Welfare system could cause Israel to collapse, economist warns

Los Angeles Times ^ | 5-11-10

[NoLibZone]

Nearly one in five Israeli men between the ages of 35 and 54 do not work, including Arabs and ultra-Orthodox Jews, says Dan Ben-David. As their numbers rise, so does the economic peril, he says. When people talk these days about Israel's economy, they use words like booming, resilient, even "miracle."

Weaning itself off socialist-influenced policies that once brought 400% inflation and 60% income-tax brackets, Israel's economy is now growing despite the international financial slowdown. Debt is manageable, the currency is strong; Israel's high-tech sector is admired worldwide.

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But one Israeli economist is warning that beneath Israel's back-patting lurks a hidden peril — fueled by demographic trends and political choices — that could eventually mean an end to the country.

Armed with a Power Point presentation he's been showing to lawmakers, newspaper publishers and anyone else who will listen, Dan Ben-David, executive director of Jerusalem-based Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel, says the problem is simple: Not enough Israelis are pulling their own weight.

[NoLibZone]

“Nearly 27% of Arab men and 65% of ultra-Orthodox Jews don’t work, government figures show. The non-employment rate for ultra-Orthodox men has tripled since 1970, Ben-David said.”

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Deport the Ultras!

[speciallybland]

Next bailout?

[Will88]

It sounds like the welfare system, or nanny state, might well collapse all the Western nations unless some fundamental changes aren’t made beginning very soon (and we all know we’re now going further afield in the wrong direction with Obama’s trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see).

[NoLibZone]

Not as long as their chosen candidate is in office!

LMAO!

[GeronL]

It is the same for every country. Socialism and welfarism are not sustainable.

[coaltrain]

"Deport the Ultras!"

Just try it!!!!

[pnh102]

I would imagine that the law of Moses would have something to say about lazy, worthless people who contribute absolutely nothing to society.

Israel should learn from the mistakes of the USA and other socialist countries and abandon the type of generous welfare system that encourages such laziness.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Jet Jaguar will provide back up!

[idov]

This is a distorted view of things. Israel had its Greece-style crisis in 2002. Netanyahu, then FM, took draconian measures which made huge cuts in social welfare spending. That caused him and the Likud to limp in third in the next election as the poor, the traditional base of the Likud, went over to Kadimah, the winners then. Netanyahu then won the election last year.

Israel's economy is basically strong, having not been affected greatly by the recession in America, but the real threat is that if Europe slides away, that could take Israel with it.

The reference to massive inflation in the 80s was only partially related to social welfare costs. Those were the years when America had a 20 per cent prime rate or thereabouts and it impacted the entire world. Besides Israel pays a huge chunk of his budget on defence costs and they went through a big war at that time.

Israel is not like Greece. Retirement age goes on a sliding scale with the average at 67 not 53 as in Greece. There is a minimum wage but you can't live on it and that's all a large chunk of workers get, so you need two paycheques in a family. The ultra-Orthodox are an economic burden but they are not a major percentage of the population. As for the Arabs most of them are productive citizens. If anyone is interested in Israel's economic state, further reading is indicated.

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

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Note idov's post 10, which is a bit more rational than the author.

[nolongerademocrat]

I would think that they spend all of their days studying Torah and since Torah is our reason for being, these Ultra-Orthodox men are performing a great service to Israel.

-A Jew, says the Imrei Emes, has only one “profession” and only one business - the Torah. It doesn’t matter whether he’s sitting in the House of Study, at his place of work, or whether he’s buying groceries at the corner store - a Jew is a ben Torah. Just as a doctor is a doctor 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the same level of dedication and commitment is expected of a Jew to the Torah.-

—We wish and bestow upon others our greatest and most cherished blessings. Ask any Jew: What’s your greatest blessing in life? “Why, the Torah, no doubt!” If indeed, one truly perceived the Torah as the ultimate blessing, without which his life - even if enriched with material wealth, gezunt, and nachas - would be meaningless, then he would constantly be blessing others with success in their Torah study and fulfillment of the mitzvos.—

-—It is told that the holy Divrei Chaim, Rabbi Chaim of Sanz zt”l, would recite the blessings over the Torah with such beauty and devotion, that his disciples would gather opposite his house, next to the window, in the hope of hearing him. Tears would flow freely from the eyes of those who merited hearing him, as they were overwhelmed with love for the Torah and its study. May we too merit to “engross ourselves in the words of Torah,” taste its sweetness, and plumb its depths. “For it is our lives, and the length of our days, and in it will we toil day and night.”-—

Text Copyright © 2000 Rabbi Eliyahu Hoffmann
http://www.torah.org/learning/olas-shabbos/5760/shavuos.html#

Torah study
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtSJ0M5kLRo

-

[nolongerademocrat]

Note to self:
Watch this video every time you hear about the “plot to takeover the world”, every time someone mentions that book “The Thirteenth Tribe” (written by that self-hating, sometimes communist, drug-addled, serial rapist...), and watch it every time a person mentions blood libel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S13DVTum8xw&feature=related

[rmlew]

If the Rambam, Rabbi Moses ben Maimon could be a doctor, the Ultra-Orthodox in Israel can stop committing the chillul Hashem of being welfare cheats and get a job.

[nolongerademocrat]

Different time, different place, different purpose, no suicide bombers... - not a fair comparison. And I’m just a Conservative Jew, not even close to Orthodox - but I’m glad there are those who are able to spend their lives in religious pursuits. I’m also glad that there are Jews who are able to fully celebrate Shabbat and I pray for them on those Friday nights I’m at the hospital working. I guess for me it is a matter of what they are doing. Do I want to support someone while they are sucking on a crack pipe? No. Do I want to support someone who is studying Torah? All day, every day...