Trails in the Sand by Peter Traceit, the Street Detective
Old Pete spent a little time at the nation’s Capital and got an up close and personal whiff of national politics. Whether it’s members of Congress, House of Representatives, Supreme Court Judges or the POTUS, it just seems the politics at every level gives off the same disappointing stench as local politics. Every man for himself or herself. What have you done for me lately.
The Detective is wondering why Republican Senator Mitch McConnell from the great state of Kentucky is holding on to a seat that he has been the senior US senator from Kentucky for almost 40 years. Ol Pete refuses to make this partisan. Democrat Senator Diane Feinstein is completing a sixth term as the senior Senator for the great state of California. Both Feinstein and McConnell have done great work for their parties but are both battling serious health issues and refusing to step down from their seats. Pete watched from the television as McConnell twice was frozen and couldn’t speak. He is suffering some medical ailment. After contracting shingles earlier this year, nine decades old Feinstein was sidelined from her job for more than three months. Complications from shingles included encephalitis and Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which includes swelling of Feinstein’s brain.
Neither McConnell nor Feinstein is willing to step down from their posts and no one from their parties is compelling them. The Detective is investigating.
Is it power?
Is it money?
Is it a combination of power and money?
Have these politicians simply not invested their time in developing others to step in and continue their legacy?
Pete is thinking that both Democrats and Republicans are referring to the other side’s presidential front runner’s age. President Biden, if re-elected will be 81 and former President Trump is only three years his junior. Both Biden and Trump have made public statements that opened up questions about their cognitive fitness for the job. Yet Pete asks the question: is there another option for both sides and what has been done by these two to groom budding politicians to be ready to step into their shoes.
Pete returned to Broward to be hit smack in the face with a fistful of dirt with continued rumors swirling in the sand about school closures. Nothing official has come down from Broward schools so Pete is waiting on the official. Pete has a word to the wise and not so wise… not talking about it doesn’t make it go away. Trying to sneak in a school closure on the Black community won’t be looked upon favorably. It may appear that Black folk are asleep at the wheel, but don’t awaken a sleeping giant.
The Detective noticed that Miami-Dade must not have enough news in its schools because CBS News Miami is investigating the dilapidated conditions of Broward schools, calling it the School Building Gap. Pete would like to call it the School Construction/Reconstruction Gap. If you recall, Pete pointed out about a month ago that money for school academics was huge but the money for school construction and reconstruction is where the other eye should be focused.
CBS specifically pointed out the needs of Blanche Ely High School, Northeast High, Broward Estates Elementary and Parkway Middle. Pete noticed the condition of these schools was downright unconscionable and joins CBS News in inquiring about the expenditures of the $800,000 bond and the neglect of schools in Black communities.
Pete is wondering if any of these schools are on the supposed “closure list”. If they are closed with no plan, charter schools can come in and take them over. For this reason, the Detective is betting there is a plan…. a plan for selling. These schools locations are prime property for realtors as they are running out of room especially on the east Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Pompano sides. CBS news reports that the district needed three times the money for construction than they asked for so Broward must go back out to the public to ask for more money or begin closing buildings and selling the properties to get up the cash for construction and reconstruction. For more on this story, go to youtube and search: CBS News Investigates: Why are some Broward Schools in Desperate Need of Repair?
Ol Pete ran across some interesting news in the sand coming out of Coral Springs and is compelling cities like Pompano, Lauderhill and Fort Lauderdale to tread a similar path. The Detective has learned that the city of Coral Springs allocated over $100,000 in its budget to hire a education consultant whose sole job is to serve as an intermediary among the Broward school district, its Coral Springs schools and principals, parents, city residents and businesses.
It seems to Ol Pete that Coral Springs has put its money where its mouth is as it relates to making its children and their education a top priority. Coral Springs has aligned its city similarly with Superintendent Licata’s theme of student centered, teacher supported and principal led. Coral Springs adds municipality driven. With all the inequities happening around education and construction, Ol Pete is hoping cities like Lauderhill, Fort Lauderdale and Pompano… to name a few, will embrace this blueprint for themselves. Until then, Ol Pete will continue dragging the sands in hopes of finding double change (coins) and change (improvements) in Broward’s schools.
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