Lakewood welfare fraud: Blame the system, not the Orthodox Jews

On the Dennis and Judi show, we could do four hours on Lakewood every day, and there would be no shortage of callers to talk about the fascinating community of Orthodox Jews who live there.

There would be complaints and there would be great stories of life in a subculture of a culture that has grown and thrived here in New Jersey for decades. The community is making news this week because of some high-profile and apparently high-income people here are accused of Medicaid and Welfare fraud. It's brought negative attention to a group that is already heavily scrutinized and criticized for its "unorthodox" way of life in a majority gentile American society.

Let me first say you could point to several groups or just hordes of individuals who always have and always will scam a system that is giving away free stuff. It's always perilous to single out groups when you run the risk of being accused of being bigoted or racist. Suffice to say, people from every subset of society engage in this shameful behavior and all people should be held accountable for their actions.

The problem I have with the whole system of government assistance is people will always take unfair advantage from all groups. Some more than others? Maybe. I say get rid of the system altogether. No one will die. No one will starve. And religious and ethnic groups can be accountable to themselves and each other by helping their own group if they want, or pitch in to help others at large.

My grandparents came from Southern Europe dirt poor. My grandfather sold fruit on the streets of Philadelphia while my grandmother stayed home and raised eight kids. They struggled, but they survived and thrived through their struggle and the opportunities that they came here for. There was no government assistance and they made due. They didn't even speak English or know how to read or write, but they knew how to work. They also had the pride of earning for themselves.

They died at 94 and 100 years of age with NO healthcare plan of any kind. Imagine that!

Society certainly has evolved from a century ago, but one thing hasn't. You appreciate what you yourself work for and that satisfaction is one of the true rewards of life. So get rid of the system entirely. We want more people like my grandparents coming to this country — for the opportunity, not the freebies!

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