By Howard Kleinhendler. The United States is a little more than a week away from defaulting on its debt, a pathetic milestone that it has never reached before. The Republican Congressional caucus has abandoned all sense of responsibility and instead has surrendered to the TEA-party zealots whose single mandate is to make sure millionaires continue to get tax breaks. The country cannot be governed by political, neophyte, ideologues that cannot compromise.
New Jersey is suffering dearly from the influence of the TEA-toilers. We’ve now had 18 months of Christie’s chest-pounding, teacher-bashing, cop-hating, rhetoric and where are we. Unemployment is at 9.5%, well above the nation’s average. Our credit rating has been trounced; ten school districts are under investigation for doctoring exams in order to meet the current “score high enough or you lose your funding” school budgetary policy; and, property taxes are going nowhere but up. Indeed, for the first time in recent history, Lakewood’s estimated property tax bills have not been mailed. I wonder what the problem is? Has Ocean County run out of money for postage, or do the Republicans in charge (students and associates of Ritacco) need a little more time to cook the books so they can appear not to raise taxes?
The smoke and mirrors coming out of Trenton are frightening. Christie has “left the building,” spending his time partying in Iowa and other presidential stomping grounds, hoping that Miss Migraine, Michelle Bachman, will win the primary and choose him as VP or install him in a senior cabinet post. Never mind that medical benefits to seniors have been severely cut and Lakewood’s school district has lost 40 special education aides. The concerns of the elderly and the neediest of our children are expendable. In Christie-land, the math always leads to prosperity based on better lives for the wealthy, which on their own will solve all of our state’s ills. After all, Republican economic theory is based on the premise that the wealthy will spend all their money creating more jobs for the poor. Problem is that recent history disproves the theory. We’ve had 11 years of the Bush tax cuts and our economy is on the brink of bankruptcy because we have to borrow trillions to pay for Bush’s wars and Wall Street’s unfettered excesses. Indeed, it’s the height of absurdity that the discredited rating agencies that gave sub-prime mortgages AAA ratings are now the ones threatening to lower the country’s credit rating and drive the country into economic collapse.
But, the Democrats are not either without their lunacies. Today marks the first day that New York judges will perform same-sex marriages. As a former New Yorker, I am ashamed at this assault on the sanctity of marriage and family. No matter what your religion, the bond of man and woman is sacred and must be encouraged and protected. Now, we have to teach our six-graders about same-sex relationships. While we still have not lost our sanity in New Jersey; New York’s actions, a product of democratic liberalism, is deeply disturbing.
We’ve got to move away from political ideological fringes. As I have said before, the key to our economic recovery is not yelling and screaming and hating people. It’s not based on inflexible ideologies. It’s going to happen by luring private investment with generous tax abatements and loan guarantees; by investing in rail and road improvements predominantly with federal funds that have been allotted for these projects; by developing alternative energy like solar and wind so we can wean ourselves from $4 a gallon gas; and through intelligent tort-reform so doctors can focus on medicine instead of their malpractice insurance premiums and medical costs can stop spiraling out of control. In government, these goals are met through compromise and common sense. There is no room for “my way or the highway,” rhetoric. It creates stagnation and collapse. We need progress and prosperity. It’s time for leadership that cares about the people and not merely about the next election. Hopefully, New Jerseyans will vote with their brains this November and install politicians who can legislate for progress and not settle for more of the same, “I scratch your back, you scratch mine,” political cronyism.
Quote “The Republican Congressional caucus has abandoned all sense of responsibility and instead has surrendered to the TEA-party zealots whose single mandate is to make sure millionaires continue to get tax breaks.”
REALLY ! ! ! tea party people are mainstream Americans that are just sick & tired of the (moderated) that most politicains have dished out to the citizens of this great country .
No its you and Obama the radical leftist who are spending 4 billion dollars a day, a deficit of 4.2 trillion dollars. We gonna be worse then Greece very soon. Thanks to the liberals unemployment at 9.2%, the economy is shattered. We will vote Obama out!
