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1. US Insists 'No Change in PA Status' Despite Flag Waving
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The United States insists that allowing the Palestinian Authority to fly its flag in Washington does not represent an upgrade in its diplomatic status. The PA said Friday that the American government is changing the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) mission’s designation from “mission" to "special delegation.”
The change allows the flying of the PA flag at the entrance to its office and grants PA officials cetain privileges..
However, U.S. State Department spokesman Phillip Crowley told reporters that the report was partially incorrect and that the permission for flying the PA flag was only symbolic. “There has been no change in the status of the Palestinian mission here in Washington…. It does not have any diplomatic privileges or immunities,” he stated.
Crowley explained that an “improvement in the relations between the United States and Palestinians” led to the allowing of a PLO request “to call itself the General Delegation of the PLO, which is a name that conforms to how they describe their missions in Europe, Canada, and several Latin American countries. But these steps have symbolic value…but they have no meaning under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”
Crowley said that the Obama administration “recognized its importance’ to the PLO and granted the request but insisted that “their status as a mission has not changed.”
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reportedly agreed with the decision to allow the PA flag but only on condition of a halt in Arab incitement against Israel. Government spokespersons expressed disappointment on Friday that this was not done, but were not available for comment on the official State Department report on Sunday.
2. Obama Names Medicaid Chief Who Backs Anti-Israel Doctors
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Republicans, and some Democrats, are in an uproar over U.S. President Barack Obama’s naming a Medicare chief who backs socialized medicine—and an anti-Israel physicians’ group.
The appointment of Donald Berwick, who is heavily involved in the anti-Israel Physicians for Human Rights organization, was made without going through the usual process of securing confirmation by the Senate. Opposition to his appointment was strengthened after it was discovered that Dr. Berwick said in a speech two years ago that the British system of socialized medicine is superior to the American health system.
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Republican senators accused President Obama of bypassing the Senate to hide Berwick’s views, but White House spokesman Robert Gibbs responded, "There are aspects of the health care law that have to be implemented on a timeline that I'm sure many who oppose Dr. Berwick for political reasons didn't want to see implemented.”
However, even some Democrats are against the appointment of Berwick as the administrator for Medicare, including Senate Finance Committee chairman Sen. Max Baucus of Montana. Senate confirmation "is an essential process prescribed by the Constitution that serves as a check on executive power and protects Montanans and all Americans by ensuring that crucial questions are asked of the nominee -- and answered," he said.
Berwick’s backing of the Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) group dates back to the year 2000, when he donated thousands of dollars to the organization after the outbreak of the Second Intifada, also known as the Oslo War.
Part of PHR’s mission was to conduct “a medical and forensic investigation in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank [Judea and Samaria] from October 20-27, 2000 to investigate allegations of excessive use of force, including the use of prohibited ammunition in the current conflict between Israeli forces and Palestinian demonstrators and authorities."
In its probe of the IDF’s counter terrorist operation in Jenin in 2002, the physicians’ group issued seven reports critical of Israel while totally ignoring the fact that the civilians were asked to leave Jenin and that 11 IDF soldiers were killed in hand to hand combat in a residential area infested by snipers. This heavy price was paid as the IDF refrained from prior bombing so as to avoid civilian casualties. They also made no mention of human rights violations in Iran and Iraq. PHR also gav an award to a Gaza activist who justified bombings of Israelis afterwards.
In 2008, Dr. Berwick joined the board of PHR, joining Richard Goldstone, who later authored the United Nations report accusing Israel of war crimes in the three-week Operation Cast Lead against the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza in the winter of 2008-2009, while barely mentioning the prior nine years of rocket attacks on Israeli civilians.
A statement by the PHR was part of the basis of the Goldstone Report. PHR director Frank Donaghue stated about Gaza, ignoring the traumatized children of the Israeli town of Sderot and the Israeli communities near Gaza, "The parties to this horrific conflict are choking an entire population -- threatening access to food, shelter, medical care, and creating daily terror and insecurity. No military objectives can justify this."
3. 'Imported' Rocket Used in Gaza Terror Attack on Israel
by Hana Levi Julian
Palestinian Authority terrorists in Gaza launched a number of rocket attacks on southern Israel on Saturday.
At least four rockets and mortars were fired at Jewish communities in the Gaza Belt region throughout the day, including one attack on Kibbutz Nachal Oz. Several rockets exploded in the Ashkelon Regional Council district.
