Well, we have to provide the world’s best schools. We certainly don’t have them, but that’s our objective.
Michael Bloomberg
I am what I am and, you know, I’m a very lucky guy.
Michael Bloomberg
I think if you look at people, whether in business or government, who haven’t had any moral compass, who’ve just changed to say whatever they thought the popular thing was, in the end they’re losers.
Michael Bloomberg
I’ve got the greatest job in the world. There’s no other job in government where cause and effect is so tightly coupled where you can make a difference every day in so many different ways and in so many different people’s lives. It’s a great challenge.
Michael Bloomberg
Taxes are not good things, but if you want services, somebody’s got to pay for them so they’re a necessary evil.
Michael Bloomberg
It’s no fun to protest on an empty stomach.
Michael Bloomberg
The cold harsh reality is that we have to balance the budget.
Michael Bloomberg
We will rebuild, renew and remain the capital of the free world.
Michael Bloomberg
We are the safest large city in America, but any crime rate is too high.
Michael Bloomberg
You are safer here tonight than you would be on the streets of any other city in the world.
Michael Bloomberg
No place epitomizes the American experience and the American spirit more than New York City.
Michael Bloomberg
We all must recognize that homeland security funds should be allocated by threat and no other reason.
Michael Bloomberg
We will go forward… we will never go back.
Michael Bloomberg
And because no matter who you are, if you believe in yourself and your dream, New York will always be the place for you.
Michael Bloomberg
Many of America’s and New York’s sons and daughters are around the world fighting for the freedoms that the Statue of Liberty stands for.
Michael Bloomberg
These endless legal challenges that define elections in New York are a joke in this country, and they are the reason why it is so expensive, or one of the reasons, it’s so expensive to run here and why so many people decide not to run.
Michael Bloomberg
This is the city of dreamers and time and again it’s the place where the greatest dream of all, the American dream, has been tested and has triumphed.
Michael Bloomberg
It is exactly because we are a city that embraces freedom, that welcomes everyone and encourages their dreams, that New York remains on the front lines in the war on terror.
Michael Bloomberg
We’ve shown the world that New York can never be defeated, because of its dynamic and diverse population and because it embodies the spirit of enterprise and the love of liberty. And because no matter who you are, if you believe in yourself and your dream, New York will always be the place for you.
Michael Bloomberg
Ironically, it is exactly because we are a city that embraces freedom, that welcomes everyone and encourages their dreams, that New York remains on the front lines in the war on terror.
Michael Bloomberg
When you come in to court as a plaintiff or as a defendant, it is terribly important that you look up at the bench and feel that that person represents you and will understand you, that that person is reflective of our community and of our society.
Michael Bloomberg
You don’t make spending decisions, investment decisions, hiring decisions, or whether-you’re-going-to-look-for-a-job decisions when you don’t know what’s going to happen.
Michael Bloomberg
Well, you have the public not wanting any new spending, you have the Republicans not wanting any new taxes, you have the Democrats not wanting any new spending cuts, you have the markets not wanting any new borrowing, and you have the economists wanting all of the above. And that leads to paralysis.
Michael Bloomberg
You know, if you look back in the 1930s, the money went to infrastructure. The bridges, the municipal buildings, the roads, those were all built with stimulus money spent on infrastructure. This stimulus bill has fundamentally gone, started out with a $500 rebate check, remember. That went to buy flat-screen TVs made in China.
Michael Bloomberg
The public is upset. If they haven’t lost their job, they know somebody that has. If they haven’t lost their house, they know somebody that has. What do you do? When something’s wrong, it’s government’s job to fix it, it must be government that’s responsible for causing it.
Michael Bloomberg
Yes, they broke the law, but we can’t deport them. Let’s get over this pointing fingers and do something about that, whether it – they have to pay a fine, learn to speak English, the history, you can do that. And then you have to give visas for the skills we need.
Michael Bloomberg
Every one of my positions cuts – out half the country. I’m pro-choice, I’m pro-gay rights, I’m pro-immigration, I’m against guns, I believe in Darwin.
Michael Bloomberg
We have to get control of our borders. You can only do that if you make companies obey the law and not hire undocumented or illegals. They can only do that is if they have a Social Security Card that has biometrics so they know whether the person is legal or not.
Michael Bloomberg
Canada sets aside 36 percent of their visas for people with skills they think their country needs. We set aside six percent. We educate the doctors, and then don’t give ’em a green card.
Michael Bloomberg
The public is mad, frustrated, but what the public wants is progress.
Michael Bloomberg
I think we are not serious about attacking the long-term debt problem, and that’s one of the things that he’s going to have to find a way to get on the agenda.
Michael Bloomberg
And I think the more money you put in people’s hands, the more they will spend. And if they don’t spend it, they invest it. And investing it is another way of creating jobs. It puts money into mutual funds or other kinds of banks that can go out and make loans, and we need to do that.
Michael Bloomberg
You know, I start with the assumption that -or with, with the belief that this president has to succeed. We all have an enormous amount of capital invested in his success. His success is the country’s success.
