R Battle...I don't think you understand what a hedge fund does. The irony is that he made his name from hedging that the sub-prime would create a negative market event. Sure enough people defaulted on easy money and many became homeless. Perhaps, we should see this as a very philanthropic gesture...he is improving the only home that some were left with after the housing bubble burst.

and all the "put options" on 911? just more lucky guesses i suppose.

Nice aerial photo of Central Park. Wherever the money came from, whatever percentage of his wealth, this donation is a thoughtful gesture to a beautiful park that offers greenery and space to the millions trapped in the concrete jungle of NYC.

@R Battle

Yes, it's entirely his fault that the Federal Reserve created a housing market debt bubble with printed fiat and liberal politicans forced banks to lend to deadbeats.

I love Central Park, it is my favorite place in the world. Thanks Mr. Paulson for helping to preserve and improve the beauty of this special place. It is a very decent thing to do.

All of you who can only criticize must have miserable existences.

When are headline reports going to learn that 100m is not 100 million but 100 thousand. you see this all the time but then that is about as accurate as most of their reporting

Hedge funding should be illegal.

Oh the greedy heartless rich people pissing out their high rise windows on the poor.....

or.......

Making a donation larger than 99.9999% of us will earn in our lifetime to an iconic institution that all New Yorkers (and tourists) can enjoy. I can't wait for someone to say he's a billionaire and should give 200 million.... Fair Sharers out there, how much have YOU donated to Central Park or any other charity this year?

Bet he donates lots of money to the guy {MR. Obama} who helped make the housing loan mess with law suits so people without the ability to pay back the money could borrow for houses well above there price range.. Lets not forget who got stuck with the check at that meal, the taxpayers.. Bankers were lighting cigars with $100 bills that day when the whole thing collapsed..

harold...you are absolutely correct, if they are using "M" in the Roman Numeral's context. However, they are not. They are using at is an acceptable abbroviation for MILLION. I the financial industry, million is abbreviated as MM...but in most industries, including insurance, million is abbreviated as simply M. So, before you criticize others for their errors, you may want to double check to see if you are actually correct.

Will the muggers and rapists get their own cell phone charging area? The ones in this park, (not wallstreet).

Harold - Yeah, umm 100M = 1,000,000....100K = 100,000. I'm not a math whiz, but I do work in the financial/investment community. We would never look at 100M and think its just a hundred grand.

With all the Americans in need some of this money could be spent on basic needs. While I appreciate the gesture at this time in the economy the $$$ is desperately needed elsewhere. You can't eat trees or grass, at least not to sustain yourself and your family.

I have an idea, maybe the government could just tax him into poverty and then give the money to all the "entitled" people out there. Eventually we'll run out of people to tax and our economy will permanently collapse, but hey, who thinks that far ahead?

Our society is collapsing under the weight of "progressive" thought. Guess what folks, there are irresponsible people out there (not everyone) who believe that it is the government's responsibility to fund not only their existence, but their banal lifestyle and horrid life choices. This park inspires me and I'm sure others to seek a fuller life and a higher purpose. Look around, the sculptures and beauty of the park are calling you to something higher. This donation is more than worthwhile, it is inspired.

"With a personal net worth estimated by Forbes at $12 billion, Paulson made his biggest profit in 2007 by betting the U.S. housing market would slump. When it did, triggering the recession, his correct bet netted him an estimated $4 billion."

Guess Bloomberg doesn't really care where the money comes from.......

John Paulson:

Did you quit chasing after poor African and south American countries to pay 30%+ interest on loans we did not give to the people but instead to their dictator who spent it right back here in the US buying villas?

Argentina is crying fowl after their military ship is seized in Ghana by Ghanian court that seems to be serving the interest of wealthy against its own continent.

NO BO in 13.....thats what this says...GFY

There was a time when it was thought "Greed Was good". Seems not long after that,people started making really big bucks,,,,, "real money"!!! it was called.

There were quite a few bankers that made huge annual commissions, pushing mortgages on not too clever people,,,, nobody bothered to explain all the details.... the banker said:"don't worry about all that 'fine print', lawyer stuff, nothing to bother yourself with..... Those are the people Mr Paulson earned Billions off of. If anybody should get credit for this donation, it should be all the poor fools that fell for the credit shuffle. I'm sure Mr Paulson is taking his tax credits from this new 'transaction' all the way to the IRS...

