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The Town of Southwest Ranches, Corrections Corporation of American (CCA), and DHS / ICE want to build one of the largest immigration detention centers in the nation within walking distance of thousands of homes; thus, reducing the quality of our life and our community. We do not agree with the federal government privatizing our immigration detention centers throughout the nation when there is clear evidence that privatizing our prisons creates a clear public safety threat. For ICE to continue to privatize these institutions and bring this safety threat through their "secure communities Initiative" to our community is unacceptable. Depriving someone of their liberty is a non-delegable governmental function and privatizing of such a function is infecting our nation like a virus.

The Town of Southwest Ranches has now entered into it's THIRD Fire Contract within the last year now with the Town of Davie, costing taxpayers $120,000 in ramp up fees. They are now closing several roads in western Southwest Ranches charging the tax payers $80,000 for the gates. They have paid an unknown amount of money for lobbying with ICE regarding this prison. They have several lawsuits against the Town, 1- Involving Open Meeting Violations on a November 5th meeting concerning the ICE Detention Center, 2- Open Records Violations, and 3- The Town is putting together a lawsuit to sue Pembroke Pines for breach of contract because the City utilized their exit clause and cancelled for convenience their Fire/EMS contract which included water and sewer at the last minute for the CCA prison. In the contract it states that there should be no third party beneficiaries. CCA would be a third party in this instance.

CCA has also filed suit in Federal court against the City of Pembroke Pines saying they are denying them water however the City had never seen a water application. The City did file for a Declaratory Judgement in State Court but that has been put on hold until the Federal Court hears the suit from CCA.

Is ANYONE CONFUSED as to why the Pembroke Pines/Southwest Ranches Fire Agreement was cancelled? The Town Attorney Keith Poliakoff attempted to "slip" into the agreement a portion that guaranteed water for the prison at CCA's request. This is something that should have been brought up separately. CCA should have brought it forward on their own in a water application. This is sleight of hand that CCA and the Town attempted to do because they were so afraid of CCA being on the Pembroke Pines agenda.

As of June 2012, ICE put out a statement that the site selection was no longer needed due to the fact that the extra bedspace was no longer needed. READ UPDATE HERE!


Friday, January 20, 2012

Debbie Wasserman Schultz's Soaring Hypocrisy

Our Congresswoman is doing what she does best, again.  That's being a hypocrite.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz sent out this spam using taxpayer's dollars to essentially campaign on our dime.  Move to the bottom and you will see this quote:
I am proud to be an advocate for South Florida, and my office is always open to you.
This is an astonishing lie as it is Debbie and her good friend Senator Nelson who both wrote a letter of support for building a 2500 bed immigrant prison right in her own back yard. As far as we know, Debbie has not communicated with a SINGLE constituent regarding her position on the prison and the fact she appears to have sold us out when she took $1000 from CCA immediately after endorsing the prison.
  
She and her office (Jodi Davidson) REFUSE to correspond or have discussions about this prison with specific constituents.

When is the last really PUBLIC meeting Debbie Wasserman Schultz has actually had? She has steadfastly refused to allow us the opportunity to present our facts to her and actually have a dialog with her as anybody would expect from their Representative.  There is NO representation here.

If you read her letter, you find NOTHING in there which reflects her claims on Jimmy Cefalo's radio program in that:
  • she's endorsed the immigrant prison on our behalf
  • It saves us from a worse fate
  • It brings jobs and money into the district.
Why so silent on such a great effort by her?  Even WLRN called her out on it. Shouldn't she be trumpeting her great generosity and care for us in District 20?  Shouldn't she be highlighting how well she's working with private industry (CCA) to help bring jobs to her district?
Her complete campaign email is below:
Dear Friend:
Women’s health was a big focus for me this month and that’s why I’m writing you today. 
In an effort to raise awareness about National Cervical Health Awareness Month, I met with medical professionals, cancer advocates and cancer survivors at the Broward County Health Department.  Each year more than 12,000 American women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and a third of them will die from it. 
That’s why cutting-edge facilities like the one at the Broward County Health Department are crucial in the effort to increase early detection and treatment. They offer free screening exams for breast and cervical cancers, as well as treatment to women who need it. I am committed to making sure that my constituents have all the information and resources they need to keep themselves healthy.  And I will continue to work hard to ensure that Congress does its part in the fight against cancer. Read more
Another movement that’s gaining momentum in South Florida is the effort against human trafficking. Right here in the United States, an estimated 200,000 people, some as young as 13, are being sold into prostitution and pornography. In honor of National Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Month, my office organized a roundtable meeting with Broward County's Human Trafficking Coalition, the Broward Sheriff's Office, the FBI Miami Bureau, local law enforcement and women and children's advocacy groups to talk about how to address this tragic issue. Read more
We’ve come a long way in the last few decades when it comes to women’s rights and we must continue to do our part to protect those rights and encourage the women in our lives to take care of their health.    
I am proud to be an advocate for South Florida, and my office is always open to you. You can reach us in Pembroke Pines at 954-437-3936, in Aventura at 305-936-5724 and in Washington, DC at 202-225-7931.  I’m also available online at http://wassermanschultz.house.gov and on Facebook. You can download my mobile app for iPhone and Android here. Comcast-on-demand customers can stay up to date with my work for you on channel 890.
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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 23, 2012 at 11:46 AM

    Would her silence and refusal to speak with us considered taxation without representation?

    ReplyDelete

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