The One-Man Stimulus Package

New Yorkers may be tightening their belts amid a tough recession, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg is taking extravagance to new levels in his re-election campaign, spending record amounts of his own money on his bid for a third term. So far his campaign's spending for the November contest has totaled $18.6 million, more than double what Bloomberg had spent at this point in his last campaign in 2005. The money has gone to high-powered consultants, polling, and a flood of TV ads boosting his candidacy. While it is unclear how much his rivals, city Comptroller Bill Thompson Jr. and potential challenger Rep. Anthony Weiner, have spent, according to their records they have raised only $10 million between the two of them.