No one was wounded in any of the attacks.
One of the missiles appeared to be a special “import” – a more advanced version than the missiles usually fired at Israel that had apparently been smuggled into the region.
The rocket, reported earlier in the day to have been a Kassam, failed to explode, according to police, who said that it appeared to be a newer model, one that it was possible to aim more accurately.
The missile, 115 mm in diameter, was taken to a police laboratory for analysis. Forensics experts later confirmed that the rocket had indeed been manufactured outside of the region.
Last year, PA sources claimed Iran had exported its rocket technology to Gaza terrorists, helping them to increase the range of their rockets to more than 20 kilometers. Israeli intelligence sources have since warned that ordnance has been "imported" into the region through the hundreds of smuggler tunnels that honeycomb the area under the border between Gaza and Egypt. Egypt has the ability to control the goods going through the tunnels.
Meanwhile, daily humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, adequate to begin with, have increased even more since a decision by the cabinet last month, and are carried out despite rocket attacks fired from the region at Jewish communities on the Israeli side of the crossing. Israel is being criticized for continuing a marine blockade of Gaza, a move that is legal according to international law and which is aimed at preventing missiles and the raw materials for them from reaching the terrorist regime.
4. Anti-Israel Violence at Volleyball Game in Turkey
by Hana Levi Julian
A volleyball game pitting Israel against Serbia in Turkey was surrounded by violence Saturday when pro-Palestinian Authority protesters clashed with Ankara police.
Dozens of the demonstrators showed up for the game, about two blocks away from the hall where an Israeli women's team was scheduled to play in the European Volleyball League.
The match had been closed to the public due to concerns there would be violence by anti-Israel protesters. Heavy security protected the players and the hall; roads were blocked around the area and Israeli security personnel protected the players, who rode in a bus with tinted windows to the indoor stadium. The stadium itself was nearly empty, except for a handful of supporters, family, friends, coaches and staff.
“Don't be dogs of Zionism. G-d will hold you to account,” some 100 demonstrators threatened riot control police. They hurled water bottles and poked and rapped on the shields of the police officers with their PA flag poles.
“Esteemed friends,” a police commander appealed to the hostile crowd. “Please don't cause trouble.”
The demonstrators had been coached by organizers to show up one by one in order to thwart security attempts to prevent the protest. Email messages advising protesters to hide Palestinian Authority flags and banners, and shout slogans when they arrived at the hall, were caught and blocked by security personnel. According to the Associated Press, one message named the hotel housing the Israeli athletes. In 1972, eleven Israeli athletes were killed by terrorists at the Munich Olympics.
Israel lost the match, 3-0. The team is scheduled to play against Turkey on Sunday.
Coach Arie Selinger, who in the past coached the U.S. women's volleyball team to a silver medal in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, and the Dutch men's team to a silver medal in 1992 in Barcelona, said the loss was a “good experience” for his team.
He then thanked the Turkish authorities and praised the tight security measures.
Public sentiment has been unstable towards Israel since Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched harsh criticism of the Jewish State during its three-week winter war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza at the beginning of 2009.
The most recent escalation came when nine members of the terror-linked Turkish IHH organization were killed in a clash with Israeli Navy commandos. The armed terrorists had attacked the soldiers when they boarded the Turkish Mavi Marmara vessel (one of six in an aid flotilla sent to break Israel's maritime blockade of Gaza) in order to redirect that boat and the others to Ashdod Port.
Following the incident, Turkey threatened to cut diplomatic ties, demanding that Israel apologize, compensate the families of the terrorists and lift its blockade of Gaza.
5. Saudis High on Speed, According to Drug Abuse Report
by Hana Levi Julian
The lion's share of amphetamines being consumed in the Middle East is seized in Saudi Arabia, according to the latest global drug abuse report.
It is forbidden by Islam to ingest any intoxicant, or even to smoke tobacco – and in deeply conservative Saudi Arabia, “respectable” women are expected to cover themselves from head to toe if they set foot out the door. Nor do they generally walk through the streets without a male escort.
Whether it is despite or because of the restrictions on drinking and smoking, the 2010 World Drug Report, published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, shows that Saudi authorities seized nearly 13 metric tons of amphetamines in 2008, out of a total of 15.3 metric tons in the entire Middle East.
The total amount of amphetamines seized throughout the world that year was 24.3 metric tons.
