Charlie Rose Science Series
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04/17/2008
Michael Bloomberg, Arnold Schwarzenegger
A conversation with Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Keywords:
A conversation with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California.
DVD
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Charlie Rose DVDs on Amazon.
Audio
Audio available through Audible.com.
Audio available through Audible.com.
Transcripts
Transcripts available through Voxant.
Transcripts available through Voxant.
That Bush has demonstrated ANY concern at all for education is debatable - No Child Left Behind is, in a word, an abysmal failure, if not a fraud. Look at the recent stats about American education and the quality of its students and it's obvious we have fallen behind, perhaps irrevocably, and its precisely because of a deliberate dumbing-down - from the top down. After all, this is the president who dismisses evolution and stem-cell research and global warming, and who would have all Americans embrace his false and foolish positions. So to hear Mayor Bloomberg give Bush any props for his efforts on the educational front - instead of speaking the plain and disturbing truth of systemic failure - is annoying.
Very proud to have both of you leading. This is one of the most enlightened thoughtful discussions that I've heard in a long long time. I love it. Thank you. I hope that when Obama gets elected that you can create a better partership between California and New York and the federal government and I think you can create a force for needed changes that cannot be stopped by clever but cynical politics.
These guys are great, and definitely inspirational for getting things done in this country. They are refreshing about briding the environment and the economy, and also about America leading the way in innovation. However, I was disappointed to hear them talk about towards the end of the interview that they had only tried public service after making millions. They wanted to give back. That's disappointing to a twentysomething who admires these guys - and it sort of sounds like "go get rich first, then go try and make a difference." Also, "making a difference" or whatever it is should be integral in business deicision-making - corporations can be sustainable and be very profitable, governments can prevent degradation and spur economic development, and so on.
Charlie, There are a lot of good things that have not been completely discussed by you three gentlemen. I may have been sleeping, but when you were discussing infrastructue, you did not discuss trains. This country used to have the best on ground rail infrastructure in the world. Trains can now be powered by electricity. Fast trains, slow trains, as all city metro systems are powered today. The carbon footprint of the coal plants which produce electricity can be reduced to close to zero in many ways: pump heat and smoke back into the ground. Use electrostatic filters and water sprays to remove the polluted air output from the electric plants. I don't believe Nikoli Tesla's power transmission experiments have been extensively explored or continued. How about atomic fusion plants? They were supposed to be much smaller and hotter than than the fission plants we use today. How about weather control projects? Why don't we pipe excess water from flooded areas before they run off into the gulf of Mexico into low places like death valley or to White Sands New Mexico or to the grand canyon? For agriculture and drinking? Why don't we open all our embassies and talk to the people we seemed to be having trouble with? Maybe we can find ways to help each other reach viable solutions to age old problems. President Carter and many others have had remarkable successes in the past. Let's do what Ghandi would do! Why don't we pour capital into the study of powerful capacitors which could power our truck and automotive traffic with electric motors.? Thank God for Bloomberg and Arnold and Barack who are trying various things to make cities and states work with or without federal help! Leonardo even drew a wind-up car for adults to ride in. 500 years ago. There are many other inventions which have not been fully explored to assist us to survive. What do you think of "Soylent Green"? Charlton Heston gave this option to us in one of his movies. It is a possibility if we don't start thinking about what we can do to help our future children. And lastly lets thank the pope for his visit to the mid atlantic states this last week. I believe he does like us! I have always loved your nightly show Charlie. God bless you for all of them. Don Ritnour
terrific dialog ...look at the ties...
