Between a Silly Tea Party Candidate and a Really Clever Liberal Democrat, I Choose the Tea Party Candidate Every Time

I read where Jews tend to be "rational policy-oriented voters." This per Colby College political scientist, L. Sandy Maisel. He goes on to say that "the Tea Party candidates generally do not fit into that category. It's very clear Jews don't go for anti-intellectual politics, which is what we're seeing in a lot of states."

Well, Mr. Maisel, I'm Jewish and I, as one Jew, will be giving my votes to Tea Party types. Here's why.

The contending political parties in the U.S. have lots of issues to sort out. There's women's rights, there's the gun issue, there are the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there's the balance of trade with China, there's our porous southwestern border. And, that's only a partial list. But, the biggest problem we're facing is one of national monetary liquidity. In brief, America has been spending a lot more than it takes in. We've gotten away with it for so very long because we're a key player in the global economy. But, we've taken this game about as far as it will go. The debt is killing our growth and it's killing off American jobs.

The Tea Party movement came into being largely because both Democrats and Republicans have done a poor job of keeping our economy on an even keel. The politicians in both parties, who have brought us to this sorry state, include lots and lots of intellectuals. These intellectuals have never say been able to say "no" to spending.

Tea Party types might well be carrying around some misguided notions, but almost all see that our first priority must be cutting spending. Pork for the folks back home and "good causes" can no longer be accepted as reasons for spending more than we make. When accountants, working for the government in highly secure jobs, earn more than accountants in private industry and, when government accountants get better retirement and medical plans than accountants in private industry, something has gone terribly wrong.

I don't begrudge the government worker a good life. But, there has always been, in the past, a trade off. Jobs that were risky always paid more than equivalent jobs that carried virtually no risk. When that balance changes, it means that the government has grown far too large. Tea Party people get it. The intellectuals don't.

My favorite intellectuals are Barney Frank and Chris Dodd. I am quite serious when I say that Representative Barney Frank is truly one smart dude. Not only that, he's got a big heart for the least among us. Nevertheless, by forcing banks to give Ninja mortgages (mortgages to people with no income, no jobs, and no assets), he undermined the entire housing market. Keep in mind that he and Sen. Dodd wield enormous power over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, not to mention American banking in general. When these two legislators say "jump, " banks jump.

Of course simple economics, would have ended these idiotic mortgages quite early except for our genius American bankers. They kept the mortgage game going far too long by introducing the concept of bundling the mortgages, creating derivatives, and using other techniques to obfuscate the game. The natural laws of economics would have caused these mortgages to go into default quite early thereby inflicting relatively minor damage to our banking system. Instead, major banks stitched together a system that allowed the mortgage bubble to expand into something so humongous that it very nearly brought down the entire global banking system

Were the bankers evil? I don't think so. They did what bankers do; namely, find opportunities to make money. When they saw the government promoting these crazy mortgages, who were they to blow the whistle on people (intellectuals) like Barney Frank and Chris Dodd, politicians famous for being truly vicious, political infighters? No, far better to go along and play the game set up by these intellectuals. The bankers did not fail to see the new opportunities now available to them, opportunities to collect lots and lots of fees. Note: Bundling this crap allowed them to sell its derivatives to foreign banks; banks that should have known a lot better than to buy this kind of pig in a poke. In the process, American banks reaped handsome commissions.

And, what of the great thinkers at the Fed? They had themselves a great snooze.

It might be argued that Tea Party people aren't sufficiently educated to understand all this mortgage stuff. They don't have to. That was then. This is now. And, now they are the only ones in sight who understand that you can't spend more than you earn. Hopefully, some day intellectuals, Jewish and otherwise, will come to understand the same thing.

The Sophamoric Ms. Mona Eltahawy

I confess to reading "The Jerusalem Report" -- not to be confused with the "Jerusalem Post," which I also read. Although it's a bit too far left for my enjoyment, this news magazine helps me in my efforts to understand arguments of people with whom I generally disagree.