Matthew Nice, a UNODC amphetamine-type stimulants expert, told CNN on Friday, “I can't emphasize enough the size of this. Fifteen metric tons is absolutely huge. It's absolutely phenomenal. We're really struggling because the information base is so limited. It's definitely just the tip of the iceberg.”
One of the stimulants at the top of the seizure list is the pharmaceutical stimulant Captagon, which contains the synthetic stimulant fenetylline. It was invented in 1963 for use in treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, and in some cases, depression as well. The product was taken off the market in 1986 after being listed by the World Health Organization under the Convention on Psychotropic Substances.
Narcotics producers in southeastern Europe have apparently been producing counterfeit Captagon tablets since the real thing was taken off the market in the 1980s. The fake, which also bears the Captagon logo, contains amphetamine mixed with caffeine and who-knows-what-else.
Not Just Amphetamines
However, it is not just amphetamines that are the problem, according to Professor Jallal Toufiq, founder of the Middle East and North Africa Harm Reduction Association.
Toufiq told CNN that all kinds of drugs are being abused in the region, and that abuse is growing. The problem, he said, is the lack of research and information.
“In the Middle East and North Africa region there's a huge void in terms of data and information,” he said. “For many countries there is a lack of political willingness because people just don't want to deal with this.”
6. IDF Commandos Face Off Against US Navy SEALs on TV
by Hana Levi Julian
An American television program pits the Navy SEALs against Israeli commandos this week in the season finale of Spike TV's “Deadliest Warrior.”
The program, now ending its second season, features warriors from two different sides, faced off against each other in various scenarios. “We thought it would be a great finale because both are so iconic,” said executive producer Gary Tarpinian. “They are among the greatest soldiers in the world.”
Tarpinian would not give away the ending, but said, “this was maybe the closest battle we've ever had.”
Real-life representatives from the sides come on the program to demonstrate weaponry and tactics, and the winner is decided by using a computer calculation. Action sequences are filmed with actors, not with live ammunition or real-time personnel.
Moti Horenstein, a "krav maga" [hand-to-hand combat] expert who served as an Israeli commando in the 1980s, appears on the program and said he is willing to bet Israeli forces would win in a battle against anyone, “because we have no choice. We deal with violence 24/7.” Horenstein owns a chain of krav maga schools in New York and Florida.
His counterpart, 36-year-old Chris Osman of San Diego, served in Afghanistan as a Navy SEAL and is the co-author of “SEALs: The U.S. Navy's Elite Fighting Force.” Osman is convinced the SEALs would win, because they “have better training, [they're] better equipped and [they] have more combat experience. And the selection process is unbelievably tough.”
Barak Made for a 'Striking Woman'
Trauma expert Dr. Armand Dorian, one of three commentators on the program, expressed the opinion that the SEALs would have a strong advantage over the Israelis in one major area – their training regarding the use of force vis-a-vis civilians.
“For the Israeli commando, collateral damage is not acceptable because of the fact that they fight inside their own homeland,” Dorian said in an interview. “For example, a Navy SEAL will put 30 slugs in the chest and if 10 go around the body, so be it. They just want to make sure of the kill.
“The Israeli commando will put only five shots in, due to the fact that he only has an opening of a few seconds and he knows that if he does miss, he may end up killing an innocent bystander. From a medical perspective, that's huge because in a trauma room, we're taking care of a lot of collateral damage of innocent bystanders.
Tarpinian noted that Israeli commando units are able to trick their enemies, sometimes by using disguises – and mentioned that Defense Minister Ehud Barak once dressed as a woman in a secret operation.
Barak, he said he was told, made for a “striking woman.”
Tarpinian added that a number of those who served in Israeli commando units had refused to appear on the program, saying they had taken a vow to keep their training secret.
Israelis Packing Semtex, Americans Carrying C-4 Explosives
Producers offered a brief description on the program's web site of some of the weapons the American and Israeli warriors would be bringing with them into battle.
For the Americans, it will be C-4 plastic explosives, highly malleable, relatively safe to handle and very convenient. “Packs a pretty big punch,” according to the web site.
But the Israelis will be packing Semtex, a pliable, odorless plastic explosive that is “safe to handle and can only be ignited by a detonator... difficult to detect, which makes it extremely desirable.” Apparently the explosive is also “twice as powerful as TNT” and is “virtually invisible to conventional security devices.” Libyan terrorists used half a pound to a pound of Semtex in 1988 to bring down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Not one of the 270 people aboard survived the crash.
