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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Feb. 25, 2009
/ 1 Adar 5769
Cheerful givers, grumpy receivers
By
Clarence Page
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Several Republican governors, mostly in the South, have roundly attacked President Obama's economic stimulus plan. That's predictable politics. The $787 billion stimulus package received a total of only three votes out of 219 Republicans in Congress.
But members of Congress are luckier than governors. Republicans could vote against Obama's stimulus plan confident in the knowledge that the Democratic majority was going to pass it anyway, sending billions of dollars to their states, most of which desperately need it.
That's the nice thing about being in Congress. Sometimes you can talk political hot air all day long, blowing rhetorical kisses to your ideological base, without worrying about whether your words will do any actual damage.
Governors are different. They have to actually manage something. They're accountable every day for whether highways are fixed, buses run, kids get to school and seniors get into decent nursing homes.
That leaves Republican governors in an interesting politically predicament. As a president and Congress send money, the governors who have attacked it have to decide whether to take it.
Some of the least cheerful receivers like Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina also are known to have national political ambitions.
All three oppose the stimulus on principle as too costly and uncertain in its effectiveness. But they'll take the money, if not all of it.
Palin recently said she'd have to examine the details of the plan and trace possible strings attached to determine whether it would be in her state's best interests. Jindal was more forthright, saying in national TV interviews that they would reject at least some of the money.
Guess which part? He said he would not accept money to expand eligibility for unemployment benefits to part-time workers because it would increase taxes on employers. He would, however, take advantage of a provision to increase unemployment benefits by $25 a week, financed entirely with federal money. Sanford and Gov. Haley Barbour similarly rejected expanding unemployment insurance.
In this way the grumpy receivers illustrate one of the big problems that the Grand Old Party faces. Their power has eroded in the past two election cycles to a mostly regional party based in the conservative South. Jindal and Sanford are two of the rising stars to which the party looks for leadership as it tries to rebuild. But in the face of Obama's stimulus package, they respond like regional leaders.
While many other states, mostly outside the South, already have expanded their jobless benefits, the grumpy receivers show a remarkable tone-deafness to the sense of national emergency that grips most of the rest of the country.
It is revealing to contrast their attitudes with those of big-state Republican governors such as Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Charlie Crist of Florida. "I'm more than happy to take his money or any other governor in this country (who) doesn't want to take this money," Schwarzenegger said, responding to Sanford on ABC's "This Week." "I take it, because we in California ... need it." It probably is not insignificant that California and Florida, unlike the states from which the grumpy receivers hail, were both won by Obama.
The controversy illustrates the stark difference between governors and members of Congress when it comes to having to solve real problems rather than just talk about them. One congressman, New York Democrat Anthony Weiner, announced proposed legislation to make it easier for states that want the money to get a share of the funds others pass up.
But if Democrats have anything to fear from episodes like this, it is overconfidence. The grumpy governors might not be showing much compassion in regard to the plight of the jobless, but their criticisms reflect widely held misgivings about whether at a cost of hundreds of billions of dollars we Americans can buy our way out of a global recession.
If Obama's efforts work, the Republicans who opposed it will have egg on their political faces. If not, they could sound like geniuses. For now, their rising stars appear to think it is blessed to be grumpy as they receive.
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.
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