Bullshit Quotes of the Day

From today's Newsday article about the Manhattan East Side crane accident:

Bloomberg said critics were unfairly characterizing the site's history.

"The violations had nothing to do with this," Bloomberg said at a news conference Saturday evening. "Every large construction site has violations. They were not serious."

Six construction workers and one woman visiting from Miami were killed, and 10 people were injured.

Yesterday, the Buildings Department began inspecting crane sites citywide -- 253 in all -- but it was not clear when the reviews would be completed, said agency spokeswoman Kate Lindquist.

Lancaster was not available for comment Wednesday, but during the weekend, she issued a statement saying the safety sweep of all cranes was not prompted by fears of unsafe conditions elsewhere.

"We have no reason to believe that Saturday's tragic accident is indicative of a larger problem with similar equipment being used around the city," she said. Lancaster has said that the increase in accidents is due, in part, to the city's construction boom. The number of construction permits issued in New York City went up 36 percent between 2002 and May 2007. And the number of safety violations has nearly doubled over the past year.

Mark my words, readers, this man will never accept criticism or admit he's wrong on any of his policies, whether they be the smoking ban, trans fat ban, congestion pricing, public education, the Olympics bid, the West Side stadium, his pretense of using the subways, his refusal to say when he is not in town and a deputy is in charge, the need for development or this accident. Think about it: When has he ever admitted fault? He's too used to being in charge and not being countermanded.