This week, Israel celebrates its 76th birthday. Seventy-six years ago, May 14, 1948, was the rebirth of one of the oldest cultures and nations in history, the State of Israel. With Judaism as its religion, Israel has a historical continuity spanning over 4,000 years.

It is one of the oldest monotheistic religions and the oldest to survive into the present day. Israel today is a unique and diverse Jewish state with a young, viable democracy in an unstable region. In 2010, the Jewish population was estimated at 13.4 million, or roughly 0.2% of the world population.

The circumstances surrounding Israel’s rebirth were anything but easy. Regrettably, Israel’s journey from her early beginning to the present has been fraught with great suffering. It is a tribute to the indomitable spirit of the Jewish people that they persisted in their valiant struggle to re-gather again in the land of their birth. Some even go as far as saying that Israel’s renaissance — after 4,000 years or so– was nothing short of miraculous.

The re-birth of Israel, in reality, is a culmination of thousands of years of gestation during which the Jewish people, dispersed throughout much of the world, endured immense degrees and varieties of suffering. The Nazi murderers and their collaborators capped the crimes committed against the Jewish people by brutally slaughtering six million innocent men, women and children.

We can hardly find countries that have gone out of existence for as long as 4,000 years and then reappeared and been reborn. Thus, the rebirth of this magnificent culture, people, and land was truly a miracle.

In ancient times, a noble and just Persian king, Cyrus the Great, rescued tens of thousands of Jewish people from captivity in a foreign land, empowering them to return home and build their sacred temple. By his action of freeing an entire people from captivity and restoring their rightful dignity, Cyrus the Great, the author of the first code of Human Rights, cemented a bond of friendship between the Jews and the Persians. It was the Just King’s way of setting the world on a course of freedom, equality, and justice for all people, irrespective of any considerations.

Israel has welcomed many Jews across the world, including the Iranian Jews who could no longer tolerate the rule of the oppressive venomous mullahs. These mullahs are indeed traitors to the lofty, long-standing tradition and values championed by Cyrus the Great and revered by Persians throughout the ages. Israel also must be commended for affording millions of Israeli Arabs opportunities denied to them in many other lands.

Regrettably, the sworn enemy of the Iranian people and the Persian heritage (the Islamic Republic) also supports terrorism abroad. The Islamic regime has increased its support for groups that seek the destruction of Israel. These include the Lebanese Hezbollah and such Palestinian groups as Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command. Israel has the right to defend herself from these brewing factions who want nothing short of obliteration of the Jewish state.

We should consider the rebirth of the Jewish State to be a blessing for the Muslims. Israel has provided the opportunity to show the world the results of the Jewish state of mind in action…a mind that yearns to be free and a mind that longs to see that all humanity enjoys life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, said Tashbih Sayyed.

Israel’s fair treatment of the Iranian Baha’is in Israel is praiseworthy. This further demonstrates their ability and willingness to live in harmony with others. In Iran, the birthplace of the Baha’i faith, Baha’is are ruthlessly subjected to a form of gradual genocide by the cruel mullahs. Some Baha’is are executed for their faith, Baha’i children are denied university studies, Baha’i holy places are destroyed, and even their cemeteries are bulldozed, to cite a few examples. By contrast, Israel has provided the Baha’is freedom to care for their holy places, which were established in the Holy Land during the 19th century, long before Israel’s rebirth.

The Jewish community of Iran is one of the oldest in the Diaspora, and its historical roots reach back to the 6th century B.C.E., the time of the First Temple. Their history in the pre-Islamic period is intertwined with that of the Jews of neighboring Babylon. The Jewish colonies were scattered from centers in Babylon to Persian provinces and cities such as Hamadan and Susa. The books of Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Daniel give a favorable description of the relationship of the Jews to the court of the Achaemids at Susa.

To this day, traditional Jews pray three times a day for the Temple’s restoration. During the centuries, the Muslims controlled Palestine, and two mosques were built on the site of the Jewish Temple. (This was no coincidence; it is a common Islamic custom to build mosques on the sites of other people’s holy places.) Since any attempt to level these mosques would lead to an international Muslim holy war (jihad) against Israel, the Temple cannot be rebuilt in the foreseeable future.

“Next year in Jerusalem being the wish of Diaspora Jews, dispersed from their homeland yet acknowledging their spiritual and historical home is Israel, specifically, Jerusalem. Psalm 137 is referred to as the well-known lament of the Babylonian Jews who wept ‘by the rivers of Babylon’ and declared, ‘If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither.”

