http://www.bloomberg09.com Mike Bloomberg for President '09. http://www.bloomberg09.com/images/rss_icon.jpg http://www.bloomberg09.com Copyright 2008 bloomberg09.com All Rights Reserved. en-us Mike Bloomberg was born on February 14, 1942. As soon as the doctor in the delivery room spanked him and he took his first breath, little Michael put in a call to his broker. That call alone netted little Mike Bloomberg over a million dollars. Baby Bloomberg’’s parents were members in good standing of the middle class, and it was up to the newly arrived Michael to pay their membership dues. While still wearing diapers--from Tiffany’’s, no less--Mike made it a practice to help his parents with all their expenses, charging them nominal interest, which was compounded annually.

At a very early age Mike learned the value of hard work, and when he was barely three years old he hired his own personal valet. As Mike got a little older and entered school he was expected to take on some of the chores around the house, such as mowing the lawn. Immediately Mike sprung into action and hired a gardener. This domestic help allowed Mike to do what he did best--dabble in various business ventures and make money hand over fist. Mike’’s first lemonade stand, which he established at the age of seven, was soon listed in the Fortune 500. Little Mike worked so hard that he didn’’t have time for sports, which is unfortunate because by this time he owned controlling interest in both the Yankees and the Giants.

Years later, when he attended Johns Hopkins University, which he subsequently bought, Mike earned money by working as a parking lot attendant, which proved extremely profitable . . . not only was Mike tipped for parking cars, but he picked up a few bucks on the side by washing the cars, filling them up with gas, selling the owners insurance, and providing refinancing options. By the time Mike graduated he owned all the cars he had parked during his sophomore and junior years.

After college Mike went on to earn his MBA (Money Bags Accreditation) from Harvard University, which he subsequently bought. In 1966, Mike was hired by Salomon Brothers to work on the infamous Wall Street, which he also subsequently bought, paying cash.

Mike quickly rose through the ranks at Salomon, and eventually was in the position of overseeing the company’’s information systems. This allowed Mike to put to use his lifelong interest in technology and to gain a keen understanding of the important role innovation plays in any successful business. In 1981 Salomon was bought by another firm. Of course, Mike could have whipped out his AmEx card and bought it right on the spot-- without haggling--if he had wanted to. As a result of this merger, Mike was, for the first time since the day he was born, out of a job and waiting in the unemployment line.

But that turn of events did not discourage Mike. Rather, he envisioned an information company that would use emerging technology to bring transparency and efficiency to Wall Street’’s trading firms. The result was the 1981 formation of Bloomberg LP (Lots of Principal). Headquartered in New York City, which Mike does not own but could without batting an eyelash if he wanted to, and with 9,500 employees in more than 100 cities, Bloomberg LP has a quarter of a million subscribers to its financial news and information service. That ain’’t chicken feed.

As his company grew, Mike Bloomberg began directing more of his attention to philanthropy, but unfortunately those of us who could really use a little extra cash did not benefit. Generously devoting his time and resources, Mike has sat on thrones on the boards of numerous charitable, cultural, and educational institutions, including Johns Hopkins University, which he still owns--along with most of the City of Baltimore, and a good portion of the State of Maryland. In recognition of Mike’’s long-standing dedication and commitment to health care issues, and in recognition to his financial prowess, the prestigious School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins was renamed the Bloomberg School of Public Health and Big Bucks.

Mike officially entered public life in 2001 when he was elected as the 108th Mayor of the City of New York. While it was by no means necessary for Mike to buy votes, it should be noted that he could have easily bought every vote with the loose change he carries around in his pockets. Coming on the heels of 9/11, this transitional period could have been a turbulent time for New York; however, Mike brought a forward-looking agenda (which, always the bargain hunter, he picked up on sale at WalMart) and an optimistic spirit to the mayor’’s office, not to mention a checkbook you wouldn’’t believe. He strove to provide the leadership to get New Yorkers through these uncertain times.

