Upfront Yankee

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Applies To Privatize Luis Munoz Marin Airport - Dow...

See new thread on the LMM Airport started a few minutes ago... Fas Alzamora, MINH blast LMM privatization - AP / Puerto Rico Daily Sun - 07/12/09 The airport itself is profitable. It generates $35 million a year in profits. It is the Port Authority that is unprofitable. Not LMM airport... See new thread and post comments...  (2 hrs ago | post #22)

Puerto Rico

Fas Alzamora, MINH blast LMM privatization - AP / Puerto Rico D...

The AP story reports: “[LMM] is Port’s only successful operation. It generates millions in profits — $35 million annually, according to official figures — so it would be craziness, foolish, to privatize the facility,” he said in a statement. “They’ve wanted to give the impression that the international airport is bankrupt to justify the sale. What is in a deficit is the rest of the Port Authority operations. What’s certain is that they want to privatized what makes money so the people are left with what doesn’t,” he said. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ In earlier statements from the Fortuño Administration, we were led to believe that the LMM Airport was seriously bankrupted and needed federal funds to survive. According to this latest report this is not true. The airport itself generates millions in profits -- $35 million annually, according to official figures. It is the total Port Authority operations, which includes a lot more than the LMM Airport, that is in serious financial trouble. Should these federal funds for NEW FUTURE AIRPORT CONSTRUCTION AND IMPROVEMENTS be used as a loan to bail out the TOTAL Port Authority for its past and current mismanagement problems? If this is possible, why not have other airports under the American flag suffering from their mismanagement financial problems receive bail out funds instead of new construction funds for an airport.. I was always under the impress that any FAA funds had to be used to assure the future use of an airport. Not to correct past or present mismanagement financial problems. I hope the federal government is a reliable watchdog to make certain no jurisdiction misuses federal funds for airports or any other areas of a local jurisdiction.  (2 hrs ago | post #1)

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Applies To Privatize Luis Munoz Marin Airport - Dow...

They do bring drugs into the states via boats. I bet a lot of illegal drugs are hidden in containers on ships and go to ports where there is lax inspection. I am told that most of the drugs entering Puerto Rico come in on the container ships; and then, shipped illegally by air to the states. See earlier Puerto Rico News - Topix posting about poor inspection of container ships entering Puerto Rico. This news report stated that lots of drugs and guns enter Puerto Rico on ships to be smuggled on planes to the states.  (3 hrs ago | post #20)

Puerto Rico

Suspects nabbed in only 15% of ’09 homicides - Puerto Rico Dail...

I live in Puerto Rico. For my computer, I have Sprint wireless same as with my cellular phone. I noticed since I got wireless abut four years -- or so -- ago, my postings on Topix has cities all over the United States under my name as the place where I live. These cities and locations change with each new posting. In my case, it has do with having a wireless service for my internet. I am not technical and cannot explain...  (16 hrs ago | post #8)

Puerto Rico

Suspects nabbed in only 15% of ’09 homicides - Puerto Rico Dail...

Governor Luis Fortuño blames the high crime rate in Puerto Rico on the island being a transit point for a lot of illegal drugs being shipped to the mainland. He says he still has complete confidence in his Sperintendent of Police. How many homicides are connected with drugs and how many are not connected with drugs? How does Puerto Rico compare to the fifty states in apprehending suspects and getting convictions? Were we safer or less safe under the Acevedo Administration vs. the Fortuño Administration?  (Yesterday | post #1)

Puerto Rico

Heredia quits over funds misuse ... wanted to “put the minds of...

What really makes me angry about this is that Luis Fortuño did not fire Aníbal Heredia because the creep did not believe in Separation of Church and State or because he is an anti-gay bigot, but because he mis-used his government car. It would be great if Luis Fortuño could be fired and had to sneak out the backdoor of Forteleza as many creeps he appointed since becoming Governor of Puerto Rico. Luis Fortuño is no different. He used a helicopter at a thousand dollars a trip to fly within the borders of small 100 x 35 miles Puerto Rico and has the same mentality about Separation of Church and State and fearful confusion about LGBTT Children of God as does Aníbal Heredia. We have three more years to go. Will it get worse or better?  (Yesterday | post #3)

Puerto Rico

Heredia quits over funds misuse ... wanted to “put the minds of...

