Thursday, October 28, 2010

SHALOM, LEHITRAOT

WITH G-D'S HELP, we leave Sat nite with our grandson Jonah for a pre Bar Mitzvah tour of Israel.This will be his first trip there,and of course we are excited.
We have already voted by absentee ballot in Fla.
The mess with Clinton asking Meeks to drop out to help Crist to me sounds like a poorly thought out plan.
COULD THE DEMS TRUST CRIST?
WOULD EVERY MEEKS VOTER AUTOMATICALLY VOTE FOR CRIST,OR WOULD SOME BLACKS STAY HOME?
AT A TIME OBAMA WANTS TO MOBILIZE BLACK VOTERS,IS THIS THE BEST STRATEGY?
IF THEY WANTED TO MINIMIZE THE MEEKS VOTE,WHY DID OBAMA COME TO CAMPAIGN FOR HIM?

HOPEFULLY ELLI WILL FIND TIME TO BLOG NEXT WEEK,WHILE I ENJOY THE RESULTS FROM AFAR!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

"BALANCED" COVRAGE / THE FRANK LUNTZ UNION POLL

Anyone who is not a Liberal with a capital L knows that the mainstream media and the major networks are anti- Republican, anti-conservative and anti-Fox.Now comes an objective study from the Media Research Center that documents their bias.
From Sept 1 to Oct 25, the 3 networks had 35 stories that labeled Tea Party and Republican candidates as extremists, but 0 Dems were so described.
Reporters called 48 candidates conservative , but only 14 liberal.No candidate was called "ultra-liberal", but Miller and O'Donnell were called "ultra-conservative".
What happens next Tues and Wed when as predicted there is a blow-out for the Reps,is hard to predict.If Raese (W. Va)) and Kirk (Ill) win, they will be seated immediately.
Right now, it looks like Harry Reid will be out of a job.I try to follow all the polls, and all the political blogs I have time for,and it appears that 55-65 House seats and 8 or 9 Senate seats-(could there be a 10th) will change hands.What a wave!

The new Frank Luntz poll of Union members showing that the majority are not happy with the hundreds of millions of dollars spent by unions on the Democratic party.Remember,these funds are union dues,and 1 or 2 unions even went out to borrow money to send to the campaigns.Will there be a price to pay by the union leadership-especially if their candidates lose?

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

DISTORTED LOGIC

A UN envoy equated a few settlers allegedly destroying olive trees with Hamas terrorism.Suicide bombers,rocket throwers kidnappers,armed thugs who care nothing fOr human life or dignity vs. unproven charges of olive tree destruction.
The other day,after the NPR incident,on one of the internet sites, a well known Arabist in defending NPR, wrote what would have happened if I said every time I get on a plane and see someone wih a yarmulka I get frightened.
I have tried to recall the last othodox Jew who blew up a plane,hijacked a plane,went on a suicide mission and threatened to destroy any non-judaic part of the world.
Anti-semites need no logic to spit out their distorted words.
Sadly we give too much credence to such statements,which allow the world to comment..

Monday, October 25, 2010

Foreclosure solution / A different yeshiva life

I totally understand that the foreclosure mess is compounded by the messy and perhaps illegal paperworks that banks and law firms undertook to close the books on poor loans.
Up to now the spotlight has been on these banks and mortgage foreclosure mills.If they have done things wrong-of course that should be straightened out and if illegal, then criminal prosecution.
However,we are neglecting the role of the homeowner who has not paid their monthly mortgages for many, many months and even years.And they, they are still in their homes.
I propose that the Judges who oversee these cases document non-payment TO ANY BANK OR ENTITY AND a)have the people make payments to the court or b) absent that,the people should be removed from their homes,the Court should take over the possession of the home,and allow its sale and then the money going into escrow,and when the paperwork straightened the true owner(BANK) WILL GET ITS FUNDS,WHILE THE HOUSE CAN NOW BE LEGALLY SOLD.

