It was a clarifying moment.
In Milwaukee, the manager of a custard store asked Joe Biden to lower taxes.
The Vice President of the United States accused the manager of, “… being a smartass all the time”
Classy guy, Joe.
Americans are fair and decent people, and as inheritors of the Judeo/Christian ethic, believe in the Fourth Commandment:
“For six days you will perform work, but the seventh day is a complete Sabbath, holy to the L-RD … it is an eternal sign that in six days, the L-RD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.”
—Exodus 31:15-17
Be aware that G-d is not just telling us to rest on Shabbat; G-d is also noting the importance of work in man’s life.
G-d is sanctifying work.
Thus, Americans have always been a hard-working, upwardly mobile people, made free from rigid European class distinctions by reaping the benefits of their labor.
Americans will pay their fair share of taxes.
But when we feel the heavy hand of government crushing us with an oppressive burden—taxes that feed vast and inefficient government bureacracies—then we rise in protest.
Biden, Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Henry Waxman, the chattering, social engineering classes who occupy the White House and both houses, believe they know better.
They believe in government, not we the people.
America exists as a republic because a distant ruler refused to heed our call for lower taxes.
In Barack Obama, we have another distant ruler, an elitist who believes that we are all smartasses.
Paul Revere’s famous cry was: “The British are coming!”
I paraphrase: “The British are here!”
But you are not helpless.
You are not powerless.
Do you want to know what you can do?
Vote.
Ariel Chaim Avrech, ZT'L, May His Righteous Memory be a Blessing.
11 Comments
Deborah, I too have experienced unemployment, in 2003 and end of 2008. At first, I also blamed the President, at that Mr. Bush. This time, I was prepared. After 3 months, I landed a volunteer or intern position in my field, without pay. After 3 months, they saw that it was worth keeping me and a hire was done one year ago. Although the pay scale is less, I know how fortunate I am.
I also work part time in Restaurants to help make ends meet, and to travel to Israel, which I am going to do on Sunday.
I know many people unemployed, for 2 years and more, who will not take any work, they have lost their initiative. I offered one of them, in my field, some database work, he could do it and I would implement it because I was swamped.
He said, he doesn’t know that. end of story.
I think the attitude of the unemployed person has to change. We *do* have a horrible president, yet the road in the morning are clogged with commuters.
The unemployed person imo, has to be willing to understand, that they have to start over again. I am older than you by a bit btw. I work hard at all of my works. And now I finally have a vacation.
There is work, take anything, see where you can grow. One of the guys at the restaurant, also unemployed out of his field, I see he is studying medical tech stuff now. Maybe it took his working in the rest. to get to this point. Now he will have a better future.
Instead of complaining (not saying you), get a job, clean floors and toilets if you have to, get out there and start to see where you can build from there.
I don’t think there is any other way unfortunately.
Good luck
Adam
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another thing you can do besides voting, is to write letters to your local rags.
I have seen for example, the Westchester Guardian published columnist after columnist displaying their love of illegal immigrants. Liberals work these people and their countrymen and get those votes.
The basic premise they write about, all emotional and nostalgic of course, is that the law is bad.
So that justified breaking it.
If you take the time to write rebuttals to this liberal garbage, you might influence other voters.
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Joe,
Liberals want to tax everything and take your possessions. Any time you give in to them with a wealth tax, they keep lowering it to just above their wealth, but taking yours.
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The liberals want to ONLY tax the wealthy (those earning $80K or more a year per family — not exactly MY definition of wealthy…) and the conservatives want a flat tax for EVERYONE.
Let’s compromise — 15% income tax on everything earned over $15K (including government subsidies) for everyone and then an additional 10% on everything earned above $50 million per year. That would make a top tax bracket of 25% for money earned OVER $50,000,000. We’ll keep the deductions for children and not tax savings, mortgage interest, capital investment, and permanently do away with the “death tax”.
Sound fair??
More to the topic, I like the notion of not being able to vote in the next election if you didn’t vote in the prior election!! It a duty, people — DO IT!!
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Joe was in rare form that day. He walks into Kopp’s Custard stand yelling, “Where’s the ICE CREAM??”
Uh..it’s a CUSTARD stand, Joe..?
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Deborah:
While we sympathize with your situation we must point out that it is the Democrats who control policy, both domestic and foreign. The Democrats hold the White House and both houses. Thus, this economy is being driven by the Democrat agenda.
