| Mayor
Bloomberg, The Only Con Edison Fan in the City
By
Rafael Martinez-Alequín
March
8, 2007
Some years ago, a blackout paralyzed
the Washington Heights neighborhood in upper Manhattan. Area merchants
and residents suffered tremendous loss both economically and emotionally.
Small grocery store owners and supermarkets were particularly hard
hit. But they had then Mayor Rudolph Giuliani who took the utility
company, better known as Con Edison to task. The first three letters
of the utility company, accurately describes CON Ed. The American
Heritage Dictionary states the word CON is described “as a
swindle, or defraud (a victim) by first winning their confidence.”
This in essence is apropos to the Con Ed monopoly.
Since last year's blackout in Queens, N.Y., Con Edison has conned
the Queens merchants by arbitrarily paying them a meager fraction
of the loss suffered from Con Ed's negligence. The question is why
billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended Con Ed from the beginning.
He was the number one cheerleader lauding the actions of Con Edison
CEO, Burke. In the eye of our wealthy mayor, this monopolistic company
can’t do any wrong. On March 5, the mayor held a press briefing.
During his question and answer period. He became very testy, when
he was asked about Con Edison, imposing a 3/1/2% raise on their
customers as well as another raise in 2008. Bloomberg, curtly berated
the reporter for asking the question, and proceeded to say that
Con Edison was a for profit company.
Contrary, to former Mayor Giuliani who fought Con Edison's scheme
to defraud the small business community of Washington Heights, Bloomberg
took a different tact. It seems that he is more concerned about
the big corporation’s bottom line, than the plight of hard
working New Yorkers. Watch the Bloomberg video. Click the following
link below:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4095245591260615243&pr=goog-sl
|
