Dear Editor:
The biggest problem with believing and following what the Cuomos, the de Blasios, the Gottliebs, the Faucis, etc. say is caused by the fact that they all have one thing in common: They all get a paycheck at the end of the week – none of them have to worry about paying their bills.
Isaac Rabinowicz
Dear Editor:
I do not know of a better written, common-sense column on current events than Rabbi Schonfeld’s. And I would be interested in knowing the reason why Warren Hecht will not read it, or at least admit to reading it?
Choni Herschel Kantor
Kew Gardens
Dear Editor:
The latest ongoing feud between Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio on how to deal with COVID-19 reminds me of “Stuck in the Middle with You” by the band Stealers Wheel. The words “Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am stuck in the middle with you” from the song perfectly sums up the chaos and gridlock in the Big Apple. Mayor de Blasio’s restrictions by ZIP Code or Governor Cuomo’s by color coding are reminiscent of the 1980 comedy movie Airplane, starring Leslie Nielsen. Cuomo and de Blasio argue just like the two dueling airport public announcers, Betty and Vernon. They argued over whether the white zone was for loading and unloading of passengers only, and there’s no stopping in the red zone (except for transit buses).
Cuomo and de Blasio might both benefit by participating in mediation counseling to deal with their respective anger management and inability to get along. In the meantime, eight million Big Apple residents continue to suffer.
Sincerely,
Larry Penner
Dear Editor:
I can certainly understand why all newspapers, frum and non-frum, are full of articles involving politics or COVID – that’s what’s happening in the world now. But it’s just really nice to take a rest from it all, and I know that I will when I sit down on Friday night with the Queens Jewish Link and read the “Dating Today” column. And I told my husband to tell that to Goldy’s father the next time he sees him in shul!
Chaya Meisner
Dear Editor:
Last week’s column by Warren Hecht was titled “What Would You Have Done?”
So, let’s play a guessing game. If I were President of the United States, knowing only what was known back at the end of February, my immediate recommendations would have been as follows:
- Create a public health “COVID-19 Committee” with Dr. Fauci and a select group of bipartisan lawmakers and medical specialists whose job would be to analyze whatever COVID data there was and make public policy recommendations. Make it a health issue from day one, and leave politics at home.
- Require the FDA to fast-track COVID testing, developing policies, technologies, guidelines, whatever was required to scale up testing as required. Being able to deploy tests with a one-day or less result is a literal game changer – and is only available in a select few states as of the time of this writing, seven months after the initial stay-at-home orders were announced across the country.
- Nationalize existing stockpiles of N95 masks, PPE gowns, gloves, ventilators, etc. Use Federal purchasing to bulk-import masks, PPE, etc. and release to the states as their cases required. Utilize the Defense Production Act to immediately start the high-scale production of N95 respirator masks (which contain proprietary technologies owned by 3M).
- Authorize contact tracing guidelines for states to implement. Provide funding. Fast-track it. (Contact tracers are calling up people who have already finished quarantine and got tested more than two weeks ago.)
- As soon as it became clear that fabric masks would help reduce the spread of the virus, authorize the COVID-19 Committee to develop masking guidelines and ask states to implement them.
So there we go: five fairly basic steps that, had they been implemented right away, could have saved thousands of lives.
Yedidya Hirschhorn
Dear Editor:
I would like to express my opinion on Rabbi Schonfeld’s column, “Pick Your Poison” (10/21/2020). He frames the issues in a very concise and clear manner. I cannot imagine how any rational person could vote Democratic after reading his article. This election is far more important than any other. The Democrats want to stack the courts and get rid of the filibuster. This would give them absolute power for now and for the future. I cannot overstate the harm that this would cause to our country and the world. We must do everything in our power to support the Republicans and prevent this catastrophe. We must daven to Hashem for rachamim, we must vote Republican, say T’hilim, give tz’dakah, and contribute what we can to Trump and the Republican Party. Our future depends on it.
I would also like to comment on the Letter to the Editor by Frinette Kass-Shaibman (10/21/2020). She claims that all frum Jews should reject Trump and follow the Democrats. The Democratic Party stands for BDS, anti-Semitism, partial-birth abortions, funding for Iran, and terrorism. Trump opposes these things. He deserves our support, not our scorn. The Democratic Party is the anti-Torah party.
Martin Berkowitz
Dear Editor:
Rabbi Schonfeld is 100 percent right! It’s not about tweets. It’s not about whether you think the President said something inappropriate before he took office. It’s not about his alleged infidelity before he was President. Biden has support from Farrakhan, who’s a rabid anti-Semite, and Jay-Z, whose music lyrics include using the “n-word” and calling women derogatory names. He has not condemned or distanced himself from either one. Biden embraced segregationists and has stated, “If you don’t vote for me, you ain’t black.” So, Mr. Biden does not have any moral superiority to stand on. This election comes down to policy, plain and simple.
