Giuliani's annoited one is about to give his State of the City speech tonight. With our huge surplus Bloomberg is prepared to announce massive tax cuts, but for whom? Certainly not the poor and the middle class that need the break in our expensive city. No, not surprisingly, he'll be targeting people more like himself.
From The Daily Gotham:
The Mayor is very popular. People seem not blame him when his police shoot 50 bullets into unarmed folk; they blame the police commissioner. Even though the schools, under Mayor Bloomberg, are not doing well (remember, he asked to be judged on his success at running the schools), people don’t blame him. Even though affordable housing has all but disappeared and actual hunger appears to be increasing, people don’t blame him. People seem to forgive traffic congestion approaching paralysis and Mayor Bloomberg appears to be getting away with handing over Randalls Island Stadium to Manhattan’s most elite private school. Teflon, thy name is Bloomberg.
Awash in cash, the Mayor proposes $1 billion in tax cuts although no corrections for the wild inequities in the property tax system that has $20 Million 15 room upper East side coops paying lowers taxes than small homes in Queens costing 1% of that. Interestingly, it appears that those fees which fall entirely on the poor – for repairs at the Housing Authority, for example, or for recreation in low income neighborhoods will be maintained. (Also check out Larry Littlefield's elliptical, funny critique.) And a small, but actually affordable housing program, is the subject of great éclat for its chic design. You may also have noticed the bizarre puff-piece praising Amanda Burden burden the other day with which Norman Oder of Atlantic Yards Report had so much fun.. For an excellent review of one of Mr. Bloomberg more bizarre educational blunders see Vanentina Ramia's recent roundup at the DMI Blog.
As a New Yorker, I wouldn't choose to live anywhere else despite the problems. Though we need to fix our fair city so that everyone gets an equal break, not just the wealthy elite. We need to provide for the hungry, help those with housing needs and provide justice for those wronged, even if they are cops.
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