It's YOUR Money - Shouldn't You Decide How to Spend It?

We need Vouchers. Okay. I said it. So what?

A good voucher plan will give parents full choice of where to send their children.

A good voucher plan will not Punish people by having them pay for public school then having them pay again for private school.

A good voucher plan will improve the quality of public schools.

Now, all we need is a good voucher plan.

There have been several different voucher plans proposed. They've all been similar. I would like to Propose one that is different.

Voucher plans seem to be tied to the students. Each student gets a voucher.

My voucher plan is tied to the taxpayers. Each taxpayer would get a voucher. They pay for the schools, they should decide which schools benefit.

Here's how my plan works:

Let's assume you are a property owner. The portion of your property tax that goes for education is $ 1000 (just to give a nice, round number). You would get a voucher for $ 1000. If you have a child in a private school, you could give that voucher to that school. If you have two children in two different schools, you could split the voucher 50-50, 60-40 or any other way you choose.

But what if you do not have any children in school? What would you do with your voucher? Do you have grandchildren? Nieces or Nephews? Friends? Any of them could be the recipient of your voucher. Do not know any children at all? Perhaps there's a school whose educational philosophy you really like. You can give them your voucher. If you are a Staunch supporter of government-run education, you can give your voucher to the local public school.

What if you just do not care? There would be a deadline each year. The money from any Vouchers that were not redeemed by the deadline would automatically go to the public school.

This is fair.

Those who pay the money get to decide where the money goes. More money will be available for private schools, thereby Lowering tuition.

And the public schools? If they want their share of the money, they will have to prove they are worth it. Would you want to give your money to Substandard schools? Maybe if you think it would help them you would. But would not you want them to have a plan for improvement before giving them your money? No longer would public schools have a free ride. They would have to Compete for money just like any other business that has competition.

Has anybody noticed the one problem with this plan?

Not everybody pays property tax. What if you rent? You do not pay tax; you do not get a voucher.

The solution is simple. Your landlord gets a fairly large voucher, as he is the owner of a large piece of rental property. It's true he pays the property tax, but he gets the money with which to pay it from his Tenants. Ask him for part of his voucher.

Imagine looking at an apartment and asking the owner if he will give you part of his voucher. If he says "no," you look at a different apartment. It will not take long for landlords who do not share Vouchers to realize they are losing to landlords Tenants who do. If they want to Compete, they will learn to share.

Imagine. . . it's your money. You get to decide how to spend it. What a radical concept.

What we can learn from the Beverly Hillbillies

Many years ago there was a tv show called "The Beverly Hillbillies." It was about a family from Bugtussle, TN, who suddenly became wealthy and moved to Beverly Hills, CA. These people were not stupid. (Okay, maybe Jethro was.) But here was a family that was thrust into a culture totally different from what they were used to. It caused some problems. They would do things like go out and shoot their dinner, not realizing that this was not acceptable behavior in Beverly Hills.

Several years later there was another tv show, this time it was "3rd Rock From the Sun." It was basically the same premise, except this time it was a group from another planet trying to learn about Earth. Again, they encountered problems as they were not familiar with the culture in which they put themselves.

These things happen in real life. People travel to different places and don't take the time to learn beforehand what is acceptable and what isn't. They end up offending people unintentionally.

Do you know anybody who ever had business dealings in Japan? When a Japanese businessman gives you his business card, don't just put it in your pocket. You could mess up a multi-million dollar deal. Take the card with both hands and study it. Show your approval. Then put it away. That's part of their culture.

Things are quite different in Israel now than they were during my first trip here. In those days, while many places had modern plumbing, many still had the old plumbing. Therefore toilet could accommodate what they were intended to accommodate, but nothing else. There was a covered wastebasket next to the toilet and one was expected to throw their paper products in there as not to clog the pipes.

You can bet if things were that way in Israel, they were no different in the rest of the Middle East. Which brings me to a woman I once knew. Her husband worked in a factory that employed many Arabs. She always spoke about how filthy and disgusting they were because they wouldn't flush their toilet paper. Instead, they threw it in the wastebasket.

This is not a case of people being filthy and disgusting. This is a case of people not realizing that the country they were coming to was different from the one they left. Maybe asking what to do with used toilet paper is not the first question one would ask about a culture, but maybe it shold be.

Now there is a new "place" that many people visit. It's called Cyberspace. There are cultural norms here, too.

First, if you write complete in upper case, that is how you convey that you are yelling at the person. I DON'T LIKE TO BE YELLED AT. If you yell at me, I will not respond. I may not even read what you wrote.

Second, computers are not cell phones. When sending a text message, we are limited. So abbreviations are acceptable. Wen u hav litl space its ok & evn gr8. However, when sending an e-mail, or posting to a blog, or FaceBook, or any other site, it's not. Learn to spell. "What" is not spelled "wat." "Great" is not spelled "gr8." Need I go on? Using such abbreviations when not necessary does not make you look cool. It makes you look stupid.

Welcome to Cyberspace. We're happy to have you. Just remember, this is not a sitcom, and not knowing the culture is not funny.

