THE CONVERSATION PICKS UP…

There’s been some interesting comments on my site to tackle, and I’m gonna weigh in a bit.  First topic is Iraq.  Clearly, some good will come out of getting rid of Saddam Hussein.  However, we must put the argument back into focus about Iraq.  First of all, invading Iraq was meant to be part of a war on terror.  In that respect, this was the wrong war, at the wrong time.  As defined by Bush, the war on terror is not a war on any kind of terror, it was meant to be a war on terrorists who threatened the US.  It was meant to be a war on al-Qadea.  Invading Iraq not only did nothing to weaken al-Qadea, it in affect aided their efforts, by diverting our troops from Afghanastan, and by putting ourselves in a war that has become a recruitment ad for al-Qadea.  We have also alienated out allies, weakening efforts to combat al-Qadea on a global front, and giving coutries like Iran a little bit of breathing room.

Besides being misguided on the war on terror, the idea of bringing democracy to Iraq is one we should examine.  Democracy is a term our government has often used to promote economic interests in foreign affairs.  Rather than promoting a democracy in which a country can choose how to rule itself, the US has in the past promoted a democracy in which their economic system must mirror our own.  In 1954, the US attempted to overthrow the gov’t in Guatamala in the name of promoting “democratic stability,” a convenient euphemism for maintaining a system of rich and poor.  The US also gave military and financial aid to Columbia (i don’t have the dates in front of me), in the name of democratic stability.  Columbia at the time was committing some of the worst human rights violations in the world, and the plight of the poor led to the drug trade we deal with today.

So…to flat out say, we’re bringing democracy to Iraq and the Middle East, does not touch upon the underlying theme, that we’re really trying to promote an economically unjust system of rich and poor.  Even WWII, where our entry put an end to Hitler’s death camps, we must not forget that the US was not interested in saving the Jews or even ending fascism.  In fact, in the 1940′s, the US still supported racism against blacks back at home.  There’s more underlying this, but our motives, even in that “good war” are suspect.

To say we’re supporting democracy in Iraq, is to say we’re supporting the wealth of American corporations.  If we are to assume that US democracy is supreme and therefore we should spread it as we please, we should look no further than the fact that the US has the highest level of child poverty of any industrialized society.  Is that what we hope to bring to Iraq as well?

Now, on the issue of tax and spend.  Those who rail against this, generally are against wealth being taken from individuals in taxes, and redistributed in the form of social programs, programs aimed generally at helping the poor.  You rarely hear those same people complaining about money being redistributed from the poor, to the rich, in the form of corporations paying minimal taxes, and government subsidies. 

Topic: History 101 with Howard Zinn

This is a free course I am taking, that is consisting of reading “Passionate Declarations,” by Howard Zinn, following an educational model provided by Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting. The concept being, there’s nothing you can’t learn from most teachers that you can’t find in books, and at the very least, there’s no educational reason why one should pay money for the knowledge and insigt of others (there are economical reasons to paying for education, however, which is the only justification for paying to go to college at all).

Lesson 1:

When it comes to war, the government lies and makes gross errors:

In Vietnam, the US lied about its non-military bombings. 
We lied about our ships in the Gulf of Tonkin, stating they were not provoking an attack.  Nixon lied about his secret war with Cambodia.
On 8/6/45, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, which was not necessary to have Japan surrender in WWII.  Japan was willing to surrender under the condition their leader did not have to “unconditionally surrender.”  Massive deaths could have been avoided, but, we chose a destructive means to strengthen US national power.

