Why do you hate it here? (Miami, Fort Lauderdale: loan, law school, universities)

[fauve]

^^^^ LOL! So true!

[fauve]

^^^^Although, in fairness, I can think of at least 3 great national politicians from the area off the top of my head (at least in Brwd and Plm beach)....Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Ron Klein and David Wexler.

[Luiso]

Originally Posted by fauve

^^^^Although, in fairness, I can think of at least 3 great national politicians from the area off the top of my head (at least in Brwd and Plm beach)....Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Ron Klein and David Wexler.

Oh not all politicians in Florida are useless but many are .

Its like saying all S.Florida politicians are corrupt not all are but so so many that you can make the general statement and it fits.

Again exceptions as far as being useless and corrupt all over Florida.

[fauve]

It is ironic, because the ones who tend to be honest make it to the national level. Politicians are shooting themselves in the foot by self-dealing. It's almost naivete of the process.

yea, I can think of a Rep honest one! Ileana Ross-Lehtinen. I'm not a fan, but she is honest, and once again was rewarded for it with a congressional seat.

[Tungsten_Udder]

Originally Posted by fauve

I love NYC, Paris, but definitely would pass on Mexico City. My largest problem with S. Florida is ironically, that I find it an incredibly boring, architecturally insipid and lacking in any feeling of community. The traffic, rude people and high unemployment are just bonuses. And, while I am at it, there are no intellectuals that would add a progressive tilt due to the lack of top schools in this area.

Interesting . . . I like the architecture in Florida a lot. I wish there were more big buildings and more unusual ones, but I like what's there for the most part.

Re the comment that there are no intellectuals coming from Florida schools, I can't agree with that either . . . partially because my intellectual development occurred in Florida schools and thus so did the intellectual development of a lot of my friends.

But re finding a lot of people with similar political views to my own . . . well, I might have to go to Mars for that or something. I sure haven't found many folks who agree with my political views anywhere that I've lived or traveled so far, including New York City. Of course, I don't really know what I should call my political views at this point. I call myself a libertarian socialist for want of a better term--I think I'd probably disagree on too many points with the other folks who also call themselves that. I used to be more of an "official US Libertarian Party"-styled Libertarian, and when I was, there were far more folks of like mind in Florida than there were here in New York City, and I became quite involved with the county and state parties in Florida. There wasn't even an active county branch of the party in Manhattan when I first moved up here. I'm not sure if there is now or not--I gave up looking for other Libertarians here.

[Tungsten_Udder]

Originally Posted by fauve

hahahaha...I had to answer this one first...NO, I definitely do not hang out with the people who "season" in Palm Beach! That's hysterical...you think *they're* the intellectuals?!

Some of them are.

The intellectuals are found in college towns and cosmopolitan cities,

Wait--you're making a link between colleges and intellectuals? I thought you went to college.

Before I went to college the first time, I thought there would be a lot more intellectuals there (I'm not sure why I thought that, but I did), but then you discover that it's really just High School II: The Return of the Clique Monster. (And yes, later I went back to graduate school at a couple schools outside of Florida, so it's not just Florida that's like that). It's not that there are no intellectuals in universities, of course--but it's not that there are no intellectuals in high schools, either, including in Florida.

along with those who would lend a "progressive tilt". Examples of such towns would include Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Santa Fe, Austin, etc. You won't find he people who season in Palm Bech here you might find them in Aspen or Vail, however.

If you don't know anyone who lives or hangs out in Palm Beach, how do you know just who you'll find there?

[fauve]

^^^ he was referring to the people who "season" there...you're arguing this for the sake of arguing it.,,I could use the answer, "I live in the area", but I've already had that argument with you, and I now find it repetitive and boring.

The schools down here suck. Nova, FIU, FAU, BCC? Please, now I know why you consider them to be HS2. UF yes, and I consider Gainesville an intellectual, progressive town.

I'm not talking about *any* colleges...I'm talking about Top 50 National and Liberal Arts tier one schools just to be clear (for a total of 100 schools). Not one in the above paragraph is even made it into Princeton's Top 368 colleges guide this year! This is a subject I know as son has been applying to and was just accepted into the 6th best liberal arts school. It happens to be in California! The closest schools he applied to other than UF were in NC...there are some great ones in Georgia though. I'll miss him, but I know the education and opportunities he would receive here in his interests wouldn't give him the bright future he's looking at somewhere else. Which brings me to the brain drain issue around here. The bright kids are getting the hell out and not coming back.

[Tungsten_Udder]

Originally Posted by fauve

^^^ he was referring to the people who "season" there...you're arguing this for the sake of arguing it.,,I could use the answer, "I live in the area", but I've already had that argument with you, and I now find it repetitive and boring.

. . . well, not to mention nonsensical, which is probably something an "intellectual" wouldn't forward.

Do you live in Palm Beach, by the way?

If you do live in Palm Beach, you do NOT live in Fort Lauderdale, so what are you doing in this forum?

If you do not live in Palm Beach, well, then obviously you do not live there either.

How many days per year do you spend in each location?

You had said that you do not hang out with people in Palm Beach. I know a number of people in Palm Beach and do hang out with them, including a few I'd consider intellectuals.

The schools down here suck. Nova, FIU, FAU, BCC?

Didn't you go to school in Florida? If not, just how long have you lived there?

What schools did I go to? Any idea?

I'm not talking about *any* colleges...I'm talking about Top 50 National and Liberal Arts tier one schools just to be clear . . . Not one in the above paragraph is even in Princeton's Top 368 guide!

Wait, you'd say, "There are a lot of intellectuals at a school if it's on the Princeton Top 368 list?"

Do you consider yourself an intellectual?

I have degrees from two of the schools on that list, by the way--one of them is in Florida.

[fauve]

I got my Master's at Nova (mental health counseling)...it is no more than a vocational private school for people with below average academics who have the money or decide the loans are worth it. This goes for the law school as well.

I've lived in South Florida in eleven different homes since 1989. One of those homes was in PBC.

I am not an intellectual, but I like being around them. I might have been one if I had not done my undergrad at St John Univ (degree in accounting - another vocational school or HS2). I also like the political and cultural environment intellectuals bring.

There are schools in Florida that are in the top 368. None are in South Florida. New College and UF are the only ones I would have considered for my son.

There may be intellectuals in S Florida and you may know some, but they surely don't represent the community like they do in towns like Asheville, Swarthmore, Amherst, Williams, etc., etc.

[planetsurf]

Originally Posted by fauve

I am not an intellectual, but I like being around them. I might have been one if I had not done my undergrad at St John Univ (degree in accounting - another vocational school or HS2). I also like the political and cultural environment intellectuals bring.

UM is #50 I believe, but I would not suggest it's a bastion of intellectualism.

fauve, just curious, did you go to Art Basel last week or the Book Fair last month?
Do you go to any of the PACKED book signings at Books & Books?
Concerts at the Congregational Church last summer?
Coral Gables Congregational Church Community Arts Projects

I'm not suggesting SoFla is some intellectual capital, or it's run by "intellectuals" (good grief, NO), but we find plenty to keep us busy and stimulated and I'm just curious if you take advantage of the same things.