The program's statement noted that the main difference between the way explosives are used by Israeli commandos, as opposed to others, is in how the attack is delivered:
“Instead of destroying an entire block by fitting a cell phone with a planted explosive, it is target-focused,” we are told. “It kills only the target they want dead, with minimum loss to surrounding civilians. It also sends a very clear and powerful psychological message to other terrorists.”
Note: Although the program is scheduled to air July 27 on the Spike TV network, it is posted and available to viewers on the Internet only within the United States and Canada.
7. INN Interviews GOP NY Senate Candidate, Jay Townsend
by Fern Sidman
I vehemently oppose the creation of a state that would represent an existential threat to Israel's security.
The November mid-term elections are gearing up to be an exciting and most critical race that will undoubtedly alter the political face of this country. Those who stand in opposition to the economic and diplomatic policies of the Obama administration and other have galvanized their forces to make their voices heard to the American electorate.One of those people is Jay Townsend, a GOP candidate for United States Senator for the State of New York. Seeking to unseat the incumbent; Sen. Charles Schumer, the senior senator from New York, Jay Townsend articulates his position on the issues that effect the future of New York State residents and the entire United States. Israel National News sat down with Townsend to find out more about "the man who would be Senator."
FS: You started your career as a political consultant. What kinds of campaigns did you work on and which candidates did you support?
JT: I was born and raised a Democrat in the mode of Winston Churchill. And as Churchill said, "Anyone under 30 who is not a liberal has no heart." Since my 30s, however, my political philosophies changed and I decided to work on campaigns for Republican candidates such as Gov. Pete Wilson, who is an accomplished mind. I worked on local campaigns in New York State as well including Hudson County and Orange County. On a personal note, I was a late bloomer and married at age 38. It was then that I decided that life on the road as a political consultant was no longer tenable and instead of living out of a suitcase, I decided to stay home with my family.
FS: Why, at this juncture in time did you decide to enter politics?
JT: It was last January when I was very inspired by the people of Massachusetts, elected Scott Brown to be their US Senator, which was a seat that had been held for years by Ted Kennedy, a liberal Democrat. The people of Massachusetts were outraged by the prospect of the health-care reform bill that was looming in the Senate and wanted a candidate who vowed to vote against it. There were a growing number of people from outside of Massachusetts that contributed to his campaign. It was at that point, that I decided that there were those in New York State who just didn’t grasp the message of what his election represented. I called GOP party leaders in New York and asked if we have anyone who could or would challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer; a fervent supporter of the health-care reform legislation and the Obama agenda. Since that juncture in time, others in the party decided that the waters were warm for a victory. There's no doubt that the President's plans for "change" in America scares me and many others to death and I decided to throw my hat in the ring.
FS: Concerning your position on the BP oil spill, considered to be the greatest environmental disaster in U.S. history, do you think that President Obama is handling it in the most effective way possible and what is your position on his interdiction on further domestic drilling?
JT: No, I don't think President Obama has handled this well at all. The United States received offers from many other countries to assist us and Obama refused to accept these offers. Right now, there are only several countries that are trying to help. We have to learn that we can accept help; especially in this case that represents the most significant environmental disaster in our country's history. The President should have immediately accepted help. He must accept some responsibility. He adamantly refused to waive the Jones Act, even temporarily, which would have eased the way for foreign vessels to move in U.S. waters and between ports. Our European allies, who are longtime opponents of the Jones Act, have asserted they were turned away when making offers of assistance. The State Department acknowledges it has had 21 aid offers from 17 countries. Rather than waiving the Jones Act and allowing the international community to help us, President Obama pandered to the labor unions at the expense of the environment. He is protecting the pocketbooks of his union allies by keeping foreign vessels at bay, and for that, we must question the competence of this administration.
FS: You said you oppose the Obama administration's plan for a "cap and trade" carbon emissions policy and the clean energy act known as Waxman-Markey. Could you tell elaborate on that?
JT: Senator Schumer would like to pass this bill in the senate. By passing this bill, in essence, you make it harder for us to break our ties with foreign oil suppliers. The unhappy effect will be the spike in the price of gas and fuel. I suggest that we tap American ingenuity and allow it to work. My question is: Why was BP in water out that deep? If they had been allowed to be closer to shore, then this horrific mess wouldn't have happened. Our imperial Congress says we don't have to look at it for what it is.
