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Hightower Lowdown
"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." --George Orwell
In This Issue
Misery for U.S. towns and $10 billion dollars a year for China
How wal-mart is remaking our world
Also in this issue:
February's Lowdown
How corporate money took over Washington--and created the mobs who rant against reform
Despite a constant racket from the forces of the far-out right (Fox television's yackety-yackers, just-say-no GOP know-nothings, tea-bag howlers, Sarah Palinistas, et al.), the great majority of Americans support a bold progressive agenda for our country, ranging from Medicare for all to the decentralization and re-regulation of Wall Street. Indeed, in the elections of 2006 and 2008, people voted for a fundamental break from Washington's 30-year push to enthrone a corporate kleptocracy.
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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.