Lesson:

1) Always question the ends of what the government is trying to achieve
2) Also, examine the means to which those ends are being pursued

“If Americans received a better historical education, if they learned to look beneath the surface of easy labels…if they understood that out national orthodoxy prefers to conceal certain disturbing facts about our society, they might, in the 1980′s and 1990′s, look beneath the glitter and luxury and react with anger to the homelessness, poverty, and despair that plague milloins of people in this country.” (59)

“As a result of omitting, or downplaying, the importance of social movements of the people in our history – the actions of abolitionists, labor leaders, radicals, feminists, and pacifists – a fundamental principle of democracy is undermined: the principle that it is the citizenry, rather than the government, that is the ultimate source of power and the locomotive that pulls the train of government in the direction of equality and justice.  Such histories create a passive and subordinate citizenry.” (61)

“It has been a century of attrocieites: the death camps of Hitler, the slave camps of Stalin, and the destruction of SE Asia by the United States.  All of these were done by powerful leaders and obedient populations in countries that had achieved high levels of literacy and education.  It seems that high scores on tests wer not the most crucial fact about hotse leaders and those citizens.” (65)

BOO-YAH!!!

Musing of the day:

Underlying the superficial differences between political philosophies, are differing views of life.  Marxists, anarchists, liberals, greens, etc. I would argue see a world with a glass half empty.  They see injustice everywhere.  They find fault in almost every step of US government.  Those on the political right, conservatives, Republicans, capitalists, view the world glass as half full.  “Things are going well.”  Life is better for us and others today than in any other period in history, and only looks to improve. 

The left looks at the right with disdain.  “How can you be at peace with yourself while the glass is only half full.  What about those who cannot drink the water from your glass?  When you speak of your glass as half full, you completely ignore and fail to have compassion for those who are not included.  What about the often means of violence in which your glass has become full?”

The right looks at the left with disdain.  “You talk so much about means, but fail to appreciate just how much is in the glass.  You would rather spill the entire glass out than have a glass so full.  In fact, your hatred for what we have is so extreme that you are a threat to our glass.  You throw rocks and try to shatter our glass.”

I think this plays itself out in foreign policy. 

The left looks at the right with disdain: ”You are nothing but a bunch of imperialists.  Your aims are not genuine.  Whatever freedom and democracy you bring, are second to your primary goals of filling your glass even more.  Oil is your primary goal, freedom and democracy are not your true motives, nor will you bring them about.”

The right looks at the left with disdain: “How can you deny that the world would be better if we had not gone to war to topple the oppressive regimes in Afghanastan and Iraq?  How can you not support US victory in its wars?  How can you not view the US as a boy scout?”

Dan looks at the right with disdain: “That’s the one point that will not sit right with me.  I can see somewhat through the eyes of the right, but, here I cannot understand how their minds work.  It has become the mindset of the right that opposition to the war, amounts to support for the Hussein regime.  The right have framed the thinking so that opposition to controversial wars, means opposition to the values of freedom and democracy that they are claiming to bring.  There is little that I see as genuine in that sort of framing.  The right, in order to justify their half-full glass, needs to see themselves as Boy Scouts, always doing the right thing.  But, their picking and choosing of what countries deserve US support for freedom (why then, have we not toppled the ruthless Mugabe in Zimbabwe?) flat-out discredits their Boy Scout image that they have of themselves.  Their claims that “we give so much,” fall short when analyzed not comparatively, but in terms of possibility.  The possibility for the US to do so much more is unquestioned.  To some extent, the thinking of the right has led them to become delusional, which I do not mean in a condecending way.  I mean they have created an incomplete reality to satisfy their half-full view of the world.  

The right says with disdain:  “The left does not want the US to “win” their wars.  They support Islamic fundamentalism.  They support terrorist states.” 

The left says with disdain: “We feel the wars were unjust to begin with, and only through failure on the battle-field will public opinion shift against the war.  We prefer peace to war, and do not support deaths on either side.  However, we can see how acts of violence, while unacceptable, can help to highlight non-violent yet equally unacceptable situations.   For example, all deaths on the US and Iraqi sides are both unfortunate, but they amount to evidence that the war was a bad decision.  The terrorist acts of 9/11 were unacceptable, but serve as evidence of US actions that have upset the Muslim world.”

The right says with disdain: “Here’s where you’re wrong.  The terrorist acts of 9/11 serve as evidence of Muslim fundamentalism which must be defeated and replaced with democratic principles.”

