Toward a G.O.P. Nominee, Unsolicited Phone Calls, One-State Solution in Israel and a Sad Note on Guns

                                           

Will a Governorship Determine the G.O.P. Nominee?

It may be difficult, but I am trying to try to think like a traditional Republican voter, the kind of person who believes that the free enterprise system, unencumbered by excessive government regulation and taxation, can work for the benefit of everyone in our country, taking away the need for a government “safety net,” which sooner or later sadly evolves into costly “entitlements.”  I will try to be the kind of person who believes that the accumulation of excessive wealth by large businesses and individuals is a good thing, because they would have nothing to do with it other than invest it into enterprises which will provide jobs.  That wealth would “trickle down” to everyone, addressing the supposed problem of inequitable wealth distribution.  But I would be compassionate to the extent that no one, not even those on the bottom rungs of the socio-economic ladder, would be abandoned.  And this might be best accomplished through the private, rather than the public, sector. But I would not want it to make life for them “comfortable.”  I also believe that we must maintain a strong military posture and not let anyone push us, or our allies, around.  As for legal immigration, I would be for it so long as it meets business’ needs for labor and skills.  Otherwise, I would insist on our existing laws being enforced.

Okay.  I have been transformed and now I will try to figure out which one of the several Republicans vying for the Presidential nomination I want to support.  They all dislike Democrats, particularly Hillary Clinton and of course Barack Obama … but I still need to figure out which one would make the best Presidential candidate from our Party.  Republicans:  Please give this some thought and take a look at the poll off to the right of the screen.

In my mind’s eye, I try to picture each one of them in particular situations.  What would they look like on the job, for example, doing things like this:

Delivering the State of the Union address.

Addressing the UN.

Meeting with heads of state from foreign countries, both friendly and not-so-friendly, such as Russia, the Middle Eastern countries, Israel, the UK, France, Egypt, China, etc.

Speaking to the Nation after a natural disaster in which many were killed.

Announcing nominees for Supreme Court vacancies.

I know that most of the potential candidates are good on the attack, but I am trying to picture how they would be if the shoe were on the other foot and they were in the position of performing, not reacting.  When in my head I try to envision Trump,  Rubio, Fiorina, Cruz, Carson, Paul or Huckabee in these roles, each comes up short with negative images in several of these situations. You try it.  The only ones that come close to being believable performers are Kasich, Bush and Christie.  Perhaps this is because of their experience as governors. 

John, Jeb and Chris

Okay, shedding my temporary Republican disguise, I am almost ready to conclude that the G.O.P.’s Presidential nominee will be a governor or former governor.  That is the way I feel the delegates to the Republican Convention will think and act, despite the popular appeal to their rank and file party members of some of the other candidates.  Any other course of action would be suicidal for the Party.  They will form mental images of how the contenders would come across in situations like those I mention above, and choose one of the three with gubernatorial experience pictured above.  And in the event of a deadlock, I would not rule out the former governor whom they nominated in 2012.

Jack Lippman  


                                                

Unsolicited Phone Calls - A Suggested Solution
Despite the existence of the Federal “Do Not Call” list, I’m getting an increasing number of telephone calls, both from live callers and “robocalls,” with a variety of pitches, invariably ending up with attempts to get me to purchase something or donate to an alleged charity. 

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 and other related laws prohibit businesses from advertising through unsolicited text messages or unwanted phone calls to your telephones.  In fact, this law allows private actions by persons subjected to the prohibited conduct and authorizes recovery of up to $500 per violation or $1,500 if the violation was willful or knowing.  (Several law firms can be found on the internet soliciting your business for class action suits against violators of this law.  Just “google” the Act.) 

Unfortunately, the Act includes exemptions which permit healthcare organizations, charities, political groups, emergency notices and wireless phone service providers to bypass “Do Not Call” lists, opening the door to unwanted calls.  I feel these exemptions should be narrowed to include only healthcare organization which I have approved (such as doctors or hospitals I use), true emergency notices and the companies actually providing my phone services themselves. 

Most recently, as of October 16, 2013, the Federal Communications Commission, in administering the Act (47 USC §227), started requiring businesses to obtain prior express written consent before they can place telemarketing calls to mobile phones or residential lines, and applied this to text messages as well.  Good Luck!