It is too bad Mr. Rose isn't well informed on the "gun issue" or he could have challenged Mayor Bloomberg's false statements. At gun shows, every federal firearms dealer must follow all local, state and federal regulations including background checks and purchased guns must be picked up at a local dealer for delivery - i.e., the same procedures as going to a gun store or purchasing a gun thru the mail or internet. What Bloomberg fails to say is he is talking about sales between individuals but these can take place anywhere - in a park, parking lot at a mall, etc. And in this situation, a private seller must be reasonably assured the purchaser is able to do so legally. This, however, is no reason to bash gun shows where dealers can lose their license and business if they don't follow the above regulations. Bloomberg trashed "50 caliber" guns as being dangerous - yet he couldn't, if challenged, cite one case of criminal use "ever" in the U.S.. The ammunition was invented in 1921 and is slower and and lighter than many other calibers of ammunition. They are also very heavy and very expensive which makes them impractical for much except target shooting which is their main use in competitions. Meanwhile, fully automatic weapons have been under the control of the FBI since 1934, require a full month long background check, fees, an ATF permit and full finger printing that must be passed before any purchase. The "assault weapons ban" doesn't address "automatic weapons" - all weapons addressed by that law covered only "semi-automatic" weapons meaning you have to pull the trigger every time to fire a shot. Bloomberg and his anti-gun group are being sued by several firearms dealers for heavy handed tactics and false allegations. In fact, he had to stop some of his "private stings" of dealers because they were illegal and actually disrupted police investigations. As for immigration, read the U.S. Constitution and you will find the "Rule of Naturalization" which provides for the legalization of entrants into the U.S. and the procedures for citizenship. What is needed is an immigration bureaucracy that works including "iris scan" IDs and a guest worker program using such IDs. I have read and seen reports of numerous illegal alien drunk drivers who have killed many people in accidents. Our jails are full of illegal alien criminals and numerous hospitals have closed due to financial ruin caused by free care to illegals. It is truly astounding that the Mayor of Hazleton, PA is criticized for trying to do something about the problems illegal aliens bring to his city but big city mayors who actually promote illegal aliens to come to their city (i.e., San Francisco) have no repercussions at all.
Bloomberg sponsored Immigrant Heritage Week in NYC last week. There were cultural events all over the city. I saw a musical called "Liberty" that is a must see for anyone who really wants to think about the issue of immigration. It's the story of America's most famous immigrant. Take a look: <A HREF="http://www.libertythemusical.com">http://www.libertythemusical.com</a>
LETS NOT FORGET MIKE MONEYBAGS GAVE 7 MIL. IN 04 TO REELECT TRAITOR BUSH. A DISGRACE.
I pray that these gentlemen [the Mayor and the Governor\ gets to keep their faculties for a long time to inspire others to follow in their foot-steps. Thanks Charlie for hosting them.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Michael and Arnold. I would suggest though that the Governor read up on state health care reform as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Vermont have already done so.
I can't help wishing there was a Charlie Rose for the UK. I also can't help wishing there were more politicians like this in the world, let alone just the UK. People willing to take on challenges even though they may not be popular. People willing to set aside media silliness and partisan politics to actually deal with issues facing the country/world at the moment.
Mr. Rose: another marvelous and friendly conversation amongst familiar faces. These are the two most efficient politicians I have so much respect for. They are not politicians by trade, but the passion they bring to government has made them in my book the most effective politicians who transcend silly partisan politics when it comes to government. ==> Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger can only be explained in my list of smart politicians as the best of both parties bundled together in one single package. He has made politics a simple business for every citizen to take part in making it very accessible for the average Californian. I am positive that someday people will realize that erecting birthright as a form of hurdles to magnificent people like