The perennial prayer, “Next Year in Jerusalem,” has finally been answered. We, the spiritual children of Cyrus the Great, pray that Israel succeeds in taking the steps necessary to make the New Jerusalem a place of hope and lasting safety for the Jewish people, people of all religions, and those with no religion at all.

Although Israel was reborn in 1948, the Israelis were unable to settle down for long in their own homeland, to worship their God as they wished, and to live in peace. They were assaulted once again by the forces of destruction that sent them scurrying for the relative safety of other lands. These challenges continue to this day.

Now, Israel is a sovereign state but hardly safe. She is surrounded by nations and peoples who are bent on her destruction. Tragically, she and her neighbors have been unable to find an equitable way of living side-by-side with mutual respect and peace. I earnestly hope that ways can be found to resolve this destructive impasse peacefully.

A thorny issue of great concern to Israel is the Mullahs’ gallop to join the nuclear club and use the bomb as a club over the head of any nation, near or far, that stands in their way or does not accede to their demands. And it is here that some advocated a pre-emptive action by Israel, the U.S., or both to postpone, if not prevent, the Mullahs from achieving their objective.

For example, attacking the Bushehr nuclear facility alone would be a nightmare, releasing radiation into the atmosphere. To attack Iran’s nuclear facilities will not only provoke unnecessary war, but it could also unleash clouds of radiation far beyond the targets and the borders of Iran. In addition, it is almost a certainty that the Islamic Republic would retaliate by hitting Israel’s Dimona nuclear complex. Everyone loses.

The best strategy with the greatest chance of success and the least risk of starting a cataclysmic chain reaction is for a “coalition of the willing,” to borrow a phrase, to rally behind the Iranian opposition. Democracy-seeking secular Iranians are thoroughly capable of dislodging the tyrannical Mullahs.

We should also remember that Iran sits on many large, active fault lines. Of the major earthquakes that do occur in Iran, many are stronger than magnitude six on the Richter scale. Should, say, the Bushehr plant be hit by an earthquake, it would be catastrophic, not only to the entire region but beyond.

Today, Israel has reunited Jerusalem and provided unrestricted freedom of religion. Access of all faiths to the Holy Places in the unified City of Peace is assured. The story of Israel’s rebirth is indeed a miracle, yet challenges have remained, threatening the existence of this tiny ancient country filled with a rich culture.

As we watch, we pray for Israel and the Jewish people for everlasting peace and prosperity.

It doesn’t make any difference whether you are pro-Israel or not. If another holocaust looms, it leaves Israel with no alternatives but to lash out without pause or restraint at those who wish to destroy the Jewish State.

Happy 76th Birthday, Israel

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This is an older article, reprinted here because it is even more relevant that in 2021. But also, when people “forecast” the future — whether meteorologists, fortune-tellers, stockbrokers, or lawyers drafting contracts, the proof is in the pudding: were they accurate?

I have warned for years about Vermont’s unsustainable pensions, healthcare system, and tax structures, yet those who ignore math and facts press on with their ideological fantasies in derogation and destruction of the very programs they bloat in the name of “social justice.” I republish this article here because hindsight now proves I and other economists have been correct — Biden’s so-called “inflation reduction” policies have thrown fuel on the fire of inflation, just as Vermont’s progressive supermajority has aggravated the economic situation in the Green Mountains by ignoring common sense and basic economics, not at their own peril but of the citizenry they have utterly failed to serve. Inflation will get far worse, and we must recall who got us here in order to understand which moronic policies must be reversed to cure these ills.

Social justice inflation — Is that the plan?

Most Americans are aware that inflation is on the rise, and not just at the gas pumps. This is unsurprising given the flood of money being printed as so-called “COVID relief.” The impact on the economy is evident — workers are staying home, businesses are struggling, even as consumer spending climbs fueled by citizens flush with COVID cash. The future impact on the American economy is uncertain — or is it? Increasingly this irresponsible money-dumping appears to be a deliberate effort to transfer wealth and expand government power, consistent with the Social Justice ideology embraced by extremist Joe Biden.

It is axiomatic that increasing the money supply is the root of inflation. There are three ways this is fueled:

Demand-pull inflation occurs when an increase in the supply of money and credit stimulates overall demand for goods and services in an economy to increase more rapidly than the economy’s production capacity. This increases demand and leads to price rises…. Cost-push inflation is a result of the increase in prices working through the production process inputs… Built-in Inflation [is when] workers and others come to expect that they will continue to rise in the future at a similar rate and demand more costs or wages to maintain their standard of living.