In an effort to help the economy grow, Mike took bold action to create jobs by hiring 100,000 additional butlers, maids, and cooks to help out in his Eastside townhouse. To improve education in the City, Mike seized control of the Board of Education, which he now owns and rents out on the weekends when school is not in session. He built affordable housing, if you can call $3 million condos affordable; expanded the City’’s parklands; improved the efficiency of the City’’s many agencies; and made America’’s safest metropolis even safer, albeit a bit costlier to live in. Further, Mike moved New York forward with an independent, fiscally responsible, non-partisan style of leadership, and established an excellent working relationship with the City Council, which, of course, he now owns--lock, stock, and barrel.

In 2005 Mayor Mike Bloomberg was re-elected by the broadest, most diverse coalition of support in the history of America’’s largest city. Mike was endorsed by nearly every major labor group, business association, and advocacy organization, not to mention his nonagenarian mother and by every major newspaper, many of which he owns--lock, stock, and printing press. Mike’’s victory signified his ability to unite New Yorkers of every ethnicity, from every neighborhood, and from every political party behind his vision of a better, richer (well, maybe that’’s not the best choice of words when speaking of Bloomberg) future.

Mike continues to build on the successes of his first term. He is keeping City streets the safest of any of the countries largest cities, and strengthening the economy. In addition to continuing his major initiatives in affordable housing (the $3 million condos now cost closer to $4 million), as well as in public health and education, Mike has launched a major anti-poverty campaign and developed a long-term plan for a sustainable and environmentally sound New York. He has also co-founded a bipartisan national coalition to fight against illegal guns, even if it means Mike has to buy up all the gun manufacturers in the country and permanently padlock their doors.
http://www.bloomberg09.com/bio.html 2008-02-11 13:20:29 Mike once dropped so much money in a beggar’s cup that the beggar dislocated his shoulder. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#70 2008-02-13 13:09:37 Mike took a seat on a bus once and his wallet fell out of his pocket and the bus tipped over. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#69 2008-02-13 13:09:20 If Mike ran a store, instead of one of those little containers near the register filled with pennies, he'd have one filled with hundred dollar bills. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#68 2008-02-13 13:08:57 A pickpocket once got a hernia trying to lift Mike's wallet. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#67 2008-02-13 13:08:41 Mike's allergies have been acting up. Poor guy's allergic to gold dust. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#66 2008-02-13 13:08:25 If a bank had a choice of being held up or having Mike Bloomberg make a withdrawal, it would choose being held up. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#65 2008-02-12 21:04:58 Mike has his own private ATM . . . there's a wheelbarrow to haul away the cash. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#64 2008-02-12 21:04:40 Mike went into the bank to make a withdrawal and the entire bank had a panic attack. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#63 2008-02-12 21:04:25 Mike's bank account has just been designated the eighth wonder of the world. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#62 2008-02-12 21:04:09 Mike's idea of a white sale is to go shopping wearing his white tux and tails. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#61 2008-02-12 21:03:53 Mike's idea of dabbling in real estate is to buy and sell Donald Trump. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#60 2008-02-12 21:03:37 If a fortune teller told Mike the planets were not in the proper alignment, he'd just pay to have them realigned. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#59 2008-02-12 20:32:14 Mike had such a good year he had to have his money belt let out. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#58 2008-02-12 20:32:00 Mike's got a money belt equipped with two security guards. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#57 2008-02-12 20:31:46 Mike doesn't travel much. If he wants to see the Eiffel Tower, for instance, he just sends for it. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#56 2008-02-12 20:31:33 You can always spot Mike on the golf course . . . he's the one with the chauffeur driven golf cart. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#55 2008-02-12 20:31:19 When Mike Bloomberg took his driver's test, he sat in the back seat and his chauffeur sat behind the wheel. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#54 2008-02-12 20:31:06 No Jehovah’s Witnesses ever knock at Mike's door . . . they can't make it across the moat. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#53 2008-02-12 20:30:55 Mike Bloomberg's tax return is a thousand pages long . . . and that's just Volume I. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#52 2008-02-12 20:30:39 One good thing about having a mayor who's a billionaire . . . if it rains the Yankees can just go to Bloomberg's townhouse and play ball in his game room. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#51 2008-02-12 20:30:26 You can tell the mayor of New York is a billionaire . . . the parking meters charge a thousand dollars for each fifteen minutes. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#50 2008-02-12 20:30:12 You can tell Mike is getting older . . . he’s developing money bags under his eyes. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#49 2008-02-12 20:29:45 Mike needs a stretch limo . . . not for the leg room, but to haul around bags of money. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#48 2008-02-12 20:29:28 Most kids ran after the ice cream truck. Little Mike ran after the Brinks truck. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#47 2008-02-12 20:29:04 Even though he's mayor, Bloomberg is not pretentious. He sits in a cubicle like everyone else . . . but his cubicle has a Jacuzzi. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#46 2008-02-12 20:28:49 Mike loves vacationing in Bermuda . . . gives him a chance to wear his elevator sandals. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#45 2008-02-12 20:28:31 Mike wouldn't go over his credit card limit if he charged the solar system. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#44 2008-02-12 20:28:17 When Mike goes to Las Vegas he plays the quarter million dollar slots. