Mayor Bloomberg

Had a chance a few weeks ago to hear one of the last few speakers I’d been eager to hear before I graduate: Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Mayor Bloomberg is a great speaker. He came to the school to speak as part of a panel on democratic governance in a diverse city/society. He said a few things during his speech I thought were interesting. He talked about immigration & immigrant communities as being one of the real strengths both of America in general, and of NYC in particular. He said that security was of paramount importance, but that one of the best ways to achieve this is to include people in the social systems through the use of something like a national ID, a hard plastic Social Security card. He noted that many of the problems in immigrant communities have to do with their being undocumented, and so they’re not willing to come forward to report crimes or enroll their children in school for fear of discovery. But he also made note that statistically these communities have low crime; that these people are here to work hard, and that as long as they “play by the rules”, they should have the same opportunities as anyone else.
He also made a very frank statement that he publicly supported Israel, but he did it in a very smooth way; he came right out and said it, but the way it fit into his speech I don’t think anyone would have found it offensive, though I was almost surprised he came out and said it so directly.
It’s also interesting that in hearing him talk about certain reports that his administration set up that rolled up to the mayor’s office weekly or monthly, it was clear that he came from the business world (which I approve of).
His style of delivery was excellent, he kept eye contact with the crowd almost the entire time, and only looked at his notes very briefly. His delivery was clear, he knew what he was saying, and was in clear but comfortable command of the podium the entire time. And he kept his speech to time, which is something I always notice and appreciate.