Bloomberg Talks 2012, Immigration, Stimulus, Rangel

Mayor Bloomberg appeared on Meet the Press this morning in a segment with former Fed chairman Alan Greenspan and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. Of course, because there's a little over two years until the next presidential election—and he's flirted with running in the past—Mayor Bloomberg was asked if he's going to saddle up. And, yet again, he had to insist that being mayor of New York is the coolest job ever, "I will rule out a run. I've got the best job that I could possibly have. I've got 1251 days more to do it. I'm looking forward to every single one of them."

Bloomberg also hit a number of other topics, offering his thoughts on some very national issues:

On the federal stimulus: "You know, if you look back in the 1930s, the money went to infrastructure. The bridges, the municipal buildings, the roads, those were all built with stimulus money spent on infrastructure. This stimulus bill has fundamentally gone, started out with a $500 rebate check, remember. That went to buy flat-screen TVs made in China. That didn't exactly help our economy. Then all of this other stimulus money that's been given out to governments, they're using it for operating rather than investment. And the monies that are going to, to the private sector, they're doing the pet projects for companies that happen to have some influence throughout this country. And the argument is, 'Well, these people would get laid off if we didn't do that,' but nobody's directing this money at the people who've already been laid off."

On immigration: Building upon his belief that the illegal immigrants already in the U.S. should not be deported, he made a point about visas for skilled immigrant, "Canada sets aside 36 percent of their visas for people with skills they think their country needs. We set aside 6 percent. We educate the doctors and then don't give them a green card."

On Rep. Charles Rangel's ethics issue: "Well, it's very sad. It's not good for New York. He was one of our representatives and was going to be a powerful one who could really deliver for New York. I'll let Congress worry about whether he did the things that he is alleged to have done. But the whole thing is, I think, symptomatic of we don't have the kind of disclosure, Congress doesn't have the kind of self-policing and openness and visibility that this country deserves."