MIAMI Part 1

I spent the weekend and the 4th with my family in Miami. Someone much much smarter than me needs to do a study on how the metropolitan area of Miami functions. It challenges everything I understand about capitalism. There are only 4 Fortune 500 Companies headquartered in Miami , which places it just ahead of Buffalo and after Omaha. Yet, the city is only outdone by New York and Chicago with regards to condo sales, and in one stroll down Collins Avenue in South Beach you are likely to see more Ferraris, Bentleys, and Aston Martins than you would see in all of Fairfax County. Basically, you have this gorgeous city with the nicest beaches in North America, some of the most luxurious homes and cars on the planet, but no one works. People either go to the beach everyday, or sit inside in the air conditioning. It is baffling. The easy answer is that the homes and cars belong to rappers and athletes, and the condos belong to old people that fly south for the winter from New York (ala the Constanzas and Seinfelds). Although highly unlikely to play such a dramatic role, even if it were the case, then what do the Cubans and Haitians do?

Speaking of Cubans, I am always fascinated when I talk to people who were directly affected by Communsim. Most Americans were indirectly affected by Communism through the ridiculous Red Scare, the legendary Cuban Missile Crisis and of course the horrific Vietnam War. However, few Americans were directly threatened by Communist ideology, rather, merely, it was American insecurity towards its existence. I bring this up because in the new Michael Moore film Sicko , he heads to Cuba to portray the greatness that is the Cuban Health Care System. Unfortunately for Mr. Moore and others who enjoy being contrarians so much that they endorse the likes of Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, the city of Miami is full of people who understand the true realities of communist regimes. And no, Cuba is not the medical utopia he portrays it to be. Even the liberal New Yorker Magazine is highly critical of the film and Moores romantic portrayal of the dictators benevolence. I am by no means endorsing our current health care system which has failed miserably (40+ Million Americans uninsured is absolutely ridiculous), however, there are better ways to approach the subject than to sail to Cuba.

It is discomforting to know that many liberals still see Communism and Castro as a preferable alternative to the Bush administration. While that is a topic for another day, it is worth noting that in the past 2 months I have spoked to a Cuban, a Nicaraguan, a Czech and a Romanian, all of whom were born at the time their country was under Communist rule. Not only did all four of their families have to risk their lives to emigrate, but all of them spoke of Communism with such disdain that I immediately felt bashful for bringing it up.