I think we are not serious about attacking the long-term debt problem, and that's one of the things that he's going to have to find a way to get on the agenda. Michael Bloomberg More Quotes by Michael Bloomberg More Quotes From Michael Bloomberg For sure I would prefer Trump had not withdrawn from the Paris Agreement. But the fight against climate change is really done at the local level - whether it's cities, local governments or the private sector, corporate and individual. No matter what Trump says, nobody is going to go back and take the scrubber out or change back to polluting. The damage that Trump can do is if there are countries that are on the fence about whether they want to address the issue, this gives the naysayers, the doubters, those that don't want to do anything, a little more ammunition. Michael Bloomberg fighting giving country I know how to make decisions and stand up to the criticism every day. Michael Bloomberg entrepreneur decision inspirational I've got the greatest job in the world. There's no other job in government where cause and effect is so tightly coupled where you can make a difference every day in so many different ways and in so many different people's lives. It's a great challenge. Michael Bloomberg success inspirational jobs The cold harsh reality is that we have to balance the budget. Michael Bloomberg cold balance reality Any friend of fossil is a friend of mine... We’ve got to do everything we can to get people out of their automobiles and into mass transit. Michael Bloomberg mass-transit fossils people Our climate is changing. And while the increase in extreme weather we have experienced in New York City and around the world may or may not be the result of it, the risk that it may be - given the devastation it is wreaking - should be enough to compel all elected leaders to take immediate action. Michael Bloomberg cities new-york weather I tend to be reasonably blunt, maybe a little bit too much. But I just- I always respected people that tell the truth. And I've always wanted people to tell me the truth. Michael Bloomberg blunt telling-the-truth people Fifty percent of the world's population lives in cities. In a couple of decades, 70 percent of the world's population will be living in cities. Cities are where the problem is. Cities are where the solution is, where creativity exists to address the challenges and where they have most impact. This is why, in 2005, the C40 was founded, an organization of cities that address climate change. It started with 18 cities; now it's 91. Cities simply are the key to saving the planet. Michael Bloomberg creativity couple challenges Someone once described the information business as exactly the opposite of sex. When it's good, it's still lousy. Michael Bloomberg information opposites sex Keep in mind, Mike Bloomberg's kids and grandkids are breathing that air just like the coalminers' families are breathing that air. And the coalminers are the ones that have the conflict. They want their jobs, I understand that. They need to be able to feed their families. They also have to worry about their health and the health of their families. Michael Bloomberg mind worry kids By speeding the transition to cleaner energy, we can improve the lives of billions of people, while also reducing the risks we face from a changing climate. Michael Bloomberg risk energy people After all, the same steps that reduce carbon pollution also clean the air we breathe, which saves lives and reduces disease. Michael Bloomberg disease air steps We've continued progress in the six months since Trump got elected, and the good thing about what we're doing is that success begets success. As we bring down greenhouse gases, for example, we've closed half of the coal-fired power plants in the country in recent years. There's more impetus to try to close the other half because you can see that it is working. So, you know, I had hoped that Trump would not do that, and it doesn't make any sense to me, but regardless, it is not as cataclysmic as it could be. Michael Bloomberg progress trying country Most gun dealers follow the law and run honest businesses. But the statistics show that 1 percent of dealers sell more than half of all illegal guns. Why isn't the federal government going after them? Here's one reason: unlike mayors, members of Congress don't get a phone call in the middle of the night when a cop is shot and killed. They don't deliver the eulogies. Michael Bloomberg gun running night The problem of dealing with the financial industry is being addressed today. You can measure it with interest rates coming down. You can measure it with the quantity of loans, and that sort of thing. The problem is, that nobody wants to take the loans. Once the banks are willing to give it, that's only half the problem. Michael Bloomberg half want giving The estate taxes, on balance, are good. They get people to give money to charity, and they prevent these family dynasties which keep other people from having opportunities. It may be good for a family, but for society it's probably not good. And I've always been in favor of having an estate tax. Michael Bloomberg opportunity giving people America was built by immigrants. Almost nobody that I know is any more than three generations, maybe four generations, American. Michael Bloomberg generations three america Trees will improve property values, take pollutants out of the air, help with water runoff. Michael Bloomberg air tree water We have an expression in New York City government - "In God we trust, but for everyone else, bring data." It's so easy to pick up a sound byte and say, "Oh, yeah, yeah, I believe that," without really thinking. Michael Bloomberg new-york believe thinking I don't believe that government is good at picking technology, particularly technology that is changing. By the time you get it done and go through democracy, it's so outdated. Michael Bloomberg technology government believe
