Jimena owes Junta over €205,000 for centre for the elderly

Estación in the distance

JIMENA (Agencies) Councillor Pedro Corbacho (PP) is in charge of the municipal exchequer. He feels that we are at the mercy of the Junta de Andalucía (PSOE, elections looming) because the municipality is supposed to return €205,126.51, plus €78,136.43 in interest that was granted to the previous (PSOE) Council to build a centre for the elderly in the Gurugú section of Estación. It was never built, but the money is no longer there either. The Junta is asking for the money back, and as long as it is not returned, it can close off a major part of Jimena's income from the so-called Patrica share-out system. The previous PSOE Council received a total of  €270,126.61 between 2003 and 2004 for>>>

Municipalities look to fines as cash cows

JEREZ The municipality of Jerez has just given notice that it is prepared to lower costs without lowering income. One of the ways it is proposing to do this particular bit of financial gymnastics is via fines. Although the report mentions only traffic fines, we would bet on them and every other municipality in deep doo-doo, finding a way of fining us for everything from painting a tiny spot on the house without a licence to following one as we walk the dog (did he pick it up?). In other words -and we are getting increasingly cynical- we are warned. Needless to say, there are other moves from the Government after today's Cabinet meeting (held usually on Friday but tom tomorrow's a national holiday).

SPAIN DECLARES BANKRUPTCY - OFFICIAL!

(Illustration only)

SPAIN In  a move aimed at outmaneuvering  the banks and ratings agencies, which are on skeleton staff for the holidays, Spain's newly-appointed Secretary of State for Finance, Miguel Ángel González Alfonso-Díaz, made a surprise announcement last night - after the main newscasts - declaring that the country is officially bankrupt. The statement may not be a complete surprise to other members of the EU, but it comes in the wake of a tiny if significant glimmer of optimism in the world markets, which are expected to plunge once more following this announcement. Reaction has not been slow in coming, even in the early hours of this morning. One disheveled PSOE spokesperson (whose name we were unable to catch in time on the radio just a few minutes ago) said that her party was determined to>>>

How many people does it take to paint a single fence?

JIMENA This photo was sent in by a friend with the following comment: "Passing the school, just thought this was quite funny. How many people does it take to paint a single fence? Apparently a lot... A very expensive fence if you ask me..." Indeed it is, but what is not evident is that all these employment scheme/training school people belong to a welding class. They made the fence - and quite a few more around the village - so now they are painting it. Naturally, the story doesn't end there. They are each earning around €1,000 per month>>>

Jimena has 100% of state income retained over debt

Mayor Guillermo Ruiz Ruiz

JIMENA (Press release) The Council has received a communication from the Economy Ministry stating that 100% of all the municipality's income proceeding from its Participation in State Taxes (Participación en los Impuestos del Estado, or PIE) in order to tackle the debt the Council has with the Treasury and Social Security in unpaid bills from municipal employee wages. Mayor Guillermo Ruiz says, "this is a real problem; without income we can't carry out an efficient government service." He added that this is the result of the "catastrophic management carried out by the previous (Socialist) government, which has placed our wellbeing in jeopardy by leaving us without an income. A process has begun to try and find a solution to this very serious problem. "I am very concerned by how quickly the central and regional (Socialist) governments have moved since the Partido Popular took over the Council in Jimena. It had never occurred to them to retain any income from the Council when it was run by the PSOE, but now, when we are no longer of the same political colour and in a grave financial situation, we get hit the hardest." (See also: EXCLUSIVE: Jimena owes Social Security almost €1,2000,000)

'There but for the grace of Greece'

We are not economists here, which accounts for us not offering opinions on the economy. We are trying to refrain from offering opinions about the drastic measures being taken by the Zapatero government to cut back €190 billion of the country's deficit by 2013. It's difficult to bite our tongues, so we've left it to Alexander Bewick's Soap Box, where he says, "... at the top of the heap sit the fat cats who made vast, often illegal and fraudulent profits on land speculation throughout the country. Even Zapatero admits it: "Those who have had nothing to do with the recession, who did nothing to create it, are the ones who will have to make the greatest efforts to get out of it." Great. Another good socialist concept." He's also 'borrowed' the cartoon from DominGo, the thief!

Vote for REAL cork!

We had a curious e-mail from one José Miguel Ortíz Cano, (blog: Bajo los Árboles) whom we are not aware of having met, urging us to 'vote for the cork of our forests' on a poll no less than in the Wall Street Journal. We did. The US is cork's biggest market, and one of our local economy's largest employers, so we figured that it could do no harm. You can do the same here: http://online.wsj.com/community/groups/wine-241/topics/plastic-real-cork-better-way but be sure to see the results when you do and  a related article in that august publication. And while you're about it, you might like to see the work it takes to get that cork in your bottle, if you ever thought about it. (Over on the sidebar are several widgets that will take you to others in our occasional series.)