Today marks the introduction of the MVB B.S. Detector. His job is to spot it and scoop it so you don't. He's your first defense against the smell coming from City Hall.
Yesterday, Miami Dade County commissioners voted 7 to 5 to endorse a lawsuit against a referendum on the strong mayor proposal-- a suit in which the commission itself is a defendant. The lawsuit seeks to toss out more than 123,000 petition signatures calling for Mayor Carlos Alverez's strong-mayor referendum.
Why are these seven commissioners (henceforth to be known as "The Seven") supporting a lawsuit against themselves and have said "Screw you" to the 123,000+ signatures from their constituents? Because if the Mayor's idea ever gets to a vote, they are afraid it would win at the polls and take power away from them. They justify backing this lawsuit because of the petition's wording. Instead of asking signers to read through an official 40-page text, the petition was circulated by Citizens for Reform with a 71-word summary. A group called Citizens For Open Government, whom the commission is backing, lost their previous battles in lower courts to squelch the petition drive in its present abbreviated form. Even the Florida Supreme Court has backed the lower court judges on this matter. But that won't stop Citizens For Open Government or "The Seven" from trying one more time when the final hearing comes up October 23rd.
But thumbing their seven collective noses at the Florida legal system isn't good enough for "The Seven." As a further example of their mad grab at retaining power, they have hired, at the public's expense, a private law firm to battle the matter at that court date. Instead of using in-house attorneys which would have saved the public money, they hired a private law firm which will charge us $325 an hour for its partners' work and $200 an hour for non-partners. MVB wonders if "The Seven" would have hired an outside law firm if they themselves had to pay the bill?
Talk about the public getting double bitch slapped aside the face from self-serving politicians. They can pretend they're only trying to protect us from politicizing the hiring and contracting all they want but, from what we can tell by looking over their past performances, instead of having many hands in the till, a strong mayor form of government ought to cut those greasy palms down to only one at best-- and that looks like an improvement to us.
Finally, MVB finds their attitude appalling and, like Howard Beale from Network, "we're mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore." Back then, before there were personal computers and blogs, the crazed network news anchor exhorted his viewers to throw their windows open, stick their heads out and scream to the world that they were "mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore!" Well, we're throwing up the digital window on our blog, picking up the B.S. and throwing it right back where it came from. We don't know if a strong mayor form of government is any better than what we already have, but we sure don't like seeing power corrupted officials acting like demagogues when it comes to the wishes of the public. We also don't know if any of "The Seven" have any shame, but if they do, perhaps after seeing themselves wearing MVB's "Poopy Head" hats*, maybe, just maybe they'll think twice before behaving so badly in public. Like the old saying goes, "if the hat fits, wear it," we bestow upon Bruno Barreiro, Jose "Pepe" Diaz, Audrey Edmonson, Dennis Moss, Dorrin Rolle, Natacha Seijas, and Javier Souto MVB's first "Poopy Head" hats:
3 comments:
The corruption in the Commission’s decision to hire outside counsel was partially asserted by Gimenez when he stated that Meros would make a better plaintiff’s attorney. Unfortunately, Gimenez did not complete his assertion; in fact “the lucky seven” were looking to hire a plaintiff’s attorney.
Meros was hired switch the Commission’s posture in the case to that of a plaintiff. The Commission seeks to directly sue the Dept. of Elections and indirectly punish the County Attorney. In doing that, the Commission will attempt to force the Dept. of Elections to disqualify the signatures . . . ridiculous!
Not to mention embarrassing. "The Seven" should be ashamed of themselves.
MVB should be ashamed of itself for picturing our commissioners like that. A pox upon you and all who work for you--especially that fat bastard Verticus Erectus. Publisher, my ass.
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