Price inflation is behind developing agitation amongst the masses in Israel.
Some 250,000 people took to the streets of Tel Aviv, on Saturday over the rising cost of living.
But the protests also go beyond price inflation, as the masses demand soak the rich programs and more nanny state benefits for themselves. Sadly,they fail to link the price inflation to Israel's central bank printing money to the payment of the nanny state benefits.
According to Reuters, here are some of the demands from protesters:
Increase personal tax brackets for top earners
Enshrine the right to housing in the law; introduce rent controls; boost mortgage relief
Stop further privatization of things such as health facilities
Provide free education for all from the age of three months
Raise the minimum wage to 50 percent of the average wage
Clearly, Israeli protesters has a long way to go before they realize that taxing the rich results in less capital available for the country. That rent controls cause shortages, that wage laws cause unemployment and that public healthcare results in lines and less care. And that free "education" is simply government propaganda instilled in the youth.
At this rate, the enemies of Israel only need to sit back and the central planning views held by Israelis that are adopted by the government will destroy the country on its own.
I'm from Israel and I'm very close to all the action that's going on these days in Tel Aviv. Last month protesters started sleeping in tents on some of the main boulevards in Tel Aviv. There are already tents on the streets of some other cities.
ReplyDeleteI belong to a very small group of Israeli libertarians. Maybe 50 that live close to Tel Aviv. When the protests started we just couldn't sit still and we opened a stand on Rothschild Boulevard where the "leaders" of the protest sit. We handed out leeflets and held up signs that say "Lower the taxes, Reduce the size of the government" and others about the free market. A lot of people were interested and came to ask us questions, we told them that we support the protest against the high cost of living but we identify the government as the cause of this problem and we offer a different solution, a free market one. To my suprise a lot of people came just to say that we are right and that they don't support the demands of the protestors.
Anthoer thing, the media in Israel is very biased, it simply encourages the protestors and helps them a lot. They don't show on TV some of the bad things that can harm the image of the protest. They also don't tell that the protest is lead by some political movements that want to replace the government and act as if they aren't about politics. The few "leaders" that speak for the people don't really represnt the protestors opinions but they keep saying that they speak for everyone. They keep on lying and with the help of the media the lie is growing. The protest is absolutly not of the people, and many just don't realize it.
Tommorow we will try to get some attention with a protest for less taxes and more free market solutions. We will be a small group of people but hopefully we'll get enough attention to undermine the confident in this big lie.
There's so much to be said. But in short, don't believe the media in Israel. The more you get closer to the protest the more you see different things.
I really hope that the "leaders" won't get what they want, otherwise it will be a disaster.
- Tal
Here is an article (bottom link) that perhaps might demonstrate the light weight understanding of the scope of things. Of course there is no mention of inflation and has words like..
ReplyDelete"The official demands include construction of affordable housing and a lowering of the 16 percent sales tax."
...great idea, one needs to raise taxes in order to pay for subsidized housing, brilliant...but don't worry...
"Israeli officials responded to the protest by forming a panel of government ministers and economic experts to draw up a plan to reduce living costs."
...well that's a relief.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/08/07/2348932/israelis-stage-mass-demonstrations.html#ixzz1UeFVZMR7
Tal-
ReplyDeleteThanks for that "on the street" update, and furthermore, THANK YOU for trying to spread the ideas of liberty in Israel! Too many far-right quasi-libertarians lump all Jews in with the Zionists, and the differences couldn't be more stark.
Dale Fitz