Gov. Schwarzenegger from contributing to America from the oval office is a huge mistake, it is my understanding that the international law on immigration states that if one resides in a certain country for forty-years plus, then that person should have the same rights as those with birthrights. I say let's use this international law to bypass the US constitutional limitations of birthrights and take advantage of Governator Schwarzenegger's political convictions while still vivacious, some people burnout of political wrangling, but we have him still fully engaged and enjoying his job. ==> He is leading thee biggest State in America with economic power sixth largest in the world, even more than some of the G-8 nations. I am not saying we should send the Governator to the White House right now, but as soon as we finish breaking the taboo with an African-American for a President, then let's give the forty-years vis-Ã -vis birthright idea and consider Gov. Schwarzenegger for the White House, in the 2012 race. He will make the race against President Barack Obama interesting, after all the Republican Party cannot come up with a candidate ready to challenge President Barack Obama in the 2012 race. By then the Gov. is going to be 64 while Pres. Obama will be 51, it'll be a heck of a race. I bet you all, there is a possibility that the Gov. may bring back some of the moderate Republicans as well as the independents to the Republicans camp, perhaps even he may snatch some of the moderate Democrats. In fact, his government may serve the feds as an example to follow his strong environmental policy, I once have done a report on acid rain and came across California as having had a terrible record in mid 1980s (I read somewhere in 1983 the rain sample taken recorded acidic level as pH value 2, making the rain stronger than vinegar without the smell). 20-years later the Gov. received the state a little better, but today California's record has improved drastically; many say in few years time it may become the best state to live in. His plan on healthcare for California is even better than the other plans, not to mention his clear vision on the potential of stem cell research and gene therapy. I like his philosophy on money, in 2003 he stated to "The Guardian" that, "money doesn't make you happy, I now have $50 million, but I was just as happy when I had $48 million." Nuff said on Governator. ==> Going to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, he is one of the finest mayors New York has ever gotten, and it is best to enjoy his skills and innovations for the city. Even though his administration is not as big as the Gov., but he is leading thee biggest city America has and one of the biggest cities amongst world-class cities. He has cleaned up the streets and deserves all the credits, unlike his predecessor he did not do it at the expense of the poor and the forgotten, but did it by including those forgotten into his governing calculation. He is amongst the best qualified to govern, when I heard he was looking at the White House, as an alternative choice I was impressed, but not to be as he has changed his mind. Even though he is a registered Republican, but all his instinct is a conservative Democrat. I salute Mayor Bloomberg for bringing the set of skills he learned as businessman to government to benefit the average New Yorker. He and the Gov. do complement each other in their political philosophy of serving the people. ==> Mayor Bloomberg's record as a philanthropist is not easy at all; he has contributed to human causes tremendously and still does. He is by far the kindest Republican one can find anywhere. He is a smart man, has shown his ability in the business setting to be most effective. Schwarzenegger/Bloomberg ticket may present an interesting challenge to Pres. Obama/Clinton ticket in the 2012, providing we overcome the birthright hurdle with the 40-years stay idea as a background for argument.
Why can't we get the current candidates talking and acting like these guys? Better yet, why can't we get Mike and Arnold to replace the current pols on humdrum campaign trail to stimulate some thinking and maybe stimulate some real . Anyone who dosn't believe Bloomberg's war against guns or Schwazenegger's attempt at environmental weightlifting aren't high up on the nation's needs list, should have their sanity questioned. I for one don't want to wait for years for Arnold's day before the Supreme Court and Mike's response to the State of Virginia's lawyers
Charlie Rose's show is the best show on television. I talk about it all the time and am always impressed by the caliber of the people I meet that watch this show. Thank you Charlie and PBS for bringing this show to all of us.
