17 Comments

• AA

  So now CHI has become another arm of the Democratic Party, parroting its most ridiculous talking points? The president does not “have the constitutional right” to raise the debt limit indefinitely; pretty much all constitutional scholars have rejected that notion. (And you would be screaming bloody murder about “dictatorship” were the idea proposed under a Republican administration; don’t kid yourself.)

  In fact, on the contrary. The 14th Amendment was part of a package of laws working to rid this country of the shamefulness of slavery. Now you and your types would twist it 180 degrees to enslave the entire American people in perpetuity, to pay for your fantasies of expanded government reaching into every single person’s life. If you like state control so much, move to North Korea! You can be the first shliach there.

• CH Resident

  This Mr. Lesches is such a Democrat hack I don’t know where to begin.

  First of all, “The youth aren’t motivated by power, money and fame”, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! They aren’t motivated PERIOD!! They sit on their lazy toches doing nothing other then begging for the right of toeivah marriage….

  “just imagine not paying your mortgage or your credit card.” What in the world!? The sky is falling?! I thought dementia starts at 75, not 25! So you suggest if you can’t pay up an obligation, just print monopoly money to pay it up, because it’s for the good of the American sheeple? That’s why China is arming up, because we are printing money to ‘pay’ our obligations to them.

  “even if he would be challenged in the Supreme Court, they would side with the President.” Thanks for the prophecy.

  “Across the nation you have despise for Washington, in its inability to come together”. Actually we have despise for Washington because they DO come together. When I vote for a Republican, I want them to push forward the conservative agenda, and when the commies vote for a democrat, they want those democrats to push the liberal agenda forward. When they all come together, you know that everyone is being messed over (yes I’m keeping it b’loshon nekia). Even though I’m not a communist democrat, I still can respect the few in the house that are liberal ideologue, at least they stand for something other than what the lobbyists pay them to stand for.

  Just my two cents. It’s just one man’s opinion.

• CR

  The whole “default” discussion has come about due to the mainstream media pounding the drums uncritically on this talking point of the President. In reality, it will not happen and the media talking heads would know this if they bothered to think for themselves. There is enough tax revenue coming into the treasury to cover debt interest, SS, Medicare and active duty troop pay. There will not be much left over for “programmers”, however.

  Reb Avi, you do yourself and the larger community no service by parroting this nonsense.

• declasse intellectual

  Please stick to reporting news about the Jewish community, Israel and such matters. Do not stick your face into matters of which you are not qualified because a great many Constitutional experts would laugh at your comments. This is a blog site about Jewish affairs–not editorial comments about which the persons in charge have no idea of what they are talking about.
  What you should have been concerned with was how would the default or a possible deal affect the Jewish community and the services it renders and needs!!!

• Milhouse

  Avi,what nonsense are you writing?

  First of all, there was NEVER any chance of defaulting on the debt. No increase in the debt ceiling was needed to prevent that. There is more than enough money coming in every month to service the debt.

  Second, the “argument” from the 14th amendment doesn’t even begin to fly. You can learn a blatt gemoro, so how could you possibly fall for it? Please explain how you could possibly jump from a prohibition on questioning the validity of the debt, to an authority for the president to borrow money without Congress’s permission. Go on, explain it. If you made such an argument in a gemoro shiur you’d be laughed out of the beis hamedrash.

  The constitution is crystal clear that only Congress may borrow money; the president has no authority to do so, and if he does the USA doesn’t have to pay it back.

• Just Sayin-

  I don’t know why this is even a topic of conversation. The debt ceiling was created in 1917, and has been raised 75 times since 1962 (10 of those since 2001). It’s not a partisan concept, either; both Bush and Reagan raised it numerous times.

  The idea of the ceiling was to put a cap on Congressional spending. Seeing how there has never been a ceiling we haven’t breached, and Congress continues to vote to raise the limit, why don’t we just abolish the concept? All it does is give the media something to sensationalize and politicians a chance to blame their opponents for spending too much (pot, meet kettle).

  Avi has a good point, in that Americans need to change the way they approach their finances. Not so much in respect to reliance on government programs, but in our attitude towards debt and credit. “Put it on the card” is our answer to everything; not just as individuals, but as a society in general.