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#43 2008-02-12 20:28:02 Mike would pay his bills online but he can't find a line big enough. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#42 2008-02-12 20:27:48 When Mike writes a check it takes him an hour on average to fill in the dollar amount. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#41 2008-02-12 20:27:34 Mike Bloomberg gives out houses as house-warming presents. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#40 2008-02-12 20:27:19 Bloomberg has taken his anti-smoking campaign a step further…he's outlawed smoked salmon. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#39 2008-02-12 20:26:54 Hizzoner not only wears elevator shoes, but elevator socks. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#38 2008-02-12 20:26:42 Mike's got a platinum Metro card. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#37 2008-02-12 20:26:28 Bloomberg has so much money that Lotto wants to play him. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#36 2008-02-12 20:26:13 Mike exercises by bench pressing his wallet. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#35 2008-02-12 20:25:59 In the interest of security, Mike has a bullet-proof wallet. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#34 2008-02-12 20:25:24 Whenever Mike factors in a tip, he always rounds up to the next billion. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#33 2008-02-12 20:25:09 Mike's got gold fillings in teeth that don't even have any cavities. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#32 2008-02-12 20:24:54 Bloomberg is never short of cash. Of course, he's got an ATM in his car. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#31 2008-02-12 20:24:39 The mayor even flies his own helicopter . . . around City Hall. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#30 2008-02-12 20:24:22 Mike flies his own plane . . . it’s a stretch 7666666667. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#29 2008-02-12 20:23:48 If Bloomberg ever quit paying taxes the Treasury Department would have to put a "For Rent" sign. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#28 2008-02-12 20:22:54 Mike put so much money on his Metro card he could ride to the moon and back. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#27 2008-02-12 20:22:39 Mike was a great student. And industrious. When his SAT scores hit 1600, he sold. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#26 2008-02-12 20:22:25 Mike has so many women chasing him he had to take out gold digger's insurance. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#25 2008-02-12 20:22:06 Bloomberg's townhouse is so big the front parlor has its own subway stop. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#24 2008-02-12 20:21:48 Mike's home is so fully staffed that even the cook has a valet. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#23 2008-02-12 20:21:22 When Mike sends out for Chinese food he has it flown in from Shanghai. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#22 2008-02-12 20:21:05 Bloomberg was so smart in school that he tutored the teachers. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#21 2008-02-12 20:20:51 Mike wears elevator shoes manufactured by Gucci and Otis. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#20 2008-02-12 20:20:32 The Mayor dines out in such pricey restaurants that he needs a forklift to pick up the check. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#19 2008-02-12 20:20:17 Mike's first piggy bank died from being overfed. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#18 2008-02-12 20:19:58 Most kids have a coin collection . . . little Mike had a certificate of deposit collection. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#17 2008-02-12 20:19:44 When Bloomberg heard the median income in the U.S. was $48,000 a year he was surprised . . . he thought it was that much a day. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#16 2008-02-12 20:19:28 When the Mayor can't make up his mind he doesn't flip a coin . . . he flips a bank. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#15 2008-02-12 20:18:38 Bloomberg has an I.O.U. from Fort Knox. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#14 2008-02-12 20:18:18 The Mayor plays his own version of Monopoly . . . he's buying up Madison Avenue, Park Avenue, Lexington Avenue, Fifth Avenue . . . . http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#13 2008-02-12 20:17:59 To patch up a quarrel with his girlfriend, Mike Bloomberg sent her a dozen Rolls Royces. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#12 2008-02-12 20:17:36 Mike Bloomberg has a heart of gold . . . and a liver, and a pancreas, and a spleen. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#11 2008-02-12 20:15:52 Bloomberg earned his money the old-fashioned way... he sold Wall Street. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#2 2008-02-05 08:28:03 Hizzoner doesn't bother to wear lifts in his shoes... he just has the floor raised. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#3 2008-02-05 08:28:03 Bloomberg bought his girlfriend a trinket that's out of this world... Mars. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#4 2008-02-05 08:28:03 The mayor could resolve the sub-prime mortgage mess with his lunch money. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#5 2008-02-05 08:28:03 Bloomberg cut the Northern hemisphere out of his will. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#6 2008-02-05 08:28:03 Bloomberg just raised the Vatican's rent so high the Pope has to get a part-time job. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#7 2008-02-05 08:28:03 When Bloomberg speaks, E.F. Hutton listens. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#8 2008-02-05 08:28:03 Michael Bloomberg already has an oval office... in the back of his limousine. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#9 2008-02-05 08:28:03 The mayor could write a check and the bank would bounce. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#10 2008-02-05 08:28:03 Bloomberg uses a stick and carrot managerial style. He pokes you with a stick, and if you perform well he gives you a 24-karat gold piece of jewelry. http://www.bloomberg09.com/facts.html#1 2008-02-05 08:28:03 Mayor Bloomberg was thankful for being the recipient of the National Mayoral Leadership Award and joked that he was given the award so he would be obligated to reciprocate by providing those who selected him with Super Bowl tickets, which is not much of a stretch considering that Bloomberg owns the Super Bowl.

