Bloomberg and Schwarzenegger: The New Action Heroes

TIME: Bloomberg and Schwarzenegger: The New Action Heroes
By MICHAEL GRUNWALD
Thursday, Jun. 14, 2007


New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger photographed together for Time.
(Platon for TIME)

On an unseasonably hot May day in Central Park, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg — the pint-size billionaire whose last name needs no elaboration for anyone who knows anything about finance or the media — was talking about saving the planet. With the mayors of more than 30 of the world's largest cities at his side, Bloomberg was opening a climate summit, highlighting his ambitious plan to slash the Big Apple's carbon emissions. Together, the mayors pledged to enlist their 250 million constituents in the fight against global warming. "Unfortunately, partisan politics has immobilized Washington," Bloomberg said. "But the public wants this problem solved. Cities can't wait any longer for national governments to act."

At a lab in Toronto a week later, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger — the fridge-size multimillionaire whose last name needs no elaboration, period — was talking about eliminating disease. The Governator was announcing a new stem-cell partnership with Ontario, highlighting the $3 billion his state is investing in research the Bush Administration has opposed. In that unmistakable Ahhll-be-bahhk accent, the five-time Mr. Universe spoke of his father-in-law Sargent Shriver, the Peace Corps founder who suffers from Alzheimer's and no longer recognizes his family. "I look forward to curing all these terrible illnesses," Schwarzenegger said. "We're showing how powerful a state can be. Cahh-lifornia doesn't need to wait for the Federal Government."...

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...."These are two exceptional and forceful guys who don't need the job at all; they had pretty damn good lives before they got into politics," says their mutual friend Warren Buffett. "They're in office to get things done. And they're doing that a lot better than anyone in D.C."

Look at global warming. Washington rejected the Kyoto Protocol, but more than 500 U.S. mayors have pledged to meet its emissions-reduction standards, none more aggressively than Bloomberg. His PlaNYC calls for a 30% cut in greenhouse gases by 2030. It will quadruple the city's bike lanes, convert the city's taxis to hybrids and impose a controversial congestion fee for driving into Manhattan. And Schwarzenegger signed the U.S.'s first cap on greenhouse gases, including unprecedented fuel-efficiency standards for California cars. (He's already tricked out two of his five Hummers, one to run on biofuel and another on hydrogen.) The feds have done nothing on fuel efficiency in two decades, but 11 states will follow California's lead if Bush grants a waiver. After signing a climate deal with Ontario — on the same day as his stem-cell deal — he said he had a message for Detroit: "Get off your butt!" He had a similar message for Washington. "Eventually, the Federal Government is going to get on board," he said. "If not, we're going to sue."

But they're tackling not just the climate. Bloomberg is leading a national crackdown on illegal guns, along with America's biggest affordable-housing program. He also enacted America's most draconian smoking ban and the first big-city trans-fat ban. And he's so concerned about Washington's neglect of the working poor that he's raised $50 million in private money, including some of his own millions, to fund a pilot workfare program. Meanwhile, after the Bush Administration rebuffed California's appeals for help repairing the precarious levees that protect Sacramento, Schwarzenegger pushed through $42 billion worth of bonds to start rebuilding the state's infrastructure. He's also pushing a universal health-insurance plan and hopes to negotiate a deal with Democrats this summer. "All the great ideas are coming from state and local governments," Schwarzenegger told Time. "We're not going to wait for Big Daddy to take care of us."...

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1632736,00.html?xid=site-cnn-partner

I wonder who "Big Daddy" is?

Not

His plan keeps the insurance companies (his buddies) in the loop. Health care dollars need to go towards HEALTH CARE-not paper pushers. And he doesn't even have a written plan, he just keeps talking about one to keep folks confused.

He also gave away $8-9 Billion to the energy companies by not pursuing the energy crisis/blackout/price manipulation fiasco that hit the state a few years ago. Don't forget his meetings with Ken Lay and Cheney and energy task force before they forced Davis out of office.

He was put in place by the repubs since CA was known as a blue state by buying his way into office after a recall done with paid signature gatherers that were NOT all californians.

Get this man out of my state, the sooner, the better

The man is pure evil..

I do wonder who his "Big Daddy" is though.

Thanks, Time. I remember why I dropped you for Newsweek.