Americans should be alarmed that all three are now impacting the economy. Also, there is a huge divergence between “core” inflation and consumer goods (including gasoline and wages, which in turn nurture cost-push inflation in the costs of goods, creating a dangerous cycle). This divergence is itself a warning sign, as inflation …

drives up some prices first and later drives up other prices. This sequential change in purchasing power and prices (known as the Cantillon effect) means that the process of inflation not only increases the general price level over time, but it also distorts relative prices, wages, and rates of return along the way. Economists, in general, understand that distortions of relative prices away from their economic equilibrium are not good for the economy, and Austrian economists even believe this process to be a major driver of cycles of recession in the economy.

Inflation is quite high at present, but the Federal Reserve states that it is unconcerned. Though this year’s inflation is the largest jump since August 2008,

Chairman Jerome Powell and other officials acknowledge the recent acceleration in prices but believe that the inflation is “transitory” and that prices won’t continue to increase at their current pace for too long.

But consumers have a different perspective:

But consumers—who actually drive inflation—seemed unfazed, apparently already operating with the understanding that prices were rising fast, and would continue to do so. Homeowners remodeling their homes during the pandemic were aware of historically high lumber prices. Home cooks felt the impact on food prices. Buyers of both new and used cars saw prices surge due to a shortage of computer chips.… This diversion in inflation views between policy makers and consumers is notable and runs deep, says Chicago Booth’s Michael Weber. Central banks and shoppers are living, to some extent, in different worlds—focusing on different things, and forming expectations on the basis of those.

This is a volatile difference, given that the purpose of the Fed is to influence markets (consumers) to preventinflation. The Fed has employed as rationale that there is a divergence between expected and actual inflation, yet that is no longer the case. Indeed, the Fed forecast in April that Personal Economic Expenditures (PCE) “would be 2.4% for 2021, [and] decrease to 2.1% by 2023”:

Different agencies’ predictions differ, but most put US CPI inflation within the range of 1.6% to 2.8% in 2021 and around 2% in 2022.

This forecast has already proved wrong, but this has not budged the Fed out of the “transitory inflation” camp. Some economists forecast higher inflation is here to stay; others say long-term inflation is a mirage. The future will reveal whether this is a short-term burden, or a launch off a fiscal cliff (as I have elsewhere argued). But if it proves to be a cliff-jump, one must query whether that was deliberate.

The Biden administration has distributed “an unprecedented amount of money” to states. Republicans have denounced this as profligate since COVID was waning, but Democrats persisted:

Democrats have called the bill necessary to sustain the economic recovery [and] mitigate the pain caused by a year of economic restrictions. More than 20 million people are still receiving some form of unemployment benefits, and millions of households are struggling to afford food and housing…. Democrats also pointed to the bill’s potential to slash child poverty.

There it is right there — the social justice justification to destroy the nation. Why merely staunch COVID when government can solve other problems with printing presses on the way? Any “slash” to child poverty will be short-lived, followed by those children being burdened by greater debt than any in human history. Money does not solve problems, human capital does.

Economist Thomas Sowell explains:

Missing in most “social justice” arguments for a redistribution of wealth is the question of the extent to which such a redistribution is even possible, in any comprehensive, long-term sense. Certainly there have been many examples of times and places where money or other physical wealth has been confiscated by governments or looted by mobs. But physical wealth is a product of human capital — the knowledge, skills, talents, and other qualities that exist inside the heads of people — where it cannot be confiscated. Confiscating physical wealth for the purpose of redistribution is confiscating something that will be used up over time, and cannot be replaced without the human capital that created it. (Discrimination and Disparities, p. 216).

Social Justice Ideology collides with math, economics, and history — but that doesn’t stop utopian fantasists from setting out to destroy us all. As Ryszard Legutko relates in his book “The Demon in Democracy” (p. 49):

Economic liberals could not get over the popularity of socialism, which they considered a completely irrational idea, but for reasons with which they were never satisfied managed to touch the hearts and minds of millions of people throughout the world. This tremendous success of their main enemy made them critically reassess the previous methods by which the free marketers wanted to win popular support…. And so they concluded: if the free market is presented not in a timid, apologetic, and cowardly way, but in proud openness as an optimal answer to every important problem, if it officially, as it were, entered into an ideological race with socialism as a superior all-encompassing formula, it must and would win. Once the economic liberals drew this conclusion, they deliberately and consciously started using the term “utopia” for what they were advocating. After all, what can be more attractive than a utopia that works? And work it must — they said. Some liberals could not even conceal their bewilderment that such a fantastic project as theirs, giving everyone, literally everyone, the freedom to pursue their own desires, had not yet caught human imagination strongly enough….