So…to summarize:

left = glass half empty, US is no Boy Scout, US is partially responsible for acts of terror
right = glass half full, US is a Boy Scout, US was an innocent victim of evil acts of terror

How does this model sound?   

Topic: State politics (cont’d)

What would a dream government look like in the eyes of a Republican, with a natural tendency to distrust the ability of government to provide services, and a preference for individuals and charities to create a healthier community.  Well…it would begin with the passing of a law called the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, which sounds friendly enough, and is in fact a constitutionally imposed limit on taxation.  This is what passed in Colorado, and is known there as TABOR. 

The TABOR ammendment is the most stringent tax and expenditure limitation that American voters have ever imposed on their state and local governments.  It passed in ’92 to limit the growth of gov’t.  The law sets a budget cap on state spending.  Revenue up to that cap is known as “allowed collections,” revenue above is known as, “the TABOR surplus,” and must be refunded.

Douglas Bruce is the author of the tax-limitation measure.  It is his believe that government should not fund programs like higher education or Medicaid.  Instead, they should be left to the market or churches.  “We could cut half or more of government spending and 95% of the people wouldn’t miss it.  They wouldn’t notice the impact on their lives.”

The Dems responded with Amendment 23, which requires annual spending increases in k-12 education.  You can see already how the two philosophies, and the two laws, run head into each other.  The budget is limited in revenue growth, while simultaneously required to expand expenditures.  In order to balance the budget, lawmakers have to cut back on public colleges and universities, and Medicaid.  Just what Douglas Bruce intended.

Several college presidents in Colorado have warned that state funding for higher ed would be so insiginificant by 2009 that institutions would be forced to privatize or close their doors.  Again, depending on your political philosophies, this can either be seen as a good or bad thing.

The way TABOR works is to limit spending to a formula that includes population growth plus inflation.  The revenues from one year are used in the formula to build a budget for the following year.  However, should there be an economic downturn, followed by an upturn, the surplus from the recovery must be returned to the taxpayers.  This is like a reservoir that falls by half during a drought.  The rain returns, but the basin is limited to drought capacity, not pre-drought capacity.

None of this inherently supports anything accept highlighting the philosophical differences between those who believe in the role of the government in providing services such as Medicaid, K-12 education, higher education, parks and recreation, state police, information technology, environment, economic development and arts programs, and those who believe individuals in a free-market will take care of these things.

So…the argument becomes more focussed on the value-added of these services.  We cannot simply have an debate whether ”Republicans are bad for the people because they oppose public services,” we need to also have an argument why public services are necessary, and require a certain amount of government spending.

Bush’s views on the tsunami relief efforts highlight this view.  We were quick to criticize Bush for not spending enough, but it was his belief that private donations were the way to go.  Clearly, some combination of the two is best.  Tapping into the good-will of individual donations, coupled with the collective power of a national government to help out.  I don’t have figures, but I’m assuming we received large amounts of government aid from other countries as well as individual donations, but without government financial support, along with the symbolic support that comes with a government choosing to spend money to help others, we’d be a lot worse off.  The Times article from my last post also describes how small individual efforts are compared to what governments can do, and highlights how problems worse than the tsunami, such as malaria and AIDS, kill more people and deserve equal government support that the US is now beginning to give to the tsunami victims (because of public pressure).  Perhaps that is another lesson to be learned.  How the media and individual statements have the power to spotlight the nature of government, and can serve to force them to do good.

Topic: N/A

I worked the AM shift, had only a few tables, only made $50, wrote down every song I heard on the radio.  Music is life.

songs on my playlist:

Modest Mouse – blame it on the tetons
The Shins – New slang
Tommy Jame & the Shondells – Crimson and Clover
Rod Stewart – Maggie May
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Road Trippin’ / Zephyr song
Doobie Bros. – Listen to the Music
Madonna – Borderline
The Police – Wrapped around my finger
and of course…Lynard Skynard, “FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE BIRD”

I’m putting some money away, but, I must also live for today.  So…to the bar I go again, the lone reguge for the lonely.  Ahhh…I feel like I’m back in London, where it was the rare night that I didn’t go out, as opposed to now where going out on a Tues. and Wed. night makes you an alcoholic. 