Greed was not bad in itself but the all out right avariciousness and the nearly illegal acts of bankers should be punished. Unfortunately, Mr Bush the younger shall long be known for giving the worlds biggest B J to the bankers.... an orgasm still being felt across the globe...

FlatIron "Yes, it's entirely his fault that the Federal Reserve created a housing market debt bubble with printed fiat and liberal politicans forced banks to lend to deadbeats."

IM SO SICK OF THIS FALSE BS!

How come conservatives have selective amnesia, about THEIR president bush touting HIS home ownership program - helping "blacks and latinos" get into the american dream by owning a home.

but maybe you can explain it to me, how democrats in congress held guns to investors heads, forced them to flush the banks with cash, and then forced the banks to take that cash and create the housing bubble by lending to every tom, dick and harry...and THEN bundling those bad mortgages, duping more investors and passing them off as quality products, and THEN not having any money on hand to cover those bets in case they went south?

mark my words, IF Romney is elected - we'll have the same bubble/burst economy...just in a different sector. corporations and investors are sitting on record amounts of cash, and since we know they dont know how to grow businesses the old fashion way anymore...we hands down know all they really want to do is "fuel the economy by investing"...aka "where can we dump our money, inflate it, and then burst it"

It is a good gesture and we should recognize it. Central Park is THE most beautiful park in any city around the world. At least I am not aware of any other city that has such a beautiful park.

Roadrunner0

"Bet he donates lots of money to the guy {MR. Obama} who helped make the housing loan mess "

So you're blaming Obama for a housing mess started and pinnacling long before he got into office.

"Bankers were lighting cigars with $100 bills that day when the whole thing collapsed.."

And I'm sure you're supporting their Credit Default Swaps and Mortgage Backed Securities with leveraged losses at 40-to-1 that was FAR MORE DAMAGING to the economy than the peanuts to which you speak. But they've got you brain-washed hook line and sinker.

100 million dollars he might get a bench and statue named after him

Ok, I give up. What's the catch?

I’m confused… I did the math. If the park is 843 acres and the yearly budget
is about $46,000,000 then it costs $54, 567 per acre to keep up the park. What on earth are they doing with all that money? Plus, remember in New York, it is cold all
winter, so they don’t even have the grass to cut.

hedge funds don't take money from the poor - when was the last time you saw welfare recipients checking on their hedge fund investments?

Hey -Mike - its NY. Not as bad a Chicago but $55k an acre is reasonable when you consider every politician with a precinct bordering or within view of central park has a no-show job there for a relative or friend.

Couldn't they TAX THAT DONATION at a rate of AT LEAST 50%???

And yet did you donate $900 to central park?

Not to central park but to other places. I just want people to recognize that while the $100m is a large number it isn't when you view it as a percent of a budget. It is like when people complain about the military wasting 4 billion on a project when they have a 700+ billion budget.

People tend to lose their objectivity when the numbers become larger. I believe the average American spends 1-2% of their family budget on alcohol and tobacco. Assuming I found the correct income number for this man then this donation is about 2% of his net income, the average Americans budget for booze and smokes. I just want people to recognize the relativity of it before they start trying to give this guy a free hand job.

Actually, J-birdman...take a look at what they normally bring in and what their operating budget is. He has covered all operation costs for over 2 years. So yes, in a park that services millions of locals and millions more in tourism, that is a huge deal. You brought up the budget...which is $46M, and then state that the contribution isn;t all that great when viewed as a "percent of the budget". It isn't a PERCENTAGE of the budget...it is more than DOUBLE THE BUDGET. And when his donations are being used to make upgrades to the park, which also, by the way, includes creating jobs...that is a huge deal.

Good point J-Bird. But the money he gave would pay for my entire life and the life of my child. Surely at least a pat on the back is worthy right? I mean there are 1,000's of people like him who could donate at least as much if not more and they simply chose not to.

The random kind acts of powerful people like him fund a LOT of the good things around us normal folk. (Normal being a relative term of course)

I was not talking about the budget of the park but of Mr. Paulson, my apologies of I was unclear. This is a great thing for the park and NYC which I dare not imply as being anything other than that. Charity and "entitlements" are becoming a little blurred this day in age which is unfortunate because they are different with this donation being an example of the former. Your average American gives something like 5% of their budget to donation.

Mr. Paulson.