We did some babysitting in Teaneck this past week for our grandchildren.I recall that when I was in elementary school Yeshiva,there were no school organized sports activities.In high school,there was a school baskeball team but ,that was it.
Today, hockey, wrestling, little league baseball are standard for almost all of the modern yeshiva Day Schools.Everyone one desires can participate ,or try out for the school teams.What a wonderful advancement, to help these young
people become all around and healthy members of our community.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Bibi /The elections

If reports that Bibi is about to restart the settlement freeze are true it would be sad.
Thomas Friedman, who is no friend of the nationalist-zionist camp, is seen as begging "why can't you give Obama 2 months", as though Israel has not made concession after concession.
It is a shame that after 62 years of statehood,Israel has to insist that the PA recognize ISRAEL AS A jEWISH sTATE.
There can never be peace,if the price is to divide Jerusalem, or the "right of return"
The recent attempt to stir up the waters be calling for the abolishment of the Chief Rabbinate will not help unite the country or solve the conversion issue.The
only ones who would gain are the American Reform and Conservative clergy who have no constituency in Israel.
I do agree that pressure must be placed by Bibi on the Chief Rabbinate to once and for all accept the Conversion process within the IDF.

I will be in Israel on election day,therefore will not participate in what should be a festive moment.However, some of the races are so close, and there will be contested write-ins, so that the final decision could be weeks and months away.
Illinois,W. Va and I believe a third state will seat their winners the day after election day.Thus the results could hinder (or help) Harry Reid if he wants to sneak in some post-election nonsense.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

JUAN WILLIAMS

Much has been written and said in the last 24 hours on the NPR decision to fire Williams.
We always knew that NPR was a left leaning org.Liberalism in America today does not respect different points of view,nor do they care about protecting free speech-if the words come from a conservative.
Women liberals not only attack viciously female conservatives, not for their political views, but for their humanity and lack of intelligence.
Liberals today refuse for the most part to admit that radical Islam is a wotldwide criminal-fascist movement that seeks to destroy our way of life.Islam claims it is a religion of peace,but all we see are terrorists,suicide bombers,and hate propoganda.
If there are moderate Islamic leaders,where are they? what have they done to counteract the radicals?
By accepting money from Soros,and inferring that Williams fears need to be addressed by a psychiatrist NPR has shown they are not objective, and should lose their tax-exempt status.If there are federal funds -they should be rescinded.
In fact the fears of Williams about getting on a plane,probably are the fears of 90% of Americans.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

The mortgage mess

Having been involved with refinancing my mortgage earlier in the year,and then trying to ascertain whether I should do it again has made me very aware of conditions on the ground.
Years ago,when I went in to practice in Monsey,I went into the bank,applied for a morgage,and dealt with the Bank President.It was a longstanding relationship, until he left the bank, when the bank changed its name and it all became impersonal.
Today,when you are finally able to get a mortgage, the bank sells it to a third and then multiple parties.At the end Fannie or Freddie wind up with the document
People like our family, and 90% of American homeowners work hard to meet their monthly mortgage payments.They did not lie on their applications,nor did they deliberately get in over their heads.Of course in life,some people suffer setbacks,lose their job, illness etc and find they cannot meet their obligations.For these people bankruptcy or foreclosure are part of our system.
However, when people accepted mortgages with fraud, or by accepting an obligatioin they knew well in advance they could not meet,then the call to stop all foreclosures, or to reduce the principal is unfair and unjust to all those who pay on time.
The real criminals are the politicians of both parties,Freddy and Fannie and the mortgage brokers who took part in a great charade, that hurts all of us.
Howevever, if a person has not paid their mortgage for 18 months ,and so on, the foreclosure should be expedited.This not only fair,but will allow new owners to come in and take these homes off the market-thereby saving neighborhoods.(where vacant foreclosed homes become an eye-sore)

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The end is near / A Taliban victory

Each hour brings conflicting polls.For exmple a Dem. polling group says Sestak is now ahead by 1 point in Pa., while Rasmussen has Toomey up by 10.I guess that is all part of our silly season.
What is not ok is the avalanche of attacks by the Dems without substantiation.When the WH keeps saying that foreign money is fueling the GOP, and despite many attempts to get to the bottom of it,no proof is forthcoming , that is dishonest.
Their answer is "prove to me we are wrong"!
In fact independent fact checkers have indeed proven them wrong,but that won't stop them.
Their goal,as documented by the WSJ,get the names of contributors,so Unions and Move-on.org can harrass them.
They attack Reps.,for wanting to add a VAT, but neglect to say that this would be in lieu of a federal income tax.
They attack Reps who want to discuss privatizing a portion of social security.However, they neglect to say, that this even if passed would not affect any current ss recipients,and that it would be optional,and would if chosen only involve a portion of a persons funds.
At one time in my life I entertained a possibility of running for Congress.Of course I am now too old,but more importantly the need to raise such huge sums of money, and the personal attacks from both parties that distort your life and your every statement has taken the desire from me.

