What will happen to Miami's economy when Cuba becomes an exotic cruise ship mecca? Will Miami be 'more on the map' ? (Doral: best city, 2009)

[EnjoyTheSilence]

Please....

Eventually, Cuba will be free and a bridge will be constructed between Key West and Cuba. Cuba will become a #1 tourist destination for Americans and Havana will be the "new" New Orleans, minus the crime.

I have a real gut feeling that the future is bright for Cuba...and my gut isn't usually wrong.

[runswithscissors]

Originally Posted by crisp444

Eduardo:

From your zipcode, I know where you live, and if you are making statements like "Miami is not the USA" and "all Cubans in Miami are mixed," you need to get out of Sweetwater and Fountainbleau more often.

I was glad to read this. When I posted that I was possibly getting a job out there and the neighborhood closest to commute would be Fountainbleau or Doral and I thought it would be an adjustment PLUS it was ugly, I was called all kinds of "elitist" "go move to Alaska to escape the Hispanics you racist B..." type of crap on here.

Not that I give a flying....but it's funny how the DOUBLE STANDARD OF MIAMI (and the Miami wannabees that don't even live here or in the USA anymore...) works, as we already KNOW. Anglo? Shut up and don't say a word that we don't like. LOLOL.....

[runswithscissors]

Originally Posted by crisp444

Part of the reason why many Americans dislike Miami so much is that the prestigious areas are densely-populated and expensive compared to most other places in this country. There is plenty of sprawl in West Kendall, Doral, and Homestead where a single family, detached home can be had for a very reasonable price, but many "middle Americans" avoid those areas because, depending on the neighborhood, they are 60-85% "Hispanic." Nevermind that most of these "Hispanics" speak English and/or are Americans themselves!

"American standards" are often unreasonable and make little sense to other people in the devloped world. The problem with this country nowadays is that, as a generality, people want an upper class lifestyle on a middle class income. Why are places like suburban Georgia and North Carolina so popular with middle-class Americans? The quick answer to that is that in those places you can buy a large, detached, single family house in a homogenous area with new, wide streets/expressways and plenty of free parking for a low price. The "American dream" has changed drastically since its conception. Prior to the 1950's, the American dream was to purchase a dwelling in which to raise your family. In the 1950's, the American dream became to be able to afford a modest, single family home in the suburbs with a car in the driveway. In the 1970's the American dream become to own a spacious home in suburbs even further from the central city, and in the 1990's and to now, the American dream is to have nothing less than a 3000 square foot home (+/- 300 square meters), a three-car garage full of SUV's and sports cars, a private swimming pool, three plasma big-screen TV's, all in an area that is "not crowded" (ie: low-density, no pedestrians, and little to no public transportation). When middle class Americans cannot afford that, they start to badmouth cities and metro areas where the middle class lives lifestyles closer to the traditional middle-class lifestyle in the 1950's and before.

In fact, people have tried to manipulate the very definition of "middle class" in the first place. Can you believe that I once had an argument on this forum with a married woman with two kids that was arguing that her $180,000 household income was barely enough for her to consider herself lower-middle class? She didn't really care to hear that such an income puts her household in the top 5% of American households for yearly earnings, and instead insisted that "middle class" was defined with what you can buy for the money. If that were the case, I would be upper class in Kansas City, middle class in Seattle, and "in poverty" living in Monaco. Sadly, however, many Americans have begun to base "middle class" on the notion that you are not "middle class" unless you can afford to purchase all of the items I described above.

My parents raised my sister and me in a 1070 square foot (100 square meters) dwelling. It was in a safe neighborhood and a short drive to the water. Many of our neighbors were blue-collar families; some were from Florida, some were from NJ/NY, some were from Cuba, and some were from South America. I attended "average" public schools and was able to receive an excellent educated because I made the most of it. I attended a prestigious undergraduate university and now am in law school, and many of my friends who grew up with me in "average" public schools that people outside of South Florida call "BAD" have taken similar career tracks. From reading this forum, you would think that Miami is a hellhole in which you will be robbed, will not be able to find a soul who speaks English, and in which your children will not be able to read if they attend public schools there. Guess what? This is a gross exaggeration of the reality of the area. If you can get over the fact that you will hear a lot of Spanish being spoken, you will be fine as a middle class family living in a middle class area. If you want a McMansion in a neighborhood that is almost all non-ethnic "white American", all for under $200,000, you are in the wrong metropolitan area.

