A Stitch in Haste

New York's jackhole mayor values construction companies over gay taxpayers:

Mayor Bloomberg yesterday filed suit to block enactment of a law that would force contractors who do business with the city to offer benefits to domestic partners of their employees.

The City Council passed the legislation in May. Bloomberg, who supported the measure during his campaign, later changed his mind, saying the contracting process should not be used to effect social change. The mayor vetoed the bill in June and the council overwhelmingly overrode the veto weeks later.
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"This action can only be described as a slap in the face to lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender New Yorkers," said councilwoman Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan).

Bloomberg argued that affected companies would leave the city and others would simply not do business with the city.

Does Mayor Blooperberg honestly think that the companies that are now sucking the teat of our massive, bloated city government would rather march off to Hoboken or Yonkers than pay some extra fringe benefits to a handful of new family members?

Companies fleeing New York? Did he think about that when he raised the city income tax, the city sales tax or the city property tax, or when he imposed a totalitarian smoking ban in our bars and restaurants? How many tourists will never set foot in this city again after his fascist "Just Plead Guilty" fiasco?

Did he stop to think that just one high-income (and high income tax paying) gay couple leaving this city (or refusing to come here), either in protest or to seek out domestic partner benefits somewhere else, might be worse for the city's revenues than annoying some contractors?

He's either telling the truth or lying. Either way, it's absolutely pathetic.

Incidentally, a Republican trying to "thwart the legislative process" by appealing to "activist judges." Oh, the horror!

UPDATE: Meanwhile, a key gay rights activist in Blooperberg's adminsitration resigns in disgust on principle over the mayor's despicable maneuver:

A leading voice on gay rights issues has resigned from the Bloomberg administration's Commission on Human Rights, citing the administration's legal challenge to a law passed by the City Council requiring that companies doing business with the city offer equal benefits to the domestic partners of their employees.
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Matt Foreman, the executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, said in a letter to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg that "principle requires that I resign" from the commission.

Good for him.

EPILOGUE: Bloomberg lost in court and will not appeal. Now a public apology to NYC's gay community might be nice.

The "Anybody But Bloomberg" Chronicles:
Charges Against "Just Plead Guilty" Protesters Dropped
NYC and the Olympics
"Just Plead Guilty"
Put Out That Cigarette Cell Phone!
"Be Still My Beating Wallet"