Bloomberg Testified Against Haggerty

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg provided secret grand jury testimony in the case against his own reëlection campaign worker, John Haggerty, Jr.

Mr. Haggerty, right, escorts 2010 GOP gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino during the Columbus Day Parade in New York City on October 11, 2010. Photo by Anonymous.

During public proceedings in the criminal trial against John Haggerty, Jr., Assistant District Attorney Eric Seidel, one of the prosecutors in the case, told Judge Ronald A. Zweibel that Mayor Bloomberg had testified before a grand jury, and that the grand jury evidence supported the state's case against Mr. Haggerty.

In June 2010, Mr. Haggerty was indicted for allegedly stealing $1.1 million in campaign related payments funneled by Mayor Bloomberg through his private banking accounts to the Independence Party of New York State.

In 2009, Mayor Bloomberg was on pace to spend over $100 million dollars in declared campaign expenses through his committee to reëlect the mayor (CREEM). Because there was a backlash at Mayor Bloomberg's outrageous reëlection campaign spending, there must have been some sensitivity within CREEM to substantially exceed $100 million in declared reëlection campaign expenses, ergo the use of millions of undeclared campaign-related expenses from Mayor Bloomberg's personal and private banking accounts.

In 2008, Mayor Bloomberg made private donations to the Independence Party of New York State totaling $1.2 million. Around this time, the New York City Council changed the term limits law without a voter referendum. Then, in 2009, Mayor Bloomberg was endorsed by the Independence Party of New York City.

Ostensibly, Mr. Haggerty was to provide ballot security operations, which is a reëlection campaign activity, for Mayor Bloomberg. Which campaign laws did Mr. Haggerty break, if CREEM knowingly used Mayor Bloomberg's private banking accounts to ''wash in'' money in order to funnel the Independence Party donations to Mr. Haggerty ? What is more, the reporter Aram Roston from PolitickerNY has raised questions about Mayor Bloomberg's pattern in using private donations for campaign-related activities.

200,000 Missing Votes Found In New York City ; Mayor's Accountability Remains Missing

One month after the November mid-terms, the NYC Board of Elections reported 200,000 more votes that had not been previously counted on Election Day.

Every time something important happens in this city, there is Mayor Michael Bloomberg, showing up to demonstrate domination and authority. At every major fire house closing, schools chief waiver application, or term limits extension. Yet, here, after these 200,000 uncounted ballots are found in New York City, he is nowhere in sight.

The largest stash of the missing votes (about 80,0000) were found in Queens, The New York Times reported.

Meanwhile, look at the Queens Crap blog and read the comments triggered by this election scandal.

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.

Deep pockets buy campaigns

Bloombo Dicto has a reputation for arresting election protesters, changing the election laws to satisfy his hunger for power, minimising his political opposition, allegedly engaging in election intimidation, and buying influence with his campaign war chest. Welcome to a 'new' New York -- Iran style.

Bloomberg Sets Record for His Own Spending on Elections

"Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has spent $85 million of his own money on his latest re-election campaign, more than anyone in U.S. history," The New York Times has reported.

"Newly released campaign records show the mayor, as of Friday, had spent $85 million on his latest re-election campaign, and is on pace to spend between $110 million and $140 million before the election on Nov. 3," the report also showed.

"And no one sees this as the death of democracy?"

Even after considering all of Mayor Bloomberg's "blemishes," The New York Times can still twist the facts and rationalise that 4 more years of Bloomberg will do us good.

After the 8 almost parallel years of the combined Bloomberg-Bush administrations, I think we've regressed to the point where almost nobody dares tell the emperor-dictator that he is wrong.