As far as mesiras nefesh yissochor vs zevulun goes, at this stage I am a zevulun. When I was first married, I was a yissochor for 8 years. I would say that to a large extent that is correct. I get up earlier than I ever did before. I have a shiur early in the morning and late at night, plus a chavrusa late afternoon, after 5:00. My son in law starts his day at 7:00.
But I can tell you that although dollars do not come to us easily or plentiful, no expense gives me more pleasure than the monthly check I write to my daughter and son in law. My daughter is raising the cutest baby in the world, and due for her second any week now. My son in law is a masmid of the highest order. He may not be a 16 hour a day masmid, but he is a 60 minute an hour masmid. More focused than I ever was. And I thank Hashem every day for giving me the opportunity to be the zevulun to such a yissochor.
As far as the Rav Gifter reference is concerned, he was speaking about YU actually recognizing a MZ club in the university. The school itself was recognizing the toeva. That is far worse then offering a platform to a frum politician who supports legislation. The Aguda can not be accused of sanctioning the toeva themselves. There is a good chance that Rav Gifter wouldn’t be happy with this either, but it is not at all what he was speaking about in that famous “Gifter slaughters Lamm on Passover” speech on Chol Hamoed Pesach 1986.