Archive for 2010

Watchdog Report Vol. 10 No. 35: I am recovering from a major surgery!

CONTENTS

Argus Report: I have been in the hospital after emergency surgery, one more invasive procedure to go, need the community’s financial help to keep at this!

Public Health Trust: PAST WDR: JULY 2008, Financial shortfall earlier then expected with the bad economy: >>> Jackson Memorial, 90 years old but will it run out of cash by 2011-2012 without major community help, check out the financial graphs

Sponsors – Publisher’s mission statement & Subscription information is at the bottom of this issue

>>> Just because you do not take an interest in politics does not mean politics will not take an interest in you. –Pericles (430 B.C.)

>>> If you wish to be deleted, just e-mail me with that message and you are free to e-mail this on to friends.

>>> The Watchdog Report publisher would like to thank the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation www.knightfoundation.org for funding the University of Miami’s Knight Center of International Media http://knight.miami.edu within the University’s School of Communication www.miami.edu assistance to rebuild my web site www.watchdogreport.net that is now on line again, since the previous one was shut down in July 2008. Past reports will continue to go on line in the future, potentially as far back as May 2000. This institutional support is a major break through for me, and I am deeply appreciative of the help these two substantial international institutions have given me at a time the site was an unbudgeted expense and to keep the Watchdog Report a community education resource, while also being a decade old news service.

>>> If you think it is important to have someone watching your public institutions consider becoming a supporter or sponsor. For there is no trust fund and I do have to live. A convenient form is at the bottom of this week’s Watchdog Report with all the instructions on how to support this decade old newsletter and news service soon to start its 11th anniversary on May 5.

ARGUS REPORT – Heard, Seen on the Street

>>> I have been in the hospital after emergency surgery, one more procedure to go, need the community’s financial help to keep at this!

I have not communicated or sent out a Watchdog Report since the end of January because I had a catastrophic medical issue that required one emergency surgery and another in a few weeks after about two months of convalescing at the hospital and home. I would like to thank surgeon Jorge R. Rabaza, M.D., and the rest of his vascular surgery team of Verdeja, Rabaza, Gonzalez, P.A., (http://www.miamihope.com/doctors/index.asp.) who practice at South Miami Hospital (Baptist Health South Florida). I went to the emergency room Feb. 8 and later in the evening, the operation was done, and it was touch and go. I also want to thank all the nursing and support staff located in the forth floor annex of the hospital who took care of me for over a week after the operation and your kind manner and medical attention was deeply appreciated. I have not had the strength and mental clarity to write until the last few days and to say I need a miracle is an understatement regarding my financial survival. I have been unable to send invoices to past supporters and just paying my rent currently is a big deal and hope you will consider doing what you can to keep me out in the field and reporting back after I get back on my feet and I am feeling better. The support form is at the bottom of this truncated issue for your convenience and if high definition transparency of what your public institutions are doing is important to you. Please help and support me financially during this particularly rough patch. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

>>> I have included two past WDR stories that have since come true. One is the next U.S. attorney for the local federal district and the Public Health Trust, which is fighting for its financial life, but was predicted back in June 2008, by then President Marvin O’Quinn at a joint county commission and health trust meeting in the commission chambers.

>>> PAST WDR: JULY 2009: Three finalists make local federal top cop choice, Buckner, Ferrer and Trawick

There are now three finalists to fill the open U.S. attorney general’s slot after R. Alexander Acosta left the office to become the dean of Florida International University’s law school. Former U.S. attorney Kendall Coffey is the chair of the federal judicial nominating commission and the finalists are David Buckner, Wifredo “Willy” Ferrer, an assistant county attorney and Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Daryl Trawick. The Watchdog Report months ago predicted that Ferrer would make the cut and had a good shot at getting the appointment. Now, it is up to U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, R-FL and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-FL who is the senior senator to chose who will become the local top federal cop that ultimately has to be confirmed by the U.S. senate. The U.S. Southern District of Florida is one of the busiest in the nation and has become a legal anchor when it comes to Medicare fraud prosecution, which hit over $1 billion in just over a year. At the time, the Watchdog Report asked Acosta if South Florida was the “graduate school” for fraud and he sadly concurred that it was.

>>> WHITE HOUSE press release: February 24, 2010: President Obama Nominates Four U.S. Attorneys — Today, President Obama nominated Laura E. Duffy, Wifredo A. Ferrer, Alicia Limtiaco, and John B. Stevens, Jr. to serve as U.S. Attorneys. President Obama said, “These distinguished men and women have shown extraordinary commitment and integrity in their pursuit of justice. I am confident they will serve the American people wisely and effectively as United States Attorneys.”

Laura E. Duffy: Nominee for U.S. Attorney, Southern District of California – Laura Duffy has been with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California since 1997, where was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Narcotics Enforcement Section until 2007 when she became the Deputy Chief of the General Crimes Section. Prior to that, Ms. Duffy worked for the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice from 1993 until 1997, first as a trial attorney for the Money Laundering Section until 1994, and then as a trial attorney for the Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Section. Ms. Duffy is a graduate of Iowa State University (1988) and from the Creighton University School of Law (1993).

