusula en las leyes actuales de la Florida, estos niños tienen que esperar por 5 años para poder entrar a KidCare. René García quiere eliminar esta cláusula ya que el Gobierno Federal también la eliminó. Florida KidCare subsidia los gastos médicos de menores de 19 años que no están por debajo del nivel de pobreza. Los fondos provienen principalmente del gobierno federal y las familias deben pagar una cuota mensual dependiendo de sus ingresos.
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A few weeks back, we mentioned that Wells Fargo might be a really bad person. That is, if you believe that corporations are people. Our exhibit A was a report by the Public Campaign highlighting how the company paid –1.8% in taxes but $11 million to lobbyists, and got over $25 billion dollars in bailouts before raking in $50 billion in profits. While it was creating jobs for lobbyists and increasing pay to its executives by 180%, it also laid off over 6,000 workers. But that is old news…if you are paying attention.
If you read the whole report, it seems like Wells Fargo is not alone. At least 29 of the America’s other big corporations paid more to lobbyists than they did in taxes in the same period, a period in which they all made profits. But despite all the talk of the rich being job creators, at least seven of those corporations (including Wells) laid off workers while they were hiring lobbyists!
