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July 3, 2008

Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski: A spiritual budget (TOUCHING!)

Jeff Jacoby: Israel still paying for its defeat

JWisdom:: Re-Jew-venating prayer, Part IV by Rabbi David Aaron

July 2, 2008

Jonathan Tobin: Appeasers Make Poor Patriots

The Kosher Gourmet By Kathleen Purvis: Slaw, y'all: For BBQs or Sabbath dinner, these southern recipes are something else!

JWisdom:: Rabbi Mordechai Becher: Jewish Rx for A Simpler Life

July 1, 2008

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Q. I think it's important to leave a legacy to my children. How much should I save towards this end?

Paul Greenberg:A President who is history deficient?

JWisdom:: Holocaust in the Perspective of Faith by Rabbi Nosson Scherman: Poland's Unique Antisemitism

June 30, 2008

Jonathan Rosenblum: Remembering the architect of Torah Judaism for the modern world

Abe Novick: Hulk: Still a Jew?

JWisdom: : Putting the Spirit Back into Spirituality, Part 2: The Abandoned Child

June 26, 2008

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: Quantum leap to evil

Caroline B. Glick: Victimized families must not be allowed to dictate policy

June 25, 2008

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Today in Biblical History: King Jeroboam of Israel prevents pilgrimage to Jerusalem

Jonathan Tobin: Real Friends and Real Enemies

JWisdom: Raping of reason By Rabbi Sroy Levitansky

June 25, 2008

Steven Emerson: Kristof: Never Mind the Terrorists

Stratfor Intelligence Briefing: Mediterranean Flyover: Telegraphing an Israeli Punch?

JWisdom: Rabbi David Aaron: Re-Jew-venating prayer, Part III

June 24, 2008

Caroline B. Glick: What were they thinking!?

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Guilty knowledge

JWisdom: Holocaust in the Perspective of Faith by Rabbi Nosson Scherman: Warping Innocence

June 23, 2008

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Diploma dilemma

Jeff Jacoby: A world without children

JWisdom: Rabbi Dovid Gross: Putting the Spirit Back into Spirituality --- Introduction

June 20, 2008

Rabbi A. Henach Leibowitz: Man: The Crowning Glory of Creation

Caroline B. Glick: Israel's darkest week

JWisdom: We aren't worthy? by Rabbi Sroy Levitansky

June 19, 2008

Rabbi Elazar Meisels: The saints who don't come marchin' in

Chris Christoff: Muslim woman demands an apology from Obama after camera snub

June 18, 2008

Jonathan Tobin: Still Dancing Around Jerusalem

The Kosher Gourmet by Steve Petusevsky: Chilled fruit and vegetable soups

JWisdom: Souls Need A Check Up? by Rabbi Mordechai Becher

June 17, 2008

Rabbi Avi Shafran: Baby Einstein

Caroline B. Glick: Bush's rhetoric, Bush's policies

JWisdom: Re-Jew-venating prayer, Part II by Rabbi David Aaron

June 16, 2008

Varda Branfman: Bob Dylan, won't you please come home?

Diana West: Academic dares to question the 'religion of peace'

JWisdom: Holocaust in the Perspective of Faith by Rabbi Nosson Scherman: Positive Backfire

June 13, 2008

Rabbi Berel Wein: Trading manna for whine

Caroline B. Glick: Peace with friends

JWisdom: From the mouths of … by Rabbi Sroy Levitansky

June 12, 2008

Michael Feldberg: Meet Paul Revere's pal, the Orthodox Jew who played a key role in laying Boston's cultural and business infrastructure

The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Manweiler: No need to be tempted by Wendy's mandarin chicken salad

JWisdom: Re-Jew-venating prayer, Part I by Rabbi David Aaron

June 11, 2008

Rabbi Avi Shafran: What would Hillel say?

Jonathan Tobin: UNRWA and NGOs: The Real U.N. 'Insult'

JWisdom: Sara Yoheved Rigler: Greatness Made Simple: How a momentary decision shifted life's course and destination

June 6, 2008

Rabbi Pinchas Stolper: Revelation: The basis of faith

Binyamin L. Jolkovsky: Mere hours after becoming Israel's new 'best friend' Obama backtracks on status of Jerusalem

Caroline B. Glick: UN choosing to protect rogue nuclear programs

JWisdom: Sameness in difference by Rabbi Sroy Levitansky

June 5, 2008

David Lightman: Now Obama wants to be Israel's newest 'best friend'

Obama's remarks to AIPAC policy conference

The Kosher Gourmet By Ethel G. Hofman: Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Lokshen Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread

JWisdom: Why a Jewish Jerusalem makes so many nervous by Rabbi Mordechai Becher

June 4, 2008

Jonathan Rosenblum: A different sort of 'religious broadcaster'

Jonathan Tobin: Misgivings on the Road to Damascus

JWisdom: 44 Years Without An Argument? by Sara Yoheved Rigler

June 3, 2008

Daniel Pipes: Obama vs. McCain on the Middle East

Everything's Relative: There is a crisis growing in Orthodox synagogues worldwide, reveals Jordan "Gorf" Gorfinkel

JWisdom: White Facades; Black Secrets by Rabbi Mordechai Becher

June 2, 2008

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir: Q: Lie to outsmart discriminator?