>>> Wifredo A. Ferrer: Nominee for U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Florida – Wifredo Ferrer currently works as an Assistant County Attorney and as Chief of the Federal Litigation Section in the Miami-Dade County’s Attorney’s Office, where he has been since 2006. From 2000 until 2006, he was an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida. Prior to that, he had been Counsel and Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of the United States Attorney General from 1995 until 2000. From 1994 until 1995, Mr. Ferrer was White House Fellow and Special Assistant to the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. From 1991 until 1994, he had been a Litigation Associate with Steel Hector & Davis. From 1990 until 1991 Mr. Ferrer was a law clerk to the Honorable Stanley Marcus of the United States District court for the Southern District of Florida. Mr. Ferrer is a graduate of the University of Miami (1987) and the University of Pennsylvania School of Law (1990).

Alicia Limtiaco: Nominee for United States Attorney, Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands Alicia Limtiaco has been the Attorney General of Guam since 2007. Ms. Limtiaco also served in the Office of the Attorney General of Guam as the Deputy Attorney General from 1994 to 1995 and an Assistant Attorney General from 1991 to 1994, 1995 to 1996, 1998 to 2000. From 2002 to 2006, she was a partner at Torres, Limtiaco, Cruz & Sizon, P.L.L.C., which became Limtiaco, Cruz & Sizon, P.L.L.C., in 2004. Ms. Limtiaco also worked as an associate in Torres, P.C., from 2000 to 2002 and Arriola, Cowan & Arriola from 1996 to 1997. She began her legal career as a law clerk for the Honorable Benjamin J. F. Cruz of the Superior Court of Guam from 1990 to 1991. Ms. Limtiaco graduated from the University of Southern California in 1985 and the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 1990.

John B. Stevens, Jr.: Nominee for U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of Texas – John Stevens has been a judge in the Criminal District Court for Jefferson County in Texas since 2007. Prior to that, in 2006, Judge Stevens worked as a private contract attorney. From 1985 until 2005, Judge Stevens was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. From 1981 until 1985, Judge Stevens was an associate at Provost, Umphrey Attorneys. From 1979 until 1981, Judge Stevens was an Assistant Criminal District Attorney for the Jefferson County Criminal District Attorney’s Office in Texas. Judge Stevens graduated from Lamar University (1974), the University of Houston School of Law (1979), and Syracuse University (2001).

>>> ZOGBY POLL: Zogby Interactive: Americans Say Debt to China More Serious Threat Than Terrorism – More than twice as many U.S. adults (58%) say that debt owed to China is a more serious threat to the long-term security and well-being of the U.S than is terrorism from radical Islamic terrorists (27%). Interestingly there was little variation by party identification with a majority of Democrats, Republicans and independents all agreeing that the debt owed by the United States to China poses the greater threat. Opinion was consistent across all other major demographic and political sub-groups. Please click the link below to view the full news release on our website: http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.cfm?ID=1824

>>> See what was said about the Watchdog Report in the Miami New Times 2003 — Best of Miami — BEST CITIZEN — Daniel Ricker –

watchdogreport1@earthlink.net

Three years ago, we said Ricker was our Best Gadfly. Given his dedication and perseverance, this new honor, Best Citizen, is well deserved. Ricker goes to 2500 mind-melting meetings annually, from the Public Health Trust’s purchasing subcommittee to the Efficiency and Competition Commission to the Alliance for Human Services’ nominating council to the school board’s audit committee. Sometimes he’s the only public observer. Object: to be the Public Citizen for all those out there who can’t attend, and to connect and serve as an information bridge among the special-interest-dominated Miami-Dade governmental institutions that seem so problematic and indifferent to the democratic process.

This month his e-mail newsletter, The Watchdog Report, celebrates its fourth anniversary. In a former life Ricker made a handsome living as an international salesman of heart pacemakers. As the hard-working publisher of Watchdog Report, though, he’s struggling financially — this despite the fact that his weekly compendium of meeting summaries, analysis, interviews, and commentary has become essential reading for anyone involved in public affairs. What his written work may lack in polish, it more than makes up for in comprehensiveness. So raise a toast to the man whose official slogan says it all: “A community education resource — I go when you cannot!”

PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST

>>> PAST WDR: JULY 2008, Financial shortfall earlier then expected with the bad economy: >>> Jackson Memorial, 90 years old but will it run out of cash by 2011-2012 without major community help, check out the financial graphs

When PHT president & CEO Marvin O’Quinn gave his presentation to the joint Board of County Commission and PHT board recently he used the following two graphs to illustrate what the health trust faces in the future as far as the financial burdens. He noted cities that have had its public hospital fail creates a ripple effect on other near by medical institutions and many times other local hospitals will close a few years later. The graph below says it all, and from 2008 on the difference between revenue coming in and charity care given just gets wider as a deficit grows with the end coming in 2011-2012 . When there will be no cash left to make payroll and community leaders must work together now to try to figure out of a way to avoid this future calamity.