Paul Krugman is the man who talked about a world-wide depression. He did this in order to spread fear and convince people that we need to spend even more money—which we don’t have. Quite frankly, I believe Krugman is delusional.
Keynesian economics do not work. They have never worked, and they never will work. Just look at Greece and Western Europe who are bleeding red ink.
Even they, a bunch of Socialists, do not buy Obamanomics.
As Milton Friedman said: “There are no free lunches.”
Your notion of being “forced to make aliyah” because of poverty does not ring true.
Most Jews make aliyah out of love of the land, and in fact, make financial sacrifices to live in Eretz Yisroel.
We wish you the best of luck in your job search.
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The Republican agenda is ruining the USA I have been out of work for a year and I have to watch the the Republican filibuster again and again the unemployment extension, I don’t know if I should scream or cry. I just read yesterday that because I am over 50 I may never work again and that there maybe a world wide depression because the emphasis on deficits instead of emergency action to stop this financial mess. Jews in America maybe forced to make aylia when we find ourselves living in our cars
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Johnny -
I believe that 2010 – and 2012 – will be one of the most important elections in this country’s history.
I often think about Reagan’s legacy and how – had Bush Sr. understood it – how things would have been so different today.
On Peggy Noonan – I think there is a “Beltway Snobbery” that has been around for generations – Goldwater vs Rockefeller, Reagan vs “The East” (with Wm F. Buckley being an exception), Palin vs – well, the Manhattan-DC “media elite”, and so on.
You have an interesting Senatorial election coming up -
Speaking of Ronald Reagan and this being a wonderful site where I have learned so much of classic Hollywood, I have a Ronald Reagan story as related by a legendary producer, A.C. Lyles.
A.C. is unique is that he has worked at Paramount since 1928, when he was 10 years old.
He and Reagan were good friends, and Reagan asked him what he thought of him running for Governor.
Reagan decided to canvass his neighborhood (Bel Air? Pacific Palisades? Robert?) – anyway the 2 of them “worked the street” taking an informal survey of his political chances.
They got to a house where a woman answered the door – and was a bit irritated for being disturbed.
The woman asked Reagan what he did – and Reagan replied that he was an actor. The woman then said “At my card games, my friends and I have a game – we guess an actor’s identity by their initials – G.A. is Gene Autry, C.L. is Carole Lombard….what are your initials?”
To which Reagan obviously answered “R.R”.
The woman suddenly became excited and beamed, calling for her husband.
“You’ll never guess who’s here, honey – Roy Rogers!”
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Obama and Biden have no clue about the economy. They are besotted with beliefs about what makes an economy work that even Russian commies laugh at now.
In 1982 I was a young CPA working with small businesses. While the media was always talking about the failure of Reaganomics, I saw our clients willing to invest in their companies because the tax cuts were the incentive they needed. By the end of 1982 companies that had losses in 1980 and 1981 were starting to show profits. I told my girlfriend (and soon-to-be wife) that if I had any money it would go in the stock market because the economy was going to take off.
Reagan was no financial wizard but he understood human nature. He knew better than Obama ever will that socialism sounds good but is a failure everywhere it is tried. When I think back on how the media made him out to be a stupid rube I can’t help but look at how the “smart” people trash Palin. And there should be a special place in a hot eternity for Peggy Noonan after she treated Palin the way Reagan’s enemies treated him. I refuse to believe that she did not remember how her boss was portrayed and I lost all respect I ever had for her.
Fortunately people are becoming aware of the failures of Obama. We in Missouri will have a vote soon on Obamacare and I am ready for the pundits on MSNBC call us idiots for voting against “free” healthcare when we vote it down. 2012 can’t come fast enough and the GOP had better nominate someone with half the intelligence of Reagan because we already know the Democrats won’t.
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There is a trembling in the universe.
I quote: “Profundity is a funny thing. Sometimes it is absent in the expected places – Ivy League universities, for instance…”
WRITTEN by an NPR writer. How can that be?
The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner
To comment a little more directly on something you actually wrote, I do vote. Although California makes it a little irritating by asking us to vote about every little thing that comes up, those indecisive, squabbling spoiled brats in the Legislature.
And it’s safe to say that our votes cancel each others’ out. But we’re doing our duty.
Have a good day,
Jenny
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Some pundit said that our tax rate now is far higher than in 1776 – when we rebelled. But then only 40% of Americans are paying income taxes these days.
Even the socialistic Europeans know every citizen should pay something.
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