Trivia question: How much food will I eat when I get back tonight?

And…regarding my last post, here’s a Times op/ed that touches on whether the US is closer to Boy Scout, or Oscar the Grouch.  The US, to me, is starting to resemble those kids in high school who got straight A’s by copying others homework, or having parents who constantly complained to make sure their kids got good grades, and made it into all the honor societies.  The kids who took all the SAT preps to get into the good colleges, and then went to law or medical school.  The kids who have impressive looking resumes, but can’t hold a conversation with you.  The kids who never reflect, who never think about life or the world.  The kids who judge themselves by money and job titles.  That’s the US.  They’re also the kids who go through mid-life crises when they realize the emptiness in their lives, and try to fill the void with material purchaes.  Perhaps that’s the stage the US is in.  Usually…a 9/11 type event serves as a wake-up call that there’s something bigger.  Somehow…that didn’t do a thing.  Tom. there’s supposed to be some calls for a senator to call for an investigation into Ohio’s election.  I’m guessing we’ll have a repeat of the 2000 election debacle, where people from the House are brave enough to state the election fraud and irregularities, but silently the event will pass.  My hope is that the counter-inauguration here in DC is kick-ass.  That might restore my faith that the pissed off are mobilized, and that we can sit our drunk government down and put it into AA.  Great, time for beer.

cheers.

Topic: Things to be thankful for

-Tastykake mini donuts
-Sweet and salty honey nut chex mix
-The movie Garden State (which i saw most of last night before passing out on the couch)
-The Shins (the band featured in the movie)
-The Thirsty Dog (the bar that served 2 for $3 beers last night, and actually had several dogs in the bar, and the friendly indi guy who does industrial design of such things like cell phone designs to tupper ware)
-The Smithsonian History Museum (where I went yesturday on a beautfiful DC afternoon to see their history of war exhibit, which had a cool room on Vietnam with a bunch of ’60′s tv’s and couches lined with plastic like in some Italian home, so I was able to sit and relax and watch some interesting news footage from that war.  And the two shards of metal from the World Trade Center towers, which was kind of freaky to see that they already had that up in a museum, and to think how as soon as anything happens, it’s history.  Also…to be reminded of the US’s background with wars….it made me reflect on the psychology of the US.  It’s rare that I read about the US as a person, and to think that few politicians are sociologists, philosophers, or psychologists, or educators, but rather politicians and lawyers.  So, viewing the US as a person, I reflect that the US originated in the murder of Indians, then survived until the 1850′s with slavery, then went to war with itself, then went to war with Mexico for the sole purpose of manifest destiny, to acquire more land and continue to grow the US as an empire, then war with Spain over Cuba in 1898.  That was only 107 years ago that the US was nothing more than a young person looking for fights in the playground.  Till the ’60′s, we were still a country with racist laws on the books.  And today, in 2004, we still have large numbers of our population, mostly minorities, living in poverty, without health care, without a quality education, without many basic needs.

I’m sure everyone knows of one person who is just a good all around person.  Someone who did well in school, who is well-educated, who is friendly, who is helpful, a true Boy Scout type.  Someone who gives before he takes, someone who helps settle disputes, rather than causing them.  Someone who would be accepted by all as being a good and just person.  Now…substitute the word person for country, or for the US.  What type of person is the US?  I truly want to understand the perspective of the radical-right, those who criticize those who are critical of the US’s past.  Are parts of US history more acceptable than I’m giving them credit for?  I didn’t mention a lot of other actions also.  Or, anything relating to the Cold War.  While I can sympathize now with some of the aims of socialism/Communism, if their aim is to help spread their ideas worldwide, eventually that would threaten the US as we know it.  If Communism calls for revolution, than doesn’t that justify fighting in Vietnam, and CIA actions to overthrow Communist countries?  What about Muslim fundamentalism?  If their aim is to topple our friend in Israel, doesn’t that justify our opposition to those countries, Palestine and Iraq? 