“While we still have not lost our sanity in New Jersey; New York’s actions, a product of democratic liberalism, is deeply disturbing.”
to late buddy… nj is the cart right behind, inline on the liberal train that’s heading to derail this nation.
Rav Avigdor Miller zt”l said we shouldn’t trust the Democrats. He was a very wise man. I strongly suggest that you listen to him.
As a friend, I’ve defended you in the past. As of 12:01 this morning, when NY state’s toeva marriage law went into effect, I can no longer stomach the fact that you’ve chosen to associate with and support the party responsible for the degradation and ruination of America’s moral standards. Although I realize that as a frum Jew you don’t support these policies, your membership in this morally corrupt party is, in my opinion, a tacit endorsement of their anti-Torah values and agenda.
For a shot time there i almost would’ve voted for you. Thank you for showing your true ideology (hint: they are not lined up with mine).
I am sure the 50 years of tax & spend worked well for the “main stream” democratic coffee-partiers. Uuhmm, not really as we have some serious debt issues.
What are you saying the Republicans are the problem, if so YOU are the problem. The republicans are trying to control spending, YOUR idea is get some more credit cards….. think about it …. if I ran my household spending like that I would be in JAIL! You BASH the Republicans how they handle money and the Democrats for supporting GAYS, why not compare Republican spending vs Democrat spending THAT would be a valid comparison. But that wouldn’t prove you point.
How about a basic concept we all live by, you don’t spend money you don’t have.
It is the height of immaturity to keep spending money you don’t have and keep maxing out credit card after credit card.
Will you encourage your children to live such a lifestyle?
The chickens have come home to roost.
Obama’s drunken spending sprees, have quadrupled our debt and our country is going to become a 3rd world country, unless some mature GOPers step up and stop him, and make the significantly cut spending.
FYI, most AVERAGE citizens are 100% tea party ideaology.
I had considered voting for you in the past, as I thought you were at least fiscally conservative, but I see I was wrong.
Democrats have had plenty of time to come up with a budget – last session nothing. This session nothing. How do you run a house w/o a budget? NOW you want to say it is the republicans fault? They have come up with a plan and they voted for it and it passed.
The house is known as the ‘peoples house’ because it most accurately reflects the peoples view. The democrats and you included know that people want responsible government. We are sick of all the regulations getting crammed down our throat. Every industry is losing revenue due to the heavy regulations- mortgage (finance), doctors, attorneys, etc. the list goes on and on.
There are very few poor people in this great nation. People need to get off their sofa and start working NOT get social programs that enable them to have everything w/o working. We are going broke and someone needs to pay for it.
Republicans are being responsible. Is there anything wrong with having a balanced budget? Is there anything wrong with cutting waste from the government? The government is one big black whole. Most people know this.
I am still trying to understand the democratic president of ours who said most people WANT an increase in taxes. Who was he referring to? The 60% of people who don’t pay taxes anyway? Anyone who pays taxes doesn’t want ANY increase as it is already way too much of our chunk that the government is taking.
The democrats have been busy blaming everybody except themselves. They controlled everything the last 1.5 years and they just made us into a bigger mess.
Yes, I will give you that president Bush wasn’t a fiscally responsible president and it caused many problems.
Now it is time to clean up the mess and have responsible government – the only ones ready to do it are the republicans.
I bet you more than half of the pro tea -party comments come from people who benefit from the very programs the tea-party wants cut!
Howard,
What right do you have to call someone who suffers from migraines, “Miss Migraine”? Would you have called President Roosevelt “Mr Polio” or “Mr Wheelchair”?
mocking miss bachman’s migraines seems a bit childish don’t u think?
Fanatics, fanatic speech, those who say others are fanatics- all these are destroying the country.
Tea Party and Republicans are the standard bearer of the mainstrem Amreican.
You are waaaaaaay off base.