I agree with the comments made by a number of people here about the lies and distortions being told. I don't mean to imply that both of Bloomber and Schwarzenegger are not fine men and well respected for their accomplishments. Unfortunately, what Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Schwarzenegger don't understand is what really goes on in government. They are shielded from the truth by sychophants and glib career executive appointees that don't relay how government and in turn the tax payers are robbed by corporate America. For example there are more than enough engineers and blue collar workers to do the jobs in these United States. It's the corporations that send their lying executives to testify to congress and their lobbyists that there aren't. The real American engineer and science community knows better ! So too do the blue collar workers that can't make a livable wage in the major cities of these US of America unless they receive a federal income tax cut like the illegal immigrants that replace them. I admire these illegals for their hard work that they do but not the corporations that rip us off by undermining the citizenry.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger VETOED single-payer universal health care passed by the California legislature early last year. SB 840 (Kuehl): "Single Payer Health Care Coverage" http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/sen/sb_0801-0850/sb_840_bill_20070710_amended_asm_v96.pdf
Charlie, Please Read ASCD April 2008 | Volume 65 | Number 7 Poverty and Learning Pages 8-13 Whose Problem Is Poverty? by Richard Rothstein As a professional educator of 27 years, I was dismayed at the glib answers allowed by Gov. S. and Mayor B. regarding "No Child Left Behind" as an answer to education reform. The NCLB is better titled: "No White Privileged Child Left Behind". A federal imposition of unfunded demands on public education which is consuming billions of dollars of resources, is based on a model of deceptive practices and dishonest reporting from the state of Texas, is touted as a success by politicians who grasp onto the Orwellian name of this "Act" without grasping the true implications of its draconian effects on children. I teach highly capable elementary students who are spending more and more time waiting while the "behind" children catch up or at least meet this arbitrary standard of success. Year after year their schools become more and more focused on meeting the demands of NCLB (with treats of real punishment for schools who dare to teach children not statistics) and less and less on the true needs of learners: varied curriculum, arts, music, etc. NCLB is a lie which only gift to our nation has been to weaken public schools, drive out amazing educators, and punish the ones who stay and work with the most challenging children. Education improvement is much larger than NCLB. Richard Rothstein writes: "Closing or substantially narrowing achievement gaps requires combining school improvement with reforms that narrow the vast socioeconomic inequalities in the United States. Without such a combination, demands (like those of No Child Left Behind) that schools fully close achievement gaps not only will remain unfulfilled, but also will cause us to foolishly and unfairly condemn our schools and teachers."
I'm responding to the Comment by Richard Hoyt on Friday, Apr 18 at 01:11 AM, where Richard said---- "They both had some very real points that they made. Unfortunately theory and reality differ. On immigration - I've worked at companies where they were laying off American software engineers while trying to get more workers with the H1B visas - all about money. Tell the American engineer with a family to feed all about it!" My comment: Perhaps, in the past, illegal immigrants served a necessary purpose by filling jobs that Americans weren't interested in, but in today's economy, a countless number of Americans are more and more desperate to take any job they can get their hands on.---- Secondly, many illegals send a good portion of their income to their families in other countries, and as a result, that money isn't being circulated back into the American economy.----My third point of concern, is that in addition to the above, the illegals haven't been paying any portion of their wages to the IRS or State tax systems.----Please take a look at this article in today's New York Times (perhaps every politician in this country should be reading it too): http://www.nytimes.com:80/2008/04/18/business/18hours.html?ex=1209182400&en=f067f2f87d5b74f9&ei=5070&emc=eta1
There is no such thing as a perfect politician but at least these two people are trying to collaborate instead of towing the party line. Can we give them some credit for that? And as for those of you who are in the unfortunate position of having a child in the NY or CA public schools, just keep putting pressure on the powers that be to effect the necessary changes. Write letters, make phone calls, stand on the picket lines along with the teachers. Arm chair quarterbacking, however, will not produce the results you desire.
How do we get three more old white boys to the 'firing line' who never were actually on the firing line? And who think guns are evil? And who believe in the religion of science but not the rigor(quantification)of science,a la doing cool political things, vis a vis global warming. Charlie,Michael and Arnold:Can you answer this question? What part of the quantity of greenhouse gases emitted worldwide this year is represented by the delta,i.e. politically mandated reductions, in California auto emissions. The answer is the same as the "good" these gasbags are causing: statistically meaningless. But boys, doesn't it feel great! And the votes it gets...
Amy,I hear ya. The Newshour exists because it isnt solely reliant on ad revenue driving its content. The state of network and cable news is due to the need to entertain to drive profit. But if you find such a place someday I would love to hear about it - I'd watch...after my PBS favorites, of course.
