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NYC's Billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg: Net Worth of $19.5 billion as of September 2011 (Forbes Magazine)
The New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has accused the Occupy Wall Street protesters of trying to destroy jobs in the city.
In his weekly radio show, Bloomberg said the protests against the city's financial services were "not productive" given the importance of the sector to the local economy.
"What they're trying to do is take the jobs away from people working in this city," he said.
"If the jobs they are trying to get rid of in this city - the people that work in finance, which is a big part of our economy - go away, we're not going to have any money to pay our municipal employees or clean our parks or anything else."
But Bloomberg acknowledged he was sympathetic to some of the protesters' complaints.
"There are some people with legitimate complaints," he said.
The protesters are angry about the 2008 Wall Street bailout that they say allowed banks to reap huge profits while average Americans suffered high unemployment and job insecurity.
Wall Street is the backbone of the New York state economy, accounting for 13% of tax contributions.
The protesters have been camped out in Zuccotti Park in Manhattan since last month, staging mainly peaceful demonstrations and marches, although there have been some clashes with the police.
On Wednesday, about 5,000 people marched on New York's financial district, the biggest rally so far. Dozens of people were arrested and police used pepper spray on some protesters.
The demonstrators are also campaigning against other social and economic inequalities in American life, including the gap between rich and poor, as well as what they regard as a corrupt political system.
The protest movement has now spread to other US cities from Tampa to Seattle, leading senior politicians to cautiously express sympathy with some of their concerns.
On Thursday the president, Barack Obama, and the vice-president, Joe Biden, acknowledged the frustration and anger of the protesters.
The New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, has also said he understands the anger being felt by the protesters but had to balance that with the economic importance of Wall Street to the state.
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
The New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has accused the Occupy Wall Street protesters of trying to destroy jobs in the city.
In his weekly radio show, Bloomberg said the protests against the city's financial services were "not productive" given the importance of the sector to the local economy.
"What they're trying to do is take the jobs away from people working in this city," he said.
"If the jobs they are trying to get rid of in this city - the people that work in finance, which is a big part of our economy - go away, we're not going to have any money to pay our municipal employees or clean our parks or anything else."
But Bloomberg acknowledged he was sympathetic to some of the protesters' complaints.
"There are some people with legitimate complaints," he said.
The protesters are angry about the 2008 Wall Street bailout that they say allowed banks to reap huge profits while average Americans suffered high unemployment and job insecurity.
Wall Street is the backbone of the New York state economy, accounting for 13% of tax contributions.
The protesters have been camped out in Zuccotti Park in Manhattan since last month, staging mainly peaceful demonstrations and marches, although there have been some clashes with the police.
On Wednesday, about 5,000 people marched on New York's financial district, the biggest rally so far. Dozens of people were arrested and police used pepper spray on some protesters.
The demonstrators are also campaigning against other social and economic inequalities in American life, including the gap between rich and poor, as well as what they regard as a corrupt political system.
The protest movement has now spread to other US cities from Tampa to Seattle, leading senior politicians to cautiously express sympathy with some of their concerns.
On Thursday the president, Barack Obama, and the vice-president, Joe Biden, acknowledged the frustration and anger of the protesters.
The New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, has also said he understands the anger being felt by the protesters but had to balance that with the economic importance of Wall Street to the state.
The New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has accused the Occupy Wall Street protesters of trying to destroy jobs in the city.
In his weekly radio show, Bloomberg said the protests against the city's financial services were "not productive" given the importance of the sector to the local economy.
"What they're trying to do is take the jobs away from people working in this city," he said.
"If the jobs they are trying to get rid of in this city - the people that work in finance, which is a big part of our economy - go away, we're not going to have any money to pay our municipal employees or clean our parks or anything else."
But Bloomberg acknowledged he was sympathetic to some of the protesters' complaints.
"There are some people with legitimate complaints," he said.
The protesters are angry about the 2008 Wall Street bailout that they say allowed banks to reap huge profits while average Americans suffered high unemployment and job insecurity.
Wall Street is the backbone of the New York state economy, accounting for 13% of tax contributions.
The protesters have been camped out in Zuccotti Park in Manhattan since last month, staging mainly peaceful demonstrations and marches, although there have been some clashes with the police.
On Wednesday, about 5,000 people marched on New York's financial district, the biggest rally so far. Dozens of people were arrested and police used pepper spray on some protesters.
The demonstrators are also campaigning against other social and economic inequalities in American life, including the gap between rich and poor, as well as what they regard as a corrupt political system.
The protest movement has now spread to other US cities from Tampa to Seattle, leading senior politicians to cautiously express sympathy with some of their concerns.
On Thursday the president, Barack Obama, and the vice-president, Joe Biden, acknowledged the frustration and anger of the protesters.
The New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, has also said he understands the anger being felt by the protesters but had to balance that with the economic importance of Wall Street to the state.