When the COVID “relief” funds run out, the unemployment problem will abate as workers are no longer rewarded for staying home. But at the same time, they will have less disposable income and consumer spending will decline. This will mean that the Biden Social Justice machine will have to print yet more money, with less economic benefit. The acknowledged expert on inflation is Milton Friedman, who warned strongly in his book “Money Mischief: Episodes in Monetary History”:

Inflation in the range to which we have become accustomed, let alone in the hyperinflationary range, became feasible only after paper money came into wide use. The nominal quantity of paper money can be multiplied indefinitely at negligible cost; it is necessary only to print high numbers on the same pieces of paper…. Whatever its proximate source, inflation is a disease, a dangerous and sometimes fatal disease, a disease that, if left unchecked, can destroy a society…. No government willingly accepts the responsibility for producing inflation even in moderate degree, let alone at hyperinflationary rates. Government officials always find some excuse….Inflation is not a capitalist phenomenon. The recognition that substantial inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon is only the beginning of an understanding of the cause and cure of inflation. The more basic questions are: Why do governments increase the quantity of money too rapidly? Why do they produce inflation when they understand its potential for harm? (pp. 190-193).

Americans can see the political ideology in their midst that explains “why” the Biden administration would deliberately increase money supply rapidly. Americans are being set up for economic implosion:

So, did states receive too much money in the Biden rescue plan? The answer is definitely yes, given that state revenues never declined very much, coupled with the federal government’s assistance in offsetting the spike in Medicaid, and the fact that the current recovery will be robust in terms of state revenues all support this conclusion….. Once the federal money is all spent, many states may be looking at a serious budget problem: not enough money to support the spending levels they’ve assumed in their fiscal year 2022 budgets. That will likely happen when the economy slows and actual revenues fall short of the levels assumed in their budgets.

Many Americans lack historical awareness either of how high interest rates can climb, or how dangerous inflation truly is. The annual inflation under Donald Trump in 2020 was 1.2%. Those who refer current rates back to 2008 link to a monthly rate: the last year for which inflation was as high as currently was 5.45%, in 1990. The rates under stagflation were 11.3% in 1979; 13.5% in 1980; 10.3% in 1981.

Since toying with quantitative easing in the 2007-8 crisis, the Fed has found it needed to go even further:

In the past decade or so, the Fed has seemed to lose some of its influence in controlling inflation…. Thus, the Fed has embraced what watchers call unconventional monetary policy to maintain its influence. It has bought trillions of dollars’ worth of assets to get financial institutions moving and money flowing through the economy. And it has used forward guidance to tell the market, and the public, what it thinks is going on, with the goal of influencing their spending decisions…. [But i]t can’t use forward guidance as an effective policy tool unless it can get consumers on the same page.

So the Fed has decided it can control inflation using forward guidance that is ignored; and its hands are tied from raising interest rates because “core” inflation is soft while consumer spending is rampant. America is on thin monetary sand, shifting further under fantastical notions of ending all poverty and injustice forever, just by printing money.

High inflation will result in a massive wealth transfer from elderly Americans to young, as savings and retirement incomes whither while housing and food prices skyrocket. Young Americans will be supported with printing presses, and have paltry liquid assets at risk — though their student loans will slowly vanish. The federal government’s trillions of dollars of entitlement obligations will shrink in real value, and be “honored” using increasingly worthless paper dollars. This would accomplish a massive redistribution of wealth while bypassing the ballot box completely.

They wouldn’t knowingly do such a thing, would they?

 

John Klar is an Attorney, farmer, and author. Mostly farmer… And Regular Contributor to GraniteGrok and VermontGrok.

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By now, readers should be familiar with the executive council race to replace the retiring Ted Gatsas in District 4, a seat that Nurse Terese has been focused on for over 2 years.  Last election cycle, she primaried him with almost no resources and received almost 30% of the votes.  She is also a regular attendee in the front row of the audience whenever her schedule allows.  Let’s talk about that for a moment, shall we?

Among the many hats that she wears or has worn is nurse, wife, mom to 2 little boys from “the system,” believer, and activist.

Readers could be taken on a side trip with stories about her involvement in serving God by way of serving others.  The embattled youth center, which has been in the news almost every day, is front and center on her radar for reform.  Before moving on, I’ll finish this point by reminding everyone that she is NOT an opportunist saying, “Hey, look, an open seat”(without an incumbent to overcome) in a personal crusade to be and/or stay relevant.  And a question that should be asked by voters and the press alike is if Mr. Stephen is in the race to keep a lid on the embarrassment of the youth center scandal if elected.