Paying despots such as Hugo Chavez of Venezuela for oil supplies translates into exporting our capitol to terrorists. We have to be willing to look at other options. We should allow companies to explore domestic drilling options. Our dependence on foreign oil is partly our own fault. I would love to have clean energy and I love "green" but our society is now dependent on fossil fuels. We can and should increase domestic supplies of energy by making more federal land available for oil exploration. Because of advances in technology, it is possible for companies to drill in ecologically friendly ways. In the barren terrain of Alaska, for example, studies show that we could draw the rough equivalent of 20 years’ worth of imports from Saudi Arabia, and perhaps tens of billions more barrels of oil in unexplored parts of the Alaskan tundra. We should also begin drilling, in an ecologically conscious manner, off our coasts. Passage of this cap and tax bill will drain more manufacturing jobs from the US and it will kill the American economy.
According to The Heritage Foundation, enactment of Waxman-Markey would result in the loss of more than 55,000 jobs and cut our gross state product by more than $25 billion over the next two decades. Electricity prices would rise by $370 per year for the average family, and the price of gasoline would increase by $.66 per gallon. The cap and trade bill is a back door tax increase, and the result will be fewer dollars left in the hands of New Yorkers already struggling to balance the family budget and survive an anemic economy.
FS: Concerning the Obama administration's position on the burgeoning Iranian nuclear threat; do you think that the latest round of economic sanctions will prove fruitful and what path do you believe the US should take on this?
JT: I don't think that we're serious about enforcing these sanctions. We must come to the realization that we have enemies in the world and we have to stop pretending that we can negotiate with these enemies. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad only understands brute strength. Clearly, the nuclear threat emanating from Iran is indeed imminent. The imposition of sanctions on Iran will only prove to be another feckless attempt to stop the nuclear threat, unless we convince other countries to participate fully. We should try and enlist the help of the European Union, Japan and state owned banks and we must make the sanctions systematic. We should include all insurance and re-insurance on ships going to Iran. I also feel that we have to target the central bank. Basically, my argument with the Obama administration is that you cannot be patient with a tyrant and that is what Ahmadinejad is. He is never going to like us and we had better get accustomed to that.
FS: As you know, there has been a dramatic shift in US foreign policy towards Israel. The US is pressuring Israel to relinquish parts of Jerusalem for a future Palestinian state along with the settlements in Judea and Samaria. Do you think the creation of a Palestinian state is in America's best interest and would you support an Israeli strike on Iran as former US Ambassador John Bolton has suggested?
JT: Israel is our closest and best ally and Israel deserves to be treated as an ally. I felt that President Obama used the first year of his presidency to rub the nose of Israel in the dirt. Look, if President Bush had done to Israel what Obama is doing, then Senator Schumer would have vociferously protested. I don't believe that Israeli settlements are an obstacle to peace in the Middle East. That is patently ridiculous. I don't believe that the creation of a Palestinian state will bring peace to this war torn region and I vehemently oppose the creation of a state that would represent an existential threat to Israel's security. I would certainly support Israel's right to defend herself against the Iranian nuclear threat because that is in America's best interest.
Over the last six months, Senator Schumer has held press conferences on such inane issues as airline baggage fees, the increase of salt in cheeseburgers, sunscreen and Facebook but he won't utter a word of protest regarding the president's treatment of Israel. His silence on the pressure Israel is facing from this administration and his silence on the Iranian nuclear threat has been deafening. Senators can make noise and they are indeed in a unique position to make such noise and I plan to do just that.
FS: The demonization of Israel is growing at alarming proportions not only on our college campuses but also throughout the world, especially in Europe. Cloaking itself under the banner of anti-Zionism, it is clear that this movement is anti-Semitic in nature. What would you do in the Senate to help stop this dangerous phenomenon and how would you work to support Israel's position vis a vis the US?
JT: I believe that our support for Israel cannot be limited to uttering platitudes. America needs to support Israel militarily as well. It is America's best interest to insure that Israel possesses access to the best military technology available. The Prime Minister of Israel's responsibility and obligation is to the safety, welfare and health of his nation and its citizens and he should not be excoriated for doing so. Israel should never be held to a standard that we wouldn't hold ourselves to. Can you imagine what the reaction would be if Israel demanded that the USA negotiate with leaders of countries that deny our right to exist? That would never be tolerated so why should Israel be expected to tolerate that kind of nonsense. There is a double standard when it comes to Israel.
