Bloomberg to the Rescue

 (New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg) 

In the New York Times today there is an article on a new program that Mayor Bloomberg is spearheading to help young minorities with job training, mental health and physical health. New York City has long been a city of progressive ideas but what makes this plan extremely unique is that the Mayor himself is using his own money to help fund the program. I find this extremely admirable and a bit scary. We now live in a time where we have billionaires run our cities, states, and nation and they must use their own money to fund government programs. Instead of appelaing to the people for the long term benefits of providing a level playing field to ALL people, our Mayor is just ponying up for not just the youth but all of us. Currently 84% of inmates are either Latino or Black and the long term implications of this is higher spending on jails and less added to the overall economy. 

What we are lacking is the long term vision to see that investment in people by the people creates longer term economic solvency, healthier families, and greater opprotunity for all. But instead our leaders in Washington are dismantling our government in a haphazard way that will have the exact opposite desired effect of solving our country's financial problems. 

It is amazing that Mayor Bloomberg is willing to give $30 million dollars to help support those who need it the most but this is just a beginning and we must realize that the more people we put in jail, give a half-assed education to, limited access to health care, and poor job training WE will be paying far into the future.