Your new mayor will bring the city to its knees before his term is up!!!!!<BR><BR>Now he wants to ban smoking in bars....<BR>What is he thinking ( or should I say not thinking)<BR><BR>When did he become the health police for the city?

I agree with Elfie. Giuliani got waaaaayyy too much credit for cleaning up New York. To begin with, the city was a pile of cow dung before. All he had to do was plant a seed and he'd have been credited with making it a garden.<BR><BR>New Yorkers all think that NYC led the way in the renaissance of the city during the 90's. Leave Manhattan for once and you'd see that almost every city underwent a major major renaissance during the 90's. Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, San Francisco, Washington, Seattle, etc. Each one ended the 90's as a place bustling with tourists, new office buildings, restaurants, increases in residency rates, better schools, cleaner sidewalks and parks, lower crime, etc. Guess what? Rudy wasn't mayor of all of them! It was the national economy, stupid.<BR><BR>Rudy was a tyrant and maybe NYC needs a tyrant, but before 9/11 Rudy was an adulterous art censor and political bully who unleased unruly cops on unarmed black men in building vestibules. Remember THAT mayor?! Good riddance.

agree 100%

who do you agree 100% with?

Me again. I agree 100% that Rudy was overrated and that we are better off without him.

I totally agree with ImwithElfie. He/she hit the nail right on the head.<BR><BR>Guiliani's first act of business as mayor was to get rid of the squeegee men. Forcing them off the street didn't help them find jobs and was only helpful to people driving into the city (i.e. rich people), it sure didn't help any middle class people living in the city. His focus was never on middle class taxpayers in the city.

<BR>I don't know what city you people live in, but for those who live and work here, Rudy was the greatest thing to happent to New York. He basically saved the city single-handedly from the Dinkins-Board of Ed types who were ruining NYC. Everyone thought New Yorkers had to live with crime and filth and squeege men then Rudy came along and showed how that wasn't so. Entire neighborhoods were born again. He should be Mayor for life.

Things are a lot better now. When I was a kid, I think there was one year where we had over 2200 murders (1990). So even if I see more homeless or a hooker sauntering down the street, I just think "could be worse."

I agree with Jim. Rudy saved the city from despair.<BR><BR>Things were so much worse before he came to town and so much worse again now that he is gone. IMO

The city was on its way back long before Rudy took office. He just took credit for it. He can also take blame for those stupid subway turnstiles that you have to swipe a card to get through. Those things are a nightmare and should have never been installed in NYC. Obviously a boobytrap to "welcome" tourists to NYC.

I can honestly say that Rudy Giuliani is the best thing that ever happened to NYC. I travel to New York a lot on business and when Dinkins was mayor, the city was a wreck, homeless people were everywhere and lying on top of each other and you did not feel safe walking around Times Square or really any district for that matter. Since Rudy came in, crime has gone down severely and people are actually out walking around times square at 1 a.m., which was never done before he came. Kudos Rudy! Please run for Prez!

For anyone who has been to New York, ever notice the big sign with numbers constantly increasing that reads something like "cost of morgage increases" or something, before Rudy came into town, the sign read "criminal activities committed in New York City" and the damn number just kept getting higher and higher. For those who don't like his personality or style, what the hell does that matter. Someone had to clean the damn city up, he did, that's all that should matter.

Rudy was our savior. For the most part, his tough tactics worked (of course everyone can't be satisfied, and not every city employee working under him was perfect...that's another story) Since he's left office, things have been getting worse, especially homelessness and begging. I now see one to three groups of people begging on the subway every day, when before January I rarely saw anyone. <BR><BR>What the hell is that complaint about Metrocards? I don't know how much Rudy had to do with them, but they are one of the best things to ever happen to our city!! Thank GOD I don't have to ever wait in those horrendous token lines again! And riding all you want for one price - you can't beat that. If you've got trouble swiping them, you want me to show you how?? It's not difficult.