Jackson Memorial, 90 years old but will it run out of cash by 2011-2012 without major community help, check out the financial graphs

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The Watchdog Report covers a few of the meetings attended weekly. It remains my belief that an informed public will make better decisions. Therefore, I go to meetings, make the presence of an informed citizen known, and bring the information to you. The Watchdog Report is in the fourth year of publication and it has been an honor to be able to send this information to you. It is sent to readers in Miami-Dade, Florida, the U.S. and the world. The Watchdog Report is sent to thousands free and while readers have been prodded to subscribe the results have been mixed. Over 250 reports and Extra’s have been sent since May 5, 2000 and over one million words have been written on our community’s governments and events. The report is an original work based on information gathered at public meetings, interviews and from documents in the public domain.

LETTER POLICY

I welcome letters via e-mail, fax, or snail mail. Letters may be edited for length or clarity and must refer to material published in the Watchdog Report. Please see address and contact information. Please send any additions and corrections by e-mail, fax or snail mail. All corrections will be published in the next Watchdog Report. If you or your organization would like to publish the contents of this newsletter, please contact me. Please send your request to watchdogreport1@earthlink.net

Daniel A. Ricker

Publisher & Editor

Watchdog Report

Est. 05.05.00

>>> Watchdog Report is expanding as a new service and this content is now available to other news media, no longer exclusive to The Miami Herald

The Watchdog Report is no longer exclusively with The Miami Herald, and excluding the one story a week that is printed in the paper on Monday in the Metro & State section by me. The rest of the 20 or so news stories weekly sent out Sunday in the Watchdog Report are now available to television stations web pages, and all the newspapers and other media in South Florida if the publishers have an interest to run part or all of the stories. Further, in 2000, I used to have some paper’s running the report in the Spanish press, that option is available again, and publishers should contact me. The news content will not be free, but you can pick and chose the stories of interest, edit them if necessary but you must still keep the general story intact. If you are a news outlet and would like to learn more about, the Watchdog Report and this offer contact me at watchdogreport1@earthlink.net for further information.

>>> Here is what past newspapers have written about the Watchdog Report publisher including a survey and regional study done by the U. North Carolina at Chapel Hill on the media in the southeast United States.

>>> The Miami Herald and Orlando Sentinel & Sun-Sentinel articles on the Watchdog Report publisher over the years.

Published on September 9, 1999, Page 1EA, Miami Herald, The (FL)

CITIZEN ADVOCATE’ KEEPS TABS ON POLITICIANS

Published on January 3, 2000, Page 1B, Miami Herald, The (FL)

MIAMI-DADE WATCHDOG WILL BE MISSED

Published on January 20, 2003, Page 1E, Orlando Sentinel, PAPERWORK TIGER, Miami’s citizen watchdog piles up government files in his quest to keep the “little people” informed.

>>>Watchdog Report publisher named ‘Best Citizen’ 2003 by the Miami New Times –The publisher would like to thank the weekly alternative paper Miami New Times for bestowing their 2003 Best of Miami, ‘Best Citizen’ award to me and I am honored. Thank you. To read the full story go to http://www.miaminewtimes.com/issues/2003-05-15/citylife2.html/1/index.html

From the spring of 2003: U. North Carolina, Chapel Hill: Southeast U.S. Media Report lists Watchdog Report publisher as leading Florida commentator >>> Selected excerpts from the report on Florida’s media sources

Those who do read the newspaper in Florida have a bevy of options for state government and political coverage. The dominant newspapers in the state are Knight-Ridder’s The Miami Herald (Acquired by The McClatchy Company in 2006) and the Poynter Institute’s St. Petersburg Times. Both papers endorsed Gore in 2000 but split on the 2002 gubernatorial race, with the Herald endorsing Republican incumbent Jeb Bush and the Times backing Democratic challenger Bill McBride.

Daniel Ricker of The Miami Herald also writes an influential column as well as an email newsletter called the Watchdog Report that goes out to more than 100,000 subscribers. FEBRUARY 2004 – Florida: Columnists in Abundance –ERIC GAUTSCHI, graduate student, School of Journalism & Mass Communication, UNC-Chapel Hill – D) LEADING COMMENTATORS – Resource Commentator Organization Type Web site –Steve Bousquet St. Petersburg Times Column www.sptimes.com/columns/bousquet.shtml -“First Friday” WPBT TV (Miami) TV Show www.channel2.org/firstfriday/issues.html –Lucy Morgan St. Petersburg Times Column www.sptimes.com/columns/morgan.shtml –Daniel Ricker Miami Herald/Watchdog Report Newsletter -www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/columnists/dan_ricker/ >>> Readers who would like to read the complete University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Southeast United States Media Report go to view the complete report or download all the data used in this study. >>> Watchdog Report Editor’s note to the NCU/CH study: The subscriber number referenced is incorrect and applies to readership. The Southern Media Landscape (PDF) Daniel Ricker. Miami Herald/Watchdog Report Newsletter. www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald … circulation, 134,269. Dan Hoover leads the. publication’s ..www.unc.edu/~davismt/SouthNow.pdf – 574k – View as html