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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
August 4, 2009/ 14 Menachem-Av 5769
Au revoir, USA?
By
Tom Purcell
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
President Obama has been faltering of late, but I still hope he turns America into France.
I have been to Paris ah, Grand Paree! I have sat for hours at sidewalk cafes sipping cafe au lait (that's milk and coffee, you uncultured Americans) and nodding approvingly as pretty women stroll by.
There is plenty of time to do such things in France.
The French know better than silly Americans what life is really about. It is about pleasant thoughts and sipping Courvoisier and knowing that no matter what happens, your government will take care of you.
French politicians made this promise during the 1970s. They massively expanded government entitlements of every kind in the process.
Unions are ultra-strong in France, where many people work for the government and everyone enjoys five weeks or more of paid vacation and 22 paid holidays on top of that!
French employees need not worry about much. It is nearly impossible to be fired in France. Even if an employee screws up royally, he cannot be canned until an exhaustive and costly dismissal process is carried out.
Even now, months after the world economy has tanked and demand for products has crashed, French employers are still struggling to adjust their work force; French labor laws make it difficult to lay off employees.
Employers are wary of hiring for these reasons. Even when the world economy was booming, French unemployment rates were still hovering between 8 and 11 percent.
Sure, I know France's high taxes and high regulation have hampered economic growth for years and growth and wealth generation are the only ways any government can meet its lofty promises.
I know, too, that the world has changed. Advances in technology have ushered in a truly global economy. Manufacturing plants and service centers can be set up and run efficiently almost anywhere in the world.
Every country is now in competition with almost every other, which doesn't bode well for France.
If you needed to build a plant, would you choose a place where the tax rates, regulations and costs are reasonable, or France, where you'll face burdens and obstacles of every kind?
It is true that most European nations know they are on an unsustainable path. They have begun to turn back government spending. They are reducing taxes to attract badly needed investment and growth.
I know it is odd that just as Europe turns away from big-spending policies that have proven not to work, Obama is rushing America toward the very same policies.
I know Americans should pay closer attention to what he is up to and, if they don't like his proposals, be more active in stopping or shaping them before they become law.
But I hope he succeeds.
I hope he does cap carbon emissions essentially taxing the bejeezus out of them which will drive up the cost of utilities and everything that is manufactured and transported.
I hope he and Congress succeed in getting their mitts around the throat of our health care system and borrow a trillion dollars more in the process.
I hope he succeeds in raising tax rates much higher beyond those currently paid in many European countries.
Such measures will drive investment out of the United States. They will kill innovation and invention. They will damage our economy.
And then we can be more French!
Sure, I may find myself without gainful employment, but it will be OK. My government will take care of me.
Unlike the paltry payments unemployed Americans receive now, I will look forward to free health care, food, housing and generous stipends.
I'll have plenty enough money to sit at American sidewalk cafes sipping cafe au lait and nodding approvingly as pretty women stroll by.
America has already been on an unsustainable path. I know it cannot last. There is no way we can take on trillions more in debt to support European-style programs.
But I prefer not to worry about that. I prefer to live for the moment.
C'est la vie, America!
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© 2009, Tom Purcell
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