At least someone had the courage to come out and say it. And the truth is, we’ve no one to blame but ourselves: in a democracy, you get the government you deserve. They’ve turned us into second-class citizens because we’ve let them. And they will continue to do so as long as we continue to let them. I once heard a state assemblyman say, only half-mockingly, that all you had to do to get the support of Jews was say a few kind words about Israel. We’ve made Albany safe for Israel, but unfair to anyone who believes in God.
In the fight over tax credits, the chief opponent – the 800-pound gorilla that strikes fear in the hearts of Democrats and Republicans alike – is the teachers’ union. Man the lifeboats! The teachers’ union!
How many teachers are there? According to its website, the United Federation of Teachers has a total of 140,000 members.
How many people are out there paying tuition? According to the New York State Department of Education, there are approximately 300,000 students in Catholic schools, 100,000 in yeshivas and another 100,000 in secular private schools. How many votes does that translate into? I’ll take a wild guess and say half a million. And that doesn’t even count the parents of public school kids, who’ll receive the same benefits.
We held a rally in Albany on February 14 in favor of tax credits. It was a smashing success. Thousands of students from all over the state participated. The governor came out and voiced his support before a cheering crowd. No, tax credits aren’t going to solve the yeshiva tuition crisis. But even a tax credit of $500 per pupil works out to $50 million a year for parents of yeshiva students. How many Chinese auctions would it take to raise $50 million?
I’m done debating the meaning of the Blaine Amendment. It’s time we proposed an equal rights amendment of our own. It will read: “The State Legislature shall pass no law discriminating against any person by reason of the fact that he or she believes in God.” Let the politicians vote on that one. And let the opponents express their bigotry openly, instead of hiding behind the twisted sophistry of James Blaine and his amendment.
And then let’s reclaim our citizenship together with other people of faith and vote the bigots out of office.
