Mayor Bloomberg of New York City Puts His Money Where is Money Should Go

This is why you want to elect a wealthy, honest mayor. 

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants a program that will help young men. 

Starting this fall, the administration said it would place job-recruitment centers in public-housing complexes where many young black and Latino men live, retrain probation officers in an effort to reduce recidivism, establish new fatherhood classes and assess schools on the academic progress of male black and Latino students. . .



What a mensch! (the one on the left)



To pay for the endeavor in a time of fiscal austerity, the city is relying on an unusual source: Mr. Bloomberg himself, who intends to use his personal fortune to finance about a quarter of the cost, city officials said. A $30 million contribution from Mr. Bloomberg’s foundation would be matched by that of a fellow billionaire, George Soros, a hedge fund manager, with the remainder being paid for by the city.

Yes, that George Soros, the one vilified by Conservatives for supporting “liberal” causes.  Yes, liberal causes like helping young men to gain what might be called “Conservative” values if the Conservatives actually had them.

The model for a program like this comes in part from Brazil.



New Brazil in Front of Old Brazil -  See the Difference?

Brazil has had great success in linking grants to poor families, the Bolsa Familia with a requirement to keep their kids in school. 



This program will have a similar theme.



to promote remedial math and literacy classes in the morning, for example, the city would link them with paid internships in the afternoon. The internships would pay $7.25 an hour, but students would only be paid if they participated in the class.

So maybe what they say ins't true, and that the United States can learn from what is successful in other countries.  No, that would be a denial of "American Exceptionalism", and we wouldn't want that would we?