frontlines >> letters How to Send Letters We prefer letters relating to JN articles. We reserve the right to edit or reject letters. Letters of 225 words or less are considered first. Longer ones will be subject to trimming. Letter writers are limited in frequency of publication. Letters must be original and contain the name, address and title of the writer and a day phone number. Non-electronic copies must be hand signed. Send letters to the JN: 29200 Northwestern Highway, Suite 110, Southfield, MI 48034; fax (248) 304-8885; e-mail, letters®the jewishnews.com . We prefer email. Corrections Charlie White and Meryl Davis Olympic Champ Has Jewish Family, But Is Not Jewish After a phone call four years ago from what we thought to be a reliable source, the Detroit Jewish News erroneously Fellow Frugal Traveler Saves Money In Israel I booked part of my Israeli trip the day after you came out with the cover story on my Jewish News ("Frugal Travelers" Jan. 2). Wow — it was the best. The money I saved will go to the bris of my great-grandchild in Jerusalem. Part of the time I spent in Tel Aviv visiting with family and friends. Discovering with new eyes 21st-cen- tury Israel — how sweet is that? Esther Liwazer Farmington Hills Easing Of Gun Rules Could Have Prevented Massacre Professor Liviu Librescu is deserving of honor and recognition for his heroism on the tragic day in April 2007, when a sick and disturbed individual snuffed JN vadAg woug7 S icigkpgg reported that Olympic Gold Medal ice dancer Charlie White is Jewish. We later received a phone call from Charlie's mother, Jacqui White, saying that nei- ther she nor Charlie is Jewish. We can now clarify after a conversa- tion with a reliable source close to the family that the new Olympic cham- pion had a Jewish step-grandfather, a Michigan-based physician, to whom Jacqui White's mother was remarried for 37 years until his death in July 2013. Their blended family included his Jewish sons from a previous marriage. Charlie White's mother, Jacqui, and her birth siblings were raised Catholic. While Jacqui and Charlie, who also was raised as a Christian, were exposed to Jewish traditions and holidays, they are not Jewish by religion, birth or identi- fication. We regret the error and congratulate Charlie White and Meryl Davis on their Olympic championship. out 30-plus lives at Virginia Tech (Feb. 20, page 3). In remembering Professor Libriscu for saving lives that would otherwise have been lost, we should also reflect on the circumstances leading up to the Virginia Tech tragedy. Suppose the good professor (and also, others 21 years of age and older) had been allowed to carry handguns. At worst, the Virginia Tech shooter might have killed numerous people before being shot himself by someone exercis- ing concealed-carry privileges. At best, said shooter — knowing that any adult over 21 might be armed — might have been deterred from initiating violence in the first place. We should remember that in the months leading up to April 2007, Virginia Tech re-affirmed its no-guns- allowed policy, with the intellectual com- munity breathing sighs of relief. We now realize (or at least some of us do) that this was the perfect setup for a massacre, as the perpetrator knew that nobody would be in a position to shoot back. From what I understand, if Professor Libriscu had been teaching in Israel, he would have been allowed to carry a gun. If that had been the case at Virginia Tech, perhaps he would have been in a position to do more than just push against a door with all his strength when that sick, disturbed person sought to break into his classroom. Your Legal Issues Tick .. . Yes, you guessed it '"rock." I hare the joy of your simchah with the community in the JN's March 20 Celebrate! issue. We're inviting readers to send in photos from their weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, brit milah, baby namings and other ceremonies from 2013- 14 for our annual "Community Portraits" feature. Photos must be high-resolution jpgs (500k-lmb) and not taken by a professional. In "Art Lovers Feast" (Feb. 13, page 47), the people in the photo were mis- identified. They are Geri Feigelson and Gordon Hollander. Ask Attorney Ken Gross about... Email photos by March 6 to jheadapohl@renmedia.us along with a caption that identifies the people in the photo, their city of residence, the ages of any children pictured, and the date and place of the event. Any questions? Call (248) 351- 5110. Alex Kovnat West Bloomfield Help Stop Cuts In Special Education This is a call to action. The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is pro- posing catastrophic changes to the rules that govern how students with individu- alized education programs (IEPs) are educated in our state's public schools. The public comment period is short and ways to comment are limited, http:// www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140- 6530_6598-321773--,00.html. The MDE's reason for the proposed revisions is "to align with federal language" Anytime the MDE says it is revising special education rules to "align with federal language" it is code for "reducing special education that exceeds the federal minimum:' The unacceptable reality: Last year only 52 percent of our 12th grade stu- dents with IEPs received a regular diplo- ma — 28 percent below the 80 percent target set by the U.S. Dept. of Education. Brutal truth: Michigan's past glory as an early supporter of special educa- tion and students with disabilities has Letters on page 6 That was easy. Let's try another one. If you have $30,000 of Credit Card debt at 20% interest, how much interest will you pay per year on the debt? The Answer is $6,000. If you are in a 30% tax bracket, do you know how much you need to make to pay your taxes and net $6,000 to pay the taxes? The Answer is $8,571. If you are making $85,710 per year, do you know much of your income you are wasting on the interest? The Answer is 10%. Next Question - If you have credit card debt like this, do you know what you should do? The Answer is YOU NEED TO TAKE ACTION to get rid of the debt, so the $8,571 goes to pre-tax retirement savings instead. If you earn 7% on your money in an IRA or 401(k), do you know how much the $8,571 will be in 15 years? The Answer is $226,405. If you would rather have the $226,405 then pay the credit card debt, do you know what to do? The Answer - Call Thav Gross - we do many things - but there is nothing better than what we do with credit card debt! THAV GROSS has been solving its clients' business, tax and financial problems since 1982. Be sure to tune in to the Financial Crisis Talk Center, on Radio and now on TV - Saturday's at 8:30 AM - on WDFN 1130 AM, The Fan," and Sunday's at 11:00 AM on MyTV20. We are unique - catch the radio show & visit our websites to see why! THAV GROSS 888.235.4357 (HELP) or 248.645.1700 For information, visit us online at thavgross .com • fctalkcenter.com 30150 Telegraph, Suite 444 Bingham Farms, MI 48025 Were a premier debt relief agency helping people file for Bankruptcy Protection. February 27 • 2014 5