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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle 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
May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
Sept. 15, 2011
/ 16 Elul, 5771
The Case for Doing Nothing
By
Paul Greenberg
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
One of the chief functions of a president of the United States is to serve as the focus of the nation's gripes. It was only to be expected that Barack Obama would be criticized even for taking a family vacation on Martha's Vineyard.
Me, I think the president ought to take more time off. The less he fiddles with the economy, the better it might do. Unfortunately, the president is always being urged to Do Something.
But what the poor, listless American economy could use most just now is a good leaving alone. Instead, it seems to get a new economic program every Tuesday and Thursday. Like a patient being dosed with one drug after another in rapid succession, each to counteract the previous one.
No wonder the general effect of Dr. Obama's unending nostrums has been a failure to thrive. Over-medication will do that.
Some of us are old enough to remember how much time Dwight Eisenhower spent on the links -- and the country was seldom in better hands.
Ah, the 1950s. In the perspective of history, all their tumult now fades and the Eisenhower Years now seem like a rest cure. As president, the old general may not have done much in particular, but he did it particularly well. The man was lazy like a fox. He knew when to do nothing, which is a rare talent in these entirely too busy days in politics.
The man everybody called Ike ended one war, stayed out of others, and mainly left the economy alone so it could grow without constant interference. Which it largely did, despite a down year or two. Resilient patients can heal on their own -- if they're not being constantly poked and prodded, given a diet of uppers one day, downers the next.
General Eisenhower must have found his two presidential terms a snap after planning and executing the D-Day invasion, not to mention having to handle both the Germans and Bernard Montgomery during the Battle of the Bulge.
As president, Ike faithfully executed the laws and became the very symbol of moderation in all things. Not a very exciting performance, but some of us would happily trade excitement for stability any time. Especially these dispiriting days.
The lesson of the Eisenhower Era: There is such a thing as salutary neglect. Maybe our current president should try it sometime.
To sum up my advice to this president, which I'm sure he waits for every day with bated breath:
Don't just do something, Mr. President. Stand there.
Why not? It worked for Calvin Coolidge, who "exalted inactivity to a fine art," to quote the historian Samuel Eliot Morison. It was Walter Lippmann who summed up the Coolidge style, or lack of it, as "active inactivity." The result? Peace, prosperity and a renewal of national confidence after the scandals that his ill-fated predecessor, Warren G. Harding, left behind on his sudden demise.
Having inherited all these scandals, Silent Cal had the wisdom to just stand aside and let justice take its course. He neither launched a witch hunt nor issued sweeping pardons like the one Gerald Ford granted Richard Nixon after Watergate. The country was given time to heal and the economy was left to prosper on its own.
Calvin Coolidge would leave office at the height of his popularity. "I do not choose to run for President in 1928," he declared in August of 1927 -- in the course of a three-month vacation in the Black Hills of South Dakota, far away from Washington's miasmic air.
At the end of his presidency, Calvin Coolidge would leave behind a united nation and an economy marked by strong growth, little inflation, lower unemployment and a smaller national debt. Who wouldn't settle for that now?
Yes, after Coolidge would come the Crash, but those who would lay it at his door would do better to look at the Fed's tight-money policies.
Naturally the intellectuals of his day derided him. In a mock tribute, H. L. Mencken described Coolidge as the "greatest man ever to come out of Plymouth, Vermont," and said his chief feat during "five years and seven months in office was to sleep more than any other president."
Of course that was before Ronald Reagan, another great napper in the White House. He, too, would leave the country much better than he found it, which was in the middle of the Carter Malaise.
Let it be noted that even Mr. Mencken had to give Coolidge his due. "There were no thrills while he reigned," wrote the Sage of Baltimore, "but neither were there any headaches. He had no ideas and he was not a nuisance." Which beats having nothing but ideas, none of which seem to work.
Paul Greenberg Archives
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