When Someone Says “I’m Not Bluffing” . . .

. . . it probably means they’re bluffing. Just like you should instantly be skeptical whenever you hear someone introduce something with “To be honest . . .”:

Mayor Bloomberg insists his threat to eliminate 23,000 city jobs unless Albany comes up with extra cash is no bluff.

“We’re not bluffing about anything. We don’t have any extra money,” he said Sunday.

The mayor said Albany should divert a slice of money from the planned federal stimulus plan to support the city schools.

If not, the layoffs could include as many as 14,000 teachers.

“It would be cataclysmic,” Bloomberg said.

The mayor spent the weekend addressing church and synagogue groups, a school principals meeting and two Chinese New Year celebrations.

Bloomberg used the events to push his call for more state aid and also to win support for his own bid for a third term at City Hall.

“It’s a rallying cry for everybody that cares about public education,” Bloomberg said. “What you’ve got to do is call your assembly person, call your state senator, call the governor … say, ‘You just can’t do this. You work for us. You have to come through.'”