There are “call blocking devices” on the market enabling individuals to install their own systems to decide what calls to allow to get through.  Costing well under $100, these have been received with mixed results and require those using them to input lists of acceptable phone numbers to allow to get through.

I feel it is the responsibility of the service providers for my residential telephone as well as for my cell phone to do more to block these calls.  The only “robocalls,” I would want them to allow to get through would be from my doctors … whose numbers I would provide them with.  They have the technology to do this.  As for manually dialed nuisance calls, the providers can block those as well once I provided them with the offending number.  I don't thin it is my job to do that, where possible, on my own equipment. 



 


I do want to distinguish between these offending calls and the occasional live calls I receive from small local businesses, utilizing one or two local employees to seek out customers, which I can tolerate … or calls from local individuals offering financial or insurance services, a traditional marketing tactic in these businesses.

We all manage to live with advertising in newspapers, magazines, on TV and appearing on our online devices.  We understand that they are paying much of the cost of making these sources of news, entertainment and education available to us.  We can and do easily ignore them, if we so choose to do.  But there is nothing similarly beneficial being enabled by those toward whom the Telephone Consumer Protection Act is directed.  This can be changed, however.  If their ability to call me were accompanied by a financial contribution toward paying my residential or cell phone bill, I might not object to them so strenuously.   I wonder if the ineffectual Telephone Consumer Protection Act and its “Do Not Call” lists would even be necessary if these callers were forced to pay something as modest as five cents a call toward my phone bills for each “live” call made to me and double that for computer-generated “robocalls.”  I suspect that they would quickly be out of business.

JL

                                                 

Preview of a One-State Solution in Israel

For those who oppose a two-state solution for the future of Palestinians in Israel, a graphic example of what their one-state solution would look like has been going on in Israel for the past few months.  Palestinians, many of whom resent the very existence of the State of Israel, commit acts of violence against it.  Israeli authorities take action against these knife-wielding perpetrators of violence.  And this results in further Palestinian violence.  Only the antagonism between the PLO Palestinians on the West Bank and the Hamas-controlled Palestinians in Gaza prevents this violence from being coordinated into a still greater threat to Israel.

Undoubtedly, Israel’s police and military can handle this situation now and in the future.  In accomplishing this, however, Palestinians in a single state (which Israel is today) will have to be treated as second-class citizens because doing otherwise, in view of the growing Palestinian population, would be necessary in order to prevent a one-state solution from evolving into a Palestinian state.  Thus, a one-state solution requires the diminishing of democracy in Israel, at least in regard to the Palestinians.   

Such a solution cannot end well, and fortunately, the current violence in Israel provides a preview of what that one-state solution would look like.  Advocates of a one-state solution should learn from it.

                       Two-State Solution Map.  Dotted line suggests a limited access roadway


The only solution is a separate Palestinian state (or possibly two, one on the West Bank and one in Gaza) which commits itself to a peaceful relationship with Israel.  I believe this is what Israelis want, but are hesitant to move forward with, because of the lack of trustworthy Palestinians with whom to deal.  As for the Israeli settlements in what eventually would be the Palestinian state, border adjustment and land exchange will be necessary.  Certainly, future settlements and Israeli expansion into primarily Palestinian areas should not be happening as they will only make the ultimate two-state solution more difficult.

JL

                                                

An Argument Against Carrying a Gun

It is said that citizens carrying weapons do so to protect themselves against assailants.  But having such a weapon in your possession, and showing it, may not help if the “assailant” happens to be a plainclothes police officer getting out of an unmarked car and approaching in the dark.  Tragically, it can get one killed.  It just did happen here in Palm Beach County.

Having weapons to protect one's home from attack or invasion or to defend oneself when in fear of bodily harm or loss of life from an assailant, legal rights today in most of the country, puts guns into circulation which may end up being used for purposes other than originally intended, such as suicide, domestic violence, road rage and if the weapon ends up in the wrong hands, criminal activity.  This must be recognized by those who avail themselves of their legal right to gun ownership.  Along with those rights come some very serious responsibilities, which must be recognized not only by individuals but by legislators as well.

JL

                                                   

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