Lubavitch: Are they really the closest thing to Judaism?

I have several friends who are Lubavitch. Many times it seems like we follow different religions. They joke and say Lubavitch is the closest thing to Judaism. I joke and say I think it's really closer to Xianity than Judaism.

Somebody once said every joke has a kernel of truth in it.

One of the more famous Lubavitchers these days is Matisyahu. For those unfamiliar with him, he performs reggae. The question I have is, why has he collaborated with the Xian group POD to appear on their new CD "Testify"? What is it about a Xian rock group that makes it appropriate for a Jew to collaborate with them?

I can't answer it. Perhaps one of my Lubavitch friends can.

Or just maybe, Lubavitch is closer to Xianity than even I realized.

How much is inspiration worth?

The Shabbos (Sabbath) morning service in the synagogue is really two services: Shachris, the morning prayers, and Mussaf, the additional prayers. Of course, if you have a rabbi, you generally have a speech. Where the speech falls in the service is a matter of personal taste.

Some rabbis choose to speak at the end, some speak between Shachris and Mussaf.

There are good reasons for the rabbi to speak at the end. For one thing, it doesn't interrupt the flow of things. For another, anybody who doesn't want to listen can leave. On the other hand, anybody who wants to come just to hear the rabbi speak can come late and skip the prayers (even though they are the whole point of things).

That leaving early thing is really great if the rabbi isn't. However, if you are lucky enough to have a rabbi who is a great speaker, he can truly inspire people through his words. If he speaks at the end, what exactly was that inspiration for? When a rabbi like that speaks in the middle, you can infuse your prayers with so much feeling it's almost like speaking to Hashem face-to-face. Why wouldn't anybody want that?

Is Divorce Idol Worship?

I think most of us have seen weddings, if not in person, then certainly on TV or in the movies. The couple, very much in love and excited about the new life they are about to begin, stands before their clergyman and with the blessings of G-d, they change from two people into one family.

At some time, before the couple reaches the point of holding the ceremony, chances are they went to the county courthouse and secured a marriage license. The question is: Why?

In the words of constitutional scholar Michael Badnarik, what does that license give them permission to do that they could not do before, who gave them that permission, and who gave that person the authority to grant permission? In truth, each religion has its own requirements that it expects a couple to fulfill before they can marry. In Judaism, neither one of the couple can be presently married to somebody else, there are some relationships which are prohibited based on a person's lineage, and they must be knowledgeable in the laws pertaining to marital relations. If they fulfill those requirements, they prepare a kesubah (marriage contract), stand before witnesses and they get married.

Sometimes, after the wedding, people discover things they didn't know about each other. He didn't know she wouldn't like his friends. She didn't know he likes to spend his winters ice fishing above the Arctic Circle. He didn't know her wardrobe occupies its own bedroom. She didn't know he snores.

Alas, for some couples it is too much, and they decide to divorce.

For most people, this means a protracted stay in divorce court. HOWEVER, if they didn't get a marriage license, and only had a religious ceremony, then it is up to the religious authorities to dissolve the marriage. And in Judaism, that is exactly what should happen.

The couple should (and often does) go to a Beis Din (religious court) which grants them the divorce. All too often, however, a Jewish couple, even from a Torah-observant background, will find themselves in divorce court because they involved the government when they decided to get married.

This is wrong.

In his commentary to Shemos 21:1, Rashi states that one who brings disputes before a secular court desecrates the name of G-d. He says it is tantamount to idol worship. So why does this seemingly religious couple bring their dispute before the secular court? Because they got a marriage license.

I wonder why the rabbi signed it. Isn't he then forcing them into the secular court system, forcing them into an idolatrous situation?

There Oughta Be A Law

How many times have you heard (or even said), "There oughta be a law . . ."?

We say this when we don't like what someone else is doing. Thnk about it a minute. If you were suddently granted the power to make whatever laws you wanted, what would they be? No cell phones in restaurants? Mandatory hand-washing after using the bathroom? No colorzing old movies?

Imagine how wonderful it would be if you could enact any laws you wanted. Imagine how nice and orderly the world would be.

Now imagine for just a moment that someone else received that power. What laws would they enact? No smoking in public ever? That's not too pleasant if you're a smoker. How about no meal with more than 3 grams of fat? Forget eating some of your favorite fast food.

Thnk about everything you do. Is there anything that someone, somewhere might not like? Maybe you drink too much (and some people consider any drinking too much). Maybe you like to eat animal products (which doesn't fly too well with the animal rights people).

Let's pretend that every time you get to pass a law against behavior you don't like, someone else gets to pass a law against your behavior. It starts to make what other people do a bit more tolerable, doesn't it?

In Norwood, Ohio, Joy and Carl Gamble just lost their home to the powers of eminent domain. It seems a developer wants their land for a shopping mall/condo complex. Joy and Carl want to keep their home, but at what cost to the community?

With the new development comes more jobs and more taxes. Those things are good for the city and for the majority of the citizens. Why shouldn't they be forced to give up their home for the greater good?