The President’s domestic policies have clearly shown that he wants America to thrive. Under his leadership, America had the lowest unemployment in 50 years. The economy soared. Under Biden, our economy will get crushed. AOC’s Green New Deal will not only cost an exorbitant amount of money, it will be the biggest jobs killer in US history. And yes, he will ban fracking and oil and coal, when we are now energy-independent. The failed experiments that are going on in California and soon New York will be rolled out throughout the country. California is having rolling blackouts. Why, when we are energy-independent, do we want to have blackouts, when wind and solar are not efficient and are cost-prohibitive? New York wants to pass legislation to make sex education mandatory to kids as young as kindergarten. The New York State Legislature wants the Department of Education to oversee all education in private schools. They want marijuana legalized in places up to 500 ft. from schools. If you don’t think Biden will gladly roll out these progressive ideas across this great country, you’re delusional. And he will not be President very long, as his VP pick is the most progressive Senator in the US Senate.
On the foreign policy front, it’s not even close. Trump crushed ISIS, stopped US intervention in foreign wars, and renegotiated NAFTA to benefit the US. Not to mention, he got the European members of NATO to pay up, reducing the burden on US taxpayers. Trump has been tough on China and Russia. It has now been uncovered that Biden was letting his family use his position as VP to get rich in China and Ukraine. President Trump has created a peaceful and stabilized Middle East by crushing the regime in Iran with sanctions, while bringing moderate Arab countries to peace with Israel – something no one could have seen coming. He wasn’t giving pallets of cash to Iran to fund terrorism throughout the world.
It’s not a hard choice if you love America and its prosperity. It’s not a hard choice if you love freedom and liberty. Please, get out and vote.
Daniel Grossman
Dear Editor:
On January 30, the World Health Organization declared COVID a public health emergency. The very next day, President Trump acted decisively and banned all flights from China. This was while Democrats tried to impeach Trump, since he had reason to believe Biden received foreign bribes. The FBI got proof from emails and photos that Joe Biden got bribes funneled through his son Hunter from China & Ukraine (see New York Post). In the long term, COVID will probably be almost over by the end of 2021, which is over two years from its onset, assuming that it would last as long as the Spanish flu of 1918. The Presidency is until 2024. The long-term goal of improving our economy and keeping us safe from enemy attack is most suitable for Trump. Enemies of our country will likely step over Biden, because he does not have the stamina and guts to lead the USA.
The Democratic Party is veering towards communism by imposing steep fines, almost banning public religious observance, and controlling our daily life. This is under the guise of “public safety.” Although other New York counties that don’t have religious Jews had higher positive rates, they were not declared red zones. The percentage of the population that is actually sick is not significant, nor are hospitals overwhelmed. During the height of the virus, on April 6, there was a 48% positive rate, with $1,000 fines for COVID violations. Now it is $15,000, when infection rates are less than about a tenth of that. This is illegal; the US Constitution’s Eighth Amendment states “nor excessive fine imposed.”
It is urgent to vote only Republican. The greatest number of deaths per million of the population were in Democratic states (see COVID Worldometer). Some contributing factors were government orders preventing relatives to be with ill patients (so they died from neglect and starvation, with nobody to testify), putting elderly at harm by forcing nursing homes to receive positive patients, etc. This is important to Democrats, so Democrats can control the public and instill fear. The virus is very treatable when treated from onset. Even our physical safety is in danger, with Democrats trying to defund local police and make laws benefiting criminals! As long as there is balance of power in the government between different parties, we were treated more fairly, and legislation produced fairer laws. President Trump will balance power and allow the American people to be free. This election is life and death, for our future.
We need to listen to our g’dolim such as Moreinu HaRav Shmuel Kamenetsky (Rosh Yeshivas Philadelphia), Moreinu HaRav Malkiel Kotler (Rosh Yeshivas Lakewood), etc., who praised Presidents Trump’s performance.
R.K.
This Week’s Headlines
(Satire)
“AOC slams long waiting lines at McDonald’s as ‘diner suppression’”
“Breaking: Biden taps Planned Parenthood CEO for director of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) due to her experience with separating babies from their mothers”
“NYT Opinion: Imagine if we had a more ‘democratic’ system where the team that scores the most runs overall wins the World Series.”
“Breaking: Ninth Circuit Court finds Trump guilty of making America great again in the first degree, sentences him to another four years as president”
“Hillary Clinton reportedly preparing another major hoax if Trump wins reelection”
“CNN Analysis: If Biden wins, the Electoral College is good. If Trump wins, it’s bad and should be scrapped.”
“Leftists vow to riot even harder this time if Trump’s reelected”
“In line with its centuries-old tradition, France officially surrenders to COVID-19”
“Hillary Clinton says Hunter Biden should’ve consulted her with lessons on handling his emails”
“Biden asked hardest-hitting question yet by CBS: “Mr. Vice President, how was your nap today?””
Rafi Metz
