Whose Committee?

It has been obvious from the start that the Trachtenberg Committee the government appointed to respond to the summer protests was going to give in to all the demands of the most extreme protesters but in a way that would seem “moderate”.  This socialism-lite would never satisfy the radicals but the hope was, I am sure, that the actual people upset with the current situation would be bought off with a few more subsidies. 

And … they are probably right.

The committee itself is filled with bureaucrats and a few academics.  Oddly enough, not one elected representative was on the committee, nor were there any business owners. 

 I have a few candidates of the latter category who would give some good insight into the cost of living in Israel and how to make life more affordable.  The first would be Gabi who, along with his father  owns a fruit and vegetable stand in the shouk in Kfar Saba.  Gabi knows the ins and outs of fresh produce and could give some interesting ideas on shopping. 

Then there is Alex, former butcher and now owner of women’s dress stores and a paper goods store. He has spreadsheets that prove that if you buy your fruit and vegetable in the shouk as opposed to the supermarket on a regular basis you will save 650,000 Shekel over the course of your lifetime.  If you buy meat and chicken in certain stores rather than others – your savings are 150,000 Shekel over ten years (that is a new car every 10 years).  He has other calculations and would be happy to share it with the Trachtenberg committee. 

Then there is my friend Yael.  She is a former analyst at an Israeli brokerage firm but for the past few years she has been advising families on how to save money and mange their household budgets.  She explains the ridiculously difficult bills we get from our cellular companies, bank statements, etc – she empowers people with knowledge and allows them to get their financial houses in order. 

The only problem with inviting these business-people to sit in on the committee is that they are not used to spending other people’s money.  Their solutions won’t allow the government to intrude further into our lives and won’t cost anyone extra money (besides the monopolistic corporations and their government handlers who enjoy the taxes on our overpriced lives).

Who needs businessmen to help us when you have bureaucrats and academics?