Here are a few more ideas for just how important voting yes on the Miami Forever Bond can be. These ideas are just from Downtown, but every neighborhood has important new capital projects on the list. Because the last bond is winding down, we can approve this new one without worrying that our property taxes will increase much.
A lot! I’ve been thinking a lot about the next City of Miami General Obligation Bond, fondly referred to by City staff and commissioners as the GO Bond or #GOBond. That’s probably because GO sounds a lot more exciting than General Obligation. With a #GOBond, we can go places, we can achieve things, we can actually build some of the things we need for the City’s future.
“You only have one life, but if you live it well, that’s enough. The only reality is now, today. What are you waiting for to be happy?
Isabel Allende
It’s unclear to me who needs the Japanese Lover more. Alma? Irina? He’s been dead for three years yet Alma rereads Ichimei’s letters and breathes in the sweet scent of gardenias she’s secretly sent herself, convincing herself that this love is still a living love. Alma’s class consciousness, racism and selfishness blocked her from accepting his love while he was alive. “Age doesn’t make anyone better or wiser, but only accentuates what they have always been.” Even in old age, she finds it difficult to openly reveal her secret youthful love.
The tragically damaged Irina unpacks the history of this lost love and in doing so finds she is able to love again, trust again. Did Alma send those gardenias to herself or were they the trail of breadcrumbs she left for Irina so Irina would not miss her opportunity for happiness? Maybe Alma wasn’t so selfish after all.
Trying to squeeze a story and a message about all of society’s sins – from the Holocaust to Japanese internment to child sex trafficking to repression of gay rights – into a mere 300 pages obscured both the storytelling and the message giving more than needed. Too bad because the story was a good one. #OneNightstand
The price of housing is out of control in the county. It doesn’t matter your socio-economic class or your education level. It’s just plain expensive to live here. It’s costly if you are a teacher or a college grad or a cop. It’s The Miami Herald reports on it all the time. They say that Miami is one of the least affordable cities for teachers. They say that Hialeah is the least affordable for renters with Miami coming in at #2. Businesses worry about a brain drain because young college educated workers can’t find a decent place to live