You know...

I'm not sure what you think about these heads of state doing videos such as the ones that President Obama and Queen Elizabeth did for the Christmas holiday. I think they are important tools to communicate some broad themes and ideas to the world. One thing that we have missed for the past two or three years is a State of the City address by the Mayor. Our former Mayor didn't like to lead or take responsibility for much of anything and a State of the City address for him would have really been going out on a limb. I hope that our new Mayor re-institutes the practice in a way that is meaningful and not just a puff piece put together by the City Manager.

So, Mayor Varela, if you are listening, that is my challenge to you for the new year.

Direct democracy - The tyranny of the majority

Click title for link to an article in the Economist regarding ballot initiatives. The focus of the article is on California, but has implications for Florida as well. From the article:

"Put differently, it is the “tyranny of the majority” that James Madison, a Founding Father, warned about. His reading of ancient history was that the direct democracy of Athens was erratic and short-lived, whereas republican Rome remained stable for much longer. He even worried about using the word “democracy” at all, lest citizens confuse its representative (ie, republican) form with its direct one. “Democracy never lasts long,” wrote John Adams, another Founding Father. Asked what government the federal constitution of 1787 had established, Benjamin Franklin responded: “A republic, if you can keep it.”

Something for your holiday get-togethers...

When I lived in East Lansing, Michigan, a college town with a lot of good and funky restaurants, I would frequent a Mexican restaurant called "El Azteco" If you ever have an occasion to go there, you must try their cheese dip. You can get it as an appetizer with corn chips, but they also use it as a base for their cheese enchiladas. It really is somewhat of a local legend and many people have tried to duplicate the "secret recipe," with varying degrees of success or failure. I have tried one recipe, but always felt that it wasn't quite right and that the holy grail was still left to achieve.

However, I have been assured that the following recipe is the REAL thing and will be trying it out sometime over the weekend. The important thing to remember is to let it sit in the refrigerator for a day at least - so that the flavors congeal.

Enjoy - let me know what you think of it!

TOP SECRET EL AZTECO CHEESE DIP RECIPE

16 oz sour cream
16 oz cottage cheese
16 oz shredded Monteray Jack Cheese
one dash worshteshire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 bag lipton onion soup mix minus the dried onions (you'll end up with just under 2 teaspoons of the spices)
3 minced jalapenos minus the seeds
1 and 1/2 bunches of scallions chopped.
I mix the sour cream, cottage cheese and then the W sauce, garlic powder, and onion soup mix. Stir it up and then I add the veggies and the Monteray Jack cheese last to thicken it up. It really does taste better the second day!

Is the City in such denial that it is erasing history?

Remember this closed-door City Commission meeting on the Greater Bay lawsuit? It was held December 9. Here is the list of City Commission meeting agendas as printed off the City's website today. Where is December 9th?

North Miami Beach Hopes To Restore 1925 Fountain

Click title for link.

Publix pays $3.4 million for land on Dixie in Lake Worth

Click title for link to PB Post article.

Paul Boese

“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.”