WORK AND EARN IT

Dear Editor:

I am tired of the government taking my money to help illegals. Enough is enough. I’ve worked most of my life and paid my taxes and took nothing from the government. Now, that I am retired, I have Social Security that I PAID IN for all the years that I worked. My parents came here after WW2, worked legally, learned the language, raised a family and asked the government for nothing. They were grateful to be in America. They were grateful to be Jewish-American citizens.
Susan Shapiro

Editor’s Note: It is true the leftists have become self-hating Americans. It is a shame that it takes a 9-11 to unify the country and make people feel patriotic. Let us not wait for another tragedy to show our allegiance to our host country.

TRUMP AT WORK REVISITED

Dear Editor:

I was disappointed to read your dismissal of Bracha Goldberg’s letter (“Speak Your Vues,” Jan. 5) regarding the turnover in President Trump’s cabinet. While you were correct in responding, “it is common for presidents to have shuffling going on in their cabinet,” you were incorrect in suggesting that the same level of shuffling went on in Obama’s cabinet. According to the Brookings Institution, as of October 2018 — even before the announced departures of Mattis, Haley and four other senior officials — the two-year turnover rate among senior Trump administration officials was 83%, vs. 41% for Obama. The turnover rates for the last five administrations ranged from 17% to 59%. It’s not “left-wing media bias” to point out that salient fact. (See https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2018/10/19/record-setting-white-house-staff-turnover-continues-with-news-of-counsels-departure/ retrieved January 2, 2019)

Chaim Schnall

Editor’s Note: It seems that since social media is more and more prevalent it is more and more difficult for a person to keep skeletons in the closet. It therefore would make sense that a cabinet turnover will become very typical.

PROPOSED CHANGES TO EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM REVISITED

Dear Editor:

The problems with the education system are very real and very disturbing. They do not start and end with yeshivas–in fact, there are deep, worrying issues in every part of the education sector nationwide, from local boards of education, to Federal interference, the public schools, the private schools, mainstream and special ed.

Unfortunately, it will be extremely difficult to solve those problems, because it starts with one of the most common struggles of both this generation and generations past: money. Parents struggle to pay their children’s tuition, but what is a huge amount of money for a parent to pay is a small amount when it comes to the genuine cost of paying for teachers, school buildings and supplies. This is because rising costs of housing and health insurance makes it impossible to allocate the appropriate percentage of the average household income toward education. 

There are other problems in the education system as well, but the problems stemming from finances are both the simplest and the most prevalent.

Sincerely,

RebYidel Schwartz

Editor’s Note: How is the seven hours that the government wants to control going to help any of the things you wrote about in the above letter?

HOGGING PARKING SPOTS REVISITED

Dear Editor:

I was very disappointed to see how you answered the letter written about HOGGING PARKING SPOTS. I think she deserves an apology for the criticism. 

A BP RESIDENT

Editor’s Note: Facts are facts and the law is the law.

COMPENSATING HATZALA

Dear Editor:

I heard there is a controversy whether or not Hatzala should bill insurance for the transport costs to the hospital. I heard there are a lot of people against it. Why? If Hatzala is doing a service why should they not be paid for it?

Yenti G

Editor’s Note: The reason why Hatzala should not take money is because we don’t want anybody hesitating to call Hatzala because they may not be able to afford the co-payment. It is true that Hatzala is hard pressed to keep up with their financial situation, therefore it is incumbent by anyone who was ever helped by Hatzala to go the extra mile to support them like they go the extra mile to help us.

LEARNING

Dear Editor:

Can someone please explain exactly what the inyan is of NOT learning Torah on their ‘holy night’? Why do Chassidim NOT learn whereas litvacks DO learn and what precisely is the reason?

Shua Farkas

Editor’s Note: Nittel is a minhag that mainly Chassidim adopted claiming that if you learn during the night of Oisoi Haish’s birthday, your learning goes to the Sitra Achra. Of course we know that Torah saves us from all evil and it is not possible for Torah to go to the Sitra Achra, hence the Litvishe do not keep this minhag.

 GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

Dear Editor:

The Government shutdown is great. I’m hoping this lasts forever so we can have a 25% payroll reduction in the Federal government. A quarter of the government has been closed for almost a month and life goes on. We can save so much money by cutting so much governmental fat.

Yoav B

Editor’s Note: Just wait until the government tells you that you can’t get a tax refund. I wonder if you’ll still be singing the same tune.