FS: I understand that you will work towards repealing the health-care reform bill. You call this an "entitlement" that this country cannot afford. What kind of reforms would you replace it with that would lower health care costs?
JT: I don't oppose health insurance reform. I oppose the way it was done. I think we should encourage our free market to work. Let's allow the sale of health insurance policies across state lines. Let's give individuals the same tax breaks as those who work for large employers. The small business owner should have the same tax breaks as someone working for IBM. Let's allow people to purchase health savings accounts and what they use will come out of their health and savings account.
The health care plan rammed through the U. S. Senate by Senator Schumer will swell the ranks of the jobless, raise taxes on those who can least afford them, cause health insurance premiums to skyrocket, and place federal bureaucrats between doctor and patient. It will deprive millions of Americans of access to the quality health care they have come to expect, retard the development of new miracle drugs and medical devices, force doctors into early retirement, and ruin the best health care system the world has known. In New York State, we will see the skyrocketing rates in our health insurance plans. The quality of health care will not improve and I expect that it will decline tremendously. Right now, in New York State, doctors are leaving by the droves and going to such places as Texas because of the exponential rise in their medical liability insurance. We've got to stop the frivolous lawsuits being filed against doctors and we've got to reduce the cost of defensive medicine.
FS: How do you think President Obama's cuts in defense and his work towards ending nuclear proliferation will ultimately effect the security of the United States and what is your view on the US role in Afghanistan as it pertains to curtailing the power of the Taliban?
JT: The jury is out on Afghanistan. I know General David Petraeus as he is a resident of Cornwall on the Hudson and I trust him implicitly. It was he who made the troop surge work, although Senator Schumer predicted that it would end up being a colossal failure. Given his track record in Iraq, I fell that Gen. Petraeus has the ability to extricate our troops from Afghanistan. How long will it take for us to accomplish our goals? It might be a 20 to 30 year commitment but I believe we can accomplish what we set out to in terms of the war on terror and we cannot stop until our goals are met.
Right now, we are the mightiest military power on earth. We are the most loved country and the most feared country by our adversaries. If we cease to maintain our military prowess, then other things cease to matter. We can only champion human rights and dignity by protecting those in this world who find themselves under the thumb of tyrannical regimes and we can only be effective at that by being a mighty military power. History shows us that both the French and Ottoman empires were powerful forces until their armies were destroyed. The Soviet Union is no longer a threat but China is now poised to become a threat in terms of a world military power. China is building a navy and will become the world's biggest military power. It is incumbent on Congress and the Senate to protect our military and our nation's citizens. That should be our first obligation. We must adjust our resources and use them wisely and we must now allow our stellar military to atrophy.
FS: Concerning spending and the deficit, you mention the growing role of China over our money supply and the fact that our national debt is close to $13 trillion because of the health care reform bill and cap and trade. What legislation would you propose to lower the national debt?
JT: Let's repeal this monstrous health-care reform bill. We can accomplish this without entitlements. The second thing is we have to get real about our rate of spending. We can't continue to run these structural deficits with out bankrupting our country. When you run these kinds of deficits you either borrow money or raise taxes. We have to live within our means. We have to balance the budget by saying no to more spending. We are drowning the next generation in a tsunami of red ink, creating new entitlements that will force this nation to borrow 10 trillion dollars over the next decade, devalue our currency, and cede to the Chinese control over our money supply and the power to raise interest rates on cars, credit cards and home mortgages. When you extract money from our budget and give it to federal bureaucrats who do not understand how to create jobs then you find yourself in the mess that we're in. Unemployment rates go up while Medicaid is totally out of control in New York State and is draining the residents of our state.
I talk to people all over New York State and they tell me that their property taxes are just killing them. The quickest way to bring about property tax relief is by not accepting mandates from anyone. We must reduce the cost of energy and the cost of health care because that it directly tied to the fact that our banks are no longer lending money to small businesses. 80 percent of jobs in upstate New York are generated by small businesses that can't get bank loans because the banks ask these businesses to present their revenue projections for the next few years. These businesses do not know what their energy or health care costs will be so they can't give an accurate projection, so they can't get a loan. The tax relief of 2001 and 2003 will soon expire and dividends, capitol gains and income taxes will go up unless Congress decides to act.
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