Bloomberg Claims Protesters Are Targeting Bankers Who ‘Are Struggling To Make Ends Meet’

[Kadie]

Mayor Bloomberg Claims ‘Occupy Wall Street’ Protesters Are Targeting Bankers Who ‘Are Struggling To Make Ends Meet’
By Zaid Jilani on Sep 30, 2011 at 12:40 pm

For thirteen days, hundreds of demonstrators have encamped themselves on Wall Street in New York City, hoping to call attention to the financial sector’s greed and inequities in the American economic system.

This morning, while on local radio host John Gambling’s show, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg was asked about the demonstrations on Wall Street. Bloomberg condemned the protests, claiming that the protesters are targeting people who making “$40-50,000 a year and are struggling to make ends meet.” He then went on to say people are focusing too much on the causes of the financial crisis and that we need to be nicer to the banking industry so that it starts lending again. He concluded by saying that we are “blaming the wrong people” by “blaming the banks” for the recession:

GAMBLING: Mr. Mayor, let’s talk about Zuccoti Park and the protesters. How do you end that thing?

BLOOMBERG: The protesters are protesting against people who make $40-50,000 a year and are struggling to make ends meet. That’s the bottom line. Those are the people that work on Wall Street or on the finance sector. <...> People in this day and age need support for their employers. We need the banks, if the banks don’t go out and make loans we will not come out of our economy problems, we will not have jobs. And so anything we can do to responsibly help the banks do that, encourage them to do that is waht we need. I think we spend much too much time worrying about how we got into problems as to how we go forward. <...> Also we always tend to blame the wrong people. We blame the banks. They were part of it, but so were Frddie Mac and Frannie Mae and Congress.

more and audio at...
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/09/30/333038/mayor-bloomberg-wall-street-make-ends-meet/

[sakabatou]

1. I call BS

[leveymg]

2. Mike's FOS. Nobody makes $40-50K on Wall St except the lowest courier or clerk.

The brokers and bankers and hedge fund operators all make high six to ten figures. Mayor Mike is a total shithead.

[dogknob]

3. Classic shell game...

... attempting to pit those hanging on the edge of the pit against those already in the pit. Not gunna wurk dis time.

[OHdem10]

4. If Bloomberg really believes this, I have misjudged his intelligence.

Sounds like a real Republican, playing their silly games.

He knows all those guys with the big bonuses are the target.

Bloomberg appears to be protecting the people(majority)
who make the Big Bucks and Bonuses. Why do they pay
their workers such pitiful salaries,Mike???

[aquart]

5. OMG. Struggling with $50,000.

OUT OF TOUCH, MUCH?????

[HughBeaumont]

6. Nobody's buying your "divide and conquer" crap, Mikey.

Sell that "Rove four cue cards" nonsense to your fans at Faux. We know who blew a hole in this economy. It was people you wine and dine with personally.

[jmowreader]

7. Well...they DO make $50,000 per year

In cash compensation, that is.

He's just not telling you about the $32 million a year in stock option grants they get.