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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 August 14, 2009 / 24 Menachem-Av 5769

Who's un-American?

By Linda Chavez


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Like most epithets, the u-word says more about the person hurling it than it does about the object of disapproval. So when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called opponents of Democrats' health care reform "un-American" this week, she became the focus of attention, not the vocal protestors at congressional town hall forums. In a column for USA Today, Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer accused those who have showed up at rallies of "drowning out the facts" and pointed to a handful of over-the-top protestors among the many who are genuinely frightened by what the Democrats propose. But the Democrats' name-calling is backfiring.


A USA Today poll finds that a majority of Americans believe that "angry attacks" on proposed health care legislation are examples of "democracy in action," not an "abuse of democracy," and that these protests reflect concerns that "average citizens had well before the meetings took place." Nonetheless, most people don't like opponents who try to shout down supporters. Incivility — no matter who engages in it — still isn't popular with the public, but calling people who disagree with you un-American is the ultimate in incivility.


Unfortunately, the Democrats, especially the president, have created the problem they now deplore by trying to run campaign-style rallies around the country to gin up support for health care reform. They've packed halls with union members guaranteed to voice support and then been taken aback at the temerity of others who use similar tactics to organize opposition. If health care reform is going to be decided like an election, no one should be surprised when rhetoric carries the day and "facts" become in dispute. After all, if everyone agreed on the facts, we wouldn't need elections.


President Obama seems to believe that he has a mandate to overhaul the entire health care system. But his timetable — he originally wanted a bill on his desk before the August congressional recess — has made genuine debate on the issue difficult. It's no surprise that the public feels railroaded when the president insists he wants to spend more than a trillion dollars and change the way most Americans pay for health care.


Why the rush? The way the Democrats are selling health care reform feels a lot like a car dealer desperate to make a sale. The salesman shows you a shiny new model and tells you that you can drive it off the lot today, no money down, and you won't have to pay a penny until sometime in the distant future. What's more, he'll give you a great deal as a trade in on your reliable existing car. But the offer is only good if you make the decision on the spot. And, he doesn't have a copy of the actual contract so that you can read it before signing, but, not to worry, you can trust him.


Only a fool would buy under those circumstances, but Americans are expected to buy into something even more fundamental in the health care reform the Democrats are selling — and to do so without a peep of protest.


The Democrats may have the votes to ram health care reform down the throats of the American public, but they do so at their own peril. President Obama's popularity is already suffering because voters have become wary that he's spending too much money and mortgaging our future. He's down to 47 percent approval in the latest Rasmussen tracking polls, and those who strongly disapprove of the job he's doing outnumber those who strongly approve by nearly 10 percent. But the president has three more years before he faces the electorate again, while many Democrats in Congress don't have that luxury. Those who won in previously Republican seats are worried, rightly so.


There is no reason why health care, which accounts for over a sixth of our economy, has to be entirely redesigned in the next few months. It's better to do it right than to do it fast. And there's nothing un-American about voicing honest concerns when our elected leaders seem not to want to listen.

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 Linda Chavez is President of the Center for Equal Opportunity. Her latest book is "Betrayal: How Union Bosses Shake Down Their Members and Corrupt American Politics". (Click HERE to purchase. Sales help fund JWR.)

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