Quite a radical leftist kook!
Here we have a Democrat, whose party spent us into TRILLION DOLLAR deficits (they have added $3,000,000,000,000 to the national debt in less than 3 years!!!!) who has the audacity to lecture us in a public forum that people who want to reclaim the fiscal sanity of this country are radical ideologues??!!!???
I’m so glad to read the comments of other rational people in response to this letter. When I read it, I had to walk away from the computer, as I thought my head might explode.
We lakewood residents are not going to fall for this democrat blame everyone else for your own problems kind of people. Your democrat party had more than 2 years to turn around the aconamy!!!you spent trillions on bail out money etc. Promising that will solve all the problems. Look where we are today!!!!an oconamy that needs allot of help and all you do is blame Bush!!!!come on grow up!!!
By the way rich people create jobs not poor people. I don’t want to hear this garbage of Tax cuts for the rich”!they make the jobs!!!!!!
I’m waitng to see if anyone agrees w/you and the democrats. Most americans who actually get off their sofa to vote understand all to well what is going on.
There is no reason to raise the debt limit. Just lower the entitlements and live within your means.Is that so hard to understand?
Making fun of a candidate, Michelle Bachman, based on a medical condition she has, migraines?
A very large percent of people have nebech migraine headaches.
Wow, it seems that any conservative minority candidate is guaranteed to get made fun of in petty ways. These left wing loonys are the biggest hypocrates.
They believe in equal rights unless the person happens to not be a liberal, see Clarenece Thomas, Sara Palin, Michelle Bachman.
The left wingers are the biggest bigots in USA.
President Bush was a great man. The invasion of Iraq to get Al Quada
and weapons of mass destrucion was the right thing to do. It cost us a trillion dollars, but who cares. It’s all Obama’s fault. He’s a liberal. Bad liberal. Bad, bad, bad. I don’t like liberals. They’re all communists. Bad communists. There. Isn’t life simple?!
Where’s Bernard’s response go?
This gentleman recognizes what is happening in our country. The Republicans, as well as the Democrats, have no solution for our unemployment and economic woes. So the Republicans seize upon a diversion of the budget and National Debt to distract people from their failure to address our real issues. They said when they won the House that their main objective was to defeat Pres. Obama. Not to help our nation produce jobs or fix the economy or end the wars. But to win a Presidential Election. They are trying to keep unemployment high and all economic indicators bad so that Obama will look bad for re-election. They are willing to destroy our country for power. This is treason by any other name. I am a registered Republican. I will never vote a Republican on the national level ever again. For you conservatives that are buying the Debt Ceiling issue, Ronald Reagan raised the ceiling 11 times. Every President has raised it. Why is it now an evil thing? Because the low mentality of the Tea Party people is running the party. We need moderates to take control or we will all be in trouble.
Where did my comment go? Are you only printing opponents to the letter?
Where did my comment go? Are you only printing letters opposing the author?
The gentleman is right on target. When they took the House the Republicans said their main objective was to defeat Pres. Obama. Not to address unemployment or the economy. They want unemployment to stay high and the economy to decline so that Obama will look bad for re-election. They have been taken over by ultra-conservatives and Tea Party extremist. There are no moderates left in the Republican Party. Having no solutions to our real problems and not wanting to address them, they come up with diversions like raising the National Debt. The debt was raised by their hero Ronald Reagan 11 times. Why is it a problem now? If they destroy our nations credit rating, and our ability to pay our bills, life as we know it will never be the same. Many people in Lakewood benefit from Federal Programs. When they are no longer getting Medicare, Medicaid and reduced Social Security. When interest rates are 4 times the current rate. We will all suffer thanks to the extremist of the Republican Party. I am a registered Republican. I will never again vote for them on a National level. They are Traitors.
