It’s not enough for Michael Bloomberg to just try and turn America into his nanny state. Apparently now the former mayor wants to take his government overreach and bring it to the world.
Bloomberg, the man behind the attempted soda ban and expansive gun control efforts, sat down with the New York Times recently for a piece that outlined his global efforts.
Mr. Bloomberg, 72, has vowed to give away his $32.8 billion fortune before he dies. In doing so, he hopes to sharply reduce high smoking rates in Turkey, Indonesia and other countries; bring down obesity levels in Mexico; reduce traffic in Rio de Janeiro (and Istanbul); improve road safety in India and Kenya; prevent deaths at childbirth to mothers in Tanzania; and organize cities worldwide to become more environmentally friendly and efficient in delivering services.
His vehicle to achieve all of this is Bloomberg Philanthropies, a foundation that he started in 2006 and that now employs about 30 people with programs in 95 countries.”
His primary targets are the same as his efforts in the U.S. — banning smoking and the consumption of sugary drinks.
Bloomberg has already been running anti-tobacco campaigns in Turkey with some success.
“I really think that manufacturing a product that you know is killing people should be against the law and that you should prosecute those who do it,” he said. “It’s murder like anything else.”
Bloomberg Philanthropies plans to use $600 million to start antismoking programs in 15 of the world’s heaviest-smoking countries, like Indonesia, Russia, China and India, the Times reports.
While his goals are certainly not all bad, it’s the way he wants to go about it — using big government as the agent of change.
“If there is one thing that I learned from 12 years in government,” he told the Times, “is that you can effect change, pull people together and face big societal problems.”