Todays op-ed in the WSJ on talking to the Taliban is a must read. As a veteran of Vietnam I then watched closely the pseudo-negotiations in Paris (I believe) with the Viet Cong and the North, which led to our defeat.By agreeing to sit with them, rather than defeating them,we guarantee a Taliban victory

Monday, October 18, 2010

A 50-50 tie

It now appears that the House will switch to the Rep side.Rasmussen says +55.others say that as much as 100 ALL-DEMOCRATIC seats are in play.
However the Senate still has at least 5 States that could determine
control.The Reps need a 10 seat pickup to gain control.If it should occur that they gain 9, then the count will be 50-50 and VP Biden will cast the tie-breaking vote to organize the Senate.Obviously he will choose the Dem candidate.
Let us look ahead to 2012 at the State of Conn. Joe Lieberman is up for re-election.Remember 4 years ago he lost in the Dem. primary to the left wing Lamont,and ran as an In dependent.
In 2 years he has a problem, he cannot run again as a Democrat-he already lost that battle.Even if he played makeup with some party leaders,he would again face a left wing challenge.
The people of Conn. already look upn him as a Republican.If he switched parties and cast the 51st vote for the Rep.,he would be the party nominee.Of course he would have to get some guarantees from Sen. Demint and other right wingers, that they will not support another candidate against him in the Rep. primary.There are no guarantees in life or politics, but for him and the country it would be the best thing .
The only other possibility for a party switch is Sen. Ben Nelson who already has said he will not switch.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

A Palestinian State / The Elections

The threat of the PA to have the UN declare a Palestinian State-is just that -a political threat.
Israel holds all the cards-the money that is transferred to the PA-the borders and freedom of movement for PA police, and their arms.
A State on a piece of paper without an airport-seaport or border crossing and having hundreds of thousands of Jews living in their "State"is just a joke.
The US could not politically recognize such a farce-except after 2012 if G-d forbid Obama is re-elected.
There is now beginning to hear rumblings in Israel,of new elections.Will Labor leave the coalition?That would still leave Bibi with a WORKING MAJORITY.HOWEVER THE BATTLE BETWEEN BIBI AND lIEBERMAN MAY INCREASE OVER WHO IS THE KING OF THE RIGHT WING.This could puish Bibi toward elections.

The peace process is over and another wakeup call for the Obama who walks on water and who promised a new era in Iran,Israel,N.Korea and Central America.The interests of countries are not determined by lofty speeches, but by political and military-economic strength in addition to their own self interests.

Rasmussen predicts a 55 vote gain for the Republicans in the House,enough to take over-perhaps Nancy will retire.
The Senate control will depend on the last 2 weeks in about 5 races.In any case, the Administration is through with left wing policies that can pass Congress,as well as left wing Supreme Court nominees that will have to face a more conservative Senate.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Time for the election season to end

Honestly I am getting tired of this election season.The constant polling, the constant repitition of the Tea Party influence, and Greta every nite bringing on Palin ,O'Donnell etc.is getting under my skin.
Of course Sheila and I voted already by absentee ballot in Florida-we will be in Israel on election day.
In truth although I pray for a big Republican win,a number of their candidates are kooks.Angle, O'Donnell, Rand Paul are at the top of the list.
Glenn Beck is scary.Palin does not have the qualifications and stability to be President.If they lose the Senate because of Del or Nev that is her fault.
So far,Gov. Christie of NJ ,though not a handsome man, is tough and seems to have the right formula.
Why Arnold endorsed Crist in Fl is a mystery to me.Rubio is over the 50% point level.
In truth Obama ,Biden and Company have lied and distorted the issues and they deserve not only to lose,but to be run out of town.Some of them will be!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

our educational system / Enlarging the coalition

My wife Sheila came home today with an unbelievable insight into the LOW level of education that we see in the marketplace.
She was at a local major supermarket and had a voucher for yahrzeit lamps (memorial candles) that the store had run out of previously.The voucher said "3 for one dollar,limit 4".She took 4 to the checkout counter.The woman said she could not figure out how much to charge.
Sheila responded " $1.33 0r $1.34".The woman behind the counter suspicious that Sheila was cheating asked her to prove her math-however she could not follow,and called a manager.
He likewise could not figure it out,and therefore told the clerk to charge her ond dollar for the four.
The sales slip said "4 items at 25 cents each"
G-d bless America!

