Michael Bloomberg
Michael R. Bloomberg (b. 1942) is a Democrat Republican independent, the 12th richest man in the United States, and the 108th and current mayor of New York City. His annual salary as mayor is $1.[1]
Bloomberg attended John Hopkins University (where there is now a Bloomberg School of Public Health) and Harvard University before being elected mayor of New York in November of 2001. He is also a well-known philanthropist and businessman. He started Bloomberg LP in 1981 and even has his own news channel.
There was speculation about a possible bid for the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election, contrary to public statements that he would not run. He didn't. There was also speculation that he would be seeking the gubernatorial position in New York in 2010, contrary to statements that he wouldn't. He didn't.
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[edit] Head-scratching attempts at bipartisanship
Bloomberg seemingly cannot make up his mind any more than he can make up his mind about which political party he is a member of. His mayoralty has seen a list of policies arguably more diverse than the demographics of the city he is mayor of:
- On the liberal side, he's pro-choice, opposes the death penalty, supports stem cell research, same-sex marriage, and gun control, didn't suck up to the Park51 hysteria, and has drastically expanded funding on education, global warming mitigation, and affordable housing. Balanced budgets were achieved by a series of tax increases, something even many Dems can't do. He's also made a big push for public health, to the point of banning large soda containers from restaurants in 2012 -- something that has earned him no end of ribbing from the likes of Jon Stewart.[2]
- On the conservative side, he is staunchly anti-union, advocated for Dubya's re-election in 2004 and the extension of the PATRIOT Act, whined about the end of the Iraq War, backpedalled on ending the War on Drugs, and consistently donates to Republican politicians.
This mixing of left and right-wing politics gets more confusing in regards to illegal immigration (wanting open borders while simultaneously calling for national ID cards) and economics (ie. defending welfare and fiscal moderacy at a Tory conference[3] despite his cozying up to certain embarrassing financial institutions[4] and opposing an early version of the Zadroga Bill because "there's no free lunch"[5]). Basically, WTFs all round, and in the post-recession era, his opinion polling has taken a hit.
[edit] Occupy Wall Street
Long story short, Bloomberg is a bit of a dick who thinks he has his own personal "army."[6]
[edit] See also
- DINO
- Reform Party
- RINO
- Rudy Giuliani, his predecessor
[edit] External links
[edit] Footnotes
- ↑ New York Magazine: Who Makes How Much
- ↑ Jon Stewart compares the discrepancy between the state of New York's marijuana liberalization and Bloomberg's crackdown on large soft drinks.
- ↑ "Being a fiscal conservative is not about slashing programs that help the poor, or improve health care, or ensure a social safety net..."
- ↑ What do you think?
- ↑ Pataki Signs Law Increasing Death Benefits for Ground Zero Workers, The New York Times
- ↑ 'I have my own army in the NYPD - the seventh largest army in the world': Bloomberg's bizarre boast about city's police force, Daily Mail. 2011 December 1.