Friday, May 29, 2009
Robert A (Disgrace) George
Last fall's economic meltdown had such an impact on New York City's fortunes that it required a change of the city's term limit laws that had been twice affirmed by voter referendum. Michael Bloomberg asserted that the public should be given the right to vote for someone of his financial caliber to keep the city from collapsing into the abyss.
This is what you get when you have a billionaire who -- eight years after being mayor -- still has a default gene that brooks no public disagreement from those he deems his lessers.
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Got that? Awful economic circumstances require a learned hand on the ballot in the fall -- even if it means turning over term limits. That was the Bloomberg rationale. The City Council voted 29-22 to overturn the law (extending their own terms too, of course).
Well, on Thursday, Bloomberg declared (mimicking Barack Obama) that New York's economy was beginning to "turn around." So, said Azi Paybarah, enterprising reporter of The New York, does that change the rationale for getting rid of term limits? The mayor's calm, well-thought response?
This is what you get when you have a billionaire who -- eight years after being mayor -- still has a default gene that brooks no public disagreement from those he deems his lessers.
Ironically, as the Daily News' Elizabeth Benjamin points out, Bloomberg's previous use of the word "disgrace" in this context was in describing an early trial balloon by City Council members to overturn term limits. Then, Bloomberg thought it outrageous to do so given the previous referendum votes. So, you see? A true definition of "disgrace"? Anything or anyone that offends Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
If it's considered disgraceful occasionally to hold a politician to his own words, well, just call me Robert "A Disgrace" George.
UPDATE: AP's Sara Kugler provides some more background on New York's petulant mayor.
UPDATE II: If you're on Facebook, consider changing your middle name to "A Disgrace" to show some solidarity over a principle of holding politicians accountable. Hey, it worked for the "Hussein" family last year!
Labels: Michael Bloomberg, term-limits
