Are We There Yet?
Dr. Fredric K Weiss DDS
Fredric Weiss, DDS is a retired dentist educated at Penn State University and Temple University School of Dentistry and a 4 th generation Philadelphian. He spent 20 years in the U.S. Army and attained the rank of Major. He has been an active member of Civil Air Patrol (CAP) for over 50 years and served as the Pennsylvania Wing Commander and as National Finance Chair. He remains a member of a Masonic Lodge that both his father and grandfather belonged to. Prior to relocating to Tampa, he was elected Supervisor for Lower Makefield Township in suburban Philadelphia. Service has been in his blood, as he watched his great grandparents establish The Romanian Hebrew Beneficial Society in Philadelphia to help Romanian refugees succeed in American at the beginning of the last century.
It’s summer 2025. Florida’s weather is hot, humid, and the rain is falling as I write this article. It’s a good time to sit in my air-conditioned home and think about the coming year.
On the national front, Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” passed both houses of Congress and he gleefully signed it on the 250th birthday of our great democracy. How ironic. The wealthy get “Big Beautiful” tax cuts and more giveaways on the backs of the middle class, working poor, disabled and elderly. And while the President and the Republican party tout all the benefits for those very constituents, it’s no more than smoke and mirrors. Tips and overtime? It’s been misrepresented as a tax cut when in fact it is simply a small tax deduction with significant exclusions. A one-time increase in the standard deduction for the elderly? That’s not the same as “no tax on Social Security” they promised. But misinformation has been their game all along and they are masters at it.
SNAP, used to feed millions of children? Cut. Medicaid that covers health care for the disabled and those who earn so little in jobs that they qualified for coverage under the program, nursing home care for the elderly? Cut. The scalpel used in the Medicaid budget is larger than their actual budget today! The rural hospitals that depend on Medicaid reimbursements? Closed. And the national deficit will rise by about $3.7 trillion. All these so billionaires can buy more yachts, host more million-dollar weddings, or gift their spouse 30-carat diamonds?
Our “safety nets”, created decades ago by both parties are being decimated and will be gone. And this bill ensures cuts in Social Security in 7 years. Of course, the bill will permit energy companies to purchase millions of acres of national forest and park land for exploitation. And the bill gives tax incentives to coal producers while simultaneously cutting off all green energy programs. You want clean water and air? The other side calls those “liberal talking points.” So, thank you, Republicans for once again pledging your allegiance to the wealthy, and certainly not to our flag.
On the international front, the president still talks of taking Greenland, going to war with Iran, and turning Gaza into the next Trump Golf and Beach resort. He maligns every global pact with our allies: climate accords, NATO, Iran nuclear oversight, Russian sanctions, help for Ukraine, and all past alliances. New tariffs? After 6 months in office, Trump has no agreements in place. Note that his braggadocious statements about all the tariff revenues are simply revenues from tariffs we’ve had in place already from past administrations.
Then there is our new war on “Illegals”. Alligator Alcatraz was just completed at a taxpayer cost of $450 Million. Imagine if those funds were used to fix our immigration system, including reasonable wait times for visas (note that the current wait time for a Colombian to come to this country legally is 900 days) and create/implement an amnesty program for citizenship for those undocumented residents who have NO criminal record and have already contributed to our country by paying taxes and buying our goods? It is difficult to comprehend what these unfortunate detainees are going through right now. I am told that conditions in such facilities are horrendous and violate the 4th amendment. Latinos in Florida are scared. Underground networks are already being created to protect our hard-working neighbors but there are still hundreds in the El Salvador gulag and many more in the swampland of Florida. What have we become as a nation when we allow masked men to simply grab people off the street because they “look illegal” and throw them into detention? It sounds chillingly familiar to a time period almost 100 years ago in a different continent.
As a Democrat, and as a Jewish American, I am heartbroken. It is impossible to see and hear what is going on and not be, unless you are heartless and have no understanding of human decency or basic economics! The cost of these raids, the loss of farm and factory workers, the payment to these masked vigilantes stuns me. Who are we?
In Judaism, one of our core tenets is Tikkun Olam – healing the world. How is that possible when we are fighting among ourselves instead of finding solutions to fix what’s broken? As Jews, we have a long history in this country to stand up for our rights and the rights of all marginalized communities. We fight for all Americans, and those that wish to be part of this great country. We don’t care about where we come from, or who we love, or what we look like. We believe in equal opportunity. We remove barriers, not create them!
As we enter our 250th year as a nation, I think it’s time we stop petty squabbles and start working together. The fires are already burning, and we need to extinguish them before it’s too late. We can work together. We must work together. It’s time to find those who will step up and support our goals, as the midterms are only a year away. We are a nation of many, made into one people. Some want us to forget that, to change it by force. It is time to reform our alliances and move forward together. We must succeed.
Fred Weiss