Bloomberg noted that the award could have gone to any of several other mayors who are considered the country's strongest environmental leaders. The mayors of Chicago, Seattle, and Miami were all singled out by name, but none of them has as much money as Bloomberg. The three of them combined don't have that much money. Actually, if you totaled the net worth of all the nation's mayors it would fall short of Bloomberg's net worth, which is why when the mayors get together at events such as this one and send out for coffee Bloomberg picks up the tab.

Mayor Bloomberg admitted that although he could well afford to buy the best ideas from other large cities—both in the U.S and around the world—he prefers instead to steal them and then work to push these ideas to the next level. And with Bloomberg's dough he can do a lot of pushing. For example, turning New York's fleet of cabs into hybrids would not only reduce C02 emissions by 50 percent, but would also save cab drivers about $5,000 a year, which is about what Bloomberg spends for a pair of socks, or perhaps for each sock.

Bloomberg's view is that innovative environmental policies also make good economic cents . . . ooops, make that sense. In his remarks, Bloomberg noted that, due to current market conditions, the stock market—which he owns—has lost more than all the gains it made in the last year. In addition, housing starts are at a 16-year low, oil is at $90 a barrel, food prices are up sharply, banks are turning to foreign funds to maintain reserves, and homeowners are defaulting at record rates. Of course, none of this affects Bloomberg because he's a multi-millionaire. The market could drop like a stone, housing starts could grind to a halt, oil prices could skyrocket to $900 a barrel, food prices could go through the roof, bank presidents could be standing in front of their banks holding tin cups and begging for change, and homeowners could default like there's tomorrow . . . and Bloomberg would still coast along without a care in the world.