  Another point made is that the young people have to get involved and take a stand if they want things to change. That point is valid regardless of your political orientation. I commend Avi on getting involved, whether I agree with his politics or not. More and more, the younger generation is distancing themselves from politics, mainly because they think everyone is corrupt. They’re right, but their response is wrong. When something is broken, you don’t walk away- you fix it, or you find someone who can.

  In my opinion, we need to reevaluate our approach to debt and the concepts of credit. When we change our habits, we can go to Congress and say, “We balance our checkbook, time to balance yours!” Until then, the merry-go-round just keeps on going….

• Yep, uh-huh...

  To #1: To say you understand the 14th Amendment in it’s entirety is to say you can solve every debate between Tanoim. The “equivalent” in Constitutional Law have a long standing argument as to the President’s power with regards to the debt ceiling, and until it’s fought out in court, there will be no definitive answer.

  To #2: If you stopped discounting everything said by other parties, we might get somewhere as a people. Take the time to listen to what others have to say. Even if you don’t agree, don’t stoop to name calling (“Democrat hack”, “communist democrat”, etc.). Not only do you cheapen your argument, you create an animosity that will only grow with time and impede the progress you want to see happen.

  To #4: Thank you for telling to publishers of this website why they created it. I’m sure they appreciate your opinion. It’s a blog- they aren’t “qualified” in any matters, other than making money. But since you’re a “declasse intellectual,” you knew that already…

• Nobody

  Everything in this article is wrong – from the first sentence on. This morning (August 2nd, when the article was posted here) we woke up to the situation being “resolved” (meaning – kicked down the road). Second, as 20 seconds with Google will tell you, this is not the first time the US defaulted on it’s debt. It defaulted on bonds promised to be paid in gold in 1933, by paying in (inflated) currency instead.

  The article is only downhill in terms of accuracy from there.

  If we want to discuss a Jewish value, how about לוה רשע ולא ישלם – an evil person borrows what he will not repay. Just to repay what is currently borrowed, the US would have to run a trillion dollar surplus every year for four presidential terms in office. Does anyone think that will happen? No, instead, just as it did in 1933, the US will hit a wall, and repudiate the debt, as in 1933, in a way that technically pays it, but does not leave the creditor whole.

• To just sayin

  “Put it on the card is our answer to everything”. Unless you were being sarcastic, you’re a moron. When your debt keeps on mounting, just apply for more credit cards to max them out too. Brilliant.

• AA

  To commenter #6:

  I see you are unable to make a reasonable argument that doesn’t involve putting words in someone’s mouth. Where did I say that I “understand the 14th Amendment in it’s (sic) entirety”? I’m no Constitutional scholar, but then neither are you, and neither, presumably, is the writer of this article.

• Shez

  First of all, it’s obviously necessary to admonish previous commenters.

  This piece is a question, not a suggestion.
  It is therefore non-partisan.
  Those who are only complaining, your words are better left unsaid(/typed).

  There is a very serious economic problem.
  It affects the Jewish community as well as any other.

  Should we focus solely on issues affecting the community, or should we use our talents and insight to better the world around us as well?
  Does the fact that the community needs our attention mean this is to the exclusion of helping ourselves and others at the same time (especially when it helps the community as well)?!

  The economic problem will not be exacerbated or corrected to any significant degree by limiting or raising the debt ceiling. Our economic problem is too fundamentally flawed.

  Reported unemployment at 9%!?
  True unemployment is over 30%!
  More jobs and companies are being consolidated = less jobs down the line.
  More student loans will never be repaid due to underemployment.
  More low-no income households will put more strain on earners.

  It’s a downward spiral due to total lack of structural integrity.

  The real issue is not whether we can pay for governmental services (as one commenter suggested), but rather how does the value of our money compare to that of other countries.

  The USA has NO wealth-backed currency.
  The dollar is a ‘faith-backed’ “currency”.
  Faith in the value of something is NOT currency, it’s speculative investment.
  The dollar is a faith-based government bond NOT a note of ownership of value.

