It’s true. The tea party movement has moved to Israel. The only difference? The Israeli people don’t have to worry about right-wing Christians telling them how to run their movement.
Here’s their website and statement..
The Israeli Freedom Movement is a non-partisan activist movement, working towards a fundamental cultural shift in Israel by spreading the ideas of freedom among the Israeli public. Our ranks are open to all Israelis who want to promote economic and personal freedoms for all, without regard to ethnicity, religion or gender. From now on free people in Israel have a home.
Boaz Arad is the founder of the Israeli Freedom Movement and he’s influenced by Friedrich Hayek and Ayn Rand. He has recently said..
“We view ourselves as allies, friends, ideological partners with the American Tea Party’s struggle. We view the American Tea Party movement as a noble movement that for the first time in the past 100 years offers an alternative to the deterioration of the world’s largest, freest superpower in the direction of socialism and statism.”
American Tea Partiers might think they have an uphill battle, but that’s nothing compared to the steep incline facing Israelis. Arad explains that taxation in Israel is so high that the average Israeli has to work 168 days each year in order to pay taxes before beginning to enjoy the fruits of his labor. His prescription may sound familiar:
“The government should do less. Reduce the regulation, reduce the barriers, reduce the difficulties that Israelis experience in order to establish a business.”
Arad and his colleagues aim to shine a spotlight on what they believe are absurd levels of paperwork and expenses required to start a business. Those regulations protect monopolies which prevent small business owners from competing on an even playing field in the marketplace. The lack of competition, steep income tax and import taxes lead to high prices for Israeli consumers, who also pay an additional 16% value added tax (VAT) on most goods and services.
For example, in Israel, importing more than 12 pounds of honey requires written permission from the Honey Council. Those wanting to cultivate their own honey are also in for some bitter news: setting up a beehive on private property entails another permit. The Honey Council lists only 25 “authorized honey marketers” in the country.
Aiming for a precedent-setting change, the Israeli Freedom Movement petitioned the Supreme Court to ask it rule against the government policy requiring those who want to cultivate honey or import honey – in any amount – from being required to obtain a license from the Honey Council. The court agreed to hear the case, and simultaneously provided evidence of its own inefficiency: a hearing in the case is scheduled for next winter.
Arad explains that similar barriers afflict other industries. If an Israeli wants to sell milk, there’s a quota from a special committee that organizes that market. Importing any dairy products from overseas requires “an outrageous sum of money in taxation,” he says. Similar regulations affect the construction industry which is also plagued by the fact that an estimated 93% of land in Israel is owned by the government or related agencies.
In the August brain-storming session in Tel Aviv, FreedomWorks’ President and CEO Matt Kibbe told the Israeli group they shouldn’t be intimidated by the daunting task, because though the American tea party movement began small, it ended up galvanizing major change on the American political landscape and in Congress. Kibbe told them in August:
“The only thing I would suggest to everyone here is don’t think you can’t do this because for years we said this to ourselves in the United States: ‘We can’t possibly do this.’”
Arad agrees there are many issues the American and Israeli groups have in common:
“For both countries there are shared challenges in terms of how important it is to encourage recognizing the value of freedom, an appreciation for innovation and encouraging free thinking, and creating the conditions for personal and economic growth. These values are particularly important in light of the strengthening of radical forces wishing to bring the world back to the days of the Dark Ages.”
“Of course there are many differences. Contrary to the U.S. that was established with a constitution defending individual freedoms that allow a free market in the framework of capitalism, Israel was established with a combination of socialism and private enterprise. In Israel’s early years, socialist elements controlled almost all its good parts. If this had continued, it would have led to the bankruptcy of the State of Israel.”
He also explains that over the past few decades, Israel has been engaged in a process of privatization, gradually reducing government involvement in certain enterprises:
“Contrary to the U.S. that needs to rediscover again its values that have been trampled, Israel needs to recognize them, to craft a constitution and advance the principles of freedom and the free market. It should be noted Israel is a small country, though what happens here has big global ramifications. Therefore, a thriving freedom movement is especially important. Additionally, the U.S. is the last big stronghold of freedom in the world, and without it, we and the free world are lost.”
People are sick of their government. Too bad Israel didn’t have a Ron Paul in their midst.
Source: http://www.facebook.com/NewLiberal
Original Story:
http://www.yankeesdaily.com/post/37655
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