In his remarks, Bloomberg quoted John F. Kennedy, who said, "The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining." When you're as rich as Bloomberg, the sun is always shining. Of course, if you're as well off as Bloomberg, you've got a much bigger roof to fix.

According to Bloomberg, while cities tightened their belts in anticipation of worsening economic times, the federal government continued on a spending spree. In short, the feds did not save for a rainy day. The result? In Mike's words, no seed corn and no harvest. That's the surprising thing about Mike Bloomberg. He's an East Coast billionaire entrepreneur, and he talks like a farmer from Iowa. Ain't that sumthin'? Hee-haw!

The problem, as Bloomberg sees it, is that two things drive decisions in Washington: votes and campaign cash. Bloomberg says we, as a nation, can do better. In his opinion, we need to come up with common sense policies to deal with the multitude of issues facing the country.

An idea proposed by Bloomberg, as well as by other mayors, is to pump money into the economy in the short-term, and benefit the country in the long-term, by financing infrastructure projects that cities and states can't afford to fund. If Bloomberg had been on the scene, London Bridge would never have fallen down. And even if it had collapsed, Bloomberg would have flown in the best engineers and had it rebuilt lickety-split, sparing no expense.

Further, as a successful and experienced businessman, Bloomberg proposes establishing a capital budget for the federal government. According to Bloomberg, capital budgets are used routinely by mayors as well as most industrialized nations—but not by Washington.

What sets us apart from other countries, in Bloomberg's estimation, is our innovation. Bloomberg noted that we invented the telegraph and the telephone, and built an industry that began a communications revolution. The result? Bloomberg invested in telcom stock. Similarly, we invented the airplane and built an industry that began a transportation revolution. The result? Bloomberg invested in airline stock. And closer to Bloomberg's heart, we invented the personal computer and built an industry that began a technological revolution. The result? Bloomberg invested in computer stock. What a portfolio.

What we're talking about here is ideas, which are sometimes referred to as a dime a dozen, but which in reality could cost hundreds of millions of dollars a dozen. Maybe even more. Fortunately, ideas can come from many sources. Bloomberg stresses the need to tap knowledgeable individuals on both the left and the right who, regardless how wealthy they may or may not be. Rather than "a penny for your thoughts," the prevailing Bloombergian philosophy may be "a billion dollars for your thoughts." Chicken feed.

Bloomberg finally noted that a comprehensive immigration bill would strengthen the nation's economy. In short, we need to stop turning away people that we, as a country, need. And the immigrant population is comprised of more than just unskilled workers; rather, this group includes scientists, doctors, engineers, and—perhaps more importantly—innovators of every kind. That's where the big money is.