Mayor Bloomberg doesn't have a clue about running the city.<BR>He is a rich man who bought his way into Gracie Mansion.<BR>When all the fun and games are over for him the city will be in terrible shape!<BR>

To xxx: Sorry, but homeless people NEVER lived "on top of each other" on the streets. I have lived here for over 20 years and while the city has had its ups and downs, it was never that bad. You say you visit here for business, but that is not the same as living here and having a residents understanding of our problems. I agree with NYNY, the city was on its way up before Giuliani took office, he just reaped the benfit of a strong *national* economy. Does everyone who thinks Giuliani was solely responsible for NY's economic boom also think that Bill Clinton was solely responsible for the national economic boom of the 90's? Somehow I don't think so. It's much, much more complicated than that; no one person (except maybe Alan Greenspan) has that much influence on the economy. <BR><BR>As far as Metrocards are concerned, I'm with the camp who prefers tokens. Why were Metrocards so necessary? The token system worked fine, the expense of changing to the cards -- which, being plastic and disposable, are also ecologically wasteful -- was not worth it, IMO. And subway tokens also impart a nice sense of city tradition, which plastic cards hardly have. Ah well.. we can disagree about the particulars and still all love our city. :-)

topper----topper

any more opinions on this one???

Rudy left us with a $5 billion deficit. 'Nuff said.

hey bloomberg---where did you get that information from???

topper to the top

Absolutely the city is getting worse. It is far dirtier already and it is starting to smell. Yes, I have lived here all my life. Take a train ride to the outer boroughs and it looks like a grafitti convention. <BR>Rudy was the best mayor BY FAR this city has ever had. No politician had the tenacity to get things done like he has. Unfortunately, NYC is a built-in liberal city and Bloomberg and the City Council are no Rudy. For people to say the city was getting better before Rudy is LUDICROUS. NYC was the leader in crime reduction under HIS watch. <BR>This city is falling back. Also, it's really getting third-world. This is even by New York standards. If it keeps up at this pace it will be a banana republic. Yes, I am looking to leave here. NYC is great because it has a lot to do. Once you get over that, there are a lot of problems here. There are countless areas people don't venture into or even want to discuss. Great place to be out of college and maybe for 8-10 years. Then-get out!

To [email protected]--the $5 billion deficit is what Mayor Bloomberg is saying the city has. That is why he is slashing budgets and not giving raises. <BR><BR>The guy is a billionaire and was CEO of a very successful company so I think he probably knows what he is talking about.

Bloomberg---<BR><BR>Do you also beleive in the tooth fairy!!!!!!!!!!!!

excuse spelling should be--believe--

i live in park slope in brooklyn, new york. i've started noticing things cropping up in the neighborhood in the last week or so; small things. there are new garbage cans on the street corners. now, i don't mean new replacements of the old garbage cans. i mean, an entirely new, beautifully sculptured recepticles. today, i noticed other new additions of sculptured fire boxes, as well. now, this might add up to nothing to most people. however, there is a philosphical statement that goes, "nothing is something". when i asked my teenage daughter if she understood what that meant, much to my utter amazement she said, "sure. it means that everything's gotta start somewhere." rudy started the rudimentary groundwork. it's my job as a new yorker to give bloomberg the opportunity to turn nothing into something.

So what your saying native is that Bloomberg's decorating side is coming out....

hey metro - leave your car at home and take a cab, the subway or the bus. If Americans drove less and walked more they wouldn't be so fat and lazy.<BR><BR>NYC has gotten dirtier - I would recommend all NYers to go to:<BR><BR>http://home.nyc.gov/portal/index.jsp?pageID=nyc_mayor&catID=1194<BR><BR>and write the Mayor complaining about the trash. <BR><BR>And at least the drag queens are entertaining than that Disney treacle crap.