What has Mr Stephen been doing lately?  Or, as Janet Jackson said, “What have you done for ME lately,” is what District 4 voters should be asking Mr Stephen.  I can tell everyone what has been done FOR MR STEPHEN lately.  Incumbents Kenney (District 1) and Wheeler(District 5) endorsed him!

“Good Old Boy Network,” anyone?

When Ted Gatsas announced his retirement, Ryan Terrell threw his hat into the ring followed by B0b Burns, who also received attention from the distinguished Ed Mosca, a Gatsas constituent.

Then, along came the elderly former Senator Reagan, who was against the Parental Bill of Rights while in office and endorsed the enemy camp candidate vying to fill his seat upon his own retirement.

Somewhere along the timeline, Mr Stephen announced his candidacy and I still owe him an article on why he is NOT the correct replacement for Ted Gatsas.  Unfortunately, the “in (cumbent) club” seems to disagree.  Consider this piece that article.

Admittedly, I have not yet done formal opposition research in earnest, but he’s another rich businessman just like Burns.  Is he bored, or is he tasked with damage control by the ruling class?  Would he have primaried Ted Gatsas this year if he wasn’t retiring?  When was the last time he attended a meeting of the body?  When was the last time he reached out to Ted Gatsas to request that he vote a certain way on something, and what was the item or nomination?  Does he think he’s a modern-day Ross Perot expecting to purchase the seat?  I think Burns is.

Last Saturday for Old Home Day, and while on my way to and from downtown Goffstown by way of Bedford, both of which are District 4 communities, I spotted countless Burns signs.  They were of the cheap trash bag variety and they dominated the roadside landscape on PUBLIC PROPERTY.  What do you think when you see a multitude of signs for a candidate on public property?  Think about it while Terese plugs away at placing homemade signs on PRIVATE PROPERTY, with permission, of course.

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This week, we delve further into the Sununu YDC scandal. Who is the judge? What would the economic impact be to the State if every incident receives the mandated $475,000 maximum–there are 1,400 complainants, each with numerous incidents, you do the math!?!? We also discuss the latest dramas surrounding the upcoming LP Convention in DC at the end of the month, and more!

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California is one of the Crown Jewels of America. It is a massive state that is as different from north to south as America itself. I have not had the pleasure of visiting the state and driving the length of the PCH, but with the current condition of California, I think I will remove it from my wishlist.

California is a mismanaged mess, so more people are leaving the state than migrating to it. For the first time in our history, California lost members of its congressional legislation as people left for Texas, Tennessee, and Florida. With some of the highest tax rates for individuals and businesses, the exodus has been happening for years, and the backfill has not. California is hemorrhaging tax-paying residents and filling the gap with illegal migrants. It’s not a good economic trade-off, but California’s problems are far more rooted than a shrinking population. California’s elected officials are the worst enemy of a struggling state, which is a waste for a state with such incredible promise.

The Golden State is tarnished, and the folks in charge are exasperating the situation instead of taking stock and corrective actions. They have redefined the neighborhood with massive tent cities popping up on the main streets of big cities. When there is a significant event like the Superbowl in Los Angeles or Xi Jinping of China visiting San Francisco, the tents are temporarily moved out of camera range and then brought back post-event as if nothing happened. Cities have set up vending machines with free drug paraphernalia and now San Francisco is prepared to spend $5 million to supply free beer and vodka to homeless alcoholics. You can not make these stories up.

California has been at the forefront of the Reparations issue and Newsom made the mistake of putting together a commission giving any plan credibility. When the group arrived at their decision, and it involved millions paid to any resident who was a direct descendant of a slave, Newsom had to insert himself in the process and table the idea.

Gavin Newsom is considered the go-to person if the Democrats decide to move Biden and Harris aside before or at the convention. Still, he has presided over this grossly negative period in California’s history. California is so large that if a country, its GDP would be in the top ten of the world, but with some of the highest tax rates and complex worker programs, like $20 an hour minimum wage, they have forced many companies out of state. The state is in such need of tax revenue to fund foolish programs that there are attempts to charge an exodus tax on people leaving the state. Good luck with that.

Newsom debated Governor DeSantis of Florida when DeSantis was still a candidate for President, and most of Newsom’s claims and arguments during the event were fact-checked as false. Very consistent for a Liberal. If he happens to become the candidate, his record will be scrutinized, and most logically thinking people would not want him even close to the Oval Office.

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