Rich Citizens

The two most impressive public figures in the past year outside the presidential campaign may be two filthy rich people I hadn't taken seriously not too long ago.

T. Boone Pickens is an oilman and a staunch Republican, so who'd have thought I'd be supporting this guy's efforts at advocating a national energy policy? Except that Pickens believes in alternatives to oil, and he's been promoting the use of wind power and natural gas as a cleaner way of generating the energy sources we need to keep the U.S. economy going and get if off foreign oil sources. It is true that Pickens has invested in wind farms, and such a government policy in favor of wind development would help him make money, but so what? This is a capitalist country, after all. If it's going to benefit our country, I don't care how much money Pickens makes. He gives a lot of it away anyway.

Seven years ago, media mogul Michael Bloomberg was seen as a billionaire businessman trying to buy his way into power by spending what it took to get elected mayor of New York. Once in office, though, Bloomberg has kept the city running with incredible efficiency, and his no-nonsense approach to governing has earned him applause for his integrity. Not only has he foregone a standard mayoral salary, taking only a dollar a year, he's attempted to reign in spending by trying to cut or cancel popular programs, such as city property tax rebates, to keep the budge balanced. (The rebate was saved with help from the New York state government.) Bloomberg is hoping to remain mayor of New York during the global financial crisis to keep the city going through tough times. Hence, he had the term limit law repealed. Cynics will complain that Bloomberg is only interested in aggrandizing his own political power. but he has no plans for higher office and will continue to make a dollar a year for his public service during a third mayoral term. He doesn't need to be the mayor of New York for his own power. He already has it.

True, Bloomberg acts like he's the only person who could possibly run New York City during tough times, but the truth is . . .he probably is.