It is for much the same reason that I, on occasion, read in the Jerusalem Report the column given over to Ms. Eltahawy. It's titled, "Mona's Musings." Because I know virtually no Muslims, it occurred to me that, if I read Mona's Musings, I'll get a better understanding of the views of a moderate Muslim. It's proven most disappointing. Here's why:

1. Mona's Musings, April 27, 2009, "Caught between Liberators and Saviors"

(Okay, it takes me a while to catch up with my reading material. But, let me proceed.) In her musings, Mona tries to explain her concerns as to how she might best cover her hair. Should she wear a hajab (one type of head covering), or a niqab (a covering that leaves only slits for vision), or nothing at all? She worries about her will think. Will their attitude towards her be one of a self-appointed liberator (of Muslim women) or self-appointed savior (of Muslim women).

Her musings remind me of my worries over what the girls would think of me in my college years when I would go to dances. I was concerned with how I might best hold my hands. (I resolved this weighty matter by taking up smoking. Thank goodness I've long since stopped.)

As I matured, I realized that what I did with my hands was of little concern to anyone. I began to realize that the the young ladies were as concerned with the impression they made on others as any concerns I might have had with my hands.

Mona, take it from me, no one cares what you put on your head. True, if you wear a hajab, most people will realize that you're a Muslim given to showing your faith. And, if that's what you want to do, that's fine. If you wear nothing on your hair, it will have those about you paying less attention to your faith and seeing you more as a unique individual.

The niqab is a totally different matter. Covering the face suggests you don't want to be seen. To me that's a no-no. If a cop stops a weaving motorist, he needs to see a face. When you go into a bank, the cameras have got to see who's coming in the doors. Think of men walking about New York in Lone Ranger masks or in ski masks. In short, the niqab is a hazard to public safely. It should be outlawed. (A possible exception might be Halloween costumes.)

2. Mona's Musings, September 13, 2010, "A Mosque, America and Me"

Mona begins these musings by giving an account of a drunken individual, named Patrick Cunningham, who sets a fire in a mosque parking lot and then attempts to shoot worshipers who come out to see what's going on. I gather from this account that the neighbors, both Muslims and non-Musllims were horrified. I understand that the mindless Mr. Cunningham received a suitable punishment within the context of the American judicial system.

She then goes on to say that she became a feminist in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Really, that's like a Catholic saying they became a Protestant upon visiting Rome. Over half of all the mosques in North America have been funded by the Saudi government. And, of course, with Saudi funding comes imams schooled in Salafist madrasses.

She then goes on to say that "in Jerusalem, where (she) lived in 1988 and where (her) ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighbors reminded (her) of the ultra-conserative Muslims in Saudi Arabia."

Really? How many Israelis (Orthodox or otherwise) had their hands cut off for theft? How many raped women were stoned to death for having allowed themselves to be subjected to this crime? And, if ultra-Orthodox women didn't drive cars, it was because their families didn't own one. How does this jibe with the situation of women in Saudi Arabia? I could offer a very long list of comparisons between the two cultures. But is this necessary? Didn't she say she had experienced both cultures first-hand?

She then says that "it is only in Cairo, my original hometown, and New York City, where I feel no self-consciousness -- not about who I am, what I believe, or what I look like that I am perfectly at home."

I am so happy for Ms. Eltahawy for being able to feel so comfortable in both NYC and Cairo. I hope she'll excuse me for not being able to say the same thing. Only on a tourist bus would I feel safe in Cairo. As someone renting an apartment in Cairo to pursue my studies -- as someone wearing a kipot and a Mogen Dovid on a chain -- I suspect I'd experience moments of anxiety. What if they thought I was an Israeli? (I gather Ms. Eltahawy's Egyptian origins created no problems for her in Israel.)

Finally, she gets to the subject of the proposed mosque near ground zero, "for bridging understandings to other faiths." In that paragraph, she lists her enemies -- the bigots. Her list includes Newt Gingrich, John Bolton, Andrew Breitbart, and the Dutch parliamentarian, Geert Wilders. I really know very little about Mr. Wilders, but, as to the others, I have always found them to be intelligent individuals known to speak truth.

Despite her extensive travels, the one subject on which Ms. Eltahawy seems abysmally ignorant is free speech and its importance to a free society. No doubt she would add to her list of enemies (bigots) such people as the murdered film producer Van Gogh, the writer, Salmon Rushdi, and the Sudanese woman and former, Dutch parliamentarian, Ms. Ali, author of "Infidel."

If the Jerusalem Report wishes to run Ms. Eltahawy's column that's their business. But, I find her to be far from moderate.