Dear Yair.Pdf(244KB)

עמוד 1

MLM $1ST$A$1ST$ MARKETPLACESHLOMO MAHAL

DearYair

$2ND$A$2ND$letterto Finance Minister Lapid

CONGRATULATIONS AND condolences sure you know the priceof literof milk. In Why?5' your weapon. Ask, why not on your appointmentas Israel's23rd finance ,2991during TV debate with BillClinton, eliminate the tax exemptionon employee minister in Israel's33rd Cabinet. You have incumbent US presidentGeorgeH.W. Bush savingsplans.You can save NIS billionjust the toughestjob in the new government admitted to not knowingthepriceof gallonby closingsimilarloopholes.When theysay, by far;and you may very well be the least of milk slip-upthat helpedcost him the "the Histadrut Labor Federation will shut qualifiedof your 22 predecessors,exceptfor election. down the countryifyou do," ask why.Ifyou Kadi ma's Avraham Hirchson ,)7002-6002(Many of us voters believetheirleadersare ask why enoughtimes,you'llgetto the truth. who went to jailfor stealingnearlyNIS out of touch with ordinarylife.With your Stopsellingus soft soap. One of your million when servinginthe postof chairman income and wealth,Yair,and now with your firstpronouncements was your intentionto oftheNationalLabor Workers Federation. ministry,you have peoplewho do everythingimplementtoughmeasures to reduce Israel's lere,therefore,are few tips,Yair for you. Try your best to get out of your budgetdeficitfrom 2.4percentto percentof togetherwith sincere best wishes for your officeand back intothe real world as often GDP, tellingus thatthe painwould lastfor success. By the way, your willingnessto as possible.That's what Mike Mullen did. shorttime only."Ifwe make [thecuts]now, it tacklethe Finance Ministryis praiseworthy.He packedhis bag and travelledthe world, won't be long,"you said.How do you know? Travellingthe world as foreignminister, talkingto ordinaryAmerican soldiers, What ifthe windfallof naturalgas set to rubbingelbows with world leaders,making gettingthe real dopefrom them, insteadof add full percentto Israel'sGDP growth speechesand sippingfine wines would relyingon filteredand censored information. thisyear isdelayed?Be carefulwith your have been much more fun and of no did not vote for you, Yair,thoughone predictions;every singleword is recorded use whatsoever. [Bytakingon the finance Israelivoter in every seven did.Why did and may be used againstyou. portfolio,however, you facilitatedthe vote Labor? simplydidn'tbelievethatyour End the sillypracticeof two-yearbudgets formation of the new cabinet. party'score message, to helpthe middle class, thatoutgoingFinance Minister Yuval Steinitz My firsttipis simple:Beware of advice rang true especiallywhen comingfrom claims as hismajorachievement. budgetis from professorslike myself.In the face of man who has so much wealth and so high based on an economic forecast.Nobody can the present-daychallengesIsraelfaces,my monthlyincome (NIS millionin assets, and forecastaccuratelytwo fullyears ahead. Your discipline,economics, has bare cupboard monthlyincome ofNIS 000,051accordingcurrent budgetwillextend another 18 months when itconies to creative,practicalpolicies.to the business dailyThe Marker).Itwas not the second halfof 2013 and the fullyear of Economists now think thatausterity(budgetthemiddle classwho mainlyvoted foryou but ;4102afterthat,go back to annual budgets. cutting)has failedin Europe,But maybeIsrael the upper class. No othercountryhas two-yearstate budget. does indeed requiretouch of austeritynow; We, the middle class,are watchingto see How then can Israel,which faces far more itworked when Prime Minister Netanyahu ifyou are the realdeal,Yair,whether you do uncertaintythan almost any other nation, was financeminister in .5002-3002So, seek what you say. That is the simpledefinition plantwo years ahead? new ideas,not tiredold ones. of the New Politicsthatyou are supposedto Emulate former US President Ronald You have appointed small team of have introduced to Israel.Already,however, Reagan.He was hugelypopular,though experts, includingMichel Vaknin, who there are strongsignspointingto your lack clueless about economics. Why? Because worked for tycoonNochi Dankner's cellular of authenticity.Take, for instance,the new he spoke in languageordinarypeople provider,Cellcom. Remember what Admiral government: You claim to have insistedon understood ("We can't helpeveryone,"he Mike Mullen's aide told his boss when he no more than 23 ministers,not 30 as in the once said,"but everyone can helpsomeone.") became the United States's17thchairman of previouscabinet.But, Yair,there are still26 and because Americans felthe was one of theJointChiefsof Staff:"This isthe lasttime ministries,the same number as in the bloated them. He promisedto cut taxes and boost anybodywillever tellyou the truth."Why? outgoingcabinet;and there are eightdeputy defense spending.You, on the other hand, Because the man at the top,who promotes nisters,comparedwith onlyfivepreviously.need to do the oppositeto raisetaxes and and demotes, dislikes the bearers of bad So where 'sthe saving?The ministries,not the cut defense spending.Tell us how and why. tidings.Some leaderseven yell,"Bringme ministers,are the costlyones. So Yair,do not Keep itclearand simple,inthe same way you solutions,not problems!"an exceptionallytryto bluffus. The electorateis not stupid.wrote when highlypaidcolumnist. stupid,yet common, saying,which instantlyThe moment we sense any insincerityis You've alreadybegun communicating cuts the flow of information. the moment you beginyour slidedown the with us throughFacebook. Why not speak To counteract yes-men, therefore,you need slipperyslopetoward oblivion. directlyto those not on Facebook? Why not to getout ofyour officeand speakto ordinary Turn your ignoranceof economics into revive your column in the Yediot Aharonot people.Do your own grocery shopping.Make an advantage.Ask dumb questions.Make daily?Tell us, once every week or two, what עמוד 2