It seems that more frequently officials are being fired or resigning from the Fortuño Administration. Is this typical for Puerto Rico? It is very seldom that an official is fired or needs to resign from the Obama Administration in Washington.  (Saturday | post #1)

Puerto Rico

UPDATE TO EARLIER POSTING: Ports tags airport PPP at $1 billion...

He said this situation is being repeated in public schools throughout the island, given that while most janitor layoffs have not taken effect yet, many are not showing up for work because they have decided to use up their accumulated vacation days. He said that about 50 percent of public school janitors will be laid off under Law 7. This would leave 1,954 janitors for 1,523 schools, instead of the 5,542 janitors on the payroll now. While the Fortuño administration has said it plans to hire co-ops organized by laid-off workers to do school maintenance work, García charged that private companies are negotiating with NPP municipal chiefs to recruit party followers. Jayuya Mayor Jorge González Otero said this is occurring in his municipality, where executives from a “new private company” are allegedly meeting with former NPP mayoral candidate Ernesto Torres Zamora to “channel recruitment of new personnel. The mayor alleged that on Nov. 13, Torres held a meeting in which janitors were hired for several schools in the municipality. He alleged that the hiring of the employees, whom he said began work on Tuesday in a 3 p.m.-to-10 p.m. shift, also involved the displacement of existing janitors to schools marked for closing. “We repudiate career politicians making appointments behind closed doors, limiting the participation of Jayuya residents interested in a job, which is contrary to the governor’s and Education secretary’s directives to give priority to laid-off workers,” said González, who noted that the administration said it would rehire employees with the most seniority. González also charged that the administration has neglected the maintenance of state roads leading into the municipality, including PR-533, which he and Ciales Mayor Roland Maldonado closed given the “danger it posses to drivers’ safety.” He also charged that the commonwealth owes the municipality some $3.5 million, including $2.4 million in Special Communities Program funding, and other monies from such agencies as Health, Transportation and Public Works and the Tourism Company. Guayanilla Mayor Carlos Arlequín, Humacao Mayor Marcelo Trujillo and Guánica Mayor Martín Vargas Morales accompanied González at the press conference. The Puerto Rican Workers Syndicate made similar charges in August, when they said that Education Department officials in the Ponce, Humacao, Arecibo and Mayaguez regions were hiring school janitors outside the merit system, basing hires on recommendations by politicians. They said this practice violated a directive by Education Secretary Carlos Chardón to rehire some 170 janitors laid off in May. García said that legal action is also being considered against the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to collect money owed to municipalities for the public corporation’s use of municipal property.  (Friday | post #5)

Puerto Rico

UPDATE TO EARLIER POSTING: Ports tags airport PPP at $1 billion...

The following report in the Daily Sun disputes what is stated in Comment #3: http://www.prdaily sun.com/news/PDP-m ayors-mull-suit-ov er-NPP-hiring-of-s chool-janitors PDP mayors mull suit over NPP hiring of school janitors - Puerto Rico Daily Sun - 18/11/09 by Jose Alvarado Vega - jalvarado@prdailys un.net The Popular Democratic Party Mayors Association said Tuesday it is considering a lawsuit against the Fortuño administration for alleged violations of a fiscal emergency Law 7 provision involving the alleged hiring of New Progressive Party loyalists to cover posts vacated by laid-off public workers. “We are collecting information to be analyzed for possible legal actions against violations of Law 7’s Article 49, which addresses preference in terms of recruiting,” Mayors Association Executive Director Jaime García said during a press conference at the organization’s headquarters in Puerta de Tierra. The article, he said, states that laid-off public workers have priority when hiring to cover needed posts. He said the NPP is violating the article by allegedly hiring loyalists to cover school janitorial and maintenance work being left idle after the layoff of government employees, especially in municipalities governed by PDP mayors. García said the announcement of the second round of Law 7 layoffs in September have left many schools without personnel to clean bathrooms and remove trash, leaving facilities such as the María Huertas Community School in Comerío with “a grave health problem.” The principal of this school made a written request for help from Comerío Mayor José A. Santiago last month, given what she called the “strong odors” coming out of the bathrooms and accumulated trash. [Continue in next comment posting...]  (Friday | post #4)

