"I THINK THE MAN IS TOTALLY DEVOID OF ETHICS."

... said Council Member and Mayoral candidate, Tony Avella in commenting about Mayor Bloomberg running on the Independence party line - an agreement that is in the works. Eduardo Castell, campaign manager for Comptroller Bill Thompson's mayoral campaign chimed in with "I see it as Bloomberg's pay-to-play politics. They pay to get someone's support." NY 1 reports that Bloomberg may once again run on Indepence Party Line.

Yes, Mr. Bloomberg needs a party line to be on the ballot and the Dems and Repubs will not have him so he is in negotiations ($) with the Independence Party.

As most of you know, Bloomie used to be a Democrat, until he turned Republican in order to stand out on the ballot when he ran in 2001. As an unknown, he knew he would lose a Democratic primary, so as a dark horse, he spent lots of money and flooded our mail boxes with Bloomberg propaganda in order to win that election. Talk about recycling. I wonder how many trees gave their lives for the Bloomberg campaigns.

As a new Republican with lots of moolah, he was a perfect partner to the ethically challenged rudi guiliani. And unfortunately, while it was Mark Green's election to lose in this strongly Democratic city, Green managed to alienate the Hispanic population, which turned on him voting for Bloomberg. What were they thinking?

You may also recall that giuliani tried to stay in office after the 9/11 tragedy, but it did not work for him. Too late, not enough time. We were so happy to see him go. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Bloomie would try the same tactic several years later and be successful.

The "Republican" Bloomie is credited with bringing the Republican Convention to NYC - a Democratic City!!! in 2004. Protest upon protests upon arrests occurred. An insult to NYC. But people have short memories. Yes, people unfortunately get the government they deserve. If you give a free pass to someone who ignored the two previous ballot initiatives that solidified term limits -- or so we thought -- then you are in effect abdicating your freedom and a dictator is what you will get.

then in June 2007, Bloomie left the Republican line and became a man without a party.

So now, Bloomie - a candidate in search of a party - is sucking up to the Independence party - you remember that controversial and questionable group of people - oh OK - so read about it here from the Village Voice.

Over the years, party founder Fred Newman and his supporters have faced repeated accusations of anti-Semitism and cult-like behavior. In a NY1 investigation in 2005, people involved with Newman's psychotherapy practice said they were brainwashed into joining a cult, allegations Newman has denied.

Everyone knows that Bloomberg has more money than god. He is already spending on ads all over the Internet - everywhere you turn there is another Bloomberg ad – brainwashing people.

While someone like Council Member Tony Avella, the most ethical, charismatic and smart of all the mayoral candidates hurts for money. One source of donations for most of the other candidates comes from the powerful real estate industry (you remember them - they own NYC) with their families, colleagues and friends donating to the max, they can nicely fund any candidate they want and make sure they get their development deals and make more money.

No one should be allowed to buy elections and there should be a spending limit on what candidates are allowed to spend on elections.

But this is America ... and this is NYC. We buy and sell elections here. And we worship money and raw power.

NOT MY MAYOR

or BLOOMBERG TO NEW YORKERS (EXCEPT THE WEALTHY): DROP DEAD

There were two interesting pieces about Mayor Bloomberg in the papers today. Metro ran an excellent op ed piece by Richard Kim, an associate editor of the Nation, which is reproduced below. And the NY Times ran an editorial "Food Stamps in Hard Times", which was critical of Bloomberg blocking an extension of food stamps for able-bodied adults without dependents.

Kim talks about how NYC has not been spared the ravages of the recession – unemployment at 7.4 percent and growing; record homeless rates and the already beleaguered middle class is in full flight from NYC, being driven away by the highest rent, food, child care and utilities bills in the country.

Kim goes on to criticize Mayor Bloomberg’s new $45 million program that would use taxpayer money to retrain “investment bankers, traders and others who have lost jobs on Wall Street.” He intends to set them up with “seed capital and office space.” This from the same man who has refused to accept extra food stamp money from Obama’s stimulus plan.

Bloomberg has never had an ounce of empathy for any living thing – human or animal - and in these dire times, New Yorkers should think twice before giving him a third term. Bloomberg is on a power trip, defying two previous ballot initiatives in which the public had overwhelmingly voted for term limits.

NYC used to be a welcoming city for the middle class – now it is just a bastion for the wealthy.

As Kim says below, New York City "needs a mayor for all of us — for the boroughs, for the poor, for the working class and the laborers and artists, musicians and writers who have made this the best place on earth."

We believe Council Member Tony Avella is the man for the job. He is smart, honest, ethical, cares about people and animals and has some great ideas. He was outstanding at the mayoral forum at Three Parks Independent Democratic club on February 11th. This man needs to have his voice heard!

WRONG MAYOR, WRONG CITY

By Richard Kim

Any erstwhile liberal New Yorkers thinking of supporting Mike Bloomberg’s bid for a third term should do so with their eyes wide open. The city hasn’t been spared the ravages of the recession. As of December, unemployment stood at 7.4 percent, and experts predict almost 300,000 more jobs will be gone by the summer of 2010. Homeless rates are at record highs; the city’s overstretched shelters now take in an average of 36,000 people each night.

The city’s already-beleaguered middle class is in full flight. A recent study by the Center for an Urban Future shows more than 150,000 middle income residents left New York City in 2006, driven away by the highest rent, food, child care and utilities bills in the country. Meanwhile, Manhattan has been rezoned as the almost exclusive playground of the rich.

If Mayor Mike gets re-elected, it will stay this way — or get worse. As the New York Times reported last week, Bloomberg is refusing to accept extra food stamp money from Obama’s stimulus.

In this climate, Bloomberg’s decision is an act of cruel sadism, withholding food (food!) from thousands of hungry mouths to make an ideological point about work. It’s also straight from the playbook of the most reactionary Republican governors, who are threatening to return stimulus money to prove just how much better free markets are than government.

But here’s the really unbelievable part: The next day, Mayor Mike announced a $45 million program that would use taxpayer money to retrain “investment bankers, traders and others who have lost jobs on Wall Street.” Bloomberg intends to set them up with “seed capital and office space” so that they can “promote innovation” and “capture growth.”

There you have a succinct encapsulation of Mike Bloomberg’s priorities. Poor, hungry New Yorkers will be stripped of food stamps that the federal government says is both necessary and good stimulus, while the bollocks-for-brains bankers who got us into this mess will get office space and taxpayer moolah to restart the cycle of speculation.

I love NYC. Right now, NYC needs a mayor for all of us — for the boroughs, for the poor, for the working class and the laborers and artists, musicians and writers who have made this the best place on earth.