Key West Lou / PRIVATIZATION OF KEY WEST PARKING…..NO WAY!!!

Privatization rarely works in the long run. Governmental agencies have discovered that all that glitters is not gold.

I read Key West is considering privatization. A bad idea. If Key West does, it will find there is no free lunch. My recommendation is the City leave well enough alone. A local department under the watchful eye of the Mayor and City Commission.

Chicago is a perfect example of how parking privatization can easily result in disaster. Chicago was attracted by the “immediate cash” generated for the municipality. It turned out to be pie in the sky. After several years, Chicago was denied parking meter cash flow for 62 years per the contract with the private company.

Public parking meter fees skyrocketed in Chicago. Key West cannot stand any higher parking fees. The fees constantly move up now.

What turns a municipality on re the privatization is the upfront payment to the city. Grandiose initially. Within a few years, it becomes evident the payment turns into an “expensive loan.”

Chicago entered into privatized parking in 2018. The private company paid Chicago $1.16 billion. Paid in one lump sum up front.

The company recovered from parking fees that amount in four years. The full $1.16 billion. Totally recovered in 2021.

The contract between Chicago and the private company still had 62 years remaining. Chicago will not enjoy the cash flow the 62 years would provide. It belongs to the private company.

Wherever the Delta variant strikes, it affects the most those not vaccinated. One or two percent have. They are not affected. The 98 percent unvaccinated are.

It is pure obstinacy that prevents those not yet vaccinated to find themselves easily susceptible to the virus.

I believe the reluctance to get vaccinated is based more on that pure obstinacy than anything else.

There is the Houston Hospital where a a large number of medical workers refused to be vaccinated. Mostly nurses. One hundred fifty three were fired or suspended tuesday for refusing to get vaccinated.

The hospital had earlier required its staff be vaccinated. One hundred seventeen and some others disagreed and took the case to federal court.

The position of the 117 was that the claims re the drugs effectiveness elsewhere were exaggerated, the hospital staff were being used as “guinea pigs,” and to compel the vaccination was comparable to what occurred in Nazi concentration camps.

The federal judge disagreed and dismissed the nurses’ lawsuit. The nurses intend to appeal.

The Delta variant is causing great concern. And properly so. It recently doubled in 2 weeks from 9.9 percent to 20.8 percent.

The government expects the rate of increase to double again in two weeks. Delta is a more serious type COVID-19 and affects recovery more than the initial virus.

Scientists and doctors have discovered that those vaccinated are more protected than those not.

Weddings can be big and expensive. Note Key West is a huge marriage market.

The pandemic affected the numbers. As everyone learned to work from home and use the computer, so has the wedding business. Such weddings are called “hybrid weddings.”

Zoom already being utilized to a large extent. Two results evident. Cheaper and more fun. Experts believe the hybrid wedding concept will grow.

The sky is falling on Rudy Giuliani.

For 2 years, I have been advising Giuliani and many of Trump’s lawyers were going to get in trouble with the way they were handling Trump’s cases. Lies, exaggerations, etc. I also warned such attorneys would be sanctioned.

Especially in federal court. Excuse the vernacular, you don’t screw around with a federal judge.

Giuliani did in a New York case. The judge has suspended Giuliani’s license to practice law. The suspension could turn into a disbarment.

The cases involved the multitude of false statements re election fraud that were easily proven to be lies.

Giuliani’s present predicament was inevitable. You cannot lie to a judge and get away with it.

Others may similarly be sanctioned or disbarred. Attorneys Sidney Powell And Mike Lindell. Both exaggerators and liars as Giuliani has been in the Trump fraudulent ballot cases.

Giuliani’s predicament is humorous and sad at the same time. His client President Donald Trump has not paid his bill. May never pay it. All that legal work and sticking his neck out have resulted in Giuliani earning in the end a suspension and possible disbarment. Plus a sanction.

Infrastructure success was demonstrated yesterday by Biden and a number of Republicans standing on the White House driveway advising that bipartisanship had been reached re infrastructure.

I recall no Democrats other than Biden standing there. The rest Republicans. With only Biden smiling.

I worry that the infrastructure bill when completed will fail. It definitely will not have total Republican support. Some progressive Democrats may also be against it.

A bill has been agreed to by Biden and a small number of Senators. Not a guarantee that all in both Chambers will vote for it. The details will be problem. They always are. Another consideration that could blow everything up.

There is much more than infrastructure involved. All having been a part of Biden’s’ initial proposal.

Biden, Schumer and Pelosi have stated that the balance of what the Democrats want and which was agreed to yesterday by the small group of Republicans will be a reconciliation bill which the Republicans will have to promise/guarantee they will not oppose.

McConnell has already said no way.

Getting laws passed in recent years is like pulling teeth.

I enjoy old movies. Those that came out in the late 1930s and early 1940s. One is an Errol Flynn western. He plays General George Custer.

Today is the anniversary of the battle of Big Horn where Custer and his men were all slain in 1876.

Sioux tribal leaders Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull lead 3,000 tribesmen against Custer’s 200 men. The battle was over in less than an hour. Custer and his men became a part of American history.

Enjoy your day!

[livemarket market_name="KONK Life LiveMarket" limit=3 category=“” show_signup=0 show_more=0]