  With regard to currency, money supply and national debt, there is only one real solution: RESTRUCTURE THE CURRENCY

  Stop printing government bonds (or when we need good faith money [in-case of emergency] we will have access to none).
  Introduce an alternative currency.
  Offer the new currency in exchange for dollars at a ratio of multiple dollars for each new note.
  Back each ‘new note’ with commodities (precious metals etc) at a ratio that values the new US currency higher in comparison to international currencies.
  At the same time end fractional reserve lending so currency value is not undermined by banking technicalities.
  Pull the dollar from circulation.

  Result:
  A US billionaire may turn-out to be a millionaire in ‘currency units’ (dollars/new currency) overnight after exchanging his billions for millions, but this happening to the country at-large, it will be a negligible affect nationally when comparing someone to their neighbor.
  Internationally, we will be on a firm economical footing with a currency valued more than other international (national) currencies, while prices in the country will change according to the exchange ratio, once a ‘gold’ standard is put in place all other prices will adjust based on a gold value to consumer product value ratio.

  Fine-tune accordingly.
  Consultation available, if necessary.

  Hatzlacha Rabbah to all.

• CH resident

  At a time when the U.S. national debt is 14 trillion dollars, government waste just seems more out of control than ever. The following are 15 of the craziest things that the U.S. government is spending money on….

  #1 A total of $3 million has been granted to researchers at the University of California at Irvine so that they can play video games such as World of Warcraft. The goal of this “video game research” is reportedly to study how “emerging forms of communication, including multiplayer computer games and online virtual worlds such as World of Warcraft and Second Life can help organizations collaborate and compete more effectively in the global marketplace.”

  #2 The U.S. Department of Agriculture gave the University of New Hampshire $700,000 this year to study methane gas emissions from dairy cows.

  #3 $615,000 was given to the University of California at Santa Cruz to digitize photos, T-shirts and concert tickets belonging to the Grateful Dead.

  #4 A pizzeria in Iowa was given $60,000 to renovate the pizzeria’s facade and give it a more “inviting feel”.

  #5 The National Science Foundation spent $216,000 to study whether or not politicians “gain or lose support by taking ambiguous positions.”

  #6 The National Science Foundation gave the Minnesota Zoo over $600,000 so that they could develop an online video game called “Wolfquest”.

  #7 Approximately $1 million of U.S. taxpayer money was used to create poetry for the Little Rock, New Orleans, Milwaukee and Chicago zoos. The goal of the “poetry” is to help raise awareness on environmental issues.

  #8 The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs spent $175 million during 2010 to maintain hundreds of buildings that it does not even use. This includes a pink, octagonal monkey house in the city of Dayton, Ohio.

  #9 $1.8 million of U.S. taxpayer dollars went for a “museum of neon signs” in Las Vegas, Nevada.

  #10 $35 million was reportedly paid out by Medicare to 118 “phantom” medical clinics that never even existed. Apparently these “phantom” medical clinics were established by a network of criminal gangs as a way to defraud the U.S. government.

  #11 The Conservation Commission of Monkton, Vermont got $150,000 from the federal government to construct a “critter crossing”. Thanks to U.S. government money, the lives of “thousands” of migrating salamanders are now being saved.

  #12 In California, one park received $440,000 in federal funds to perform “green energy upgrades” on a building that has not been used for a decade.

  #13 The U.S. Department of Agriculture gave one enterprising group of farmers $30,000 to develop a tourist-friendly database of farms that host guests for overnight “haycations”. This one sounds like something that Dwight Schrute would have dreamed up.

  #14 One Tennessee library was given $5,000 in federal funds to host a series of video game parties.

  #15 The U.S. Census Bureau spent $2.5 million on a television commercial during the Super Bowl that was so poorly produced that virtually nobody understood what is was trying to say.

  So thank you Mr. Lesches for enlightening us on how important it is to give the government more money not printed yet to squander.

• A DISAPPOINTED CHASID!

  It would have never happened.This whole thing was a charade everyone now needs to really worry about & watch their finances closely.Obama & The liberals want to steal more money from our pockets make us more reliant on Gov’t & less on ourselves. I ask how can you possibly vote for Obama & his minions come election time a strong message needs to be sent to them! Shaygets arois! vote Republican

• Nobody

  #11,

  Avi Lesches is a Democratic party operative who works for the Junior Senetor from New York (you can Google him). This article is not a question, this is an attempt to appeal to the idealism of youth to draw them into supporting the Democratic party agenda.