I am a disabled man living on a fixed low income that lives in the country and owe $40,000 on my modest home with less than 2 acres which needs some more repairs of about $20,000.. If you ever feel the need to donate money to someone as a helping hand my wife and I could use $60,000.. We are not greedy or wasteful but are like the many thousands of other families that are in trouble.. I can no longer work due to back problems and my wife tries to work but had a stroke and has trouble holding a job.. This is no joke or hustle we need help..

Although I do not like begging it is worth a shot.. Maybe a lawyer will contact me with a check..

Ask Mitt, he gives away more than all of us combined! Granted, its not a selfless act he performs since he gives the lion-share to his cult in order to secure his place in heaven. But hey, give it a try...maybe you can convince him you know some of the Quakers living on the moon and can get him a better seat at the table with Native American Jesus.

Mr. Romney does give to many worth wile things and yes he does give to his faith but not on the scale that Mr. Paulson does.. Throughout history people have given different names to the idea of a higher power or plane of existence so as long as their road to it is not paved with evil deeds toward their fellow man who cares what they choose to call it.. Mr. and Mrs. Gates are also very generous with their money and so are many other people of all different income levels and states of success.. It is very rare that someone of this stature gives directly to an individual.. I hate the false charities that are nothing more than rolling parties for the rich.. We know who they are and they burn up 95% of donations on operating costs and 5% ends up for the intended purpose.. False charities that are nothing more than tax loopholes for the people running them.. Donate money then get it back tax free while playing chairperson.. Do I expect to here from any of them? NO, but it is a way to hope for a better life.. No champagne and caviar dreams here..

A place that gets many donations and gives free care to those who are in need is The Cleveland Clinic..

Didn't take long for the "entitled" populace to make themselves known.

A man donates more money than most will see in 1,000 lifetimes to a public park and people here still complain because "it wasn't more" or "it would've been better for me and my child" or "he just stole the money anyway".

Face it. You will never be happy while there are successful people becoming wealthier than you. You blog away countless hours about the inequities in the US, while sipping your mocachino, in your flannel pajama pants. Meanwhile, a hard-charging, self-made, wealthy businessman is starting his second 80 hour workweek.

Until you people understand that nobody owes you anything, you'll always be second-rate whiners and excuse makers.

The human race needs parks.

Then you go out and feed them. Holy hell. There is too much of "you need to pay for it" instead of "what can I do to help out" on here. Some guy just donated $100,000,000 to the largest urban park in the U.S. and you complain that he didn't do enough? That he should just give all his money away (or tax it to some people) to their causes? Why not go and raise the money yourself. Did no one listen to Kennedy?

@no more filbert

That's modern progressivism for ya. Everyone sits on their lazy ass whing about how they want someone else to pick up the slack. Expect more of it as government and entitlements continue to increase.

jw...maybe you don't live in this area...but Central Park actually plays a huge part in the mental and physical health of the locals. It is a place that offers a quiet atmoshpehere, space and greenery. Without these calming factors, crime rates would jump, depression would soar...it has been seen during the declining years of the park from the 60's into the 90's.

@eric60watts

Im sure JW knows the benefits that Central Park gives to the residents of NYC, he/she just thinks that this guy should have given his money away to people that dont work instead of providing funds to something that all can enjoy. I mean cmon! How dare this successful guy not give free money to all the poor people who are obviously ENTITLED to a portion of it.

Ah yes, the old Republican "lazy poor people" meme.

Maybe you should go out and tell all those Republican voters in the Red States that have higher rates of poverty, divorce, teen pregnancy, STD's etc that they're a bunch of entitled freeloaders.

Or you could do something to help, like volunteer, tutor kids, or even chip in and help out a family you know that's in trouble. . . nah, what would Ayn Rand think about kindness and generosity!?

if you are so concerned about the hungry and homeless then get off your computor and do something about it. or would you rather dictate to others what they should do with their own money instead

That $100 million WILL be indirectly providing jobs for people and is money put back into the economy. The people employed for park improvements and the companies selling the park their goods and services will be receiving the money. Just because it doesn't go to jobless people, it doesn't mean it's not going back into our economy.

Did you ever think that this money will go to support the jobs of the people that maintain the park, etc.? Your "logic" makes no sense in reality.

And to everyone else complaining on this board - he made his money fair and square and is now being nice enough to give some of it away! What can you possibly complain about? You just hate rich people no matter what and that is really sad.