According to Bloomberg, for America to remain the world's economic superpower, we need to welcome the best and brightest from all over the world, especially those who flew first class. Bloomberg is optimistic about our ability to build a strong and stable economy, one where entrepreneurship is encouraged, there is freedom to innovate, opportunities are open to all, benefits are shared by everyone, families find economic security, and a man can still make a buck. Or two. Or three or four. http://www.bloomberg09.com/issues.html#18 2008-02-14 16:53:28 Simply stated, rich people love art. And not the kind of art you find on a boardwalk, but art created by people you’re ashamed to say you never heard of. Rich people also like culture, which seems to bore those of us who are not wealthy. It should go without saying that Mike Bloomberg enjoys both are and culture. One of his philanthropic endeavors and one of his initiatives as mayor is to force art and culture on those of us who are neither artistic nor cultured. http://www.bloomberg09.com/issues.html#17 2008-02-12 22:33:34 It’s easy to face up to tomorrow’s problems today if you have money, like Mike Bloomberg. If you don’t have money you find yourself in a position of trying to face up to yesterday’s problems today. Or trying to face up to the day before yesterday’s problems. Or the day before that. And many of those problems are environmental in nature. When all is said and done, it’s easy to be "green" when you open your wallet and find lots of green inside. http://www.bloomberg09.com/issues.html#16 2008-02-12 22:33:06 Reducing poverty is such a good idea it’s a wonder no one ever thought of it before. But thinking about it and doing something about it are two different things. Mike Bloomberg is doing something about the long-thought-to-be-unsolvable problem of reducing poverty by rewarding work and encouraging education. You can do things like that when you’re rich. http://www.bloomberg09.com/issues.html#15 2008-02-12 22:32:36 Obviously, housing that is affordable to one individual is too pricey for another. On the other hand, it could be easily affordable for another . . . so easily affordable, in fact, that this individual would opt to look for housing that is even more expensive. And that, in a nutshell, is the heart of the problem. Take Mike Bloomberg, for example. Most of us would be happy to live in Gracie Mansion. But not Mike. Instead, he lives in a townhouse on the Upper Eastside. But can you blame him? Who wouldn’t want to live there? http://www.bloomberg09.com/issues.html#14 2008-02-12 22:32:05 There’s really not much that needs to be said here, other than to ask a simple question: Could there be a dumber way to spend money than buying a gun? http://www.bloomberg09.com/issues.html#13 2008-02-12 22:31:34 Well, who could be more fiscally responsible than a wealthy person like Mike Bloomberg? Funny thing is, with all his money, who could afford to be less fiscally responsible than Mike Bloomberg? Probably no one you know, or will ever meet. Mike’s background in finance and heading his own company enabled him to move the city from record deficits to record surpluses. Now the problem is deciding what to do with all that money. http://www.bloomberg09.com/issues.html#12 2008-02-12 22:31:07 Almost everybody has a job, and if they don’t have one, they want one. Some people even want two jobs. Well, they don’t want two jobs . . . it’s just that one job doesn’t provide them with the income they need to buy things like food and shelter. If anyone knows how to create jobs it’s Mike Bloomberg. He came up with an idea, created a Fortune 400 company, hired lots of people, and then got himself another job a mayor of New York. Perhaps he’s one of those people who needs two jobs. http://www.bloomberg09.com/issues.html#11 2008-02-12 22:30:36 Some say money can’t buy you health. Well, they’re wrong. If you’re loaded, like Mike Bloomberg, you can take care of yourself better than if you were flat broke. You can afford the best doctors. Of course, the problem with being wealthy is that you can afford to buy all the things that are not good for you . . . like rich food and exotic cigars and fast cars. But what’s the point of having all that money if you can"t live it up once in a while? Besides, to Mike Bloomberg universal health care coverage implies providing health care to the Milky Way. http://www.bloomberg09.com/issues.html#10 2008-02-12 22:30:02 Mike Bloomberg believes in the best education money can buy. In fact, he believes in the best everything money can buy. Without a good education it is not possible to add numbers, and adding numbers is very important when you’re rich. http://www.bloomberg09.com/issues.html#9 2008-02-12 22:29:33 The federal government, which is supported almost solely by Mike Bloomberg’s tax dollars, relies on a 42-year-old Great Society formula to determine which individuals can be correctly classified as poor. Frustrated with this all but antiquated national method of calculating the poverty level, Bloomberg has asked his administration to develop a new measure, one that would, according to city officials, offer a more modern and accurate picture of poverty, one more precise than the notion that if you don’t drive a BMW you’re poor.

Mayor Bloomberg, a solutions-minded mayor (although solutions always seem to come easier when you’re a billionaire), wants to adopt the new measure in part so he can better assess whether the tens of millions of dollars, which is pocket change to the wealthy mayor, the city plans to spend on new anti—poverty programs will improve the standard of living of poor people. Fully one-fifth of New Yorkers live below the poverty level. The other four—fifths live fairly well and in some cases very well, but nowhere nearly as well as Mayor Bloomberg.

The outdated federal poverty standard, which is pegged to the annual cost of buying basic groceries—but not groceries purchased at Balducci’s, obviously—is widely viewed as off—target. The formula was originally premised on the belief that groceries constituted one—third of a family’s expenditures. Thus, if a family were to spend $100 a week on groceries, its income—after taxes—would have to be in the neighborhood of $300, which is not a very classy neighborhood.