Michael Bloomberg
If Warren Buffett made his money from ordinary income rather than capital gains, his tax rate would be a lot higher than his secretary’s. In fact a very small percentage of people in this country pay a big chunk of the taxes.
Michael Bloomberg
People have no confidence that Washington, both sides of aisle, are coming together to try and do what’s right for the economy.
Michael Bloomberg
You can’t define what’s middle class, what is wealthy, what is poor.
Michael Bloomberg
And if I were the president, I’d go out there and I’d emphasize the things I have done, and I’d say, ‘Some things haven’t worked, and I’m sorry about that, but I keep trying.’ And I’m – and I think the president is a very viable candidate, and you’re going to have a real horse race here no matter who the Republican nominee is.
Michael Bloomberg
You have to take away some of tax breaks for the wealthy, and you have to cut back on some entitlements. Because, unless we do all of these things, it just doesn’t work. And what’s good theater and what’s good politics isn’t necessarily good economic policy.
Michael Bloomberg
And I keep saying, whether you like the president or not, everybody has to pull together and help the president because, as the president goes, so goes the country, as the country goes, so goes your job, your ability to feed your family, your government.
Michael Bloomberg
What goes on in Europe concerns us greatly because, if Europe comes apart, the E.U. comes apart, then you’re going to have enormous impact on America, that’s a very big trading partner of ours, and people own securities around the world in this day and age.
Michael Bloomberg
On Sept. 11, 2001, thousands of first responders heroically rushed to the scene and saved tens of thousands of lives. More than 400 of those first responders did not make it out alive. In rushing into those burning buildings, not one of them asked, ‘What God do you pray to?’ What beliefs do you hold?’
Michael Bloomberg
The World Trade Center site will forever hold a special place in our city, in our hearts. But we would be untrue to the best part of ourselves and who we are as New Yorkers and Americans if we said no to a mosque in lower Manhattan.
Michael Bloomberg
Whatever you may think of the proposed mosque and community center, lost in the heat of the debate has been a basic question: Should government attempt to deny private citizens the right to build a house of worship on private property based on their particular religion?
Michael Bloomberg
We would betray our values and play into our enemies’ hands if we were to treat Muslims differently than anyone else. In fact, to cave to popular sentiment would be to hand a victory to the terrorists, and we should not stand for that.
Michael Bloomberg
We may not always agree with every one of our neighbors. That’s life. And it’s part of living in such a diverse and dense city. But we also recognize that part of being a New Yorker is living with your neighbors in mutual respect and tolerance. It was exactly that spirit of openness and acceptance that was attacked on 9/11, 2001.
Michael Bloomberg
The politics of partisanship and the resulting inaction and excuses have paralyzed decision-making, primarily at the federal level, and the big issues of the day are not being addressed, leaving our future in jeopardy.
Michael Bloomberg
I’m not going to run for president. No way, no how.
Michael Bloomberg
I have the best job I could possibly have.
Michael Bloomberg
Capitalism works.
Michael Bloomberg
People use so much more health care when they live longer.
Michael Bloomberg
I don’t believe that government is good at picking technology, particularly technology that is changing. By the time you get it done and go through democracy, it’s so outdated.
Michael Bloomberg
What has changed is that people have stopped working together.
Michael Bloomberg
Government is dysfunctional.
Michael Bloomberg
There is no accountability today… no willingness to focus on big ideas.
Michael Bloomberg
Last I looked – and I’m not a candidate – but last time I checked reading about the Constitution, the Electoral College has nothing to do with parties, has absolutely nothing to do with parties. It’s most states are winners take all.
Michael Bloomberg
You know, if it’s a three-way race, the public has more choice than if it’s a two-way race, and has more choice in a two-way race than a one-way race.
Michael Bloomberg
Stubborn isn’t a word I would use to describe myself; pigheaded is more appropriate.
Michael Bloomberg
To a contrarian like me, constant advice not to do something almost always starts me quickly down the risky, unpopular path.
Michael Bloomberg
I will say that walking down the street, getting on the subway, taking the elevator, if there’s one or two people and they say, ‘Great job, Mayor,’ that is a real turn-on. I mean, anybody that wouldn’t find that satisfying, rewarding, exciting, thrilling – I think they should see the doctor.
Michael Bloomberg
America is built around this premise that you can do it, and there are an awful lot of people who are unlikely to have done it who did.
Michael Bloomberg
Nobody is going to delegate a lot of power to a secretary that they can’t control.
Michael Bloomberg
I’d be happy to provide advice if anybody asked me no matter who the President is.
Michael Bloomberg
What chance does a five-foot-seven billionaire Jew who’s divorced really have of becoming president?
Michael Bloomberg
I know something about how to build constituencies in an independent way.
Michael Bloomberg
I know how to make decisions and stand up to the criticism every day.
Michael Bloomberg
When I came into office, people said, ‘Billionaire? How do they live? What do they eat? How do they sleep?’ Today, they see me on the subway coming uptown. A couple of people say hi, some people smile and nod. Some people just sleep. It’s not an issue.
Michael Bloomberg
You can’t depend on polls.
Michael Bloomberg
We should remember it wasn’t so long ago that confidence in New York was in short supply.