Life is what you make of it, and places with big houses in cookie-cutter neighborhoods where kids go to schools that are 90% blonde-haired, blue-eyed "white American" don't necessarily produce better, more intelligent, or more sophisticated people.

Just a sec....

The reason "Americans" if you want to pick me as an average American...wont live there is not because of Hispanics being there.

Its because of:

1. The CLANNISH AND REVERSE XENOPHOBIA ...HISPANICS reject US as "ignorant English speaking Anglos" LOL in OUR OWN COUNTRY?

That ignorant part is what cracks me up the most. Ignorance is bliss is more like it. We want our space not the standards of the countries that everyone down there thinks WE should adapt to...their OLD homes. LOL wtf. These people need to get to Montana or Wyoming or somewhere really A M E R I C A N with NORMAL space.

2. THEY REFUSE to speak English and you know it. They want that area to be another country. Not only refuse but INSIST everyone else needs to speak Spanish.

FINE, have at it. LOL It's teeny tiny nothing percent of the entire USA have fun living in fantasy world (not you)

Regarding schools NOBODY outside of Florida is saying Florida schools are "bad". HOW would anybody up north KNOW or CARE about Florida schools? LOL other than the EXTREMELY LOW RANKINGS FROM TIME TO TIME.

You guys are so paranoid you think the whole USA is busy discussing Florida? LOL not a single person in the entire country cares about Florida (or any other state they dont live in for that matter).

This is some wierd "pride" factor down here and you guys are making your own selves miserable focusing on this whole "hispanic thing" and Florida versus the USA to tell you the truth.

But UNIVERSALLY "we" all say if you want to be educated you can. Period. Anywhere in this country provided your classroom is not a warzone. Which many are.

Poor Miami, It reminds me of visiting my Greek relatives over there. EVERY year there was some drama. SOmebody wasnt speaking to somebody else and somebody was in the dog house etc etc etc....we called it a "village mentality"....HAVE to have something to be dramatic about.

*not you, just sayin....

[Eduardo983]

Originally Posted by Tjam

You could be right, or wrong. However, those young women in front of the Cuban flag (page 11) have the prettiest skin complexion. What are they? What's the mix there?

African + Spaniard

[Eduardo983]

Originally Posted by runswithscissors

I was glad to read this. When I posted that I was possibly getting a job out there and the neighborhood closest to commute would be Fountainbleau or Doral and I thought it would be an adjustment PLUS it was ugly, I was called all kinds of "elitist" "go move to Alaska to escape the Hispanics you racist B..." type of crap on here.

Not that I give a flying....but it's funny how the DOUBLE STANDARD OF MIAMI (and the Miami wannabees that don't even live here or in the USA anymore...) works, as we already KNOW. Anglo? Shut up and don't say a word that we don't like. LOLOL.....

runswithscissors,

You must be crazy...and probably poor if you think that Doral is a bad place to live....

Nobody in Miami would ever call you anglo... Hispanics in Miami are not Mexicans and we can be as white as any "anglo American" (or whiter than you).


Doral Ugly???


Ha Ha

Maybe you can`t afford a home here.... Thank god you did not move here ....the city could lose some quality of life if we have such ignorants/uneducated people as a neighbor...

[Leovigildo]

Sadie

You said:

Can those Cuban ex-commies and rabid capitalist-nationalists make similar personal sacrifices..."for the sake of the country".

The answer is no. No similarities, no sacrifices.

Of course, you might perceive certain similarity by the way in which the "Nomenklatura" holds power, but once "Gerontocracy" disappears it will be a deluge. Of course, it might take years.

Just recently, two young "technocrats" that were supposed to carry out changes were sacked and replaced by nonagenarians.

There were people that thought that Raul Castro would choose the "Chinese way", but that was preposterous.

In fact, Cuba's main source of income nowdays are remittances from abroad. The economy is a disaster, tourism is a disaster, Cuba imports sugar from the US (from a Cuban producer in Florida), the country has to buy 80% of all the food supplies abroad and the price of nickel floundered.

No, no similarities.

[Leovigildo]

Poor Miami, It reminds me of visiting my Greek relatives over there. EVERY year there was some drama.


Of course, we are Mediterraneans, not "Anglos".
We love drama and we talk with our hands, we scream, we love olive oil and spiced food and we all think that we are the Center of the Universe.
We are not a race, but a Culture that began when Phoenicians and your ancestors started to sail to unknown lands some 4.000 years ago.
Anglos call us PIGS. Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain.

