Bloomberg: Gov't has right to infringe on your freedom

[S.Shorland]

Is there constant picketing outside this lunatic's place of 'work'?

 

[libertygrl]

New York citizens can suck it! They not only keep electing this ahole, but then they see themselves as leaders in our nation and think it is their job to spread their freedom crushing form of democracy to others that don't want it. FUNY

Hey, back off with the hate for New Yorkers. Bloomberg is the mayor of NYC and gets voted by the citizens of the city, not the entire state. There are over 8 million NY citizens and many are fighting the good fight. It's pretty lame to take it out on the entire population. We've been through hell over the past few years starting with 9-11 and most recently the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. We should be uniting and supporting one another as Americans rather than nit picking regional problems/differences.

It was the city council that caved into him being able to run for another term. And the election was actually very close:


Bloomberg Wins 3rd Term as Mayor in Unexpectedly Close Race ...


Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg pulled out a narrow re-election victory on Tuesday, as voters angry over his maneuver to undo the city’s term limits law and his extravagant campaign spending provided an unexpected lift to his vastly underfinanced challenger, William C. Thompson Jr.

Unofficial returns showed Mr. Bloomberg with 51 percent and Mr. Thompson with 46 percent. The result will make Mr. Bloomberg only the fourth three-term mayor in the last century.

“Conventional wisdom says historically third terms haven’t been too successful,” the mayor told supporters at the Sheraton New York Hotel in Midtown Manhattan around midnight after a tense night of watching returns. “But we’ve spent the last eight years defying conventional wisdom.”

Still, the margin seemed to startle Mr. Bloomberg’s aides and the city’s political establishment, which had predicted a blowout. Published polls in the days leading up to the election suggested that the mayor would win by as many as 18 percentage points; four years ago, he cruised to re-election with a 20 percent margin.

The billionaire mayor had poured $90 million of his own fortune into the race, a sum without equal in the history of municipal politics that gave him a 14-to-1 advantage in campaign spending.

But the turnout appeared to be on track to be among the lowest in modern New York history as the mayor’s vaunted campaign machinery failed to deliver the surge of supporters his aides had predicted.

“Everybody was shocked,” a Bloomberg aide said.

Mr. Bloomberg had based his third-term campaign largely on the argument that the city has been better run since he ushered in an era of corporate efficiency and nonpartisan leadership at City Hall. He also pointed to his accomplishments in education, crime reduction and public health.

But voters from Park Slope in Brooklyn to Morrisania in the Bronx seemed torn.

While they praised his competence and intelligence, many were put off by what they saw as Mr. Bloomberg’s heavy-handed move to rewrite the law that would have limited him to two consecutive terms, saying it was obviously self-serving. The mayor had previously opposed any undoing of term limits, which voters had approved twice.

“The main reason I didn’t vote for Bloomberg was the term limits,” said Katherine Krase, a 34-year-old professor, voting at her local school in Park Slope.

At the same school, Gerni Oster, 34, said: “I think that Mayor Bloomberg is too egotistical and arrogant for me to vote for at this point.”

Exit polls indicated that 45 percent of voters said that Mr. Bloomberg’s handling of term limits was a factor in their decision not to vote for him, and roughly the same number said the mayor’s spending on the race was an important factor. Nearly 7 of 10 approved of his job performance.

Bill de Blasio and John C. Liu, both Democrats, were elected public advocate and comptroller, respectively.

The results in the mayor’s race are likely to be personally bruising to Mr. Bloomberg, a man of no small ego who told the public last fall that his financial acumen made him uniquely qualified to pull the city out of a deep economic funk.

Already, Democrats seemed emboldened by the outcome.

“We learned tonight that people do not forget easily,” said Representative Anthony D. Weiner, the Queens Democrat who considered, but then decided against, challenging the mayor. “A lot of people, whether they said it to pollsters or not, were offended by the term limits fight.”

And, addressing a crowd at the New York Hilton in Midtown, Mr. Thompson sounded like a man who was planning another campaign.

“The work we started during this campaign doesn’t end tonight, in fact, it’s just beginning,” he said.

Even those who backed the mayor seemed to do so reluctantly.

Stav Brinbaum, 37, a Web producer from Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, described his own vote for the mayor as “unfortunate.”

