Mayor Bloomberg usually has an opinion on things but for the most part, he has remained mum on the M.T.A. since his congestion pricing plan was shut down last year. However, with the deadline for the fare increasing being tomorrow, the mayor has found some faux populism buried in his suit pocket and dished it out for the press today.
From The Daily Politics:
Of course, that's rich (no pun intended) coming from the richest man in town. It would be much easier to fund a bailout of the M.T.A. if the state had more money to spend....and if we taxed the rich...and well, the mayor doesn't approve of that, now does he?Asked today what people should do if Gov. David Paterson and legislative leaders fail to reach an agreement on the MTA bailout before tomorrow's deadline, Mayor Bloomberg replied:
"If Albany doesn't come through, then the straphangers are going to have to bear the brunt of this. I don't think that's good for the system. I don't think it's good for our economy. But we cannot walk away from mass transit. We have to have it. So I hope it doesn't get to that, but if it does, what I would suggest when you see what's going to happen to your commuting costs, you should call your state legislators and say, 'I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore.'"
Mayor Bloomberg is no Howard Beale, out of anyone who could tell the people to start yelling out their windows, the billionaire mayor is the last one on the list. If anything, they should be yelling at him.
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