<\/p>\n
The Better Bus Network has been criticized by some riders for unpredictable service and a high number of overcrowded buses, leaving many to wait hours for the next bus.<\/p>\n
Miami-Dade County via YouTube<\/p>\n
Hashed transit<\/p>\n
Re: the Aug. 20 story, \u201cFour new apartment towers, no transit plan, a Kendall neighborhood fights back<\/a>.\u201d North Miami residents are also suffering from the same malady: extremely poor transit planning. Before the so-called \u201cBetter Bus Network\u201d was enacted, residents of North Miami, North Miami Beach, Biscayne Park and the Omni area could rely on Routes 2, 9, 10, 16, 19 and 3 to reach the transit hub at Northeast 163rd street.<\/p>\n The new network changed all that when the planners took away all the mentioned routes except the 9. In my own neighborhood, residents complain of walking as much as a mile to get to this one remaining route.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, about 1,000 new apartments are under construction throughout North Miami. On Biscayne Boulevard at 123rd street, for example, a man dances, sings and twirls in the air a \u201cMove right in!\u201d sign. Between Sixth and 12th avenues, five more high rises are being built.<\/p>\n How will residents without cars get to grocery stores, medical appointments and work? What are county and city planners thinking?<\/p>\n Karin Stahl,<\/p>\n North Miami<\/p>\n Recycling needs standards<\/p>\n The Aug. 4 Miami Herald story, \u201cMiami-Dade aims to significantly cut waste to landfills as they reach capacity<\/a>,\u201d highlights the county\u2019s urgent waste challenge, as local landfills approach capacity. While there is no single solution, recycling starts with residents getting it right at the bin. An absence of consistent definitions makes that difficult. The good news is that Florida has an opportunity to lead nationally on this issue.<\/p>\n To empower consumers, we need standard definitions and third-party verification of recycling claims. This will provide residents the tools to recycle more materials and reduce contamination.<\/p>\n Congress can help, through the bipartisan Recycled Materials Attribution Act. With more than 10,000 systems in the United States, the RMAA would establish national standards for recycled-content claims, modernize outdated federal guidance and recognize innovative technologies that complement traditional recycling. Six members of Florida\u2019s congressional delegation (Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Neal Dunn, Kat Cammack, Laurel Lee, Kathy Castor and Darren Soto), serve on the U.S. House subcommittee considering the RMAA.<\/p>\n Miami-Dade needs more tools to keep waste out of its landfills and Florida\u2019s representatives should help advance a commonsense solution that strengthens recycling, supports innovation and gives consumers greater confidence in the system.<\/p>\n John Hewitt,<\/p>\n senior vice president,<\/p>\n Consumer Brands Association,<\/p>\n spokesperson,<\/p>\n Recycling Leadership Council,<\/p>\n Arlington, VA<\/p>\n Difficult off-ramp<\/p>\n Donald Trump is driving the economy into a ditch. He lost the trade war with China and still faces the threat that China will cut off the rare earths on which our tech sector depends. He is being humiliated by Iran, which \u2014 literally and figuratively \u2014 has him over a barrel.<\/p>\n If he is planning on Cuba being an October surprise, he might find the surprise will be on him.<\/p>\n Michael K. Cantwell,<\/p>\n Delray Beach<\/p>\n Fake shock<\/p>\n U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar has been distancing herself from President Trump\u2019s mass deportation efforts. She may be sincere in her comments about the Draconian steps the administration has taken to deport almost anyone with questionable basis for being in this country, but she shouldn\u2019t clutch her pearls so tightly. She should ask herself why she voted for the \u201cBig Beautiful Bill\u201d and the outrageous funds given to ICE to conduct these deportations.<\/p>\n Salazar is clearly intelligent, but one might conclude she knew exactly what this administration would do with that money and authority.<\/p>\n Stuart A. Goldstein,<\/p>\n Palmetto Bay<\/p>\n Roots of socialism<\/p>\n I was amazed that the Miami Herald would publish the Aug. 20 online viewpoint, \u201cSocialism doesn\u2019t work and history proves it<\/a>.\u201d The author mis-defines socialism and then tells us how bad it is.<\/p>\n Every example cited \u2014 Venezuela, Cuba, Russia \u2014 is a dictatorship, not socialism. I don\u2019t know why he didn\u2019t include Hitler\u2019s National Socialist party.<\/p>\n Socialism means nothing more than the philosophy that government exists to help its citizens. In the Middle Ages, that was limited to protecting citizens from bandits and enemies. As society developed, additional services were added: roads, education, healthcare, etc. All industrialized countries, including the U.S., are socialist to some degree, and thank God for that.