Bloomberg Has Been a Good Liberal Mayor
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  Bloomberg Has Been a Good Liberal Mayor
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Author Topic: Bloomberg Has Been a Good Liberal Mayor  (Read 1627 times)
Frodo
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« on: September 16, 2007, 09:39:14 PM »

I forget -what makes this guy a Republican, again?
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Under Bloomberg, Budget and Revenues Swell

By DIANE CARDWELL
Published: September 17, 2007


Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has promoted himself as a model of fiscal restraint, issuing dire warnings about the slowing economy, recently asking agencies to limit hiring, and even listing “fiscal responsibility” as an interest on his MySpace page.

At the same time, a review of the city’s budget since 1980 shows that Mr. Bloomberg has been presiding over one of the greatest expansions of city government since the John V. Lindsay administration, fueled by an extraordinary surge in real estate revenues, both from higher property taxes and transfer taxes from sales.

Since Mr. Bloomberg took office in 2002, the city budget, adjusted for inflation, has swelled faster than it has under any other mayor during the last 27 years, increasing by 23 percent, to $60 billion.

By contrast, spending rose 8 percent during Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani’s eight years, and 4 percent under Mayor David N. Dinkins, who served one four-year term. Mr. Bloomberg’s spending also outpaced that of Mayor Edward I. Koch, who increased the budget by 19 percent over his last two terms.

No one is predicting a collapse of the city’s fiscal stability as a result of the increased spending, and Mr. Bloomberg, who is scheduled to speak about economic policy to Britain’s Conservative Party at the end of the month, generally receives high marks for his stewardship of the budget.

But some worry that New York, along with other cities where the real estate market has been hot, is ill-prepared to grapple with a downturn, having grown accustomed to booming revenues from flush times.

According to the mayor’s Office of Management and Budget, approximately 75 percent of the growth under Mr. Bloomberg has been driven by expenses that are difficult to control, like employee health care costs and benefits, pension payments and Medicaid.

But Mr. Bloomberg, who declined to be interviewed for this article, has also significantly increased more discretionary accounts, reflecting his emphasis on quality-of-life issues and his desire to make New York attractive to people and businesses. Spending on parks, often one of the first areas to lose money in lean times, jumped 27 percent over his tenure, to $298 million, for example. The budget at Information Technology has almost tripled to $157 million, largely due to establishing the city’s popular 311 service hot line and to upgrading other technology systems.

Spending on schools jumped 14 percent, to $16 billion, driven by a 40 percent increase in teacher salaries favored by Mr. Bloomberg, among other expenses.
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they don't love you like i love you
BRTD
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« Reply #1 on: September 16, 2007, 09:44:37 PM »

He's not a Republican now, and he became a Republican only because he knew he'd have a better chance of winning the Republican than the Democratic primary.
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Verily
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« Reply #2 on: September 16, 2007, 09:53:08 PM »

Spending has gone up because the city is undergoing a massive economic boom. With increased revenue, the city can improve its public school system to bring the middle class back to the outer boroughs, can expand and revamp the subway system, can repair bridges and other public works that have previously been let to deteriorate for lack of funds. Bloomberg has exercised fiscal restraint, not by cutting taxes when revenues increased, but by putting those revenues to effective uses while the city has them, foreseeing the dangers of merely "letting the system run" without making improvements.

I don't think any of us would criticize Alberta or Norway for making ample use of their booming economies to prepare for the future; why should we criticize New York?
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WalterMitty
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« Reply #3 on: September 16, 2007, 09:53:51 PM »

he is a good man.

a personal hero of mine.

im actually residing in the town that he grew up in!
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Lief 🗽
Lief
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« Reply #4 on: September 16, 2007, 10:07:57 PM »

Good for Bloomberg.
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TheresNoMoney
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« Reply #5 on: September 16, 2007, 11:32:18 PM »

im actually residing in the town that he grew up in!

Maria Menounos also grew up there! And I lived there in 2001/2002.
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Conan
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« Reply #6 on: September 16, 2007, 11:48:59 PM »

Duh. Bloomberg isn't a moderate. He's a liberal. More so than most dems on fiscal and social policy.
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HardRCafé
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« Reply #7 on: September 17, 2007, 01:27:08 AM »

Bloomberg endorsed Blagojevich even before his switch.
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