I f I ever had a possibility of voting for you I was now able to make my decision.Republican idealogues??????Obama put us in to 4 trillion dollars of more debt in just 3 years !!!!!!!!!Are you for real ????Do you actually believe what you say????Or do you just have to tow the party line????We never had a more idealogical president in the history of our nation,and his idealogy is real bad for all of us!!!!I guess all us mainstream people with common sense that agree with the tea party all of us only want tax cuts for the rich!!!!
I’m happy to see that theres some diversity in our community.
Yes..one can be frum and be fiscally liberal even socialist.
Every opinion must be respected.
Thank you #21 It’s about time someone addresses the true nature of all this opposition for Obama. I wonder why none of these people in this forum talk about how we ended up with such a big deficit to begin with. Don’t recall hearing any protests about the billions we spend each day by going to war. Lets face facts people. I’ll say what everyone won’t, must of you support the republican party for the simple fact you feel they’re the party for Israel.
I can’t sleep because of my migraine headaches. Stress always brings them on (I’m working on my own debt crisis). Mrs. Bachman may very well become incapacitated at the most critical times in a presidency. Actually, that may make the country better off.
Just want to remind everyone that the Nazi party began by instituting National Health Care as soon as they came to power.
They were the socialist party of Germany. They came to power during the Great Depression. Their leader was very hard on the Jews. They recruited Jews (kappos) to use them against their fellow Jews.
They were pro-union (the socialist ones, not the capitalist ones). They were environmentalists, and pro-animal rights.
All the feel-good stuff.
Beware the Democratic party.
Politics
Poli= many
Tics= Blood sucking parasites
I am so sorry to see this article by Howard Kleinhendler. I know him to be a reasonable person of intellect and skill. He appeared to be more middle-of-the-road to me, however, if this article actually reflects his views, then I must conclude that he is a far left zealot with blinders on.
Let us all hope that he moderates his views, so that he can once again be considered a moderate. Actions rather than words will tell the tail.
Howard, get your act together before it is too late to recover.
Howie, you wrote “The United States is a little more than a week away from defaulting on its debt.”
Really, how do you know this? They are a little more than a week from not raising the debt ceiling. How do you know that the treasury cannot pay its debt?
Your article criticizes what you term as “fanatic ideology.” Excellent point. Then you say that the US will default. Based on what? Based on the rhetoric you hear from fanatical idealogues. Interestingly, your only criticism of democrats is same-gender marriage. What about the metaphorical spin about the debt ceiling?
You also blame the Bush tax cuts and wall-street bailouts. While the bailouts were ridiculious, Obama has continued the policy of unlimited spending. Then you talk about the average person who does not get representation. Howie, the average person needs the tax cuts. Why are you criticizing the tax cuts?
You characterize Christie as a tea-party ideologue. Christie is a fiscal conservative and a social moderate, hardly a tea-party member. He brazenly appointed a radical muslim to the bench, just to prove that he is not anti-muslim. Very reminiscint of a bleeding-heart liberal trying to make himself feel good at other peoples’ expense.
Howie, you have some great ideas and can probably accomplish quite a bit. However, you need to get it right and not be influenced by the fanatical idealouges on the left.
Who is the Tea Party. I am. My neighbors are Tea Party. My family is Tea Party. The regular guy in America is Tea Party.
And that is what scares the elitists. They see us as a real threat to their power. And so they must disparage us and call us extreme.
All we want is a return to fiscal responsibility. You know, the type that made us the greatest country on earth. Fiscal responsibility that every sane and resposible family practices in their own home. Where you don’t spend money if you don’t have it.
Anf dor that we are called extreme fanatic idealogues.
They are scared. The elitists, those who want to control us, are petrified of us. They realize that we are serious about stopping the debt and out of control spending. That we are serious about voting out those who would spend our great country into bankruptcy.
So they call us names. We won’t forget Mr. Kleinhendler.
And to Mr. Hobday:
I have been writing for months about the dangers of this man’s policies. I am happy to see that people are realizing what this man is all about.
DON’T BE FOOLED. HE WILL BE OBAMA’S TAIL.