[Op-Ed By Yossi Gestetner] Contrary to what some in the Orthodox Jewish/Hasidic communities have come to believe that “Republicans are out of touch with our daily needs,” the Republican  and Conservative agenda on a host of issues,  do indeed serve Jews very well on a daily basis. Here are some examples:

1) Private schooling, from vouchers to tax credits for tuition are strongly supported by Republicans but opposed mostly by the Dems.

2)Using federal funds for Special Needs Children to be in a Jewish/religious environment is supported by Repubs and the Right, yet the Dems and the Left are against it. (Don’t give me the Separation of State and Church stuff.)

3)The powerful unions of Government Workers and Teachers drive-up School District and State budgets, which in turn drive up property tax levis for middle class Jewish home-owners, rent for poor Jews some of which don’t qualify for Housing Assistance, and a host of other taxes that costs directly and indirectly thousands of dollars annually for even the poorest Jews. Republicans are against these unions; Dems are in all cozy with them (and these unions pledged to spend MILLIONS this year to keep State/Federal Dems in power, which in turn means more expenses for everyone, including poor Jews).

4)The Section-8 program has hurt more poor/middle class Jews than what it helped, because it drove-up House and Rent prices, which in turn A) costs more money for the Government to give Housing Assistance, and B) it KILLS Jews who are not eligible for this program. Repubs are in favor of this program as long it is not handed out in a reckless/wasteful manner. Dems keep pushing it in a Net-negative way.

5)Domestic Spending during the first four Bush-43 years grew faster than what it did during the I-feel-your-pain, Dems-are-good-for-the-Jews, Prez Clinton years. Yet, I don’t recall Jews crying that during the Clinton years we didn’t have enough benefits to go around. (The shortage of some benefits during some of the Bush-43 years is rather a result of Senator Schumer taking us for granted/not delivering us, and Senator Clinton not having a drop interests in NY: she focused on her Presidential dreams, which she announced in January of 2007, just months after we got sucked into voting for her re-election. What a rip-off joke she pulled on us.

6)Repubs are business-friendly, which makes it easier/cheaper for Jews to own/grow small/large businesses; employ fellow Jews and to be productive citizens in this country. In turn, less Jews are dependent on Government programs, something the Dems can’t stand because then Jews would have no reason to vote for the Dems. The Dem agenda of Tax, Regulation and Unions only destroyed American and Jewish businesses that in the past gave well-paying jobs for Jewish American, such as the Holocaust-surviving, and baby-boom generations. Now all is gone, and the Dems are our saviors with Social Programs. Well Dems, don’t Shoot me; and Don’t save me. Period!

7) The Republican agenda of “tax cuts for the rich” such as the 2003 Tax Act, actually cut tax rates for people earning $43,000-$56,000 annually, which includes loads of Jews that earn in this range. Lower tax levis for such earners make it easier for people to leave the Poor-Class and grow into that very class. However, the current system – that the Dems love – still largely encourages people to be tied onto Government programs from cradle to the grave, vs. the Conservative (and Biblical) way of doing things is to help poor people to get out of their misery.

8)The Republican Congress balanced the budgets in the 990’s by raining in wasteful, fraudulent Federal Spending (which Clinton opposed, yet he and the Dems now take credit for the Surpluses). In addition, the deficits they ran in the 2000’s years were just a fraction of what America has since the Dems took control of the Congress in early 2007, and the WH sixteen months ago. The republican Congress’ budget were a plus for us Jews because it helps/helped the economy grow robustly, thus being beneficial for Jewish businessmen and workers. (I am not even delving into the negative affects – such as higher Gas/oil prices – poor Jews need to pay as a result of large Federal deficits).

9)President Obama and the Dems are in favor (or perhaps already proposed) limiting Tax credits and deductions that philanthropists can take/have for giving charitable contributions, contributions that hundreds of Jewish organizations and thousands of Jews benefit annually. Obama and the Dems want it because they don’t care one drop for poor people, as we also see – for example – that VP Biden gave last year only $4,000 in charity of $250,000 in income, which is approximately double what he gave a year earlier. They shower us with Poor-Programs, despite personally being stingy, because they love government doing things and want our votes too.

10)I am aware the Bush-43 and the Repub Congress didn’t do much to curtail illegal immigration, yet the Republicans and certainly the Conservatives are – in principle – in favor of tough laws against drug-lord-generated, crime-infested, drug-smuggling immigration that takes place in the South. This is actually a plus for us Jews despite that we/our parents are immigrants, because 1)  We mostly came into the county by standing in the line as law-abiding people, a sort of immigration that Republican support; which is totally different that what happens on the South. 2) Jews in NY have directly suffered of petty and serious crimes that were done in recent years by people who came into the US illegally from the South. 3) Jobs that were just 10 years ago done by young Jews, out of Yeshiva, such as work in retail stores or in warehouses, “jobs that Americans won’t do,” are now done by recent illegal immigrants, thus making it difficult for Jews to find jobs…

11)Republicans are tough against REAL criminals, thus making streets safer for Jews too, vs. the Democrats’ interests groups such as Unions, Environmentalists and “Civil Righter’s” who are busier to DESTROY a successful Jewish businessman named… Rubashkin!!! Now we all Jews cry of what was done to him. Well, we are eating our own fruits because we are voting into office and support the same political people that are supported by the above-mentioned groups. Dems and the Left love to prosecute (allegations of) White-Collar crimes to the fullest extent, because these crimes – the Dems believe – are done out of “greed,” yet street crimes are done mostly because society was unfair to the criminals, that is why Leftist are soft against these criminals.

12)Low Public Decency standards of today – which started with the Liberal Revolution of the 1960’s – are an obstacle to the education of our children. A Gallup Poll of the 1950’s found that 75% Americans are NOT in favor of women wearing shorts in the public. 75 PERCENT American were against it!  Now of course, pollsters will not even ask about shorts; they’ll ask about nudity. Who destroyed the culture which makes it SO difficult for us Jews? Yes, you got it: the Leftist Dems that we sadly support.

13)According to an ABC News report of May 26, the Homeland Security Department wrote just days ago that there more Terror attempts against the USA in the last NINE months than any other TWELVE-month period in years. This is certainly a result of the Obama/Dems’ agenda of making a joke of the War against Terror. Sadly, us Jews living in the USA (and more so those living in NYC) are in grave danger, compared to the years when Bush/Republicans were in control of Washington. (Don’t get me started on the 9/11 attacks which took place less than eight months after we ended the 8-year, Intelligence-budget-cutting, putting up walls between FBI and CIA, ignoring the growing terror attacks, Clinton years).

Funny is, I gave thirteen examples why we the Jewish vote needs to be with the Republicans without even getting to the issue of Israel…

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN.

To read more from and about Yossi, visit www.yossigestetner.com.

(Yossi Gestetner – YWN)