Here’s another question.  Does the US gov’t need to be seen as a Boy Scout.  Or, should the people be the Boy Scouts?  For example, in sending aid to the tsunami victims, many have criticized the US (gov’t) for being too cheap, but, so much wealth lies with the people as well.  And, that’s where much of the fund-raising is coming from.  Getting private donations.  Is it fair to criticize the gov’t without also evaluating the actions of the people?  (This is not to say that we can’t still view the gov’t as not being a good Boy Scout, for those who believe that is the role of the gov’t). more thoughts to come…  

Topic: afternoon off

it’s 12:15pm, I’m in DC, i’m gonna go walk around for a bit.

Topic: policy things

“Those who support higher education should be the biggest chearleaders for health care reform.”

That’s from one of the guys I work with, who deals with state policy and higher ed.  If I took a class on health care in school, there’s no doubt I wouldn’t have paid much attention, but, like an ever growing ice cream sunday, I keep finding new toppings to throw on my list of things to learn.  This continues to prove, for me at least, that education is best when built around an individual, rather than build around a subject.

Something I learned that I didn’t know is that states are required to balance their budgets.  They can’t simply go into debt like the federal government can.  The origins, reasons, and implications of this I’m not all certain of yet.  However, what this means is that states often have their hands tied by the limits of their tax revenues.  So, when the federal government requires states to spend, the states are often unable to fund those mandates.

Topic: State budgets (man, are my topics getting nerdier by the day)

So…i’m back in the office in front of a computer screen, but with a new direction of “research.”  What is the state of state budgets for 2005?

I’ve been asked to look at Medicaid, which is the fastest growing item in the states.  Medicaid is America’s largest public health insurance program.  In the past few years, we’ve had an economic downturn, coupled with job losses, leading to increased poverty, leading to an increased population requiring Medicaid.  So, what we’ve seen is states have less revenue to use, and higher medicaid costs to deal with.  On average, states spend 17% of their budgets on Medicaid, second only to education, which comprises on average 47% of states’ budgets.

So…with states facing financial pressures, they had to rely on the federal governemtn to provide some temporary fiscal relief, known as FMAP (Federal Medical Assistance Percentage).  In ’05, FMAP expires, and spending on Medicaid will continue to increase. (The federal gov’t actually gave a total of $20B to the states in ’03 in the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act passed by Congress, $10B of that was for Medicaid.)  This info is from the Kaisser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured’s:

 http://www.kff.org/medicaid/loader.cfm?url=/commonspot/security/getfile.cfm&PageID=48004

The political/economic question is, how to make everything wonderful?  How to improve the economy, so that we have more jobs, so that more people are off Medicaid, (so that more people are off Medicaid that can afford insurance actually…since one of the things states have been doing to cut Medicaid costs, is to reduce both eligibility and benefits).  Here’s where the rhetoric, “spending is good” comes in.  I always read that in the paper and hated it, being a minimalist and believing that part of our cultural struggles stem from our consumer culture.  But…consumption increases sales taxes which increases state budgets which allows increased state spending on Medicaid and education, to name two things.

But…(and I’m sure thenarrator will have an answer to this) there are various ways in which we can tax to increase state budgets.  We could increase taxes on income through the stock market or other taxes that largely effect the wealthy, (is payroll tax the same as income tax? which specific taxes go to state vs. federal budgets, and what taxes go specifically to certain goods, such as payroll goes to Social Security?  what is income from the stock market called?) 

I guess the real question is, how can we increase revenue for the state without relying purely on consumption of material goods (and I wonder about service goods.  For example, if our society was based more on tourism, we would gain revenue from tourism sales tax vs. the sales tax from buying a shirt from the Gap or an unecessarily expensive car.  I think i believe in general, tourism is a healthier industry to promote than “shopping,” if everything else is held constant economically, because tourism can be educational and I generally believe that experiences are more valuable than material possessions). 

Anyways…assuming we remain a material shopping culture (i’m not picking on you dara, btw), how can we change the tax system to raise the funds we need, to drive the economy, and to not rely on the “buy more christmans presents” mantra.

