Conexion Miami / 2015 predictions 

Predictions for the coming year from Wallethub, which describes itself as the social network for your wallet: (1) GDP growth will be roughly 3%; (2) unemployment will reach 5%; (3) wages will increase 3%; (4) the S&P 500 will hit 2,250; (5) auto sales will top 17 million; (6) home sales will post modest increases; (7) oil will fall to $50 a barrel; (8) interest rates will remain low; (9) U.S. consumers will rack up at least $60 billion in credit card debt.

Rubio a liar

In an article written for The Hill titled “Rubio trashes Obama’s Cuba policy while fleeing his own scandal”, Cuban American writer Fernando Espuela calls Florida Sen. Marco Rubio a liar for manipulating the Cuban exile community simply for votes. “While largely ignored by most Americans, Marco Rubio’s career as a Florida politician was built on the manipulation of exiles. From the beginning of his race up the greasy pole, he told a big lie… Having gotten to the U.S. Senate riding a lie, now Rubio seeks to once again bathe in the glow of exile status, defending a failed policy and hoping to regain lost credibility.” Espuela was referring to Rubio’s false assertions that his family had “fled Fidel Castro’s communist revolution.”

El Nuevo Herald manipulates the news

Columnist and blogger Alejandro Armengol pointed out recently how Miami’s El Nuevo Herald continues to attempt to manipulate the facts. On Saturday (Dec. 20) a number of Miami Cubans met at Jose Marti Park to protest Obama’s announcement on Cuba this past week. The El Herald reported that there were around 40 exile organizations present. Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? The English-speaking Miami Herald, a more professional outfit, outed El Nuevo when it reported there had been about 250 persons that day. In other words, said Armengol, that’s about six per organization. By the way, persons present at the rally reported less than 200 attended. But they did have an extremely large flag and very large signs.

Obama’s overtures

“Cuban Americans make up a much smaller percentage of Florida’s Hispanic population than they did 15 years ago. And while Obama’s overtures to Cuba have angered older Cuban Americans … younger ones aren’t as likely to vote on this issue alone,” wrote Brendan Farrington in the Tampa Tribune. He added, “Obama paid no political price for loosening travel restrictions to Cuba in 2011. Exit polls showed he carried about half the Cuban-American vote as he won Florida in his re-election effort the following year.”

Marco vs. Jeb

Who would Florida republicans vote for if both Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush decided to pursue the presidency? “It’s nothing against Marco,” said John Thrasher, a former legislator who is now president of Florida State University. “Jeb has built up political capital over the years.” Some speculate that this is one of the reasons Rubio has been rabid against the President’s Cuba announcement. Have they forgotten, we counter, that Obama won Florida twice and the Cuban vote in 2012?

Gloria Estephony

And speaking of phonies, Miami’s Cuban American singer Gloria Estefan recently expressed her desire to return to the country where she was born. She added that she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to. In the past, Gloria and her husband, producer Emilio Estefan, have expressed an interest in offering a concert “in a free Cuba.” They have not defined “free.” But Progreso Weekly inquired and we have found out that nobody’s stopping the Miami power duo from fulfilling their wish. Maybe it’s a trial balloon…

Say cheese

If you get pulled over or are involved in any kind of police matter next year in West Palm Beach, smile and say ‘cheese’ because you’ll likely be on camera. The West Palm Beach Police Department will become the first local law enforcement agency to equip its entire force with body cameras beginning in early 2015.

Juvenile crime rate dropping

The juvenile crime rate is going down in Florida. The Dept. of Juvenile Justice said the number of juveniles being arrested for crimes – felonies, misdemeanors and violations of probation – dropped 8 percent from the prior year. Since 2009, the number has plunged 36 percent, from nearly 122,000 a year to just under 79,000.

Unemployment

Florida added 38,600 private sector jobs in November. Since 2010, the jobless rate has dropped from 11.1 percent to 5.8 percent. Florida’s unemployment rate of 5.8 percent in November was down from 6 percent in October and 6.5 percent in November 2013. The U.S. rates were 5.8 percent in October and November and 7 percent in November 2013.

‘Older’ Catholics in Miami

An Associated Press report tells us that the key role Pope Francis played encouraging talks between Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro left fractures among his flock in South Florida, where many older Roman Catholics equate the Castro brothers with the devil. Many Catholics worldwide have expressed pride in seeing Francis stirring hopes of progress in communist Cuba, but some Cuban-Americans say their spiritual leader betrayed them.

Kids and car seats

Florida lawmakers passed a law this spring designed to further protect children in moving motor vehicles. It requires children to be put in federally approved car restraint seats through the age of 3 and either a car seat or booster seat, depending on the size of the child, for kids 4 and 5. Until the law kicks in on Jan. 1, Florida will be one of only two states that do not require child booster seats for children after they turn 4.

Who pays for Gov. Scott’s party

Rick Scott will be inaugurated on Jan. 6. Contributors to the governor’s campaign pay for the parties that go with the inauguration. Here’s a short list of who gave: $100,000 donation from Scott Holdings, LLC, a medical investment company in Boca Raton; The Florida Harbor Pilots Association gave $25,000, and the Florida Association of Broadcasters added $10,000; Fronton Holdings, LLC, South Florida Racing Asso­ciation and Southwest Florida Enterprises, Inc., each gave $15,000. An earlier list of contributors included U.S. Sugar Corp., Sarasota-based insurer FCCI Services Inc., Calder Race Course and Allstate Insurance Co. Like we’ve been saying, the “demo” in democracy has been changed to “pluto” and it’s not a planet.