Michael Bloomberg
This society cannot go forward, the way we have been going forward, where the gap between the rich and the poor keeps growing. It’s not politically viable; it’s not morally right; it’s just not going to happen.
Michael Bloomberg
China is investing in factories in Eastern Europe, not because their labor costs are lower, but because they want to be closer to their markets.
Michael Bloomberg
I’d be derelict in my duty if I didn’t go and continue to use every advantage that I can to promote New York’s cause.
Michael Bloomberg
I mean, you know, we don’t live in a perfect world.
Michael Bloomberg
Unemployment in America today is too high. And part of the reason, unfortunately, is that many companies cannot fill the high-skilled jobs increasingly at risk of going overseas.
Michael Bloomberg
Progress really is possible.
Michael Bloomberg
Our goal here in New York is to ensure that every child who graduates high school is ready to start a career or start college and to dramatically increase the number of students that graduate from college.
Michael Bloomberg
There is no business in America that would be prevented from taking results into account when making personnel decisions.
Michael Bloomberg
I never lie, so if somebody asked me a question, I told them.
Michael Bloomberg
I’ve always thought if we don’t want to enforce laws on the books, we should remove them from the books. But when you have laws, you breed contempt if you don’t enforce them.
Michael Bloomberg
Government shouldn’t tell you whom to marry.
Michael Bloomberg
You can’t sit there and worry about everything.
Michael Bloomberg
I believe in Judaism, I was raised a Jew, I’m happy to be one – or proud to be one.
Michael Bloomberg
I don’t know why you should be proud of something. It doesn’t make you any better or worse. You are what you are.
Michael Bloomberg
My father worked all the time.
Michael Bloomberg
There’s a fascinating statistic: One out of every four people in America has visited New York since 9/11. It is astounding. Now, I don’t know how you count it; it’s some people coming multiple times.
Michael Bloomberg
The level of analysis that is done when you see laws created, whether it’s the city or state or federal level – it’s much more horse-trading than analysis.
Michael Bloomberg
If you really believe that you’re making a difference and that you can leave a legacy of better schools and jobs and safer streets, why would you not spend the money? The objective is to improve the schools, bring down crime, build affordable housing, clean the streets – not to have a fair fight.
Michael Bloomberg
We can be certain that cities around the world will compete for the jobs that the next revival of the financial services industry will bring.
Michael Bloomberg
Trees will improve property values, take pollutants out of the air, help with water runoff.
Michael Bloomberg
If a hurricane strikes, we can blame the president for not being there; we can blame Congress and FEMA; we can blame the state governments; but in the end, it’s the mayors and the local city governments that have to be prepared for emergencies and be prepared to act.
Michael Bloomberg
The CIA will only hire people with impeccable credentials to be a translator. ‘Impeccable credentials’ means you’ve never lived outside the United States.
Michael Bloomberg
I’m trying to change the culture in New York City; that’s hard enough!
Michael Bloomberg
I do think there are certain times we should infringe on your freedom.
Michael Bloomberg
The people who are worried about privacy have a legitimate worry. But we live in a complex world where you’re going to have to have a level of security greater than you did back in the olden days, if you will. And our laws and our interpretation of the Constitution, I think, have to change.
Michael Bloomberg
Look, we live in a very dangerous world. We know there are people who want to take away our freedoms. New Yorkers probably know that as much if not more than anybody else after the terrible tragedy of 9/11.
Michael Bloomberg
I think one of the great dangers here is going and categorizing anybody from one religion as a terrorist. That’s not true… That would let the terrorists win. That’s what they want us to do.
Michael Bloomberg
I’ve been a Democrat, I’ve been a Republican, and I eventually became an independent because I don’t believe either party has a monopoly on good ideas or strong leadership.
Michael Bloomberg
When the Founding Fathers arrived here in Philadelphia to forge a new nation, they didn’t come as Democrats or Republicans or to nominate a presidential candidate. They came as patriots who feared party politics.
Michael Bloomberg
Because of my success in the private sector, I had the chance to run America’s largest city for 12 years, governing in the wake of its greatest tragedy.
Michael Bloomberg
Today, as an independent, an entrepreneur, and a former mayor, I believe we need a president who is a problem solver, not a bomb thrower. Someone who can bring members of Congress together to get things done. And I know Hillary Clinton can do that because I saw it firsthand.
Michael Bloomberg
We can only solve our biggest problems if we come together and embrace the freedoms that our Founding Fathers established right here in Philadelphia, which permitted our ancestors to create the great American exceptionalism that all of us now enjoy.
Michael Bloomberg
We can only create good jobs if we make smarter investments in infrastructure and do more to support small businesses, not stiff them.
Michael Bloomberg
I understand the appeal of a businessman president. But Trump’s business plan is a disaster in the making.
Michael Bloomberg
America is the greatest country on Earth – and when people vote with their feet, they come here.
Michael Bloomberg
No matter what you may think about her politics or her record, Hillary Clinton understands that this is not reality television; this is reality. She understands the job of president. It involves finding solutions, not pointing fingers; and offering hope, not stoking fear.
Michael Bloomberg
