David Rivera's Cuban Family Values

[Vogon_Glory]

Whatever we may think of the Castro regime, pro or con, I fail to see why we Americans should intensify the pain of divided Cuban families by either state or federal government fiat

This Rivera fellow also supposedly thinks that he'll someday be Mayor of Cienfuegos. ROFLMAO! With his attitude, I think that I've got a far better chance of getting elected than he does after what he's done to kick sand in the face of Cubans living on the island.

On a lighter note, I'm not interested in the job. More seriously, I think that this proposal was a disgrace.

Plan to limit Cuba travel fails
Tactic would have stopped family visits

By Linda Kleindienst
Tallahassee Bureau Chief
Posted April 26 2005

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TALLAHASSEE • A move to limit travel from Florida to Cuba died in the state Senate on Monday when committee members said they don't want to stop anyone from visiting a sick or dying relative.

The plan championed by Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, was designed to stop Floridians from traveling to and helping the economy of terrorist nations, mainly communist Cuba.

It would have stripped Cuban expatriates of any state and federal benefits if they returned home within three years of arriving in Florida and called for stiff fees on charter flights to the island nation.

"You'd be able to travel to a terrorist country, just not do it on the taxpayer's dime," said Rivera, one of South Florida's most vocal supporters of President George W. Bush's tough restrictions on travel and gift parcels to Cuba announced last May.


http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/legislature/sfl-fcuba26apr26,0,7616213.story?coll=sfla-news-legislature

[CottonBear]

1. Umm? Since when has Cuba been a 'terrorist' country?

:shrug:

[davidinalameda]

7. since Bush said they are

and you know he's always right

:sarcasm:

[Judi Lynn]

2. Cuban "exile" Rep. David Rivera's a real pip, isn't he?

He's getting articles written on "bright" Republican-helping ideas all the time. Here's another one:

Cuba visit restrictions may be tightened

Miami, FL, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- A Miami state legislator wants to crank up the punishment for exiles who visit Cuba by taking away their health insurance and food stamps.

The proposal by Florida Republican Rep. David Rivera would not only cut off Medicaid and food stamps it would end housing assistance for a year, The Miami Herald reported Wednesday.

His bill is aimed at stopping recent arrivals who come to the United States, file applications for benefits and then visit Cuba. Rivera said the money spent on the trips only helps the Fidel Castro regime.

"People are sick and tired of people living here, taking advantage of taxpayer generosity and then providing financial support to the Castro regime by traveling back to the island," Rivera said.
(snip/...)

http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20040825-095655-4654r.htm



Republican Rep. David Rivera

[Judi Lynn]

4. This food stamp program for Cuban "exiles" has taken on a life of its own

You may remember this bizarre event:

Back in March, six employees from the DCF's Hialeah office were summarily fired after state Sen. Rudy Garcia complained that his grandmother was treated rudely when she showed up to discuss a problem with her food stamps. Interestingly, Garcia sat on the Senate committee that was due to vote on Regier's nomination as DCF secretary.

The mass firings sparked an angry outcry, so Regier denied that he had anything to do with it. He said that decision was independently made by the DCF's Miami division chief, Chelly Schembera.

Completely untrue. Inter-office e-mails confirmed Schembera's claim that she had strongly opposed the firings of the six workers, most of whom had many years of experience. Regier flatly told her to get rid of everybody in "the chain of command" involved in the incident with Garcia's grandmother.

Because of the negative publicity, all the employees were later rehired by the DCF with back pay and benefits. When Regier's nomination was approved, Garcia wisely abstained from the vote.

Regier's ham-fisted firing of the so-called Hialeah Six was the work of a political hack, trying to curry favor with an influential senator. It was even more inexcusable considering that one of Regier's most important missions at the DCF was to restore morale, not make it worse
(snip/...)

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/news/opinion/6509465.htm



Senator Rudy Garcia
Florida

Senator's GRANDMOTHER uses U.S. taxpayer-funded food stamps.

[Moderator]

3. VogonGlory, please edit your subject line

"Plan to limit Cuba travel fails" is the published title of the article.

Thank you

[Vogon_Glory]

8. To Moderator: Ooops

My bad. I'd corect it now, but I don't know how. I'll try to do better next time.

[warrens]

5. You would just not believe how FUCKING CRAZY these Cubanos are

When I lived in Florida in the early 90s, a kid got run over at Miami-Dade CC by a drunk security guard and died. His parents sued the state and won the princely sum of about $400K, which is ridiculous, but what the heck.

Not so fast, say the Cubanos. All awards over $100K have to be approved by the state legislature. And the kid's father worked for a PR agency that had once done work for the Sandinistas. "We don't give money to COMMUNISTS," they screeched, and turned down the LEGAL COURT AWARD.

One Dem stood up and actually said, this is turning into Nazi Germany, where your rights are decided by your political beliefs. You people are Nazi SCUM. And they are.

[Mika]

9. There are Cuban-Americans who support normalization w/Cuba also.

Unfortunate generalization you make there, warrens.

Its the radical factions that get the MSM attention while the pro normalization Cuban-American factions get virtually none.

Its a damned shame that this happens here on DU also. (Maybe partly because if one does point this out one risks being called a "Castro lover" or some such accusation.)



The Cuban-American community is not monolithic.

-Poll: Cuban-Americans focus is local, not on Cuba or Castro-
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/cuba/6269237.htm

The majority of Cuban Americans living in Miami-Dade County are more concerned with improving their lives in the United States than with issues in Cuba, according to a recent poll commissioned by a national Hispanic voter-registration group.

Overall, 62 percent of the 600 Cuban Americans polled said that spending time and money improving their quality of life in this country was more important than working to remove the regime of Cuban President Fidel Castro.

-

The results echo those of two recent polls commissioned by The Herald and an organization of moderate Cuban-American business people. Those polls showed that a majority of Cuban Americans in South Florida have shifted away from a hard-line stance. Sixty-five percent in the new poll said they wished local politicians would focus more on local issues than international ones.

www.stopbolton.org

[Judi Lynn]

6. So HE'S the one! I have heard one of the legislators imagines

he would be an "alcalde." (sp.?)

I think if he's in such a rush to be a big shot, he should go now, and avoid the rush. Such self-importance.