הוֹי הָאֹמְרִים לָרַע טוֹב, וְלַטּוֹב רָע
(יְשַׁעְיָהוּ 5-20)
Op-Ed: We Are Not Fighting the Gaming Initiative Nor Should We
Yesterday 7:37 PM
by "Rabbi" to see where he got his semicha see the Rashi on Bava Metzia 84a divri hamskil Rebbe karo li Moishe Indig (the Avg high School Beis Yakov Girl knows more then he does) who's also a known slumlord
highlights ours
On Election Day, Tuesday November 5th,
New York voters will find on the ballot an initiative called “Proposal
1” allowing the State to sanction the building of seven Casino gaming
resorts throughout the State, including in Sullivan County; the home of
many Orthodox Jewish summer camps and vacation homes.
This initiative is strongly supported by
the vast majority of elected officials, from local to State
Governments, from Liberal Democrats to Conservative Republicans and opposed by rabbaniem; from
Employers to workers. The referendum is extremely "important" to the New
York State Government in general and to County and municipal governments
in particular as they desperately need the influx of revenue immorality, drugs, and gambling problems that these
gaming resorts will generate. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s budget office
projects that the creation of additional “destination gaming resorts”
will yield 10,000 jobs and $430 million in new annual tax dollars according to a law passed by the Legislature millions of dollars spent on fighting gambling addictions, crime etc. which
the negative amount of dollars left over needs to be spent toward
schools, property tax relief and aid to local governments.
Having said that, we also know that, we –
as Orthodox Jews – don’t condone gambling in itself given the potential
downsides that it can bring with it such as addiction, family and
financial ruin. But on the other hand we are aware that the Orthodox
Jewish Community has 1) thousands of Yeshiva/Kollel students who spend
their time studying, 2) thousands of low wage earners, and 3) very large
families all in need of Government Assistance. Furthermore, the
Orthodox Jewish summer camps are religious institutions that occupy
hundreds of acres of land in Sullivan County, with much lower tax
obligations than if they’d be occupied by private or commercial
entities.
We as a community need to understand
that we shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds us. read the article on the bottom of the page We recognize that the
State and local governments that help us in so many ways should have new
forms of revenue that they so desperately need to pay their bills which
includes assisting the Jewish Community. Furthermore, as part-time
citizens of the Catskills, we developed a close relationship with the
local and municipal governments and we appreciate the help that they are
to us. They are all begging for more funds!
As the Jewish principle of
“Hakoros Hatov”
– showing appreciation to those who are good to you, we should not
fight an initiative that would help them
read the article on the bottom of the page, also hakoros hatov does not mean I have to do what ever the person wants even if it will harm me. Additionally, our Great Grand
Rabbe of Satmar, Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum
ZTL I wonder why he didn't add this, is he really Lubavitch, fiercely opposed
“Hisgaros B’umos” which has nothing to do with gambling but has a lot to do with normal Satmar voting habits read the article on the bottom of the page
– provoking our non-Jewish neighbors
how come Satmar doesn't feel the same way about the water pipe plan (I have no problem with the water pipe plan but according to "harav hagoan" Moshe Indig it's Hisgaros B’umos). When we see the financial
benefits that the State and local governments are set to gain from this
initiative, when we see the millions in property tax relief this will
bring to millions of New Yorkers, when we see that the Governor,
Democrats, Republicans, employers and unions all back this initiative,
we should not be the ones provoking them by actively opposing it. As
Jews in “Golus” (Exile) we live at the mercy of the Government. It is
therefore against the teachings of Torah and our Sages to impose our
beliefs onto the Government.
but to hold them ransom for money is muter?
Let me be clear: Every citizen has been
given the right to vote his conscious and what he/she feels is the right
thing to do. But to organize a movement against the benefit of our
government, on a referendum that will not infringe on our Torah and
Mitzvos or on our culture and way of life, is contrary to the way we
were taught by our "Great" Grand "Rabbi" of Satmar aron teitelbaum. Better yet, gaming to
a certain levels already exists all over New York but Orthodox Jews
mostly do not gamble because we don’t believe in it, but others do. We
should not be here to change it especially that New York literally
losses billions of dollars from the expanded gaming business that
existing in the states neighboring New York. These billions can be here
in New York and beneffit the very governments and neighbors on whose
help and mercy we live.
 |
| No problem according to "rabbi" Moshe Indig |
As for the worries that some people have if we expand gaming in New York, let me address a few of them:
Traffic: For those of you who are
concerned about the traffic congestion that the casinos will cause in
the Catskills and elsewhere, let me remind you that we are causing the
same amount of congestion during the two summer months that we spend in
the Catskills! Take a drive up to the Catskills in middle of the winter,
and compare the busiest winter day to the slowest summer day. It’s
literally two worlds but when locals complain about it, we say that they
should appreciate the business that we bring during the Summer. It’s a
valid point but why should we not appreciate the business that the
gaming industry will bring to the region? Besides, as part of the gaming
plan and with the influx of additional revenue, roads and highways
leading up the Catskills Region will be expanded. The Industry does not
want its customers stuck in traffic. if this was the only problem I wouldn't write this editorial
Crime: Those who claim that
gaming will bring a rise in crime should be reminded that local law
enforcement agencies – whether it’s the municipal police departments or
the Sullivan County Sheriff, or the NY State Police – are all doing a
superb crime-fighting job. The influx of revenue that the gaming
industry will bring will permit these departments and agencies to expand
their forces to secure the safety of the region. It’s for the benifit
of the gaming industry, the locals and the state alike. so if crime goes up (which you agree with) it's OK as long as there are more police officers to take care of it?
