Billionaire Mayor Bloomberg: Occupy Wall Street is Trying to Destroy Jobs
The New York mayor says the protests are 'not productive' given the importance of financial services to the city's economy
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.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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.