“I feel he bought himself the election,” Mr. Brinbaum said, and “ran a smear campaign against a nonexistent opponent.” But, he added, “He’s doing a really good job.”

“If there were somebody stronger running against him, I would have happily voted for them,” said Paul Ranson, 56, a designer also from Prospect Heights. “But there’s not, so I unhappily voted for Bloomberg.”

Mr. Bloomberg’s campaign managers prided themselves on the their communications strategy, which flooded mailboxes, e-mail inboxes and television screens.

h ttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/nyregion/04mayor.html?_r=2&

 

[Anti Federalist]

It's funny, I was watching a documentary about the revolutionary war and how the urban New Yorkers were mostly loyalists. Times might change but the people don't.

Bingo.

Ball licking suckups to the ruling class then.

Ball licking suckups to the ruling class now.

What Doomberg is saying is no different than what Ghouliani was saying twenty years ago:

What we don't see is that freedom is not a concept in which people can do anything they want, be anything they can be. Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do.

http://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/20/n...y-excerpts-from-giuliani-speech-on-crime.html

The Gau of New Amsterdam has been a PITA for freedom for over 200 years.

Fuck them, cut them, or us, loose.

I'm tired of dragging their sorry, statist, authoritarian asses through history.

Anyway, as long as New York City keeps itself contained and tamed I don't care what they do and whom they choose as their temporary slave-master.

But they don't.

Like a plague, their sickness spreads and infects the last vestiges of liberty left in the Benighted States.

Until the host dies.

 

[Anti Federalist]

Is there constant picketing outside this lunatic's place of 'work'?

Prohibited.

That's a felony.

 

[gwax23]

Can people stop with the new york bashing because Bloomberg is an asshole. Thats like hating all americans because Obama is an asshole. There seems to be some sort of "Anti-Urban" feelings on this forum. That anything Urban is inherently evil or contrary to our movement and liberty. This guy is not widely liked I can say that much as a New Yorker. He removed term limits which explains why hes been in office so many times, that and the fact that there is only shittier opposition. I know its scary to say but the main opponents of Bloomberg are not people who are against what he is doing but people who dont believe he is going far enough.

The problem in new York is the old working class/middle class families left a long time ago for the suburbs. (The republican base) All thats left is the large government dependent welfare population, young hipsters from the midwest, and the elitist rich. (Democratic Base)

 

[Neil Desmond]

That's the thing about freedom of speech: Bloomberg can say all the ludicrous things he wants all day; that doesn't mean it's true, right, just, logical, sensible, realistic, etc. etc. We also have the freedom of speech to call him on it. It's also a good thing we have separation of powers to keep people like this lunatic from causing a complete breakdown of society.

 

[Anti Federalist]

Can people stop with the new york bashing because Bloomberg is an asshole. Thats like hating all americans because Obama is an asshole. There seems to be some sort of "Anti-Urban" feelings on this forum. That anything Urban is inherently evil or contrary to our movement and liberty. This guy is not widely liked I can say that much as a New Yorker. He removed term limits which explains why hes been in office so many times, that and the fact that there is only shittier opposition. I know its scary to say but the main opponents of Bloomberg are not people who are against what he is doing but people who dont believe he is going far enough.

The problem in new York is the old working class/middle class families left a long time ago for the suburbs. (The republican base) All thats left is the large government dependent welfare population, young hipsters from the midwest, and the elitist rich. (Democratic Base)

I'm sorry if you or other NY denizens, like cowlesy and libertygirl and malkusm and others are stuck behind enemy lines.

But the sad fact is, your fellow citizens have "elected" this man, willingly and enthusiastically and repeatedly.

If he was just using his money and power and position to make your lives miserable, that would be one thing, but he's not.

He's poking his nose into my business now, attempting to restrict my freedom (again) and that's just not acceptable.

I'm from NJ, a statist shithole second only to NYC.

I'm 20 years gone, and I didn't drag along any foul statist infection with me.

You need to do the same.

No thinking, rational person with the slightest bit of sense about their liberty should live under these Intolerable Acts and the authoritarians imposing them.

To stay only encourages them and enables them.