Yair Lapid:Remember that small countries have no marginfor error in managing theirfinances

you'redoingand why directly,not via measures, your ministrycan helpthe ultra- what you'redoingand why you'redoingit, spokespersonsand spin.Itwas your famous Orthodox extricatethemselves from poverty without blusteror sugarcoating. "Where's the money?" column that began (many are simplynot meant to be Torah You look somewhat like your dad, but your road to politicalsuccess. Leverageyour scholars),helpthenation,and helpyour hard- resemble, in nature, your mother, Shulamit, writingability.Your 600-word columns can pressedTreasury.But be aware, you are in brilliantnovelist.As Friedrich Nietzsche create publicsupportand understanding,of forthe fightof your life.The ultra-Orthodox advised,become who you are. Avoid vitriol. which you willneed every singledropas you are superbpoliticalinfightersand have been We preferrespectfulpoliticalleaders,not battleto getyour budgetthroughthe Cabinet severelystungby theirexclusion from the thugs.There are enoughof the latterin the and then throughthe Knesset. When you Cabinet. They will not giveup their dole Knesset already. raisethe priceof water and electricity,expect without fight. Your very firstaction as finance minister firestormof criticism.Explainthat itwill You have secret weapon your good was to authorizeNIS 50 millionforassistance take time to reform thebloatedIsraelElectric looks, which givethe impressionyou are to Holocaust survivors.This was wise and Company and the water utilities. softie.In the fiercebargainingover the symbolic.Remember thateverythingyou do coalitionagreement,you provedyou have and say sends message and willbe minutely YAIR, YOUR party Yesh Atid's core core of steel.Let your foesthink you'resoft scrutinized. politicalplatformis to "share the burden" touch, because you'resoft-spokenand don't As talk show host,you likedto ask each more equally.key clauseof the coalition assaultthem viciously.Stickto your guns and of your guests,"What is Israeli,in your agreement stipulatesthe "abilityto jointhe letthem wonder how such sweet-lookingview?" When you interviewed your late workforce" as condition for the Housing wimp, who did his militaryservice as father,Tommy, his answer was clear and Ministry'saffordable-housng program. This journalist,can be so darn tough. direct."You!" As financeminister,Yair,be and other clauses led the ultra-Orthodox Yair, your father,Yosef (Tommy) Lapid, Israeli,as your fathersaid.Be blunt,direct, weekly,Mishpacha,to claim that your had meteoric politicalcareer that ended creative,persistent,resilientand determined. share-the-burden platformwill cost every quickly,in partbecause ofhisvitriolictongue Remember that small countries have no ultra-Orthodox familyNIS 000,27year and deephatred of the ultra-Orthodox. Ifyou marginfor error in managingtheirfinances, in lostbenefits.No such drasticcut isin the do want to be primeministerone day,as you as Cyprushas shown. cards,but the numbers are highlyrevealing,have said,you need to follow three rules: and show justhow heavilysubsidized the Always tellthe truth.Alwaysdo what you The writer is senior researchfellow ultra-Orthodox are. Using stick-and-carrotpromise.And always,on dailybasis,tellus at theS.Neaman Institute,Technion