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Nov. 23, 2009
JWisdom.com: Actually, it really is all about you with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff
Nov. 20, 2009
Rabbi David Aaron: How to make every second of your life come first
Caroline B. Glick: Whither American Jewry
Nov. 19, 2009
Binyamin L. Jolkovsky: Please Listen to this Godcast (5 minutes)
Jonathan Tobin: ADL Crosses the Line with Report Bashing Obama Critics
Nov. 18, 2009
Rabbi Yonason Goldson: What Judaism has to say about the secret of the Mona Lisa's smile
JWisdom.com: The (Jewish) Dating Game with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (8 minutes)
Nov. 17, 2009
Steven Emerson: How Does the 4th Amendment Impact Terror Finance Investigations?
JWisdom.com: If Frank Sinatra married Edith Piaf with Rabbi Y.Y. Rubinstein (2 minutes) Life lessons from what would be regarded as the most inappropriate lyrics ever sung
Nov. 16, 2009
The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir : When borrowing is stealing
JWisdom.com: Deconstructing faith with Rabbi Warren Goldstein (9 minutes)
Nov. 13, 2009
JWisdom.com Sarah's subjective reality with Rabbi Sroy Levitansky ( 6 minutes)
Caroline B. Glick: Obama's failure, Netanyahu's opportunity
Nov. 12, 2009
The Kosher Gourmet By Marialisa Calta : A sweet sweet potato treat
JWisdom.com Does God get tired? with Rabbi Harvey Belovski ( 5 minutes)
Nov. 11, 2009
Rabbi Avi Shafran: Jews and money: When anti-Semitism isn't
JWisdom.com Marriages are not made in Heaven with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (VERY fast 15 minutes)
Nov. 10, 2009
Michael Doyle: Author of book exposing CAIR ordered to remove supporting documents from Web
JWisdom.com If the creation so loudly shouts the existence of the Creator, why aren't more people believers? with Rabbi Naftali Brawer (9 minutes)
Nov. 9, 2009
Mark Steyn: Shooter exposes hole in U.S. terror strategy
JWisdom.com It's never too late to have a happy childhood with Sarah Chana Radcliffe (5 minutes)
Nov. 6, 2009
Rabbi Berel Wein: Choosing to hear
JWisdom.com Zero to 1/60th: How to Empower An Hour with Gavriel Aryeh Sande (7 minutes)
Caroline B. Glick The mullahs' big week
Suzanne Fields A Fallen Wall for Fallen Man
Nov. 5, 2009
The Kosher Gourmet: Three scrumptious -- but simple -- butternut squash dishes
JWisdom.com Hidden Hints: Unlocking Faith & Prayer with Rabbi Jay Yaacov Schwartz (10 minutes)
Nov. 4, 2009
Tom Hamburger and Kim Geiger: Should prayers be covered?
JWisdom.com When God played peacemaker With Rabbi Sroy Levitansky (5 minutes)
Nov. 3, 2009
Martin Peretz: Beware, Barack. Beware, Rahm. Beware, Axelrod
JWisdom.com Are you are closet idolater? With Sara Yoheved Rigler (10 minutes)
Nov. 2, 2009
Paul Greenberg: The Holocaust is now on Facebook
JWisdom.com Abraham's Strange Change With Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer (5 minutes)
Oct. 29, 2003
Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)

Jewish World Review June 18, 2008 / 15 Sivan 5768

As the world churns

By Ed Koch


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | One of the top issues in the presidential campaign is medical insurance, or rather, the lack of it.


The New York Times reported this week that, "About 25 million Americans did not have sufficient coverage last year to shield them from financial hardship," and that is an increase of nine million since 2003. Add to that number "the approximately 50 million uninsured Americans," and that is 75 million Americans that face an economic catastrophe should they get seriously sick, approximately 25 percent of the United States population. If either candidate or even a minor party candidate could persuade that block of voters to bullet vote on that issue alone, that candidate could win or decide who would.


Neither Senator Obama nor Senator McCain adequately address the issue. Obama permits those who - primarily young people - believe they will never get sick and need no insurance and can avoid the premiums to do so. That violates a basic premise of insurance, which is that you cover the sick and the healthy to reduce the collective cost.


McCain requires no one to be covered, leaving it to the individual to take or not to take the income tax exemption provided under his proposal and buy their individual policies. The proposal offered by Hillary Clinton is still the best and should be appropriated by one of the two candidates.