The call to change the makeup of the Netanyahu coalition is really an attempt by the left wing in Israel to give away Jerusalem and half of Israel.They lost the elections,and the right wing wing and the public support a hard approach to Obama and blackmail.In fact if elections were held today Ehud Barack would be out of a job(perhaps 8 seats).
In Washington the cry is that after the elections the WH will return to the hard line of 2 years ago.
TWO MITIGATING FACTORS.
THE PROBABLE LOSS OF AT LEAST ONE AND POSSIBLY BOTH hOUSES OF CONGRESS, thus a more conservative pro-Israel voice in the Congress.
The '12 elections will be underway, and Obama has enough problems with Jews in the fund-raising dept.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Bibi's offer / Paladino gets it right

Out of desperation to keep the talks going (to nowhere )Bibi offered the PA that if they would accept the fact that Israel is a Jewish State,of the Jewish people, he would extend the settlement freeze.
The quick rejection,with cries of racism, prove again that there is no partner now or ever.They want a Palestinian State with no Jews,and an Israeli State, where with the "right of return", can in one or 2 generations become an Islamic State.
It is time to go full-speed with the 20,000 plus housing units awaiting approval.
The knesset is acting wisely by approving the loyalty oath, and the mechanism for a plebescite for any agreement ( never) with Syria.
After all,we pledge allegiance to the US constitution and flag when one becomes a citizen-why should Israel be different?

When I was a kid, homosexuality was a private matter.Then people CAME OUT OF THE CLOSET-OK!
Next step -legislation to prevent discrimination-OK
Then comes an attempt to show our kids that this alternate lifestyle is ok-NOT OK
In this age of political correctness, even a statement that we should tell and teach our kids that marriage is between a man and a woman,and the Bible calls homosexuality an immoral abberation cannot be washed under the table.
Nor,can religious groups, or candidates be attacked with the crime of "homophobia" because the left has so decided.
I have written extensively about this going back to when I was OU President,adding my experience with all types of people as a colo-rectal surgeon.
Humanity, and love for a fellow human-YES
ACCEPTANCE OF ALTERNATE AND IMMORAL LIFESTYLES=NO-NO NO
CARL PALADINO, NOT A SUBTLE GUY, SAID NOTHING WRONG.-THAT QUINN, THE CITY COUNCIL PRES-ATTACKED HIM IS NOT UNEXPECTED CONSIDERING WHAT HER BELIEFS ARE!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Back to blogging Dr George Landa a'h

I once again thank Elli for blogging while I sat shiva.
It was a tiring period especially since we had the yom tov interlude.Today I found out that our eldest grandaughter Carly ,who celebrated her bat mitzvah today, was born on the first day chol Hamoed Succoth which was the day my mother passed away on.
On the last full day of my shiva a former neighbor, friend and colleague Dr George Landa passed away.He was in his early 60's and was a fine and distinguished cardiologist and ben torah. He left a wonderful family.The Monsey and medical community will miss him.
Kudos to FM Lieberman for telling it like it is.Today he told the FM's of FRANCE AND SPAIN TO GET THEIR OWN EUROPEAN HOUSE IN ORDER BEFORE TRYING TO PRESSURE ISRAEL ON HER PROBLEMS.
It is not clear if Shas will support a 60 day freeze,or will not stand in the way of a constuction freeze,or will oppose it.

Today RCP ( real clear politicss) puts the Senate battle at 50 -50. Thus as Elli wrote, Wash and Conn among a few others could be no 51 for the GOP.

Thursday, October 07, 2010

NY GOP/Taxes

Elli Ganchrow writes:

In this, a year that is shaping up as a Republican wave election, the New York Republican has reached a new low in irrelevancy. To review there are three important races this year in New York, a Governor and two Senate seats. The Democrats have Andrew Cuomo, Chuck Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand running for these seats. And who do the Republicans have running against them? Carl Paladino, Jay Townsend and Joe DioGuardi. If you had heard of any of these individuals before this past September then you are bigger a political junkie then I am. In fact, these three Republicans have virtually no chance of winning their elections (although Paladino was close in one poll before he went crazy on Fred Dicker on the Post). The Republicans in New York are virtually irrelevant. It is time for new leadership to take over the party and build it up from the bottom up.

