The Miami Conservative

Julio's Charlie Crist Moment?

2011-03-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

I thought this was funny enough to post ...

Will the real Fiscal Conservative please stand up?

2011-03-22T06:48:00.000-07:00

Unions seem to be the flavor of the month to beat up on, swelling and unsustainable pensions are the topic of conversation in state governments today. So how do the candidates running for Miami-Dade Mayor stack up against being influenced by union bosses? We look first at the PBA. Don't get me wrong Public Safety should be deemed as an important and protected profession. These professionals put their lives on the line daily and should be compensated fairly. However, there are real consequences to governments action, when you increase the personnel cost while your revenue is diminishing how do you make up the difference?

Marcelo Llorente: From his past voting record he seems to be a pro union guy and so far down in the polls that I'm not going to spend any more time.

Julio Robaina: Mayor of Hialeah Julio Robaina seemed to have promise when he confronted all the unions last year but it seems as though he has caved in to the pressure. According to the Miami Herald a couple months ago the Mayor of Hialeah came to an agreement with the Hialeah police department on their new contract. The paper disclosed that by the next 2 years the Hialeah police officers will be restored full benefits that were taken away in the last contract in order to make up the budget shortfall. These benefits amount to a 12% pay raise in the next year’s budget according to the Shark Tank. The only plausible way to cover this pay increase is to raise city property taxes as now former mayor Alvarez attempted to do just before he got recalled. However Mayor Robaina, now running for Dade Mayor, will not have to make that decision since he will not be in Hialeah during the next budget process, how convenient.

Carlos Gimenez: Ok so Round 1 goes to Gimenez. According to the PBA he was voted Miami-Dade's worst commissioner in 2010, when he voted against an 8% pay raise to MDPD in last years budget that was part of the $132 million tax increase and got Mayor Alvarez and Commissioner Seijas recalled.

Miami-Dade Mayor's Race, let the vetting begin: Robaina pleads No Contest to 10 Counts of Fruad ...

2011-03-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

This will surely be a quick election and as a resident of Miami-Dade County we deserve to know the truth about all the candidates running. No one will escape our blogs scrutiny and this time we will hold them accountable on the positions they have taken.

One piece of troubling news is that Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina continues to tout himself as a respectable businessman; however I stumbled across this case from the State of Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation in 1994. During this time Mayor Robaina was a real estate broker for Univest Realty and Management Inc. According to this it seems as though he pleaded no contest to 10 counts of fraud.

Obama's State of the Union ignores the Debt Crisis

2011-01-26T08:25:00.000-08:00

The President declares that "This is our Sputnik Moment"

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/01/25/obama_declares_this_is_our_generations_sputnik_moment.html <- VIDEO

Rep. Paul Ryan Reminds Us: "Our Day Of Reckoning Is Around The Corner"

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/01/25/rep_paul_responds_our_day_of_reckoning_is_around_the_corner.html <- VIDEO

Cantor: No Increase In Debt Limit Without "Serious Spending Cuts"

2011-01-24T18:11:00.000-08:00

Cantor: No Increase In Debt Limit Without "Serious Spending Cuts" <- VIDEO

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor draws the line in the sand.

Former Obama Budget Director: "there may well be US public debt tremors this year"

2011-01-21T19:11:00.000-08:00

America must brace itself for turbulence
By Peter Orszag

Published: January 20 2011 22:51 | Last updated: January 20 2011 22:51

America is experiencing the hard slog of recovering from the financial crisis. Prospects have turned more positive over the past two months. But a year ago growth was picking up too – and then it stalled, at about the same time Greece’s fiscal problems infected the global economy. The question now is whether a home-grown fiscal crisis could derail this year’s rebound...

