In the past Mayor Bloomberg has tried dolling out campaign cash to politicians who support his hot button issues, especially gun control, in hopes of advancing his political agenda. He’s had limited success going this route. Next he formed Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which is essentially just a front for Bloomberg himself and is designed to give the impression of widespread political support for his agenda. MAIG too has met with limited success.
Now it seems he’s come up with a new way of spreading money around through his charity Bloomberg Philanthropies. A story at the Ledger-Enquirer has some details, “Bloomberg gives mayors $24M grants for innovation“:
“… mayors in Chicago, Louisville, Ky.; Memphis, Tenn.; and New Orleans will split $24 million in grants to fund programs addressing what they have identified as priorities in their cities, from energy efficiency to handgun violence. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the grants Thursday as part of the Mayors Project, a new government innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies … Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton Jr. … will tackle two priorities: revive areas of Memphis cut off by highway construction and approach handgun violence as a public health crisis …”
Impressive. He’s figured out a new tax deductible way to try and screw us. Wonder if he’s trying to set this up as a money funnel similar to what the Joyce Foundation does in bankrolling all sorts of gun control groups?
This is why I am very concerned about the Gates Foundation. In 2009 it had a value of over $33 billion and they have given out almost $25 billion in the last 16 years. While I can not find that they have made any large direct grants to anti-gun groups, (or pro-gun groups,) they have made grants to groups that do support gun control as part of their goal. ( http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Grants-2003/Pages/Washington-State-Coalition-Against-Domestic-Violence-OPP29996.aspx ) and the Gates Foundation has been part of forums with the Joyce Foundation and other liberal & anti-gun groups. (Remember that Obama was on the board of the Joyce Foundation for about 8 or 10 years and during that time they gave away $10 million to anti-gun groups. ) What would happen if $30 or 40 million was granted in one year to the anti-gun groups? Buffett is giving them over $1.5 billion a year. Bloomberg and Gates have also gotten together to spend over $1/2 billion on an anti-smoking campaign. ( http://www.gatesfoundation.org/press-releases/Pages/bloomberg-gates-tobacco-initiative-080723.aspx ) It is not hard for me to see Bloomberg talking the Gates into kicking in a few billion dollars for anti-gun programs and groups. Even if they do not do it now, we can just wait 10, 50, 100 years to see what things the will fund. Just look at the 75 year old Ford Foundation who has given money in the US, ($125,000 For the Bullets in the Hood Anti-Gun Violence Project to conduct research and community outreach in 20 cities with high rates of gun violence, develop a Web site and plan a national media campaign,) and around the world for gun control, ($190,000 To develop a Local Action Plan for gun control in Sao Paulo, build the capacity of the Brazilian Disarmament Network & monitor implementation of & attempts to weaken the new national disarmament law.)
Hopefully some of the money will be available to pay plaintiff damages and N.R.A attorney fees in Second Amendment cases.