Urban Issues in Miami
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Many American cities have encountered increasing problems along with their growth, and urban poverty is one of the major issues that is a problem in itself while contributing to a wide variety of other social ills. We speak of a cycle of poverty to show how poverty becomes self-perpetuating from one generation to the next, with poor areas in our cities unable to develop the necessary tax base to pay for better schools to education the next generation so it will not have to live in poverty as well. Miami developed in this century into a major city, increasingly cosmopolitan with an influx of Cuban immigrants since the Cuban Revolution in 1959. At one time, the CIA had an operations headquarters in Miami seen by many as a state within a city because it was over, above, and outside the laws of the United States as well as of the international community. The headquarters had a permanent staff in excess of 300 Americans directed a few thousand Cuban agents in different actions, with a budget of more than $50 million a year (Blum 210). The city has a mixed racial makeup with a large black and Latin population. The city has experienced the basic urban problems facing other major American cities, from increased crime to overcrowding, from racial tensions to deteriorating urban services and a reduced tax base. The problems facing Miami mirror those facing other American cities. Throughout our history, there has been a major population shift as m
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e thing with the mayor, the city has come to the decision that it does have a problem with corruption," Moreno tells Insight. "After years of silence, the business community is beginning to create a civic culture of no tolerance. If people take a cynical view, then politicians will no longer be able to play the ethnic card" (Sugarman 16).
Indeed, Miami's Cuban community has been vocal recently in calling for an end to the corruption. In June, Cuban business leaders held a mesa redondo (round table) to try to find a solution. Some in the city, however, are skeptical. One woman says Miami today is similar to Cuba before Fidel Castro, a country that was corrupt and destroyed by corruption. This is now happening in Miami.
THE RACIAL ELEMENT
There is a clear racial component to the poverty found in Miami. A recent survey shows that Miami has a higher percentage of poor blacks than any of the nation's 49 other largest cities. In Miami, 46 percent of black residents were poor, with incomes below $12,700 for a family of four. The study compared economic indicators of the largest cities and counties according to 1990 census statistics. Different activists and political leaders suggested some of the reasons why Miami shows up a
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2959
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page)
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