Walker writes: "'The difference between my level of government and other levels of government is that action takes place at the city level,' Mayor Bloomberg said. 'The cities and mayors are where you deal with crime, you deal with real immigration problems, you deal with health problems, you deal with picking up the garbage.' You see, according to Mayor Bloomberg, he and his mayoral colleagues are focused on results. It's the rest of the politicians who are screwing things up."
Mayor Michael Bloomberg. (photo: NYDaily News)
Mayor Bloomberg: 'I Have My Own Army'
30 November 11
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n a speech at MIT last night to discuss the packed sweepstakes to build a tech campus in New York City, Mayor Bloomberg said he prefers City Hall to the White House. Almost immediately after Mayor Bloomberg dampened recent speculation he's eyeing a White House bid, he added fuel to the fire by explaining why a mayor would be the best person for the job.
Mayor Bloomberg's recent criticism of President Obama for allowing the debt reduction Supercommittee to fail led many political tea leaf watchers to believe he's eyeing a potential White House bid. To the dismay of those who hope he'll mount presidential campaign, Mayor Bloomberg began his speech last night by discussing why City Hall is just fine by him.
"I have my own army in the NYPD, which is the seventh biggest army in the world. I have my own State Department, much to Foggy Bottom's annoyance. We have the United Nations in New York, and so we have an entree into the diplomatic world that Washington does not have," Mayor Bloomberg said.
At first, Mayor Bloomberg sounded he was outlining why three terms as mayor was enough experience in public office for him, but he quickly switched gears and began characterizing City Hall as the perfect preparation for the White House because it allowed him to buck the Beltway establishment get real on-the-ground knowledge.
"I don't listen to Washington very much, which is something they're not thrillled about," Mayor Bloomberg said. "We have every kind of people from every part of the world and every kind of problem."
Mayor Bloomberg explained that, unlike Washington politicians, mayors are people of action.
"The difference between my level of government and other levels of government is that action takes place at the city level," Mayor Bloomberg said. "The cities and mayors are where you deal with crime, you deal with real immigration problems, you deal with health problems, you deal with picking up the garbage."
You see, according to Mayor Bloomberg, he and his mayoral colleagues are focused on results. It's the rest of the politicians who are screwing things up.
"At the state or federal level, that's where the real problems are. You see it particularly in American government at the moment where they are just unable to do anything, and yet, the mayors of this country still have to deal with the real world," said Mayor Bloomberg.
Mayor Bloomberg closed by expressing the desire for someone with real, executive experience to arrive on the scene and change things in Washington.
"Unfortunately, people at the federal level or the state level typically spend their whole lives in politics, and they've never been an executive and it shows," Mayor Bloomberg said.
Who could he possibly be thinking of?
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I'll give you a hint: rhymes with tush.
By some accountings, if you include interest on the portion of the national attributable to military spending, military pension and post-service medical expense, and all the other military expenditures larded into other non-military portions of the federal budget, military spending absorbs more than 50% of the annual federal budget. Visit http://www.truemajority.org/csba/priorities.php for one version of that view.
I want my money back!!
N.
Its par for the (early) Modern course, for those into history.
The PRIVATE CENTAL BANK CARTEL, since the days of Adam 'the invisible hand' Smith, has worked, and conspired (but pls. don't say "labored"- these people think for a living) to perpetuate their own dominance of ALL western nation's monetary/curren cy systems, largely (among other strategies) by means of the military-indust rial-complex, perpetual wars & sky-high 'public' debt, payable of course, mostly to themselves- the intellectual creators of the trick/system.
Today's 'public' debt in USA is not substantially different from 18th century Britian's... Same (old) game; slightly different (new) place.
And what happened to the USSR after it tried to conquer Afghanistan?
Our military is much worse off today than 10 years ago. And not just in terms of hardware worn out during our pointless wars.
Officers' training has also been sacrificed.
It used to be that our Air Force officers would get a chance to study subjects like foreign affairs in places like Georgetown. This provides so many benefits, from greater integration of our officers into our society, to just having a more professional and well rounded corps. But this sort of thing is being drastically curtailed due to the expenses of our wars.
So we are descending into banana republichood in more than one way.
I think that no matter what you think our role in the world should be, these pointless crusades against Moslems and Arabs are the wrong way to go about it.
Nobody, no matter how conservative or how liberal, should support our crusades. It does not benefit our people, our military, our standing, and certainly not our victims.
These figures take military spending and divide it by the number of troops we have. Total stupidity.
