Schumer Has No Principles
If I remember correctly, Senator Schumer never spoke publicly about his opposition to the Obama Iran deal and waited until his vote didn’t matter to vote against it.
He was not, is not, and will never be a “ray of hope,” as you put it in your editorial last week. He is a filthy politician who supports the “progressives” in the Democratic Party as long as it benefits his career.
Charles Feldman
Flushing, NY
Telling Sign?
If you hang an American flag outside your home, everyone knows whom you voted for. Think about that.
Chanina Mayerfeld
Revenge Is the Order of the Day
I was waiting for Biden’s inauguration, hoping that things would calm down in our once wonderful country. I thought with the Democrats in charge of both houses of Congress and the White House, they would let go of their desire for revenge.
Sadly, that isn’t happening. The feverish desire to impeach a president who’s no longer president is nothing more than pure revenge.
It’s a little strange, though, that someone like Maxine Waters who openly called for violence this past summer gets to vote on whether President Trump called for violence. And Nancy Pelosi, who was silent when the real insurrection was taking place this past summer in cities like Seattle, Portland, and Chicago, (to name a few), gets to decide what insurrection really is. In fact, this is the same Nancy who kneeled in Congress for Black Lives Matter.
And let’s not forget that Trump accomplished many, many very good things, without getting even one day of relief from the fanatical hatred of the leftists.
And what about the “Kings of Technology” who believe they can decide who has free speech? Are they descendants of George Orwell?
If President Biden is serious about unity and being the president of all the people, I suggest he respect the 75 million Americans who voted for Trump and reign in Madame Nancy and the rest of his party.
Nachum Myers
Over-Reliance on Masks?
It’s surprising to see all the criticism of Rabbi Chananya Weissman’s article, “Herd Immunity Or Herd Insanity?,” which seemed to imply that one should flaunt Covid rules.
We know you’re not supposed to rely in miracles, and some say adhering to Covid rules is hishtadlus. I don’t believe Rabbi Weissman disagrees with this. The impression I got from his article is that he goes to one extreme to point out how improper the other extreme – mindless reliance on PPE (personal protective equipment) – is.
I’m not a rabbi, but my understanding of hishtadlus is that you do your part and leave the rest to G-d. But it seems that many people put their entire faith in their “hishtadlus” and, for them, G-d never enters the picture. If masks are that effective, how do you explain emergency medical personnel – who are covered with PPE from head to toe – catching the virus?
Perhaps what Rabbi Weissman was trying to convey is that wearing a mask without any thought of Divine help is a form of relying on miracles.
Josh Greenberger
Brooklyn, NY
A New Era Is Upon Us
Last Wednesday marked a watershed moment in American history. For 244 years, America was a free-enterprise democratic republic, where opportunity for advancement was limited only by one’s determination to work hard.
America has imperfections, but perfection is a goal to be strived for and can never be attained absolutely. Still, America became the most glorious country in history and was the envy of the rest of the world, and the land most people dreamed of coming to.
But now Biden has resumed working on the goal started 12 years ago by Barack Obama, who pledged to “fundamentally transform” America. The openly stated agenda of Democrats include various government-guaranteed forms of medical care for all, free higher education, higher minimum wages, more affordable housing, open immigration, and more.
While these sound benevolent, they cost money, which will come in the form of higher taxes and by cutting services like the police and military spending. All of which make for a less secure, not better country.
Additionally, the current political climate encourages intolerance and stifling of dissenting views and using the full weight of government – which represents only one half of the people – to dominate the other half. This in effect means thought control.
For Jews, the immediate future looks especially ominous. We have returned to the Obama years, who had the most openly hostile relationship with Israel of any president. The new administration is infused with a large number of anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian, and pro-Iranian officials, which does not bode well for us.
In summary, the agenda of the new administration indicates that in the future America will be more of an autocratic socialist state than the free democracy it has been since its founding.
Max Wisotsky
Highland Park, NJ
Economic Consequences
Get ready for some tough times ahead. Joe Biden has announced some of his economic plans. They can be summarized as “Tried and Failed.” The minimum wage increase to $15 per hour will quickly decrease the number of low skill jobs available.
Income redistribution will raise taxes on the wealthy, who will have less incentive to work to create innovative products and hire people to produce those products. Lower-income Americans will also have less incentive to work as the social safety net meets or exceeds what a job can provide.
And printing money for additional social programs will inevitably cause inflation.
Arthur Horn
Fort Lee, NJ
A Terrible Day
I was extremely disappointed that The Jewish Press did not editorialize on the violent insurrection that occurred at the Capitol Building two weeks ago.
Your silence was deafening! This act needs to be unequivocally condemned by every rational media outlet in the country, especially one representing Orthodox Jews, who should be even more respectful of law and order.
I also believe it was a chillul Hashem that so many Orthodox Jews participated in the senseless rally that directly preceded the surge at the Capitol.
I believe further that it behooves every rabbi and Jewish leader in America to stop repeating the pernicious lie of widespread election fraud. The fact that Trump’s election fraud cases were repeatedly rejected by the courts, including twice by the Supreme Court, should have put an end to these spurious claims long ago.
When we had a Sanhedrin, the halacha followed the majority, and the minority – even if it was convinced it was correct – had to abide by the majority’s decision. Otherwise, chaos would have ensued. What we witnessed on January 6 was total chaos, and if we don’t respect the rule of law and put aside our differences for the country’s sake, the chaos will only continue and become even more violent and extreme.
While we may be disappointed that Trump lost, we should lend our support to Biden so our democracy can endure.
I commend Vice President Mike Pence for being a mensch by not listening to his boss and following his responsibility to ratify the electoral votes in the Senate and declaring Biden the winner. I also commend him for congratulating both Biden and Harris on their victories and attending the inauguration.
Trump’s current petulant and despicable behavior, in contrast, will unfortunately be his everlasting legacy, overriding all his many positive accomplishments.
Judah Moskowitz
New York, NY
With One Stroke of the Pen
With one stroke of the pen, our puppet-of-the left, avuncular-looking president eliminated 11,000 American jobs by ordering an end to work on the Alaska pipeline. Don’t know anyone performing this work that helped end our reliance on foreign oil? Maybe you’ll have more empathy for their plight after prices go up at the pump or for heating your home.
With one stroke of the pen, we are back to critical race theory indoctrination. I hope your job doesn’t require you to attend seminars in which you are made to apologize for your whiteness/privilege and for the systemic racism of your former country.
With one stroke of the pen, the ban on travel from state sponsors of terror – e.g., Iran, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan – has been lifted. A bit concerned? Ilhan Omar is happy. She had, of course, opposed the ban as being racist and enacted “because some people did something” on 9/11.
With one stroke of the pen, all deportation of persons who enter this country illegally were halted. As I make plans to travel for Passover, I’m reading New York’s requirements for re-entry into the country: a Covid test 72 hours prior to my return, quarantine for three days after landing, and a repeat Covid test on the fourth day – with threats of a $10,000 fine if I don’t comply.
What do you suppose the requirements will be for the thousands of persons poised to enter the U.S. on our southern border?
Theresa Rosenfeld
New York, NY