A second project I’ve been asked to look into is an “Academic Bill of Rights,” that has been proposed in some states.  This bill was created by a man named David Horowitz, and is intended to ensure a diversity of political views are represented on college campuses.  On the surface, this bill makes a good point.  They cite numerous instances where students have gotten poor grades for arguing conservative viewpoints (liberal professors outnumber conservative ones by about 9-to-1), as well as the open support of liberal ideologies in the classrooms. 

It becomes more evident why this bill is being created when we learn about the man who came up with the bill, Horowitz.  His site immediately reveals Horowitz to be to the political right what Michael Moore is to the political left.  As a lefty and Moore supporter myself, I can only welcome Horowitz’ claims, not shut them out.  Reading some of his articles, however, make me further see the left-right divide.  It really is wider and deeper than I may have originally believed.  And, not surprisingly, it comes down to, at its core, a belief in socialism vs. captialism.  There doesn’t seem to be much middle ground with Horowitz, and his us vs. them, socialism vs. capitalism world view, clouds much of his logic, and turns many of his arguments into ideological rants.  Anyways…it’s another good source for learning about the other side, and in doing so, to learn more about my side. 

For example, regarding the war in Iraq:

“Yet this is a war whose aims and purposes make it very hard to understand how anyone who is a supporter of human rights, or who believes in freedom, could be against it. In four years, George Bush has liberated nearly 50 million people in two Islamic countries. He has stopped the filling of mass graves and closed down the torture chambers of an oppressive regime. He has encouraged the Iraqis and the people of Afghanistan to begin a political process that give them rights they have not enjoyed in 5,000 years. How can one not support this war?”

a) the war was to protect America from a threat that didn’t exist.
b) the intent of helping the Iraqis only came after the war
c) there are means other than war to bring about human rights and freedom

-dan

Also, on the Kaiser Commission website, www.kff.org, there’s a link to South Africa, and on that main page a link to a program Lovelife, an AIDS education program, which I worked with while I was out there.  Kind of interesting to see how things come full circle like that, and good to see just how big this amazing program is.

Topic: The Fiscal Survey of the States

So… I was asked to check out some state budget reports, and surprisingly, they’re not nearly as complex and scary as I thought.  With all the emphasis on the president and the federal gov’t, it’s interesting to think about the role of the state government, which in my mind isn’t as much a spectacle as the rest of politics.

I’m interested to see how those who oppose federal gov’t, feel about state gov’t, all the way down to local gov’t.  What are the arguments for opposing a big federal gov’t, but supporting a strong state/local gov’t, in terms of having a big budget to provide public services?

According to the fiscal survey of the states, a report produced by the National Association of State Budget Officers, state spending is expected to increase 4.5% this year, compared to 3% the year before, and almost no growth in ’02 and ’03. 

http://www.nasbo.org/Publications/fiscalsurvey/fsfall2004.pdf

Where is the money going?

According to the Nat’l Conference of State Legislatures, 33.6% of that goes to K-12 education, the largest piece of the budget pie.  But, the fastest growing part of the pie is Medicaid, at 16.3%.  Also in the mix is higher ed at 11.0%, down slightly from previous years, 5.9% for corrections, which is slightly up from previous years, and “other” at 33.2%.  (Other consists of transportation, public assistance, parks and recreation, state police, arts programs, economic development, the environment, info technology, and employer contributions to pensions and benefits). 

I am still trying to develop a point of view related to all this, but don’t have one yet…

I was reading an article in “The Progressive” magazine today about the state of urban Milwuakee (pronounced, “mil-ee-wauk-ay” Algonquin for the good land…name that movie for 10 bonus points…click here for answer) about how that city has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, around 40%, mostly blacks.  It also has a crime rate of about 40%, not surprisingly, almost all blacks.  Clearly, it’s a crumbling city, and there’s others like it.  But, who to blame?  Federal gov’t or state gov’t?  A Ballot measure in Florida established a minimum wage of $6.15 per hour, and a ballot is upcoming in Nevada to increase their min. wage to require employers to pay an extra dollar to $6.15 an hour if they don’t provide their employees with health insurance. 

