I went and googled Bloomberg.  A conservative who thinks like a liberal.  Already have plenty of those Mike, better stay in New York.

The New York Sun adds: "Bloomberg said the presidential candidates were exploiting the threat of terrorism, and failing to deliver solutions to problems such as illegal immigration, health care, and education." it would be hard for anyone to argue with that statement

What's with all the candidates?  Did everyone look at the low bar set by Bush administration and say I can do that job at least as well.

Mayor Bloomberg's comments indicate a lot of what's wrong with politics on the national level.  He's right about the candidates all exploiting the threat of terrorism, and about not looking for solutions to problems.  He's wrong when he says they should be seeking solutions to health care and education.  The former is not a governmental problem at all, while the latter is strictly within the province of the States and localities (depending on how the States have structured themselves).  NOTHING in the U.S. Consititutioin gives the national government the right, power or duty to deal with either health care or education, and its attempts to "solve" these will only make the problems worse, and much more bureaucratic and expensive.  Let the government deal with those issues it is charged with dealing with--it'll have more than enough to do (particularly since it can't deal with them effectively either).

"....you're a native New Yorker...."--Odyssey

I am sick to death of TOO many posts on candidates!

IRAQ, NEWS 10,000 troops on ofensive!

Why the hell don't we send 10,000 troops to
KIll bin La-din.

No, a Republican who thinks like a liberal, with the additional benefit of a vast knowledge of how businesses, and social entities, work. I was working in NYC when Bloomberg ran for mayor, and I thought right off the bat that he was way out there, even for New York City. He taxed the living hell out of cigarettes (up to $7.50 a pack when I was there), not because he is a tax-and-spend liberal, but because he thought it reasonable to increase revenues to defray the enormous public medical expenses required to treat smoking-related diseases. He pressed for legislation to ban the use of the more unhealthful fats in New York restaurants. He is now seeking to reinstate a commuter tax that will discourage the use of motor vehicles entering the city every day. The man speaks his mind, seems to know what he is talking about, and is more concerned with the common good than coddling any interest group. I believe he warrants some attention.

"Don't sleep in the subway, darling...don't stand in the pouring rain...."--Petula Clark

His commuter tax thing will probably drive the price of goods and services up so high, people will want to move out of new York City.  I saw a report of Fox news today that said the poor was going to be given money if they stay in school or hold a job or something like that.  They get $50-$600 for whatever it is they are doing.  Is that per week or just a one time deal?  Taxing people to death is not the answer, just makes them buy from other sources.

Jerry, FYI: Fox was "reporting" on a story in the New York Daily News, a paper that has had Paris Hilton on page 1 for 3 days in the last two weeks. The fact is Bloomberg himself, with assistance from local philanthropic organizations, is footing the bill of 53 million per year. The facts of the program are pretty interesting.

Jerry:

The money that goes to the poor is actually not government money -- he's paying it out of pocket through some charitable foundation. It's a weird idea, I agree, but I guess that's why he's doing it himself. He's fun like that, with weird initiatives...

Also, only about 6% of the Manhattan workforce drives into the proposed charging district by car. The vast majority of us walk, bike, or take the subway or buses (or work outside the zone). The car users take up surprising resources (road capacity, parking, pollution), and many travel for free (there are many untolled routes), while most commuters pay $76/month to crowd into the subway.

The tax should improve quality of life in Manhattan, help fund a somewhat strapped transit system, and allow downtown traffic to keep moving all day, rather than choking as it does now. I (and many others) think it's a good idea; in New York, the poor don't drive, and the rest of us could certainly use better transit. It's a good idea. It beats building more lanes through our neighborhoods.

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