It is CONTRACTING that eats the money. In the past 8 years, most of the billions of dollars have gone to military contractors, who do less than the troops, and make sometimes 50 times the money, and to contractors tasked with fulfilling the unrealistic demands of the "combatant commanders". The proof is in the pudding--nothin g worthwhile except protection against IEDs has been produced.
This $12,000 figure should be pasted on billboards nationwide and run on t.v. too. Let us all understand how much and what we are paying for!
The incredible committment of resources to a lost cause and our inability to escape from it.
The destruction of the US economy
Loss of world-wide credibilty
High unemployment
Collapse of the housing market
Massive loss of human lives
Just add it all up. The cost goes much further than just dollars and cents.
And Bush/Cheney and cronies have been given immunity from prosecution by the US government for these crimes!
I say, arrest the bums. Do a Brattleboro, VT, and pass a law that says if Bush or Cheney even step a TOE into their city, they will be arrested for their crimes against the US, humanity, and the planet!
We sit in their quagmire of hate and greed, while they bask in their fortunes.
I truly hope there IS a payback day for them, even if it comes via the International Court.
N.
When the procurement of a hammer is $200., I'm thinking I'd love to sell hammers to the military...
Ecuador police to take lie detector test.
Each person in W.H. and Congress should take lie detector tests -- so we can figure out HOW much $$ they know went to what/who
In fact, we know when they say "my constutients" want blah blah -- is not true -- those who funded their elections demand "what they say the people want" -- THE PEOPLE want jobs, their homes, and equal tax for all.
NO elected person who tries to legislate law on a religious basis is OUT -- we have a constitution and it is not the bible of any religion.
I want an accounting of ALL those (70K) checks the government sends each month.
If a company makes their goods in a foreign country (jobs overseas is becoming epidemic) -- they MUST pay a tarif tax to sell product in USA. This might equalize their choice to keep their $$ off shore to dodge taxes.
This article is not a surprise -- but brings up what the 12 specials must consider: Bring everyone into a medicare system - along with some of the CORRECT parts of the Heaalth Care Reform.,
Vote 2012 -- get the RepugNUTS out -- Register now and get mail-in ballots (deliver them to the polling both on election day and make sure they are put into the slot with machine votes)
How would he say MISSON ACCOMPLISHED in Arabic?
I am starting to loose hope for any sense in our government.
Norquist must be in bed with Al Quaeda + GOP/TP in bed with Norquist --
The GOP now says Obama's fault for no jobs when GOP has not allowed one JOB CREATION bill to be in front of Congress. And the GOP/TP says Obama has a spending problem - when the CONGRESS HOLDS THE PURSE!
Something is wrong with media that they allow these people to talk - none give facts/figures.
I'll go for a run and hope I sweat out all my anger!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!
Likely it is too late even IF we stop ALL the WARS next 24 hours.
And populist Obama believes ... what a joke.
Is there ONE rational being in Washington DC?
What is lacking is a true education for our students so that they would know the truth.
Within 5 years we will be NOT there - bankrupted USA will be worse than CCCP in 1989.
Chaney and Bush both oilmen... I remember that Bush announced the war could wind down about a week after the 'benchnmark' to divide Iraq's oil. We thought that meant Sunni, Shi'a, and Kurd. But it was BP, Shell? a Dutch oil co. and ?? Still looking for that info. And where are the media stories about it?
OSB won like he said he would.
And if they won't tax for war, they won't tax for keeping newly poor American's alive. We are either screwed or on the verge of revolution. Fat chance since we no longer have rights or even free speach, much less an informed populace. And there are all those private jails now.... We're screwed.
The government should be warned to not tax for war or we will have a revolution for sure. Privatization is a real consideration and than you for keeping us on that subject.
No way would this be reported on mainstream.
What about the "Missing Billions" in Iraq and Afghanistan? And the "No-Bid" contracts? And the biggest Embassy n the world in Baghdad which can be seen from space (if they were supposed to be even considering leaving)? And the "Black Budget" (CIA, surveillance, assassinations and now renditions worldwide) which is not even accountable to Congress nor the president but which is apparently almost 0.5 of the total "official" defense (Ha, ha!) budget. And THAT'S just recent.
Oh yes -and throw in the recent recruitment and use of "Private security firms", many made up of the scum of the earth from death squads and banana republic police.
As General Smedly Butler put it in his book of the same name "War is just a Racket" and the old "Fighting Quaker" should know this better than anybody.
You don't fined wealthy people signing up to go to the middle east to fight, only people that need to feed their families.
End these wars now, put these people to work on our decaying infrastructure.
Take note, the military-indust rial complex knew all along that a nation's mania for "security" would fill their coffers!
And, they were both right!
Why don't Americans see it? Duh!