Question: Can we create progressive states within a non-progressive nation?

Thank you Craiger:

My friend sent me this link, and I must say, I do believe it is quite a lucrative idea

http://www.star-k.org/cons-new-bignews-shidduch.htm

The newest member of the Star-K “family” will not bear the familiar Star-K logo – not on a label, not on a plumba. In fact, this reflects the uniqueness of our non-profit lay organization, and, perhaps, explains our essence. Yes, milk and meat matters are only a part of Star-K’s commitment in serving the kosher consumer the world over. However, research and education of all “non-edible” mitzvos, from shatnes to Sabbath mode appliances, is a priority at Star-K, as well.

The mitzvah of marriage, sparking a “kosher match”, and providing an incentive for shadchanim, is the newest focus of Star-K. Attempting to do its part to alleviate the universal singles “crisis” the American Orthodox community is experiencing, Star-K is offering a $2,000 cash “gift” for the successful shidduchim of women in Baltimore’s Orthodox community – Star-K’s hometown. This is an additional incentive, on top of the customary shadchanus from the parents of the choson and kallah. According to Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, Rabbinic Administrator of the Star-K, “The concept of offering monetary incentives to promote shidduchim is sanctioned by Chazal” (See Rosh, Kedushin 30b, paragraph 43).

The Problem

If you are a single woman, or the parents of daughters, chances are you, better than anyone, understand the problem. The eligible bachelor seems to have a long list of potential marriage partners. The eligible young lady sits patiently by the telephone, hoping that it will ring with a suggestion of a possible suitor. As the telltale saying goes in shadchanus: “A boy needs a secretary, a girl needs an agent.”

There are various theories as to why this problem exists. Whatever the reasons, the fact remains that the singles population is getting larger and older. Thousands of single Jewish women, of all ages, who are shomrei Torah and mitzvos, are finding it difficult to find a suitable match. There are many single observant Jewish women in Baltimore, whose numbers are on the increase. A significant number of divorcees and widows, contribute to these statistics, as well.

National organizations, such as the Agudath Israel of America and the National Council of Young Israel, have long recognized the worsening problem, which is contributing to the emotional pain of our singles. Agudath Israel of America, together with N’Shei Agudath Israel, addressed this issue at the annual National Agudah Convention, in establishing the New York based shidduch agency, Invei Hagefen. Similarly, since 2001, the National Council of Young Israel initiated an annual Shidduchim conference for singles, marrieds, parents, and, matchmakers to help tackle the challenge. Other Orthodox organizations have recognized the crisis and are doing their part by introducing programs that facilitate the matchmaking process.

Star-K’s Contribution

The Star-K is attempting to help remedy the Baltimore singles situation, which is typical of that in Orthodox communities throughout the United States. It is offering the $2,000 cash incentive for a period of one year, to anyone who successfully arranges a shidduch for a woman in Baltimore’s Orthodox community. Star-K hopes that b’ezras Hashem, its gift will act as a dual incentive: for professional shadchanim, worldwide, to put Baltimore women on the top of their singles lists, and for “would-be shadchanim” and acquaintances to keep Baltimore women in mind.

According to Dr. Avrom Pollak, President of Star-K, “What we are hoping to accomplish is to get anyone–living in any community–who knows a Baltimore single woman, to make that extra effort in arranging an introduction with a suitable eligible man.”

For the shadchan of a successful shidduch to qualify for this gift, the following conditions apply:

• The single woman must be at least 22-years and 2-months old at the time the engagement is announced. There is no upper age limit.
  


• Widows and divorcees are included.
  


• The couple must be committed to observing the laws of kashrus, Shabbos, and taharas hamishpacha.
  


• Parents, grandparents, children, siblings, sibling-in-laws, and aunts and uncles of the single women are not eligible for the gift. Cousins and other relatives who arrange a shidduch are eligible.
  