Read the article at FT.com

Above content can be found on the Financial Times or FT.com.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/10612eec-24cc-11e0-a919-00144feab49a.html#axzz1BjHZLF7C

More Fuel to the Fire: Miami-Dade to repay $3.6 million in HUD funds back to the Feds

2011-01-21T14:01:00.000-08:00

Miami-Dade is now being asked to repay $3.6 million in Federal Block Grants money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) because officials in the Miami-Dade department cannot show if the money was spent properly. According to the Miami Herald "Jennifer Glazer-Moon, director of the Office of Strategic Business Management, stressed that the county has shored up its monitoring of such grants. And, she added, the county succeeded in paring the total due to HUD to $3.6 million -- from the $4.7 million that the federal agency was originally demanding.``We want to make sure things like this never, ever happen again,'' said Glazer-Moon." (I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE SAID THAT)

This latest incident with the Feds only continues to feed the speculation of the competency of this administration. The people of Miami-Dade County have already lost confidence in their government, stories like this only continue to fan the flames of recall. It is next to impossible for any top government official from this administration to expect to be left in charge of the posts they currently hold. This administration and its top bureaucrats have lost total credibility.

Miami Voice: Time to Recall

2011-01-20T05:54:00.000-08:00

In the beginning of this week Miami Voice issued its first shot against the Mayor and Seijas by releasing this attack ad. Seems as though these 40 seconds capture the anger of the public towards County Hall. I wonder if County officials learn better by video or print?

This video is funny because it uses the some of the good old Miami rhetoric - dictator (Castro)/politician (Seijas). However, I do have to say be careful what you wish for.

JMH: Search Committee concludes "No Healthcare Experience Needed" - Burgess Landing Pad?

2011-01-19T14:43:00.000-08:00

According to the search committee in charge of recommending the next CEO for Jackson, the next executive does not need to have healthcare experience. Is this a brilliant move by the chosen one's who are part of the search committee or is this just setting the foundation for a landing pad of recycled bureaucrats who may need a job soon (George Burgess)?

According to the Miami Herald earlier today: Linda Quick, president of the South Florida Hospital and Healthcare Association, said later that her group, which consists of many hospital CEOs, believes strongly that Jackson needs ``a professional hospital administrator,'' familiar with the complex issues of patient care, insurance payment programs and working with medical schools.

``It's not that smart people can't learn to be hospital administrators,'' said Quick, no relation to the search firm head. ``It's that you don't start out learning at the CEO level. . . . For 600 grand a year, they sure as hell better find someone who knows what the hell they're doing.''

What Ms. Quick states seems to be what many who are experienced in healthcare seem to say, "this is not an on the job training position, especially when your dealing with a crisis". Understanding the complexities of medical billing, healthcare law (local, state, and federal), and on top of that dealing with the politics of Unions and a potential restructuring of the hospital is not for the inexperienced.

Miami-Dade does not need to reinvent the wheel here. Narrow your search to those who have administered hospital's in crisis and successfully turned them around. I honestly hope that this is not the foundation begin created by some who are looking to create a landing pad for County Manager George Burgess. One question that the press core need to ask about the cardinal on the 29th floor, what happens to his retirement if he is ousted with the current Mayor? What would his retirement package have been if he were to have left in 2012? Does this play a motivating role in the ongoing speculation of Manager George Burgess's exit strategy?

Commissioner Seijas fight for survival

2011-01-18T19:54:00.000-08:00

Circuit Judge Amy Steele Donner today granted a motion requested by “Abre Los Brazos”, a political action committee created to help defend Miami-Dade County Commissioner Natacha Seijas from recall. The motion is for temporary injunction and is scheduled to be heard in February 7. If Commissioner Seijas is successful she will most likely be able to separate herself from the ballot that has her in conjunction with the unpopular County Mayor Carlos Alvarez. Many political pundits has asked “would you want to be on the ballot with the Mayor if you where her”?

Many County insiders argue that for Commissioner Seijas to have a fighting chance at survival she must not be on the same ballot as Mayor Alvarez. However, this begs the question as to Commissioner Seijas own popularity within her district. This is not the first time that she has faced recall but it may be the last. As time continues to tick voters become more agitated with the process of the recall. While the Commissioner has legal rights to challenge, voters view this as nothing more than an attempt to hold on to power.