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Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Free Stuff

There is an email currently in circulation, titled “We Are Not Coming Back”, said to be written by Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, spiritual leader of Congregation Bnai Yeshurun in Teaneck, New Jersey (Refer to bio on Avi Weiss–Wikipedia), explaining the loss of the 2012 presidential election by Governor Wilbur Romney. Rabbi Pruzansky’s email was quite long and encompassed several subjects in the course of his explanation, one of which I have already addressed a few days ago, titled “Conservative Virtues” (see below), in which  I told you why Governor Romney really lost the election. Beginning below and continuing with additional postings within the near future, I’ll discuss the remaining subjects about which he spoke.

Today, I want to talk about “Free Stuff”. The Rabbi said, in effect, Governor Romney lost the election because of the American people’s propensity for free stuff. Before settling down to an objective discussion of the subject, however, I am compelled to rid my chest of the ire I feel with the Rabbi’s statement about “free stuff”, i.e. charity. Rabbi Pruzansky is a Jew! To my knowledge, there is no civilization in the history of this earth, God’s very creation, which has been more magnanimous in its attitude and teachings toward giving, loving, and being charitable to all than the Jew (except maybe for the Christian). The Jews have been shining examples to welfare throughout history. He’s a Jew; he’s a Rabbi; and he is negative to charity? Frankly, his political stance defies my imagination.

What is this free stuff anyway? In his email, Rabbi Pruzansky talks about 47,000,000 people on food stamps, people receiving two full years of unemployment compensation, a disincentive to look for work while acting as an incentive to work off the books “while collecting a windfall”, “the difficulty of (Romney) winning an election in which ‘47% of the people’ start off against him because they pay no taxes and just receive money-‘free stuff’-from the government”.

How dare anybody talk like that or refer to our people in such a manner–his very audacity infuriates me! We have over twenty million people out of work in this country who can’t buy a job. Most of them lost their jobs through no fault of their own. Do you remember the crash of 2008? I don’t know how many are living with their families on the streets and in their cars. I don’t know how many have lost or are under water with their homes in a stage of repossession. I don’t know how many jobs were moved to another country, putting our people on the streets, so that people like Steve Jobs, Sam Walton, etc., etc could make an extra buck to pay for his $4,000 shower curtains or mansion in the hills. How dare he? How dare anybody.

Yes. There are thieves and robbers among us. There are those who take advantage of the system, those who lie, cheat, and steal with impunity. I’ll admit that. Let’s name names. I’ll begin by giving you one name, and perhaps you can continue the process by naming others. For starters, let’s begin with Bernie Madoff. According to the write-up in Wikipedia, the money missing from his client accounts, including fabricated gains was almost $65 Billion. How many food stamps might that buy? Now, it’s your turn to give a name.

I submit to you. Governor Romney didn’t lose the election because 47% of us didn’t have any skin in the game as he said. We have skin in the game all right. We really do! We not only have skin in the game, it’s our skin that’s on the line here. Answer me this. How many trillion dollars are lying off the shores of this country evading taxes?  Whose skin is it in the Cayman’s? Whose skin is it in Switzerland? It’s long past time for some people in this country to stand up and do the right thing. Our nation is in serious trouble.

Ronald Miller
mtss86@bellsouth.net


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