Due to mass production, food these days constitutes only about one—seventh of after tax income; therefore, the formula to determine the poverty level desperately needs to be modified. The formula proposed by the city—adjusted for these lower food costs—would take into account the money families must spend annually on necessities, such as rent, utilities, and, in the mayor’s case, caviar and champagne. But it would also take into consideration the value of financial assistance received by low—income families; for example, housing vouchers or food stamps, neither of which are edible.

According to the director of the children and families program at the National Conference of State Legislators, which provides research to state legislators and policy makers, there is widespread dissatisfaction with the current standard. Hence, the city’s efforts to update the formula are attracting attention.

The city plans to invest about $150 million, mostly from private funds and money found under the cushions of the mayor’s sofa, to help the poor. Hopefully, the city’s efforts will provide a model for other cities struggling with poverty and not fortunate enough to have a billionaire mayor. http://www.bloomberg09.com/issues.html#8 2008-02-12 21:36:03 Those in the news media are just like you and me. They may not have the same interests as you and me, and they may not have the same capabilities as you and me, and they may not have as much money as you and me... well, maybe they have as much money as you —maybe even more— but they certainly don’t have as much money as me. The point is they have their opinions, as you and I do, but when a journalist expresses his or her opinion it has a much greater and far-reaching effect than when you or I express our opinions. After all, our opinions don’t appear on the front page of a newspaper and our opinions are not expressed on the six o’clock news.

There’s a word for this, and that word is partisanship. In other words—and when you’re a candidate for the presidency of the United States you’re never at a loss for words, and if you are, and you’re as wealthy as I am, you can just hire someone to come up with more words—where the media should adopt a purely impartial, unbiased attitude in reporting the news and commenting on the various presidential candidates, instead it favors—sometimes subtly and sometimes blatantly—one candidate over another. Short of buying the newspaper or the radio or TV station and firing the offending individuals, which I could do if I wanted to, there’s not much that can be done about this practice.

If you just watch any of the numerous "talking head" shows on the tube you can’t help but notice that some journalists favor one candidate over another. Sometimes this is evident by what they say. Other times it’s evident by their reaction or the expression on their faces. A sneer, or a rolling of the eyes, or an unstifled laugh, or a guffaw, or a blurted out obscenity are dead give-aways of the personal preference of the talking head in question.

The good thing is that two can play this game. By that I mean that candidates for public office, specifically the presidency, can make known their personal preferences regarding any of these bozos on the endless list of talk-radio and talk-TV shows, and, for that matter, any of the pompous airheads writing for major publications. Think that’s hard to do? Not if you’re loaded, and brother... I am loaded. I’ve got more money that all these TV and radio stations and newspapers and magazines combined. I could go on TV 24 hours a day, seven days a week, sneering and rolling my eyes and laughing and letting loose with loud guffaws and generally cursing up a storm at the mere mention of the name of one commentator or writer or another.

This upcoming presidential election is too important to be decided by the press. There are too many important issues at hand—issues such as education, public health, job creation, fiscal responsibility, illegal handguns, affordable housing, poverty, the environment, and the arts, issue I have addressed in great detail—to have the press influence how members of the general public will cast their votes.

I say it’s high time for the voters in this great country of ours, this land of opportunity, to tell the bloviators of the press and the air waves that they’ve had enough. Each and every voter in the United States should feel free to go into the voting booth this fall and pull the lever next to the name of the wealthiest candidate running for president. After all, it’s what our founding fathers envisioned. It’s the American way.
http://www.bloomberg09.com/blog/wp-trackback.php?p=4 2008-02-16 12:24:07 I remember how excited I was when I made my first million. I couldn’t have been more than three years old at the time. Of course I’ve been excited on many occasions since then; for example, when I founded my company, Bloomberg L.P. And, of course, I was excited to first be elected mayor of the City of New York, and then to be re-elected. But today I’m excited for a different reason. Today I’m excited because I am making it official that I am running for President of the United States.