So, he should just pay for 2000 people to work for one year? Are you going to pay their salary for the second year? What kind of work will they be doing? This 100 mil pays for the continual operation of the park (security, maintenance, construction, improvements, shows, etc.?) where, you guess it, ARE JOBS.

If you built little wheels for all the squirrels to run in, and hooked them to generators, you could probably light up the whole park for.. I dunno, a couple seconds. But it's probably just a pipe-dream.

Huh? He donated to a park, not a political party.

And which crime did he commit or will commit? And how does donating to a non-profit organization that takes care of a park, get him out of criminal court? I would love to hear your explanation on that.

He was a smart wealthy man in the right place at the right time.. Lots of people lost money so he could make money but that is why it is a risky business for people who are not on top of the game..

What, exactly, did he steal, and from whom?

Well patrick. The logic on here is that if anyone makes more money than them, they obviously stole it. Liberals on here don't want to bring everyone up, they want to tear many down.

So anyone that makes more money than you do, they must have stolen that money. A little bitter that you are still living in Mommy's basement no matter how many burgers you serve?

@Mic

Funny how people like you (probably a Lib) will automatically demonize a man who made his money on wallstreet and automatically determine that he is guilty of stealing. Guilty until proven innocent, huh? How very American of you. Oh wait, no its not, you're actually an idiot.

It would probably be a good idea for you to read up on what a hedge fund actually does.

They would do it, but to fund that $3, they would ask to raise taxes on someone else to get it.

I absolutely guarantee that the nasty comments do NOT come from Liberals! They sound decidedly Conservative to me! Stupid isn't it, to assume one way or the other! To put a label on them is ridiculous! Grow up!

Im a New Yorker and hate the idea that liberals will enjoy the donation from a billionaire who they demonize so much.

maybe they can make an area called 'Liberal no donations' and let the dogs crap there

Enma...do you see your own hypocirsy? You state that they sound Conservative...and then state that putting a label on them is rediculous. And then tell people to "grow up". Maybe need to take a little of your own advice?

@Emma

Oh yea. The comments definitely sound like they come from conservatives, because conservatives are so well known for their demonization of the wealthy and their lauding of entitlements. Oh wait, no no, that sounds more like Libs to me. One can make a pretty reasonable assumption that the people who are posting negatively about this guy giving $100M of his money to something other than people who don't work are left leaning people.

Linda..I notice you did not ask anyone else if they were paying their taxes. You ask that only of the wealthy? The poor often choose to give their "excess" to goods and services that are not necessary, and they still don't foot the bill for these services. Why do you automaticaly go to taxes because he is wealthy? I guarantee that if he wasn't paying what was due, Uncle Sama nd teh IRS would be on him...don't you?

The wealthy do pay their taxes. They're the ones the IRS will go after if they're not doing everything 100% correctly because they know they stand to gain more from them. Its the lower income individuals who don't pay taxes that rarely get caught, because it would cause the IRS more manpower and money to persecute them than their tax dollars are actually worth. The issue people have with the wealthy is that there are laws (loopholes) in place that cause them to pay less than they normally would. What people don't seem to understand is that even with these laws they still pay more in taxes in one year than most of us will in our lifetimes.

Love Ogden Nash!

enjoy:

The Porcupine

Any hound a porcupine nudges
Can't be blamed for harboring grudges.
I know one hound that laughed all winter
At a porcupine that sat on a splinter.

Ogden Nash

So Randy, are you growing corn on your property and giving it to poor kids? No? Then put a sock in it. What an inane comment.

Found this G.. not exactly what you have but you were kind of right i guess.

a population of about 1,600 people who had been living in the rocky, swampy terrain--some as legitimate renters and others as squatters--were evicted; included in this sweep were a convent and school, bone-boiling plants, and the residents of Seneca Village, an African-American settlement of about 270 people

Ummm....huh? How is it Bloomberg's nonprofit? It was founded in 1980, and took over stewardship of the park in 1998, well before Bloomberg became mayor. And please list who in his family "controlls" the organization and what you mean by "90% of all money for salaries and administrative costs". They actually use a lot less than 90% of all raised funds for those...since most of the money goes into the ACTUAL PARK. Thso eowuld be some wealthy park workers if 90% of the money raised was paid to them!

Exactly!