• A Baltimore woman is defined as:
  
  
  
  • Her parents must have lived in Baltimore for one year and have purchased a house there, or have rented a dwelling there for two years. If she lives in Baltimore alone, without family, she must have lived in Baltimore for two years (student years do not count).
    
  
  
  • A Baltimorean living in New York or elsewhere, for less than two years, whose parents are presently living in Baltimore, is eligible.
    


• Requests for payment of the Star-K gift must be made, in writing, by the shadchan to Star-K (122 Slade Avenue, Suite 300, Baltimore, MD, 21208), within 30 days of the engagement. Both sets of parents, or both the choson and kallah, must confirm who the shadchan or shadchanim are.
  


• If more than one person was involved in the introduction of the couple, the $2,000 award will be divided amongst the parties according to traditional guidelines. For example, if one person thought of the idea and asked a professional to arrange it, the one who thought of it gets 1/3 of the shadchanus and the professional gets 2/3 of the shadchanus.
  


• If the shidduch breaks up, chas v’shalom, before the wedding, Star-K is exempt from paying the gift.
  


• Payment of the gift will be made by Star-K within 30 days after the chasana.
  


• The initial introduction of the couple (i.e., the first meeting of the couple) must not have been made prior to the starting date of this program, the first night of Chanukah, 5765 (December 7, 2004).
  


• All disputes, e.g., who is the shadchan, questions regarding eligibility, etc., will be settled by Star-K Rabbinic Administrator, Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, shlita, whose decision will be final.
  

“Although Star-K is initially funding this program for a one year period, we hope that it will be successful and that we will have the funding to continue,” says Dr. Pollak. “We also hope that Star-K will serve as an inspiration for organizations or individuals in other “out-of-town” communities to launch similar programs.”

1:15am
back in my friend’s apt. in Baltimore

Just got back from ESPN zone.  Pulled in another $100 tonight, definately got stiffed on some tables, $4 for a table of 6, $80 bill, but, that’s city kids for ya.  I’ll admit, working at a restaurant makes you want to tip more, but, when I go out to restaurants, I generally feel I’m paying too much for food anyways, and so I’ve never been a big tipper.  So…when I get stiffed, I can certainly understand not wanting to drop another $3-4 after overpaying that much for a burger to begin with.

Saw Lost in Translation today, heard it was good, saw the appeal in it, but it didn’t really keep my attention.  The one part I did love for those who saw it, was when Bill Murray nearly gets killed on one of those ski exercise machines.  Now…i’m about to pop in Anchorman for some cheap laughs.

So, to my readers, a question.  What did you learn or experience this past year that is memorable to you, that in some way changed your life or your impression of the world?  My years don’t really run Jan-Dec, but one thing I know for sure since last Dec. is there is no sensation in the world as good as being a traveler in a foreign country.  Waking up with the complete freedom to stay or go where you are, to be a tourist or a local, to be outdoorsy or veg in front of the tv, to spend the day alone, or with a new friend.  My experiences traveling in both S. Africa and here in N. America this past fall really showed me that travel is my passion, and that it is not simply a phase in my life, but something I will always work so that I am able to travel more.  Reflecting over the past year, I also see just how much America is ethnocentric.  Anywhere in the world, you still sense many things American, beginning with the language.  Being home, I lose any sense that a foreign world exists.  I haven’t heard the following words since last May:

“lekker,” “jol,” “boerwors” “briie” “matrics” “castle lager” “windhoek,” “baakie,” “sundowners,”

you can’t go a day in South Africa without hearing those words, yet, those words don’t exist here.  It’s so strange to me.  I’d actually love to open an international hostel in America one day that had theme rooms of a bunch of different cultures, all the best foods like kabobs, falafels, fish and chips, tapas…

Also strange to think that a year ago I was just beginning to use xanga…now it’s second nature.  I’ve “befriended” a few people, whose names I don’t know, but who have taught me much, and probably know more about my life than 99% of my friends and family.  Certainly, I’ve had my eyes opened more from this online community than any other I’ve encountered, and I look forward to what the next 12 months will bring.

-dan