Of all the crazy policies that Obama has advocated over the past two years (cap and trade, government takeover of medicine, the stimulus, closing Gitmo, trying terrorists in civilian court, cash for clunkers, the reform of the financial system etc.), the nuttiest is his obsession with raising taxes on all Americans making over $250,000. Making $250,000 in this country does not make you "rich" and the tax will affect thousands of small businesses. You don't have to be an economist to know that raising taxes during a recession is a terrible idea. Hopefully Congress pushes the President into accepting a two year extension of the current rates.

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

2010 Senate Outlook

Elli Ganchrow writes:

It us now becoming quite clear that 2010 is going to be a big year for Republicans across the country. Based on the latest polls that have been released it appears likely that the House will switch to Republican control. Normally when the House switches parties, then the Senate switches parties as well. Will this trend hold this year? According to RealClearPolitics, based on the latest polls, as of today the Republicans would pick up 9 seats (Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Indiana, Arkansas and North Dakota). A 9 seat pick up would put the Senate in a 50-50 tie and would allow the VP to break ties. It is possible that any of these five races could break for the Republicans and give then a majority: 1. Washington 2. New York 3. California 4. Delaware 5. Connecticut. Of these 5 races, I would put Connecticut at the top of the list of possible upsets. Linda McMahon, the Republican candidate, is running an excellent campaign with hard hitting ads. My guess is that the Republicand take both houses of Congress.

One final point: if the Senate ends up in a 50-50 tie, Sarah Palin will have some explaining with respect to her endorsement of Christine O'Donnell in Delaware. The Delaware primary (which turned after Palin endorsed O'Donnell over Castle) went from a slam dunk Republican win to a probable loss. If this prevents a Republican majority we will know who to blame.

Faisal Shahzad

Elli Ganchrow writes:

In 1995 my father took me to my first AIPAC convention during which he took me to a side room where a then largely unknown expert on terrorism, Steve Emerson, was trying to raise money for his anti-terrorism endeavors. He presented a documentary based on undercover filming of Islamic fundamentalists operating in the United States. The fundamentalists were caught on film discussing various plots against the West. An elderly man sitting in front of me got up and said "This is baloney." The man accused Emerson of being a fear-mongerer and promptly walked out. Such was the typical 9/10 mindset- a failure to imagine what Islamic terrorists were capable of. Unfortunately, the Obama administration has attempted to return the country to that same 9/10 mindset- they refuse to say that we are at war with Islamic facsists. The conviction of the Times Square bomber, Faisal Shahzad, reminds all of us that we still need a 9/11 perspective- a willingness to identify and wipe out the enemy. Shahzad said at his sentencing "If I'm given 1,000 lives I will sacrifice them all for the life of Allah". We need to wake up to the danger lurking in our country.

Sunday, October 03, 2010

Bubba/Amanpour/Settlements

Elli Ganchrow writes:

As my father wrote last week, my grandmother, Kate Ganchrow, passed away on the first day of Chol Hamoed at the age of 99. She was an incredible person who had a positive outlook each day of her life. Her life is an inspiration to all who knew her and she will be dearly missed.

It is no secret that most of the media is biased toward the Democrats. This is especially true with respect to the three major networks, ABC, CBS and NBC. But as bad as the bias has been, ABC's selection of Christine Amanpour as the host of "This Week" on Sunday mornings is truly a new low. Before joining ABC, Amanpour was a wildly biased correspondent for CNN, whose claim to fame was a special she hosted which equated Jewish and Christian terrorism with Muslim terrorism. This past week The Jewish Press contrasted Amanpour easy questioning of an Obama aide with her harsh questioning of Mitch McConnell. It is hard to take ABC's coverage seriously with Amanpour serving as one of its stars.

Lets hope Netanyahu resists the pressure and does not extend the construction moratorium. Obama's focus on this issue is lunacy- Israelis have had talks with the Palestinians for the last 17 years without suspending construction. Why Obama has focused on this issue is anyone's guess but it certainly has not helped the process. Short of the release of Pollard, there is not much of lasting value which would make the moratorium worth while. As my brother in law, Jason (who lives in Neve Daniel) explained to me a few weeks ago, the moratorium is preventing his settlement from expanding. It is time to get the construction going again.