Hightower Lowdown
"George W was born on third and thought he'd hit a triple." -- Jim Hightower
In This Issue
Misery for U.S. towns and $10 billion dollars a year for China
July's Lowdown
If Obama wins, who will be on his team--and who should be?
There'll be a crush of cameras at the front door of the White House on January 20 as scores of media outlets scramble to record the moment that the new president walks in. But, wait--who're those people who'll be sliding in quietly behind him? They're the ones who'll spend the next four years whispering in the president's ear, sitting in strategy sessions, running presidential councils, filling agency slots, and pulling the levers of executive power.
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selling new york city
New Yorkers invented chutzpah, but even the locals are open-mouthed at the cosmic-scale chutzpah of their billionaire mayor, Michael Bloomberg. Mayor Mike is considering a plan that would turn an old joke into reality: He wants to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge!
While he’s at it, he might also put the Manhattan, Williamsburg, and Queensboro bridges on the block. Thinking like the Wall Streeter he was, Bloomberg views public assets as just another commodity to be hawked to profiteers who could make a pretty penny by charging all comers a fee to cross, say, the BankOne Brooklyn Bridge.
The mayor says he’s merely taking “creative measures” to bridge the $5 billion gap that New York faces in its budget. (Of course, a tiny tax on Wall Street transactions would fill that gap in no time, but Mike won’t be that creative.)
Bloomberg also wants to let corporations pay to plaster their names and logos on the public parks, swimming pools, and rec centers.
The mayor’s office says it’ll stick to deals that preserve “the city’s dignity.” Too late, Mike—by its very nature, corporatizing the public’s property not only will cost the city’s dignity, but also its heart and soul.