He writes the songs that make our souls sing:Gavriel Aryeh Sanders interviews Jewish music legend Ben Zion Shenker; includes stirring, uplifting song

JWisdom: Holocaust in the Perspective of Faith by Rabbi Nosson Scherman: Of laws and lives

March 22, 2007

J-Rhythms with Avraham Rosenblum: JWR's cutting-edge music program showcasing performers -- singers, song writers, musicians, and bands -- who learn and live the Torah lifestyle (OUR NEWEST IGODCAST !)

Oct. 29, 2003
Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)

Jewish World Review April 26, 2006 / 28 Nissan, 5766

Ideas for after the Bush-bashing ends

By Ed Koch


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | In last week's commentary, I laid out a plan for a Democratic victory in the November 2006 national elections. My premise was that Bush-bashing, which appears to be the official Democratic policy, is the wrong strategy for winning control over the two Houses of Congress.


Instead, I conveyed my belief that to win in November it will be necessary to attract voters back to the Democratic Party by restating and reaffirming the Party's commitment to the core policy positions that it has been identified with since FDR.


Today I'd like to discuss two of those issues at greater length, and provide my views as to where the Party should stand in implementing the goals of each.


Let's start with the miracle of Social Security, which, through the years, has been a major asset for the Democratic party. Born in 1935, the Social Security program — the average person's pension — created for low and middle income Americans the idea that at age 65 people who had worked during their adult years would be able to live and retire in reasonable comfort on their Social Security checks along with other kinds of savings and investments.


A major improvement in the Social Security legislation was an amendment effective in 1975 which provided for annual cost of living adjustments. I was in the Congress at that time and voted for the proposal offered by the then Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Wilbur Mills. It provided an automatic increase in payments to retirees to compensate for inflation. But for years now, many Americans currently working have been worried that the Social Security fund would go broke before they were eligible to retire, and they would not be able to collect full benefits in the future.


Social Security is not a true pension actuarially fully funded. The government pays each beneficiary from current Social Security taxes collected from both employers and employees. In Social Security's early years, there were 22 workers paying into the Social Security fund for every person retired and receiving Social Security checks. Today there are only 3.3 workers for each retiree, but it is still possible to pay the full benefits out of current revenues. However, by the year 2042, it is estimated that current revenues would pay only 80 percent of the cost of benefits at that time.


In a foolish effort to divert the public's attention from the real problems causing the pending deficits, presidential advisor Karl Rove proposed to the President, who accepted it, the concept of a private account for each employee into which Social Security funds would be diverted, which in turn could be invested in the stock market, under a supervision not yet fully determined. The public, much smarter than Rove assumed, rejected the idea, and it was abandoned by the President. According to a New York Times article of April 20th, Rove "gave up day-to-day control over the administration's domestic policy to concentrate on the midterm elections…[but] will retain his title as a deputy chief of staff, as well as his catch-all designation as Mr. Bush's senior adviser."


To deal with the underlying problems of funding Social Security with an aging workforce and fewer people contributing to the plan, the Democratic Party must address the funding for the future and the guarantee that every worker can look forward to receiving the benefits he or she is entitled to when they reach retirement. The only responsible ways to make that happen are to reduce the benefits somewhat, increase the age of retirement (which has been done in part, but not to the extent needed), increase the rate of tax or include in taxable income so-called "unearned" income such as stocks, bonds and interest. All of these proposed solutions may not be needed, but some combination will be required.


It is incumbent upon the Democratic Party to immediately create a commission of the best, most knowledgeable people, such as Peter Peterson, Felix Rohatyn, John Breaux, Robert Rubin and Alan Greenspan to examine the problem and propose a plan for the Democratic Party to agree upon and adopt.


A second major and controversial issue is that of abortion. I support Roe v. Wade. I also oppose the abortion technique known as partial-birth abortion (allowing the fetus in birth to leave the mother's body up to its neck and then crushing the head of the fetus within her body, withdrawing the whole fetus from her body). The U.S. Supreme Court has decided that Congress can prohibit the use of the procedure, except where it is necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother.


That decision makes sense. Every effort by the Congress to enact the prohibition has failed because there was no exception for the mother's health. Members of Congress enacted legislation believing they have the right by law to say the mother's health is never at such a risk as to justify the use of the procedure. If health of the mother is not defined, it would mean effectively no limitation on the use of the procedure. It would be reasonable and responsible to limit the exception to the need to protect the mother's childbearing ability, excluding other health issues.


The mother's life is paramount, trumping all other considerations. Where her health is involved requiring a late-term abortion for psychiatric or other medical conditions, the abortion can be achieved through the other surgical techniques available and now employed by physicians.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in 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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