[SadieMirsade]

Originally Posted by Leovigildo

Sadie

You said:

Can those Cuban ex-commies and rabid capitalist-nationalists make similar personal sacrifices..."for the sake of the country".

The answer is no. No similarities, no sacrifices.

Of course, you might perceive certain similarity by the way in which the "Nomenklatura" holds power, but once "Gerontocracy" disappears it will be a deluge. Of course, it might take years.

Just recently, two young "technocrats" that were supposed to carry out changes were sacked and replaced by nonagenarians.

There were people that thought that Raul Castro would choose the "Chinese way", but that was preposterous.

In fact, Cuba's main source of income nowdays are remittances from abroad. The economy is a disaster, tourism is a disaster, Cuba imports sugar from the US (from a Cuban producer in Florida), the country has to buy 80% of all the food supplies abroad and the price of nickel floundered.

No, no similarities.

I was....hm....preaching a bit. I realize it's pretty bad. I was being hypothetical? It takes a "certain" frame of mind....a certain kind leadership...a certain elite (you know exactly what I meant).
I realize I sounded like a preacher...but honestly...a couple of the countries I mentioned above...were almost wiped off the map.
They literally did the impossible...not only survived (against all odds) but....lived to prosper.
ps...the story about the pennyless sultan, disinherited nobility and their eventual return...is very true. In retrospect...they realized...that...perhaps....their ancestor-the sultan wasn't "suited for the job"! A "doctor" had to come in...and do some radical surgery.....
btw...Japan, in the 19th century...had no technology, no resources, no knowhow...zilch. Just silkworm farms...fishing boats....the usual...subsistence...
And then.....they rolled up their sleaves...and started imitating the Germans...and the "gaijin" ways...
They literally re-created themsleves...even visually...behaving, dressing....becoming more "a la Franga"!

[CLTKing]

Originally Posted by runswithscissors

Just a sec....

The reason "Americans" if you want to pick me as an average American...wont live there is not because of Hispanics being there.

Its because of:

1. The CLANNISH AND REVERSE XENOPHOBIA ...HISPANICS reject US as "ignorant English speaking Anglos" LOL in OUR OWN COUNTRY?

That ignorant part is what cracks me up the most. Ignorance is bliss is more like it. We want our space not the standards of the countries that everyone down there thinks WE should adapt to...their OLD homes. LOL wtf. These people need to get to Montana or Wyoming or somewhere really A M E R I C A N with NORMAL space.

2. THEY REFUSE to speak English and you know it. They want that area to be another country. Not only refuse but INSIST everyone else needs to speak Spanish.

FINE, have at it. LOL It's teeny tiny nothing percent of the entire USA have fun living in fantasy world (not you)

Regarding schools NOBODY outside of Florida is saying Florida schools are "bad". HOW would anybody up north KNOW or CARE about Florida schools? LOL other than the EXTREMELY LOW RANKINGS FROM TIME TO TIME.

You guys are so paranoid you think the whole USA is busy discussing Florida? LOL not a single person in the entire country cares about Florida (or any other state they dont live in for that matter).

This is some wierd "pride" factor down here and you guys are making your own selves miserable focusing on this whole "hispanic thing" and Florida versus the USA to tell you the truth.

But UNIVERSALLY "we" all say if you want to be educated you can. Period. Anywhere in this country provided your classroom is not a warzone. Which many are.

Poor Miami, It reminds me of visiting my Greek relatives over there. EVERY year there was some drama. SOmebody wasnt speaking to somebody else and somebody was in the dog house etc etc etc....we called it a "village mentality"....HAVE to have something to be dramatic about.

*not you, just sayin....

I love your post. It is true, no one outside Miami cares about it, nor takes about the Cubans and Castro. In all those years I lived in SoFl, you would made to believe that Miami was the center of the universe, with the drama, mayor, discussions and what have you. Now that I live so far away from it, I don't even see it on the map when the weather man is doing his little show on TV. Amazing how distorted life is down there. Yeap, little village mentality.

[Leovigildo]

CLTking

All Human Groups are parochial and self-centered.
Of course, nobody cares about Miami ouside Miami, just the same way that nobody cares about Kalamazoo or Ft. Lauderdale outside those places.
As to exterior people bickering against a particular language and culture, perhaps they hate their own people and envy those that are content with their identity.