The following is a NY Daily News editorial:
Worried about your health care? Get Hikindcare — generous coverage paid for entirely by the taxpayer.
Wait, you say you’re not a child of Assemblyman Dov Hikind? Poor slob. You don’t meet the eligibility requirements.
Yoni Hikind, 32, and Shmuel Hikind, 29, were luckier. They share DNA and a last name with a Brooklyn elected official.
Though Daddy Hikind couldn’t directly employ his kids — that would be against anti-nepotism rules, which, believe it or not, Albany has — Yoni landed a plum job “working” part time for one of daddy’s Assembly colleagues from Brooklyn, Peter Abbate. Shmuel landed a gig “working” part time for another Brooklyn member, Rhoda Jacobs.
The Hikind boys don’t make much — around $13,000 and $10,500 a piece — but they hit a magic threshold of 17.5 hours a week that qualifies them for health insurance on the public dime.
Very good insurance at that. A great deal for them. An atrocious deal for you.
It gets better or worse, depending on your angle. The two brothers continue to work for a Flatbush yeshiva (which doesn’t offer health insurance). Meanwhile, Pops put two other employees of the same yeshiva on his staff payroll, where their health insurance is covered.
Here’s how Hikindcare scales up: Everyone finds a way to become friends or family of an elected official. Then everyone gets a do-almost-nothing job. Then everyone gets to go to the doctor at little or no cost.
Why didn’t President Obama think of that?
(The Daily News Editorial)
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10 Responses
If it was a real job, it’s perfectly legal. At at those wages, I doubt its much of a rip off. People often try help their children find jobs, and usually in the same industry in which the parent is employed. Typically the job is at a very high salary and involves little or now work – that is corruption. Given you are in a state where someone became governor because his father was governor (and had been offered high paying positions with real power when he was barely out of college), and routinely considers people for high office based on “yichus” – what’s the big deal.
I honestly see nothing wrong with a father helping his son get a (low paying) job. He gets health insurance with that job? Great! If people don’t like that, maybe government workers shouldn’t get special health insurance. Just the same insurance as the rest of the “slobs”.
The writer of this article should stop trying to bash Mr. Hikind. I am not his great fan but it is apparent that you have a grudge against him and are looking to start trouble for him.
I wonder if you, the writer, are so clean. Did you do anything not really legal in your last 5 years on your tax return? It would be interesting to go into your personal political affiliations and see if you supported his opponents. Are you really so honest????
Moderators Response: Feel free to go to the Daily News ad check their tax returns.
@Ahavas so u r saying Hikind ia right? I will go to him to help my daughter who is our of work unable to find a job and was turned down because she lives at home and not able to get food stamps even though has SSI benefits. Also do u not even think it is a Chillul Hashem this even made it to the papers?
Real job not really just a way to give health insurance to relatives.
Couldn’t they just marry young women who have health insurance?
Mr. Moderator:
There are alot more important events in the mideast. Why cover the same news item for two successive days when you quote others and are just allegations without any real criminal activity. Other Jewish NYC political officials do the same thing. Every father tries to get his children jobs based on his connections. If they are Halachic legal and not against the law, than there is nothing wrong with it. What Halacha did he violate in his alleged action?????
If the Hikind kinder are doing real jobs with real work, then this arrangement is reasonable. If not, then it stinks. As for the right of a father to help out his sons: If dad owns a private business and wants to help out his kids, he cannot legally give them no-show jobs and deduct their salaries as business expenses. Hikind is a public employee, with power, but he cannot use his power other than to serve the public. To the extent that he is serving himself or his children, at public expense, as I said before, that stinks.
In either case, this is a golden example of the problem with healthcare – it is hard to get, though it will get better when Obamacare kicks in. For those of us who are not related to public officials, health insurance remains a heavy expense and a difficult one to insure.
YWN is not a fan of Dov Hikind (i am not either for that matter), it doesnt mean you get to judge your fellow man. If it is criminal thn I am sure the state will prosecute.
# 8 You definitlely have a sense of humor! When Obamacare kicks in it’ll get better? Did you hear about the type of plans that will be offered on the so called exchaneg? Did you realize that the Obama administration cnat get the ir act together on this, an dtherfore, have “pushed off” the penalty faze? Don’t count on it getting better, it looks like it”ll just get worse. At the most the insurance plan will be affordable, but you wont be able to get car ecare with it.
As far as Mr. Hikind, if they are real jobs then he is innocent, if its a made up job, then he should be prosecuted.