<\/p>\n Communism doesn\u2019t work because it is based on the theory that all citizens will become totally altruistic and just accept what they are given. Society needs capitalism and the profit motive to succeed. That is how most countries operate today. Capitalism and socialism are not incompatible.<\/p>\n Henry E. Marks,<\/p>\n West Kendall<\/p>\n Rep. Salazar\u2019s dishonor<\/p>\n I appreciated the Aug. 23 opinion by Miami Herald Editorial Board member Mary Anna Mancuso, \u201cThe Vatican isn\u2019t a campaign stop and Rep. Salazar shouldn\u2019t have treated it as one<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n As a Catholic, I\u2019m sure most believers and non-believers will agree that there is absolutely no dignity in Salazar using His Holiness, beloved Pope Leo, as a campaign \u201cprop!\u201d<\/p>\n Marcia Braun,<\/p>\n Miami Springs<\/p>\n Understanding society<\/p>\n In Amanda Rosa\u2019s Aug. 21 story, \u201cWho is Angie Nixon, the democratic socialist who scored an upset in Florida Senate primary<\/a>,\u201d Republican spokeswoman Emma Hall said, \u201c…socialism will always be a political loser in the Free State of Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n If excluding society, the root of socialism, is a liability, does Hall intend to act against society by ignoring racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, criminality, Islamophobia, antisemitism, guns and war?<\/p>\n Demonstrating hostility toward compromise, democracy, courts, constitutions, public health, education, legislative initiatives, science and journalism are clearly antisocial.<\/p>\n Socialism\u2019s response to slavery and the perils of industrialized labor were rejected by antisocial forces that recently passed legislation permitting younger children to work longer hours, while keeping the federal minimum wage constant for 17 years. Universal child care, which working Americans need, is anathema to Hall\u2019s antisocial and heartless philosophy.<\/p>\n The last time these forces dominated, they overran most of Europe and parts of Africa and Asia. They were halted by multiple leaders, representing diverse nations, who put the world\u2019s people before national self-interest.<\/p>\n One photo in Rosa\u2019s article showed a smiling face \u2014 a look and invitation every human society understands.<\/p>\n Philip Beasley,<\/p>\n Plantation<\/p>\n Staying informed<\/p>\n The Miami Herald\u2019s Aug. 23 In Depth section renewed my faith in the newspaper. Julie K. Brown\u2019s award-winning reporting on the Epstein investigation<\/a> is extremely important to the victims and for the safety of all children. We must not forget or give up on this fight to achieve justice regardless of the many diversions placed before us.<\/p>\n Archbishop Thomas Wenski\u2019s informative article on vaccines<\/a> and the government\u2019s overreach and Mary Anna Mancuso\u2019s opinion on the politicization of U.S. Rep. Salazar\u2019s visit with Pope Leo<\/a> are both very informative.<\/p>\n All three articles are a must-read and I hope the Herald continues its good journalism.<\/p>\n Kathleen Leitner,<\/p>\n Miami Lakes<\/p>\n Sports fairness<\/p>\n In recent weeks, much conversation and publicity has centered about \u201csexuality\u201d in the WNBA. Starting with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the International Olympic Committee will require a one-time genetic test for athletes competing in women\u2019s events. The test screens for the SRY gene \u2014 a DNA marker typically found in the Y chromosome that imitates male sex development.<\/p>\n A negative result (no SRY gene) will allow eligible athletes to compete in events. A positive result (SRY gene present) will not allow those athletes to compete.<\/p>\n In the interest of inclusion and competitive fairness (as it pertains to women\u2019s pro basketball), players testing negative would continue to play in the WNBA. Players testing positive (or refusing to take the test) could be part of a new basketball league. Perhaps the WNBA should consider this.<\/p>\n Dave Oliver,<\/p>\n Miami Lakes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Better Bus Network has been criticized by some riders for unpredictable service and a high number of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":383720,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-383719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=383719"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383719\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/383720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=383719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=383719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=383719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}