  Let’s not be naive here.

• Supporter of Change

  #4 To Declassintellectual: Why should others be silent when they feel an injustice is being done to the American people, and their economic engine? By saying Mr. Lesches and CHI should not write or discuss such topics, because they have no experience, well do you have experience? Have you ever taken a civic course or any legal courses? Have you questioned Mr. Lesches on such matters? What makes you assumes he doesn’t know what he’s talking about? I know him, and I can say he is well read and versed in matters of politics. When you mention that Mr. Lesches should focus on the effect the default will have on social programs is not something Mr. Lesches is advocating, because he says “the community should learn to move beyond social services.”

  #5 To Milhouse: Apparently you don’t know your facts; the treasury said it had enough income from revenues to keep us going only for a short while, after that we would run out of money. Last year the income revenues were 2.4 trillion, and expenditures were 3.5 trillion; which means the US had a deficit of 1.1 trillion. The 14th amendment states that should congress see the need to borrow in order to keep the country operating, like during a time of war or a depression; it doesn’t say anywhere the President can’t borrow. The President is currently entering a reelection year; that why he pushed congress to find a compromise, he doesn’t want to isolate voters by going behind congresses back. Remember, the President takes an oath “to serve and protect the state of the union,” so he needs to do what is necessary to keep us going. For further reading, look up “Can Obama extend the debt limit on his own” by Ronald Dworkin.

  #8 To Nobody: You are correct that Mr. Lesches made a mistake by saying “the US will default,” but when this article was posted (early Monday morning) the Senate had not even voted on the deal, which was still awaiting the President’s signature. In short, the matter was not resolved. It’s like saying “I bought a house, but didn’t close on it yet.” Saying the US defaulted in 1933 is a true fact, but it was very different then today’s issue. I won’t go into detail, see link for more information. (spectator.org/archives/2009/01/02) Don’t assume things as a matter of fact before backing yourself up.

  #12 To CH Resident: Mr. Lesches is not encouraging anyone to give the government more money, rather he encourages others to rise up and demand a more balanced approach to our spending. You have some valid points about were the government wastes money, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t demand a smarter way of running our government. If you don’t understand something ask; it doesn’t do any good to assume.

• Supporter of Change

  #1 To AA: It’s amazing how you can twist someone’s words out of context, if you read a bit lower you will find Mr. Lesches advocates for a smaller government, “by having the population become less reliant on the government for support.” To accuse CHI for being an arm of the Democratic Party is ludicrous; if anything YOU continue to support the Democratic Party, because if you care so much why don’t you open a tea party chapter?! Rather you seem too afraid, and don’t want to get involved, so instead you sit on a computer and chew someone out. Why not do something for a change, and try and turn around the current status if you care so much.

  #3 To CR: Before you begin contradicting yourself by saying the US has enough cash flow from its revenue income, and therefore won’t default, what’s your basis to this? (See answer to comment #5) Are you just quoting radio and newspaper articles? I guess your smarter than the Treasury, IMF, S&P, Moody’s and others, who warned that they would lower Americas three diamond rating if we don’t get our house in order. You will answer me that all the above mentioned agencies are in co-hoots with the President, which is nothing more than a conspiracy theory. The idea that I believe Mr. Lesches has in mind is to make the community aware, so they may take action in the next election. So unless you don’t care for America’s economic future, then just remain silent, which would do the community justice.

  #14 Nobody: Just because a website says Mr. Lesches is an aide to the junior Senator of NY doesn’t not automatically make him a Democrat. It’s like saying you’re close minded, because you assume things without ever thinking outside the box. Maybe Mr. Lesches is trying to show the community that if we care so much about our political future we need to begin expanding the independent and republican parties in NY. Why not google the political history of Brooklyn and NY, you will find that both areas have voted democratic at least since 1992; if anything you are naive.

• Kevin

  Raising the debt was never a problem before so why should it be a problem now.
  Or are there anterior motives?