heheh; cute, jas, cute. i'm gonna keep it light 'cause when discussing politicin' yer bound to take a lickin' and sunday's i just ain't into s&m'n. however, my daughter was entertaining some "folks" from out of town who were staying at the Millenium. They requested to be taken to the touristy 42nd st disney area which is pretty much a no-no area to most natives; wouldn't you agree? when my daughter arrived home i asked her what it was like there. she complained about the crowds. she said that it was so overcrowded that she could hardly move. this may be indicative of the rudimentary change that mr. guilliani started in transforming our town towards a richer, safer city; however, i hope you would agree that it was a long and arduous journey. when mr. bloomberg decides to make a major change in the structure of education or another branch of city gov, i wonder how long it will take for us to see any fruition of manifestation. for the moment i guess i will have to settle for moot tidbits like watching the paint dry on the wall or architectural decorations. long thread, i know. as mentioned in my last thread, i live in park slope. i live in a high-rise with a balcony facing manhattan and on 9/11 we all watched the gaping holes and then the towers fall, and then manhattan totally disappeared behind a billowing cloud of smoke. i mean manhattan was gone; totally gone. New York City just disappeared. We waited to see if it was going to reappear from behind the smoke. It did. Go Bloomberg Go!!! And Jas, thanks for making me smile. And for all the people that really give a enough of a crap to care what's goin' on. Maybe i'll catch in you soho, at a show, a concert, on 5th ave., at Le Cirque, at a pizza parlor, a tattoo parlor, central park, the frick, high tea at the plaza, roller-blading on west side, cruising the village, cruising at scores, lounging at gramercy tavern, the cigar club, sitting on the steps of the 42nd st library, the met museum of art . . . and it all disappeard behind a cloud of smoke. thanks again, jas for making me smile.

Sounds like the same crap we hear here about SF. About a year ago the New Yorkers were so smug about their beautifully clean city with no homeless and so critical of San Francisco. Well, what goes around comes around. We'll gladly swap you Willie for Bloomberg---deal?

Seamus---not interested in exchanging<BR>one bum mayor for another.<BR><BR><BR><BR>

topper

to the top for nyer

Did you know that Rudy's first marriage was to his cousin? Yuck! I thought they only did that in the South!

I agree with the folks that say good riddance to Rudy, I was glad to see the back of the man. He flourished because as someone commented, many cities flourished in the 90's when the economy was prosperous. His autocratic style pre 9/11 was getting to us - African American men getting shot in the back, Brooklyn Museum funding issue, his power went to his head. On 9/11, he did what every other mayor would have done -handled an unbelievable situation the best he could. I say give Bloomberg time - he managed to get rid of the Board of Education, something every mayor for the last 20 years attempted. However, since this is a travel message board, so I shall close by saying please continue to visit New York - it is a great city to be seen.

rudy leaving was like a breath of fresh air.

Rudy was married to his first cousin!!!!<BR><BR>doo doo doo doo.<BR><BR>That explains his son Andrew!!!!

toppper

I'm glad I don't live in the open liberal, non-American sewer called NYC.<BR><BR>I work there, earn 170K/year, park for free on the streets and I don't even buy lunch or gasoline there.<BR><BR>I hate all the weirdos, fat people, ugly women, unwashed human rubbish that continue to ply the streets daily.<BR><BR>Look at the restaurants. Rats everywhere, many are even served for lunch. Try to live in Queens or parts of Brooklyn where certain types live. Your pet might be their dinner. <BR><BR>Human rubbish from all over the world bringing new and exotic diseases daily. A big deal of quarantine is made if an animal comes here from abroad. How about a human?<BR><BR>Nobody here speaks English. This is the US. Speak English. Those liberals in NYC don't even buy American cars. What country takes you in and feeds you?<BR><BR>John Rocker was absolutely right. The place is an open sewer, and a place to make money in and live elsewhere. I live 74 miles away from the hodgepodge of crap called NYC and am glad about that.

I dont live in NY, but as an outsider, I find it hard for anyone to be critical of him after 9/11. I live in Boston and I dont think our mayor would have handled it nearly as well. I am tired of seeing him in the front row of the stadium, but he has earned it.

to xxx: you're the sort of asshole who deserves to be turned into tomato dice by your commuter train. Please, one morning while you're waiting on the platform for your express, in your cheesy suit you paid too much for like the clueless, shallow poseur that you are, just step onto the tracks, close your eyes and wait for the big choo choo to come and send you to hell, where all the other undeserving overpaid scum end up.