Just listening to the interview with Mayor Bloomberg one week after the announcement by the principal of PS87, the elementary school where my twins attend school and where we found out that our school will loose $300,000 from their budget - I'm stunned that Charlie Rose did not have access to the current outrage from parents, teachers and principals in NYC at the Mayor for taking yet more money away from our NYC schools, money from the federal government that was given to the state and cities for schools, that the DOE of NYC needed to sue for, won the suit and yet the Mayor is still talking of using this money which was designated for our schools, for other things. In fact, several city council members were NOT going to pass his budget unless he reversed his budget cuts to our schools. The NYC schools are in jeopardy of loosing many of the demographic which is has worked hard to get - upper middle class NYC parents - to private schools as our schools continue to get less and less money and support. This is of paramount importance when having a conversation with him about schools, and yet, even though it has been written about in the Times, this was never mentioned when speaking about schools. A missed opportunity indeed. This interview did not even come close to giving an honest picture of what is happening in our public schools today.
Irish - Exactly! But... Imagine a 24 hour news channel that strives for excellence in the way PBS does but isn't constrained by government funding issues and political considerations. Imagine a news channel which would devote time to putting todays stories into historical context. Not just US history, but the entire human experience. Or that would routinely inform viewers, about how other countries handle issues such as health care and education. A really free wheeling reinvention of the news, would be my beau ideal. By the way, I just happen to be available for the job of programming director.
People forget the Bloomberg is not the education mayor nor the mayor of the outer boroughs. His so-called end of social promotion is taking over by "seat credit". He would rather have children learning in old run-down trailers and puts charter schools in public schools without any input from the school's community. He builds new schools on toxic sites and cuts the school budget in the middle of the school year. His Principal's Leadership Academy has not been a success and he has taken teachers out of the collaboration process. The new school report card gave our best schools low scores while giving A's to the most dangerous schools. He puts most of the budget in the Chancellor's office for hiring his friends and outside agencies to do what used to be done in-house. And, he gives away playgrounds to the rich private schools rather than those in his charge. He favors Manhattan over other boroughs and doesn't care if Con Edison hurts Queen's residents. He forces us to dig out our cars after a major snowstorm until the press takes him to task. By cutting our library services and zoos and museums, he hurts the middle class who rely on these institutions. His congestion pricing windfall plan would have benefited his personal agenda while putting a burden on small business owners. He is not a man of the people.
Amy - pssst: they call it PBS. Pass it on.
Bloomberg and Schartzenegger are the two best leaders out there right now in either party. I'm a dem would rather vote for either of these men for President than any of those trying for the job right now. And Arnold can't even run. Shame. Maybe he will run for congress from California. I agree with the comments they made about their loyalty being to the people and not their party. Here, here. Thanks, Charlie for providing intelligent TV. I'm just sorry it is on so late.
Terrific show. Kudos to both Bloomberg and Schartzenegger. One of the most important problems we have in this country is the devolution of the quality of television news. As last night's debate showed, this country is in desperate need of a new cable news network, one that would cover politics in a reasonable and intelligent way and who's mission was to inform the public. There are many bright, hard working politicians out there, who are discouraged by the inability to get their voices heard over the electronic news noise machine. Surely there are enough, well meaning wealthy individuals who could form a corporation and come up with the dough, to do this. As great as Charlie is, we need more of these kinds of conversations. There has to be more alternatives to the river of sludge and nonsense on TV news if we are to change the political system, to a more rational one.