The Fabric of Orthodox Jewry:
Some are concerned that expanding gaming will lure more of our
youngsters into gambling, but let’s be honest about it: There are
multiple casinos easily accessible to Orthodox Jews in NYC and
the surrounding counties yet only a very small percent of Orthodox Jews
are into it. so lets build one in Kiryas Joel Expanding what is already out there will not change this
reality which am I more likely to go to Atlantic City or a casino right near my camp on my off day? . In fact, we all remember that the neighborhood of Williamsburg,
Brooklyn was up in arms about the Steiner Studio coming to the Brooklyn
Navy Yard. Alarmists warned that it will destroy the fabric of the
neighborhood and that Williamsburg will never be the same, but more than
a decade later, the Steiner Studio is there, the neighborhood is the
same, and many locals don’t even know that there’s a movie studio in
their own back yard. only someone with a Satmar education would compare a Casino with a movie studio where the problems stay inside the studio
I understand the emotion that this issue
may bring to the community but we need to move forward with due
diligence; not emotion or fear-mongering. Based on all of the points I
outlined above, I’m here to make our stance clear: we are not fighting,
nor should we be fighting this gaming initiative known as “Proposal 1”.
GOP
Rep. Sue Kelly won't leave office until January, but she may have ended
her political career Sept. 30, 2004. That was the day she voted for a
constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage - and caught the attention
of a Westchester County constituent, Adam Rose. The openly gay real
estate developer son of a legendary builder, Rose, 47, would ultimately
sink half a million dollars - an extraordinary amount even by the
standards of cash-rich American politics - into defeating Kelly.
"I woke up one day and discovered that my member of Congress had
voted to prevent me and my partner from marrying each other," Rose said
last week. "I became incensed.
"
He resolved to do "anything I could do to take her out.
"
Kelly, who represents the city's northernmost suburbs, lost last Tuesday to Democrat John Hall by a slim 2% margin.
Her loss came as a surprise even to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which had largely ignored Hall's bid.
Hall ran an energetic, grass-roots-driven campaign, and he benefited from a Democratic wave. But everyone from MoveOn.org
to Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert has claimed credit for helping the
musician - best known for the 1970s pop hits "Still the One" and "Dance
with Me" - to victory.
Hall also benefited, however, from the continuing power that a
single, wealthy individual with nothing at stake beyond his personal
beliefs wields in American elections. Rose's money produced a series of
harsh television and radio attacks in the final weeks of the race.
No one in the district, however, made the connection between the
marriage vote and the massive campaign against Kelly, run through an
independent group called Majority Action, which hit her for taking
contributions from oil companies. The group also linked her to the
scandal over former Florida GOP Rep. Mark Foley's relationship with
teenage pages.
"They were basically calling her a coddler of pedophiles," her
campaign consultant, Jay Townsend, said bitterly. "It was legal, but it
was filthy politics, and nobody up there knew where it was coming from
or what the purpose behind it was.
"
According to filings with the IRS, Rose effectively underwrote
Majority Action's campaign against Kelly, giving a $500,000 check to the
group Sept. 29, and persuading friends and relatives to contribute tens
of thousands more.
He spent in a few weeks half of what Hall spent for his entire
campaign. He was Majority Action's largest individual donor, and
Majority Action spent more in Kelly's district than in any other,
according to the group's executive director, Mark Longabaugh.
Before Rose went on the attack, he invited Kelly to the home in
Lewisboro he has shared with his partner since 1994. She came alone on
Feb. 4, and glanced at the 47-acre property, complete with outbuildings
and domestic staff.
She told him she had backed the amendment to ban same gender "marriage" in part because of the
scruples of her Orthodox Jewish constituents in the enclave of Kiryas
Joel. She pledged to win back his support by pushing for other
gay-friendly issues - in particular an end to the military's "Don't Ask,
Don't Tell" policy
I somehow doubt she would have supported that Kelly would have supported that if Satmar was strong on following the Torah. Rose contributed what he could to Hall, and helped him raise more
money. And then, in September, he called Majority Action.
"I'm this guy in New York you've never heard of and I want to do
anything I can to beat Sue Kelly," he recalled saying. "I'm sending you
$500,000. I need your address.
"
On Election Night, he swung by the victory party of Hall, who
supports same-sex marriage. Then he drove home and watched the returns
on television, elated as Kelly's loss became clear. (The defeat came,
ironically, in part from Rose's money and also in part from the decision
of Kiryas Joel to back the Democrat Hall.)
"I was really happy, because I felt that the American system really
works," Rose said.
since majority of all people in the district besides satmar were for Kelly Satmar violated Hisgaros B’umos