Puerto Rico

UPDATE TO EARLIER POSTING: Ports tags airport PPP at $1 billion...

I received the following email from a contact close to the Fortuño Administration: ------------------ --------- The Education Department will be hiring workers cooperatives, organized by current school janitors, to keep public schools clean. Those workers cooperatives will be free to expand operations beyond the schools. Contrary to for-profit corporations that distribute dividends to stockholders, workers cooperatives distribute revenues in excess of operating expenses to the workers who are participants of the cooperatives.  (Friday | post #3)

Puerto Rico

UPDATE TO EARLIER POSTING: Ports tags airport PPP at $1 billion...

He [Ports Authority Director Alvaro Pilár] said no employees would be dismissed under a PPP transaction because that is one of the requirements of the FAA to approve the transfer. The plan would also need approval of 65% of the airlines that operate at LMM Airport. ---Quote from Caribbean Business report... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ This rule about the requirement that "no employees would be dismissed," I approve 100%. It is in sharp contrast to another privatization being done by the Fortuño Administration. There are reliable reports that the janitorial tasks for cleaning public schools will be done by a private cleaning service company. Earlier, many -- if not all -- of the public cleaning service employees for the public schools have been fired. The private cleaning service company is now hiring new employees to clean the schools. Those being hired by the private contractor ARE NOT any of the employees laid off. It is also reported that the contractor has close ties with the New Progressive Party and is only hiring NPP supporters. Also, the unions claim it is one more effort at union busting by the Fortuño Administration. What are the true facts? The people have a right to know.  (Friday | post #1)

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Applies To Privatize Luis Munoz Marin Airport - Dow...

Why not pass a law that any company that has a contract to privatize a government function cannot make any campaign contribution to anyone. Can you comprehend that many of these companies with contracts will give money like crazy to the party in power. It is already happening.  (Friday | post #12)

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Applies To Privatize Luis Munoz Marin Airport - Dow...

Governor Fortuño for some odd reason never tells us the name of the company selected or under consideration. Many of these companies are foreign owned. Fortuño prefers to call them "internationa l" instead of "foreign. " Why?  (Friday | post #10)

Puerto Rico

A Puerto Rico Stonewall 2009... Robert McCarroll - VOICES / Pue...

Some of my labels have been: Great French/Irish Lover - Rowdy Rob -- The Brain - The Alcoholic - The Recovering Alcoholic - Upfront Yankee who won't take bull from bigots - Out of the Closet - Protester for all causes - Upper Class Snob - Mrs. Roosevelt's Friend and Neighbor - Teacger's Pet - Smooth Talker - Great Skinny Dipper especially if it could be with Levi Johnson (Did you see his photos in Playgirl?) - Liberal - Proud Democrat - Obama Lover - Horney until I lost by libido in old age - Old Fart - Sucker to help the homeless - Codependent - Motor Mouth in many different ways including talking too much. -Etc. - Etc. - Etc. --- There are many labels that I like and do not like.  (Friday | post #15)

Puerto Rico

A Puerto Rico Stonewall 2009... Robert McCarroll - VOICES / Pue...

One right-on, accurate label such as "bigot" says a lot and makes it necessary to not use a lot of words. To me you come across as a "bigot" male or female. Most tolerant people know what a bigot means and I do not need to explain. There is nothing wrong with a accurate label. We use labels everyday such as that person is a "true patriot" -- He is a "Latin Idol." He or she is a "hero."  (Friday Dec 4 | post #13)