I live in New Jersey but only 20 minutes from the George Washington Bridge, and our area in New Jersey for all practical purposes it is a borough of New York City. I know Mr. Bloomberg is doing a superb job as the Mayor of New York City. But I have to be blunt about one thing, even though Mr. Bloomberg can finance his presidential bid I am sure that he would not be able to win the general election. But as Mr. Bloomberg mentioned today on the CRS if he were offered to be on the presidential ticket as the vice president my impression from this interview is that Mike Bloomberg left the door open for that option. In my opinion, the Democratic Party cant win in November with Hillary or Obama as their nominee since at this point both candidates are damaged goods for a number of reasons. I am just one person probably among half of the voting population in the US who still hope that Al Gore will be drafted at the Democratic Party convention. I like to suggest that you take a few minutes to read the following thread regarding the coming presidential election. After you read this thread you would understand why it is imperative that the Democratic Party draft Al Gore at the convention as its nominee for the general election. The discussion on this thread has been going on since August of 2006 and there are almost 600 comments about Al Gore becoming the new US president in November 2008. If the American people are really interested in real and concrete change that it will place the US economy into the right path for a successful and prosperous future then Al Gore is the real thing. Mike Bloomberg would be an excellent choice to be on Al Gore s ticket as the vice president and I am 100 percent sure that Al Gore / Mike Bloomberg ticket can win in November 2008 with a strong mandate. If there is someone that can make it happen that person it is you. My screen name on that thread is SouthAmerica. Here is the thread: Al Gore - Democratic Party candidate in 2008. http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=74835
They both had some very real points that they made. Unfortunately theory and reality differ. On immigration - I've worked at companies where they were laying off American software engineers while trying to get more workers with the H1B visas - all about money. Tell the American engineer with a family to feed all about it! Leadership isn't just about talking - it's about the results, you've got to find a way to produce results if you're the leader - it's about execution and finishing! Internal qualities make a giant difference - you had a guy on earlier - Lee Iacocca that wrote a handy guide - "Where Have All The Leaders Gone?" Leaders have to walk the talk. I seem to remember that Lee told Mr. Ford where to put it and then went to Chrysler and produced results! Washington doesn't function because it's NOT the United States - it's the Divided States as devised by Rove & Bush so they could squeak out an election win. The only problem was that they forgot - it's hard to govern after you've divided everybody pretty much right down the middle. If this country is going to be successful it must get back to the being the UNITED States. That's how we helped win World War II. A real leader doesn't divide, whether leading a team, army, or country, or for that matter - the free world! Our supposed leaders need to do their homework just like when they were in school and then work real hard and finish - whether they're playing in the Super Bowl, running a city, or a country. Then when they're done with a job they can look at their results and they'll know how they did!
Excellent show Charlie. Arnold Schwarzenegger is the best candidate that the Republican Party has to offer, and it is too bad that the Republican Party does not have other candidates of that same caliber. It would be time well spent if Mike Bloomberg and the Terminator to check a state-of-the art in terms of a city â?? Curitiba, in Brazil. That town has been an example for the world for a long time in terms of the environment, transportation system, quality of life and so onâ?¦.
How will making the US the premier power in the world by aggregating all the best ppl here, help the rest of the world? Many Kenyans were educated here in the 60s, went back and made Kenya the best country in Africa. What would have been the case if, like most of the students today, they stayed here? The same is true of Koreans, Indonesians and others. It should be clear to any real student of history that America has benefited by stealing technology and better educated ppl from more developed countries just as the Chinese do today and the Japanese did before them. To say we need to do it today suggests that our education system is not the best. You can't have it both ways. Businesses do indeed put more resources toward products that sell, but govt is not about selling a few products or srervices to the exclusion of everything else. It seems to me that political deadlock occurs precisely by adopting this attitude where monopolizing is the goal and serving the public has been detached from it by our financial system. It is not even clear to me that further growth of our economic system and population would be a good thing in itself, sustainable without more and more immigrant service workers, nor environmentally. Our infrastructure was for the most part not built privately, but by progressive govts, and it is the lack of such civic virtue that has led to their decay, the railroads being the exception that proves the rule, because they were all built in the wrong places. (The Internet seems to be going the same way.) So as not to continue this unconscionably, I'll just say you are equally wrong about the 2nd Amendment. Neither of these gentleman stike me as really being republicans, btw.
These gentlemen are dealing with issues in a common sense way. Both have very little personal incentive, in the way of 'need'. They are independents masguerading as rebubs. It is time we start choosing those to lead who can speak and act and Lead for the 'people' and ignore the 'bribery' of special interests. Charlie~ Thank You.
Bloomberg and Arnold... MY kind of Republicans. This is the kind of leadership we need on a national level. I particularly appreciated the comment that elected officials owed their electorate their loyalty, NOT their PARTY. This is a major problem with people following the party line like sheep to the slaughter. OR like Bankers to the vault... I and many other Americans are fed up and sick of it. I hope this election brings forth more leaders like this in b oth parties. Thank you gentlemen.