Oh, I know what you’re thinking: Mike, you’re a billionaire. Mike, you’ve already had a number of successes. Mike, you’re at the age where you should be thinking of slowing down, taking it easy, turning over the reigns of power. Well, sitting back and relaxing is not my nature. Not my cup of tea. It’s not in my designer genes.

We’ve had great success in New York City during my time as mayor. I want to build on those successes on replicate them on a national level. I fully realize that running for president is a daunting task, one that requires discipline, time, and money. Folks, I’ve got discipline. While other boys were out playing stickball, I was reading stock quotes. Other boys could tell you a ballplayer’s batting average; I could rattle off how much GM stock sold for. Give me a company name and a date and I’ll tell you what its stock was selling for that day, right down to an eighth of a point.

Just glancing at my Rolex watch I can tell you that time is something I’ve got plenty of. If, for some reason, I were to run out of time, I’d just buy myself another Rolex. Not a problem. As for money ... well, do we even need to go there? I could cover the cost of running for president—and the expenses of both my Republican and Democratic opponents—without batting an eyelash.

You may be asking yourself what issues comprise my platform. Let me list them for you. First, there’s education. If I am elected president I will put every kid in the country through college. I’ll even put them through grad school. You want a PhD? Not a problem.

Second comes public health. If you’ve got your health you’ve got everything. Well, maybe not everything. You may not have a lot of money. But you won’t need a lot of money because I’ll be paying most of the bills.

This brings us to number three, job creation. I built Bloomberg L.P. from scratch and gave lots of people jobs. With my money I can build other companies and give lots more people jobs. High-paying jobs. You’ll all have secretaries. Unemployment will be a thing of the past.

Next comes fiscal responsibility. Well, one thing about having a lot of money is that you want to have a lot more money, and the only way to have more money is to be fiscally responsible, or to hire people who are. See? More jobs created.

Fifth, I’ll reduce the number of illegal guns. One of the most frequent uses of illegal guns is to rob banks. If everyone has a good job and is making good money, why would anyone need to rob a bank? Without bank robberies some bank guards will no doubt lose their jobs, but we’ll just create new jobs for them.

Affordable housing is sixth on the list. As president, I’ll be living in the White House, and while that may be a step down from my Upper Eastside townhouse, it certainly will be affordable. When I’m president everyone will be so educated and so healthy and so gainfully employed and so fiscally responsible that they’ll be able to afford their own housing. It might not be on the scale of the White House, and it may not have an oval office, but it will be rather comfy nonetheless. You may even be able to hire a maid. See ... more jobs created.

The seventh item—reducing poverty—we need not even go into. With everyone working and going to school and being healthy, who’s got time to be poor? See how this is all coming together?

The next to the last item is our environment and long-term sustainability. Not much to say here either. When you’re well-educated and healthy you have a good job and you work long hours ... no time to mess up the environment.

Last, but not least ... arts and culture. Rich people—and when I am president you’ll all be rich—are cultured. Rich people enjoy the arts. They don’t eat fast food, and when you don’t have to deal with a lot of fast food wrappers you don’t find yourself in a position where you have to litter. So, the environment is cleaner. You don’t get fat from eating too many French fries. You’re healthy. And as a cultured person you know the difference between French fries and home fries. You’ll even find yourself saying pomme frits instead for French fries. You’re educated. Even if you do eat French fries, you know where to get the best deal. Fiscal responsibility. Naturally, if you don’t eat French fries, you save money. Again, fiscal responsibility. You don’t make French fries at home ... affordable housing. And best of all, you don’t walk around carrying a gun.

I hope I’ve made my positions on these critical issues clear. I am now asking that you support me wholeheartedly in my bid for the presidency. You don’t have to donate money ... I’ve got plenty of that. Just pull the lever next to the name Bloomberg. I’ll be running as an Independent. Together, we can get this country moving in the right direction again. http://www.bloomberg09.com/blog/wp-trackback.php?p=3 2008-02-16 10:27:13