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May 24, 2013

Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb: When I didn't so 'humbly disagree'

Caroline B. Glick: Thank you, Hafez al-Assad

Diana West: From the Brooklyn Bridge to London
Morgan Housel: Why spotting bubbles is so much harder than you think

Environmental Nutrition editors: NuVal labeling to the rescue?

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Memorial Day: Jews Serving and KIA in War on Terror; Liberace Bio-Pic; Jew Wins "Survivor"; Shalom, Dr. Brothers; More

The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen: HIDE THESE FROZEN TREATS FROM THE KIDDIES!: Sangria pops; Irish cream pudding pops; mango Lassi pops

May 22, 2013

John Thorne: They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman

John Rosemond: 'Disciplinary math' adds up to parental successl

Warren Richey: Are prayers before public meetings OK? Supreme Court to decide
Rick Montgomery: Use of ADHD drugs as study aid raises concern on campuses

Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.: 6 convincing reasons you should keep carbs in your diet

Eoin O'Carroll: Scientists examine nothing, find something

The Kosher Gourmet by Carole Kotkin: This soup is made from one of the great pleasures of spring: A wonderful pairing of rosy color and earthy tang

May 20, 2013

Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?

Hannan Adely: Town raises Palestinian flag at City Hall

Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Morgan Housel: When smart investors do stupid things

Sharon Saloman, M.S., R.D.: Hunger games: Eat more, weigh less, without starving

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting

May 13, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Why the giving of the document that would permanently change the world could only be done in desolation

David G. Savage: Church-state, literally? Supreme Court weighing public school graduation in a church

Emily Alpert: Recession dragged down birth rates for less-educated women
Morgan Housel: The deep downside of home ownership

Peter Teffer: Will Dutch police soon be stalking cybercriminals on your computer?

Heidi McIndoo, M.S., R.D.: Meatless 'meat' can have its own set of problems

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Celebrate! This must-try appetizer is delicate yet has depth of flavor: Corn-Leek Cakes with Caviar, Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche

May 10, 2013

Rabbi Berel Wein: Be all that you should be

Caroline B. Glick: The dirty little secret about Israel's Arabs

Mona Charen: Hawking's Moral Calculus: The man and the movement he embraces
Morgan Housel: The biggest retirement myth ever told

Sandi Doughton: Eyes may provide new insight into brain problems

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : The Great Gatsby's Jewish Ties; Jews in the "Time 100 list" List; People's Most Beautiful Women

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: A sweet-hot meal: Pear salsa spices up salmon

May 8, 2013

Peter Ford: Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas

Warren Richey: Obama administration quietly backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate

Fred Weir: At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw --- a tad
Amanda Paulson: Study reveals sad truths about community colleges

Harvard Health Letters: Evidence weak that zinc, echinacea are beneficial

The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Almost too pretty to eat, this colorful salad with Sicilian inspiration will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility

May 6, 2013

Edmund Sanders and Patrick J. McDonnell: Think Israel's objective in Syria is to weaken Assad or embolden the rebels? Think again

Brian Bennett: Israeli airstrikes may show weakness in Syrian defense

Michael Ollove: Millions of ex-felons, parolees and those on probation are about to be entitled to tax-payer paid health coverage
Karen Kaplan: Most men can skip PSA test for prostate cancer, urologists say

Kimberly Lankford: How to track down a lost life insurance policy

Dream of Mars exploration achievable, experts say

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan M. Selasky: EGGPLANT WRAPS are an easy, sumptuous and scrumptious meal

May 3, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Human Courage and the Unavoidable, Disturbing Text

Steven Emerson: Attorney General Fights CAIR in Court, Lauds it in Public

Mediterranean diet helps beat dementia: study
Harvard Health Letters: When to be screened for a hearing problem

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Iron Man's Jewish Connections; Marc Maron's New TV Show; Martin Landau Grows Up with Israel; Shalom, Allan Arbus

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: A sweet surprise for Mother's Day dessert

May 1, 2013

Jonathan Rosenblum: An Improbable Journey to Orthodoxy

Jonathan Tobin: Blame Obama, Not Israel for Syria Push

Kids, kittens the Same? With employee perks at struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo! it's hard to tell
Halena M. Gazelka, M.D.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: What you need to know about implanted pain relief devices

Sandy Kleffman: Artificial kidney offers hope to patients tethered to a dialysis machine

Jessica Shugart: When it comes to math, MRIs may be better than IQs

The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: The celebrated chef on how high-maintenance ASPARAGUS RISOTTO need not be

April 29, 2013

Roy Gutman: Poland's new Jewish museum celebrates life, doesn't revisit Holocaust

Mark Clayton: Terrorism in America: Is US missing a chance to learn from failed plots?

Kim Murphy: Boston Bomber's 'Svengali' Revealed
Morgan Housel: He's rich, smart and old: Listen to him

Thomas Salinas, D.D.S.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: The safety of amalgam fillings

Harvard Health Letters: Tomatoes and stroke protection

Pete Spotts: Tiny satellites + cellphones = cheaper 'eyes in the sky' for NASA

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Swing into spring with lemon cream pie

April 26, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The world is a mirror

Caroline B. Glick: Time to confront Obama

Clifford D. May: Defense in the Age of Jihadist Terrorism
Kimberly Lankford: New strategies ease pain of paying for long-term care insurance

Howard LeWine, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Too much ibuprofen?

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Major Leaguers, 2013; New Movies and Comedy Show; Shalom, 'Lumpy' (Leave it to Beaver)

The Kosher Gourmet by Emily Ho : A bright and cheerful salad to herald the warmer months ahead

April 24, 2013

Steven Emerson: Boston Bomber Exposes Islamist Secret

Morgan Housel Admit it: No one has any idea what's going on
Harvard Health Letters: Can you get headaches from headache medication?

Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.: How to easily get more Omega-3s in your diet

Melissa Healy: Pot in a pill: All the pain relief without the smoke

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan Russo: Chipotle Chili Butternut Squash Soup is bold, zesty, hot

April 22, 2013

Ken Dilanian: Counterterrorism's future is unclear

US man departing country arrested on terror charges
Barbara Williams: An unorthodox but growing treatment in a 9-year-old's battle against cancer

P.J. Skerrett, M.D.: How to recognize a good whole grain product

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Teen actor Jonah Bobo in New Flick: Hunky James Wolk on Mad Men; Erich Segal's Daughter Writes Prize-Winning Jewish Novel


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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