About Mike Bloomberg
Mike Bloomberg was born on February 14, 1942. As soon as the doctor in the delivery room spanked him and he took his first breath, little Michael put in a call to his broker. That call alone netted little Mike Bloomberg over a million dollars. Baby Bloomberg''s parents were members in good standing of the middle class, and it was up to the newly arrived Michael to pay their membership dues. While still wearing diapers--from Tiffany''s, no less--Mike made it a practice to help his parents with all their expenses, charging them nominal interest, which was compounded annually.
At a very early age Mike learned the value of hard work, and when he was barely three years old he hired his own personal valet. As Mike got a little older and entered school he was expected to take on some of the chores around the house, such as mowing the lawn. Immediately Mike sprung into action and hired a gardener. This domestic help allowed Mike to do what he did best--dabble in various business ventures and make money hand over fist. Mike''s first lemonade stand, which he established at the age of seven, was soon listed in the Fortune 500. Little Mike worked so hard that he didn''t have time for sports, which is unfortunate because by this time he owned controlling interest in both the Yankees and the Giants.
Years later, when he attended Johns Hopkins University, which he subsequently bought, Mike earned money by working as a parking lot attendant, which proved extremely profitable . . . not only was Mike tipped for parking cars, but he picked up a few bucks on the side by washing the cars, filling them up with gas, selling the owners insurance, and providing refinancing options. By the time Mike graduated he owned all the cars he had parked during his sophomore and junior years.
After college Mike went on to earn his MBA (Money Bags Accreditation) from Harvard University, which he subsequently bought. In 1966, Mike was hired by Salomon Brothers to work on the infamous Wall Street, which he also subsequently bought, paying cash.
Mike quickly rose through the ranks at Salomon, and eventually was in the position of overseeing the company''s information systems. This allowed Mike to put to use his lifelong interest in technology and to gain a keen understanding of the important role innovation plays in any successful business. In 1981 Salomon was bought by another firm. Of course, Mike could have whipped out his AmEx card and bought it right on the spot-- without haggling--if he had wanted to. As a result of this merger, Mike was, for the first time since the day he was born, out of a job and waiting in the unemployment line.
But that turn of events did not discourage Mike. Rather, he envisioned an information company that would use emerging technology to bring transparency and efficiency to Wall Street''s trading firms. The result was the 1981 formation of Bloomberg LP (Lots of Principal). Headquartered in New York City, which Mike does not own but could without batting an eyelash if he wanted to, and with 9,500 employees in more than 100 cities, Bloomberg LP has a quarter of a million subscribers to its financial news and information service. That ain''t chicken feed.
As his company grew, Mike Bloomberg began directing more of his attention to philanthropy, but unfortunately those of us who could really use a little extra cash did not benefit. Generously devoting his time and resources, Mike has sat on thrones on the boards of numerous charitable, cultural, and educational institutions, including Johns Hopkins University, which he still owns--along with most of the City of Baltimore, and a good portion of the State of Maryland. In recognition of Mike''s long-standing dedication and commitment to health care issues, and in recognition to his financial prowess, the prestigious School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins was renamed the Bloomberg School of Public Health and Big Bucks.
Mike officially entered public life in 2001 when he was elected as the 108th Mayor of the City of New York. While it was by no means necessary for Mike to buy votes, it should be noted that he could have easily bought every vote with the loose change he carries around in his pockets. Coming on the heels of 9/11, this transitional period could have been a turbulent time for New York; however, Mike brought a forward-looking agenda (which, always the bargain hunter, he picked up on sale at WalMart) and an optimistic spirit to the mayor''s office, not to mention a checkbook you wouldn''t believe. He strove to provide the leadership to get New Yorkers through these uncertain times.
In an effort to help the economy grow, Mike took bold action to create jobs by hiring 100,000 additional butlers, maids, and cooks to help out in his Eastside townhouse. To improve education in the City, Mike seized control of the Board of Education, which he now owns and rents out on the weekends when school is not in session. He built affordable housing, if you can call $3 million condos affordable; expanded the City''s parklands; improved the efficiency of the City''s many agencies; and made America''s safest metropolis even safer, albeit a bit costlier to live in. Further, Mike moved New York forward with an independent, fiscally responsible, non-partisan style of leadership, and established an excellent working relationship with the City Council, which, of course, he now owns--lock, stock, and barrel.
In 2005 Mayor Mike Bloomberg was re-elected by the broadest, most diverse coalition of support in the history of America''s largest city. Mike was endorsed by nearly every major labor group, business association, and advocacy organization, not to mention his nonagenarian mother and by every major newspaper, many of which he owns--lock, stock, and printing press. Mike''s victory signified his ability to unite New Yorkers of every ethnicity, from every neighborhood, and from every political party behind his vision of a better, richer (well, maybe that''s not the best choice of words when speaking of Bloomberg) future.
Mike continues to build on the successes of his first term. He is keeping City streets the safest of any of the countries largest cities, and strengthening the economy. In addition to continuing his major initiatives in affordable housing (the $3 million condos now cost closer to $4 million), as well as in public health and education, Mike has launched a major anti-poverty campaign and developed a long-term plan for a sustainable and environmentally sound New York. He has also co-founded a bipartisan national coalition to fight against illegal guns, even if it means Mike has to buy up all the gun manufacturers in the country and permanently padlock their doors.
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