Michael Bloomberg endorses Meg Whitman

Meg Whitman's business experience makes her just as equally unqualified to be governor of California as Mayor Michael Bloomberg's business experience makes him unqualified to be mayor of New York City.

On Friday, Mayor Bloomberg appeared at a campaign event with Ms. Whitman, where he said that Ms. Whitman's personal campaign spending -- $141.5 million -- allows her to enter office with no strings attached, reported the PolitiCal blog of The Los Angeles Times. "She's my kind of candidate," he said.

Good luck, California.

We've heard this same rationale expressed by Mayor Bloomberg about himself, but it was like a Three Cup Shuffle Scam : there's a slight of hand that we don't see coming.

Mayor Bloomberg's observations about Ms. Whitman were made a few days after The Gothamist website published a news report that the Bloomberg administration had run out of ideas on how to save taxpayer money, so it had begun a cyber suggestion box, where taxpayers could submit ideas on how New York City can save money. (Remember, this was the same Mayor Bloomberg, who in 2009 insinuated that his rationale for extending term limits was because he could rescue New York City's economy from the economic crisis.)

Let's see what he said about Ms. Whitman in their joint campaign appearance in California :

Just like his new cyber suggestion box suggests, just because you can spend over $100 million in a self-financed campaign for public office, it doesn't mean that a wealthy candidate actually has any good ideas about how to save the local government's budget. Spending money doesn't mean you know how to save money.

But there is more of the Mayor's math that doesn't add up. We'll explore that soon.

New Yorkers demand hospital to replace St. Vincent's

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Speaker Christine Quinn were missing as New Yorkers gathered in the West Village to demand a hospital to replace the former St. Vincent's.

''Demonstrators at the ::100 Days Without A Hospital Community Rally:: say closing Saint Vincent's has put public safety at risk because it leaves thousands of people without quick access to emergency care,'' reported NY1.

''St. Vincent’s plight has been portrayed by public officials and the media as a story of local misfortune—a community losing a vital piece of its infrastructure and a centerpiece of its identity to a combination of mismanagement, the recession, and bad luck. The truth, though, is considerably more alarming,'' reported New York magazine.

We Need Protection From Mayor Bloomberg

A powerful citizen's complaint against Michael Bloomberg.

Clayton Patterson describes how Mayor Michael Bloomberg is destroying New York for working-class and poor people. Mr. Patterson discusses quality of life issues, such as rent hikes, over-development, mass evictions, landlord abuses, freedom of artistic expression, parking tickets, NYU expansion, and criticisms of mainstream media.

He acknowledges the importance of bloggers, such as Suzannah B. Troy, who resist, or call for a change in, the policies of the Bloomberg administration. The net effect is a powerful citizen's complaint against Mayor Bloomberg.

Bloomberg to continue to funnel NYC taxpayer money to questionable agency connected to Vito Lopez

From one political boss to another,
Mayor Bloomberg to Assemblyman Vito Lopez :
''Who's your money honey ?''

In the midst of several investigations into fraud, mismanagement, and possible corruption at the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said that taxpayer money from New York City will continue to be paid to the questionable organisation, The Brooklyn Paper has reported.

New York City will pay taxpayer money in the amount of $135 million to Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council for home attendant services that the organisation reportedly provides in Brooklyn and Queens, wrote Aaron Short, a reporter for The Brooklyn Paper. The outlandish amount of money comes under two contracts with New York City, and the performance of such contracts have to be called into question if there is illegality involved by Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council. Here are some additional facts from Mr. Short's article :

'' Last month, the city delayed pending contracts to Ridgewood Bushwick in light of a city investigation that found fraudulent billing for nonexistent programs and clueless board members who approved huge raises for the nonprofit’s top executives.

'' The state then announced that it would halt all new and existing contracts to Ridgewood Bushwick amid two federal investigations, as the attorney general’s office conducts a thorough review of its most recently submitted audit.

'' The nonprofit has also drawn scrutiny for its workers’ role in allegedly encouraging voters to [pull] the lever or fill in their ballot bubbles for the charity’s founder, Assemblyman Vito Lopez, who is also the Brooklyn Democratic Party chairman. ''

Meanwhile, community reaction has been one of outrage, disbelief, and anger.

Mr. Short reported that Elaine Boardman, who is associated with the Jewish Association for Services of the Aged, said that she was ''outraged'' that, during the financial scandal investiations, New York City would continue to pay money to Ridgewood Bushwick.