Only one reason--if they can be forced to give up their home, so can you. If we don't protect the rights of others, nobody will bother to protect ours.

If you want freedom, the only way is to work and fight for the freedom of evverybody else.

Pet Peeves

I'm in the mood to vent on a variety of topics, so if you aren't in the mood for ravings, skip this post.

MISPLACED PRIORITIES

If you aren't Jewish, this may be incomprehensible. Feel free to skip to the next topic.

I was recently at a sheva brachos. Among those chosen to make brachos were two men who couldn't get through it without stumbling over the words. That was expected of one of the men. He isn't frum. He doesn't pretend to be frum. He doesn't want to be frum. The fact that he can read Hebrew at all is something to be commended.

The second man, however, does claim to be frum, and in his mind, he probably is. One look would tell you he is "frum." He wears a kapota and a gartle. He dresses all in black, from his shoes to his hat. Yet he can't get through a simple bracha without stumbling. How does he daven?

As it happens, he is a member of a particular group who tends to put appearances over substance. (I'm choosing not to name them because there are a few members who are unusual and don't fit the stereotype. They should not be held accountable for the sins of their brethren.) Over the years I've met many members of this group. In addition to the man in black who can't make a bracha, I've seen so much else.

I've seen a man with yarmulke and tzitzis go into a store to buy a non-kosher candy bar. I've seen a man at a shiur wanting to share "chasidic" insights into the parsha (Vayeira) and then ask the rabbi what made him think Sarah was childless? I've seen countless people who've been frum for years who, like the gentlemen above, cannot get through a simple bracha. I've seen many people who have minhagim that would be aveiros to the rest of the world.

This stems from one cause: as long as you have the right "feelings" the halachos can come later. All too often, the halachos never come at all. We are left with feelings.

But isn't that important? As long as I "feel" Jewish. doesn't that count?

Of course it does. Just ask any non-frum Jew. They'll tell you that feelings are more important than halachos.

Ask any reform Jew. They'll tell you that feelings are more important than halachos.

Ask any christian. They'll tell you that feelings are more important than halachos.

I am relatively certain that no member of that group would want to be associated with non-frum Jews, reform Jews, or christians. Yet they behave the same way.


BEING PUNISHED FOR BEING SINGLE

I recently had occasion to be among the hostesses at a party. Here's a lesson for the future: discuss finances beforehand. Thoroughly.

Let's give an example (which is not based on reality, but based on round numbers being easier to work with).

Imagine you are single. You are giving a party along with four other people whom we'll call Ms. A, Ms. B, Ms. C and Ms. D. The party costs $500 and there will be 50 people there.

Should you each put in $100? At first glance, that would seem fair. However, let's look a little deeper into the situation.

You are coming to the party alone. Ms. A is bringing her husband. Ms. B is bringing her husband and 1 child. Ms. C is bring her husband and 2 children. Ms. D is bringing her husband and 3 children. That means there are 15 "family" members and 35 "guests."

Remember, the party costs $10 per person.

When you pay $100, you are paying for yourself plus 9 guests. Ms. D is paying for her family and 5 guests. Why should you pay for more guests? Why should you subsidize the Ds?

Here is what's fair: each of the five hostesses should pay for their family and seven guests. Therefore you pay $80, Ms. A pays $90, Ms. B pays $100, Ms. C pays $110 and Ms. D pays $120. Yes, Ms. D pays 50 percent more than you, but her family is 400 percent bigger than yours.

In fact, I spoke to several people. They all told me when they've been in this situation, they divided the costs per person and each paid for his or her own family, plus an equal number of guests. That's how it should be. I wish that's how it had been.


DISRESPECTFUL CHILDREN

There is a girl in my shul who likes to get to the kiddush table early and take all the potatoes out of the cholent bowl, leaving none for anybody else. Although she has been told not to do this, she continues, week after week. Unfortunately, she is not an aberration.

I was recently at a different shul. Here there was a separate table for the girls. Before all the adults had a chance to take cholent, a couple girls came and took the cholent bowl to their table. It never returned.

Where does this behavior come from?

Rabbi Alter tells of a time he was in a store in New York. This store was owned by an older couple. While Rabbi Alter was in the store, he witnessed the son berating his mother for some perceived misdeed. Rabbi Alter was ready to say something when the young man's father walked in and started berating his wife for yet another perceived misdeed. What could Rabbi Alter say? How could the son learn respect when the parents don't show any?

I was recently at a dinner in someone's home. When one of the men got up to make a speech, several of the women got up to clear the table. It was very distracting to those of us who wanted to hear what was being said. I did mention to one of the women that perhaps it might be considered rude to be clearing the table while someone was speaking, but she said she didn't care.

Here are people who have not learned respect. If they haven't learned it, how can they pass it on to their children?


A FINAL NOTE

I have to recommend a book. it's not a new book, it's been out for several years. However, I have been re-reading it lately and it is as marvelous, if not more, the second time than it was the first. It's "Doesn't Anyone Blush Anymore?" by Rabbi Manis Friedman. Buy it. Read it. Practice it.