I believe that the United States now has a responsible immigration policy. We allow about a million people a year to enter our borders and become eligible for U.S. citizenship. However, there are those -- and that includes both presidential candidates -- who believe that illegal aliens should have a path to citizenship as well. I do not.


I believe if more immigrants are desirable, and I think they are, it should be done by increasing the legal numbers permitted to come here. The supporters of illegal immigrants advocating amnesty and "a path to citizenship" raise the false specter of arresting 12 to 20 million illegals, putting them on buses and boxcars, and shipping them home. That, of course, is ridiculous and no one is advocating such a Nazi-like tactic. What everyone knows is that if there are no jobs available, huge numbers of illegals will contemplate going home on their own and in fact that is now happening.


On May 1, 2008 The New York Times reported, "As a result of the difficulties [getting a job and law enforcement efforts], among immigrants who had been here less than five years, 49 percent said they were thinking of returning home, while 41 percent said they planned to remain in the United States. Overall, slightly under one-third of the immigrants said they were thinking of leaving this country. In 2001, the last time a similar survey asked a comparable question, about 20 percent of Latino immigrants said they were thinking of going home." The pressures should be brought on the employers. White collar criminals need only a brief stay in jail to give up their avarice - a 30 day sentence for a first offense, with the doubling of the sentence for each subsequent offense, along with a hefty fine, in my judgment, would be adequate to stem the lawlessness.


I repeat a suggestion I made some time ago. The federal government should offer free transportation back to the country of origin and a $500 per person reward for those who appear at the American embassy in the country of origin to collect it. Regrettably, none of this will happen because there are so many institutions and public officials that defend illegal immigration and believe in a policy of open borders. It is a philosophy which would impose limitations on the United States which are not imposed on other countries. Another example is the constant attack by environmentalists on the United States and President Bush for not joining the Kyoto Treaty which is up for renewal in 2012.


No matter how many times it is pointed out that China is a huge user of fossil fuels and a polluter which recently took second place heretofore held by Japan following the United States, those criticizing the U.S. excuse China and do not bracket the two demanding both sign the Kyoto protocols simultaneously. How will those critics of the U.S. react now that, according to The New York Times of June 14th, "China has clearly overtaken the United States as the world's leading emitter of carbon dioxide, the main heat-trapping gas." The Times further reported that "in 2007, China's emissions were 14 percent higher than those of the U.S." and China had "carbon emissions seven percent higher by volume than the U.S. in 2006." Kyoto excluded from coverage the developing nations of China and India.


In Great Britain, Prime Minister George Brown just won a vote in Parliament on providing additional time to hold terrorist suspects in jail without charging them from 28 days to 42 days, by the skin of his teeth with the Conservative Party and a substantial number of Labor backbenchers voting against the bill. According to The New York Times, should the law be enacted, "for suspects to be held beyond 28 days, the government would have to win parliamentary backing for an order, valid for 30 days, declaring 'a grave exceptional terrorist threat.' Any suspect held beyond 28 days would have the right to appeal to a judge," and "compensation, which some lawmakers said would be as much as $6,000 a day."


Britain has been plagued with severe homegrown terrorism from its local Muslim population. Congratulations to Prime Minister Brown who is exhibiting the understanding of the dangers of Islamic terrorism recognized by Tony Blair and not being deterred by those who for philosophical or political tactics decline to. Regrettably, I believe those with resolve to stand up to worldwide Islamic terrorism in the United States are weakening.


The New York Times reported on June 12th that "a federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday that immigration judges and the appellate system established as a check on their decisions committed 'obvious errors' by denying asylum to three Guinean women who claimed that they were victims of genital cutting back in Africa." One of the lawyers for the women said, "Today's ruling is a tremendous victory for women who seek our nation's protection to escape the brutal practice of female genital mutilation and the other forms of gender persecution that are associated with it."


The Times article continued, "The practice of genital cutting, a tradition throughout sub-Saharan Africa, has long been criticized by human rights groups and the United Nations." Of course, but does that mean that the millions of women who live there are eligible to enter the U.S. as refugees? The Times reported, "In previous cases, the board has said that women subject to forced sterilization are routinely granted asylum." This would cover millions of women living in China under that country's one child only policy. I believe that the United States should be compassionate, but irrational, no.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

JWR contributor Edward I. Koch, the former mayor of New York, can be heard on Bloomberg Radio (WBBR 1130 AM) every Sunday from 9-10 am . Comment by clicking here.

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