Conexion Miami / Miami’s newest clown act
Miami never lacks drama. Last week it was New York carpetbagger turned presidential aspirant (we’re still rolling in the sand with laughter aimed at him) Donald Trump. It turns out the guy with the very bad hair-do (or is that a bird’s nest on his overly-dyed head?) decided to insult Mexicans by calling them “rapists” and criminals during his presidential announcement speech. Soon thereafter Spanish language TV giant Univision decided to drop coverage of the Miss Universe and Miss America pageants owned by Trump. And now there’s a war of words between the sides, and as Miamians we get to sit back and enjoy our newest reality show. As for Progreso, we feel Univision did the right thing. As for Trump, the man is a clown!
Lining up to replace Marco
Senator Marco Rubio is running for president. And although few have publicly announced intentions of running for Rubio’s senate seat (yet), the Florida race is already being called one of the “top races” in the country. Who’s running? Names being bandied about on the democratic side include U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy of Jupiter; Pam Keith, an attorney and former judge advocate in the U.S. Navy from North Palm Beach; Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer; former Florida House Minority Leader Dan Gelber of Miami Beach; and U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson of Orlando. Among republicans, the list is much larger and includes U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis of Ponte Vedra Beach; Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera of Miami; former U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam of Bartow and a slew of others.
Paying to get guns off our streets
Here’s a clever way of getting guns off our streets. Buy them! The Tampa Police Department bought back guns from residents last Saturday. Funded by a $50,000 donation from a local, professional sports team, the buy-back program offered $50 to residents who handed over unwanted but functioning firearms. No need for names when selling your guns. At the end of the day cops had bought back 521 firearms. Collected were rifles, shotguns and pistols. A few sawed-off shotguns were turned in.
Wenski on same sex marriage
At Progreso Weekly we’re still trying to figure out Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski. Here’s his reaction (in his own written words) to the Supreme Court decision redefining marriage as merely an affective union between two people of any sex: “The majority’s decision is an act of will, not legal judgment. This is simply a wrong, mistaken decision. Of course, this is not the first time the Supreme Court got it wrong.” He then compared the “wrong” decision to the wrongfulness of the19th Century Dred Scott decision where the Supremes decided that a black man had no rights that a white person had to respect. Wenski also compared it to abortion’s Roe v. Wade. Heck, if he’s going to go bonkers with comparisons he should at least explain his reasoning. Which he didn’t! By the way, Archbishop, wake up and smell the coffee!
Florida flag’s confederate likeness
Author and historian T.D. Allman pointed out recently that the Florida state flag may be the only flag in the country that includes a woman of color on it, but that it’s still blatantly racist. He asked that we look at it (not even that carefully) and then learn its history, and you will see the similarities to the Confederate flag. And except for the colors (ours has red stripes, the Confederates used blue with stars), he does have a point.
Everglades restoration
The South Florida Regional Planning Council defines itself as a group whose mission is to identify the long-term challenges and opportunities facing southeast Florida and assist the region’s leaders in developing and implementing creative strategies that result in more prosperous and equitable communities, a healthier and cleaner environment, and a more vibrant economy. So, we suppose, some of us should attend their July 6 meeting that will deal with the Everglades restoration and Amendment 1 – which the Florida legislature basically trashed this past session. The meeting will be held at 3440 Hollywood Blvd. Suite 140 in Hollywood. It starts at 10:30 a.m. In the past this group has bent to the wishes of politicians (who appoint them), and not always in the best interest of Florida and its people.
The end of Little Havana
Last week the Miami Herald announced that Miami’s Little Havana was endangered. Not to boast, but Progreso Weekly columnist Max Castro had warned of this back in early May when he wrote a column titled “The end of Little Havana?” where he says that “the big cranes haven’t arrived yet, so right now there is no furor on the street over looming gentrification. But activists and preservationists are worried because there are signs that the cranes might be just around the corner.”
All you need is love
Here’s a bit of news that proves how much time we waste these days on stupid information – especially when dealing with the world wide web. The dating site MillionaireMatch.com, a dating site that claims to cater to the top 1% in terms wealth and economic status, reports that when it comes to wealthy men and women looking for love, Florida appears to be the hotbed for millionaires who are actively seeking out romantic partners online. And with that bit of news, they’re about to save society’s woes. Like the Beatles used to sing, “all you need is love.”
Gas prices steadily rising
Florida is a very long state. For those of us who live in Miami and are planning to take our families on a summer vacation aboard our cars, the news is not good. The website CardHub is reporting that gasoline prices have been rising all year – 30% since January. As a result, the website is offering its selections for 2015’s Best Gas Credit Cards, which may help you when paying at the pump.
Jeb and Marco to continue the Obamacare crusade
More than one million Floridians sighed with relief this week when they learned that the U.S. Supreme Court had declared Affordable Care Act (known as Obamacare) subsidies legal thereby assuring that they would keep their healthcare. There are at least two presidential candidates who could care less about those million-plus happy Floridians: Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio promised to continue the fight against Obamacare.