 

[Anti Federalist]

That's the thing about freedom of speech: Bloomberg can say all the ludicrous things he wants all day; that doesn't mean it's true, right, just, logical, sensible, realistic, etc. etc. We also have the freedom of speech to call him on it. It's also a good thing we have separation of powers to keep people like this lunatic from causing a complete breakdown of society.

 

[Christian Liberty]

Can people stop with the new york bashing because Bloomberg is an asshole. Thats like hating all americans because Obama is an asshole. There seems to be some sort of "Anti-Urban" feelings on this forum. That anything Urban is inherently evil or contrary to our movement and liberty. This guy is not widely liked I can say that much as a New Yorker. He removed term limits which explains why hes been in office so many times, that and the fact that there is only shittier opposition. I know its scary to say but the main opponents of Bloomberg are not people who are against what he is doing but people who dont believe he is going far enough.

The problem in new York is the old working class/middle class families left a long time ago for the suburbs. (The republican base) All thats left is the large government dependent welfare population, young hipsters from the midwest, and the elitist rich. (Democratic Base)

Its not just Bloomberg, and I don't see how Republicans are even better. Granted, I live in NYS and I frequently spew venom about my own state. I don't hate everyone in this state, heck, I live here, but I hate how people in this state keep electing state-worshippers.

When I say "I dislike New York State" I really mean "I dislike the government in New York State."

What we don't see is that freedom is not a concept in which people can do anything they want, be anything they can be. Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do.

Freedom is slavery?

 

[Neil Desmond]

What? I did say "complete." Ok, fine - to avoid...a complete breakdown of society sooner rather than later. Is that any better?

 

[Anti Federalist]

Freedom is slavery?

This is correct, comrade.

You are commended.

 

[Christian Liberty]

What? I did say "complete." Ok, fine - to avoid...a complete breakdown of society sooner rather than later. Is that any better?

As bad as our country is right now, dictatorship would be even worse. Nobody who could be trusted with that kind of power would actually want it (I can count the number of people I would even consider trusting with that much power on one hand). Checks and Balances do not totally eliminate tyranny, no system can, but it does prevent it from being even worse. At least it slows the sheep down.

 

[Anti Federalist]

What? I did say "complete." Ok, fine - to avoid...a complete breakdown of society sooner rather than later. Is that any better?

No, I'm laughing at the idea that there is any sort of "separation of powers" anymore.

This is the age of the Unitary Executive at all levels in Amerika these days.

Called Kings, Pharaohs, Caesars, Lords, Fuehrers, among other things, at other times and places in history.

 

[heavenlyboy34]

This. The only reason this man is in power is his 20 billion + fortune. He can pay off/buy votes as needed.

What? You mean the system laid down 200+ years ago doesn't work? Cronyism and vote-buying/tampering snuck in? YOU DON'T SAY!!!!

 

[heavenlyboy34]

This is correct, comrade.

You are commended.

Don't forget, Ignorance Is Strength.

 

[Christian Liberty]

This is correct, comrade.

You are commended.

Lol.

No, I'm laughing at the idea that there is any sort of "separation of powers" anymore.

This is the age of the Unitary Executive at all levels in Amerika these days.

Called Kings, Pharaohs, Caesars, Lords, Fuehrers, among other things, at other times and places in history.

I don't think what you say is quite true. We're rapidly moving in that direction, but as seen with Rand's filibuster, anytime (Admittedly not often) SCOTUS strikes down a law, anytime we see state nullification even tried, we aren't QUITE a one-man show yet. We're pretty close though. I still think what we have has in some ways prevented it from being even worse.

 

[heavenlyboy34]

Bingo.

Ball licking suckups to the ruling class then.

Ball licking suckups to the ruling class now.

Yeah, but back then New Yorkers at least had good reason for their opinion in that regard. Now there's no fucking excuse.

 

[heavenlyboy34]

How the hell is this guy in office? I don't understand the world anymore.

Comfort>freedom in Amerika...Land Of The Unfree, Home Of The Slave.

 

[Neil Desmond]

No, I'm laughing at the idea that there is any sort of "separation of powers" anymore.

This is the age of the Unitary Executive at all levels in Amerika these days.

Called Kings, Pharaohs, Caesars, Lords, Fuehrers, among other things, at other times and places in history.

Oh, I see. Carry on.

 

[Romulus]

This guy has extended his term limit by HOW LONG?