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Ask Attorney
Ken Gross

for openers

Not Music To Th e Ears

W

hat is the most prominent
way to distinguish a rhino
from a hippo? (Come on,
you know this has been a pressing
question for you!) It is the horn, of
course.
That protuber-
ance’s name has
shaped itself into a
colorful addition to
our everyday talk, as
may be noted in the
following.
Ever been really
Sy Manello
proud of an accom-
Editorial Assistant
plishment? When
you mention it (or
boast or brag), you
may be said to be
tooting your own horn. (See? It is not
limited to trumpeters.)
Can’t decide on a course of action
because the outcomes you face pose
other problems? You are on the horns
of a dilemma.
For those of us who remember
when a phone did not fit into a pocket
or, better yet, when you had to use a
rotary dial, you may have been said to
be on the horn — a slang term for the

telephone.
Are you ready to face a situation
head on? Then you are ready to take
the bull by the horns. Make sure,
however, that you do not lock horns
(have a squabble) with someone who
is also involved in the decision you
make.
All too often, we commuters are
familiar with the driver who is too
eager to give someone the horn.
Yes, he is tooting his own, but in an
annoying rather than a boastful way.
To be better at social interaction,
you may consider not always trying
to horn in on someone’s conversa-
tion or plan; you may be asking for a
hit on the horn.
Apparently, there is a baseball
phrase: around the horn. The ball is
passed from third to second to first,
often after a strikeout. The phrase can
also be used to mean the long way
around or using a difficult route. (This
is a reference to a time when ship
routes had to go around Cape Horn in
South America, pre-Panama Canal.)
Did you lose financially on a deal
recently? You came out on the little
end of the horn. You may then be

Credit Card Debt
- Aargh!

advised to draw in (or pull in) your
horns: Act more carefully — especially
with finances.
For stock car enthusiasts out there,
I learned that you can use the chrome
horn: You nudge the car in front to
indicate your intent to pass. (Please,
on the racetrack only.)
Be aware that all of these special
uses may be confusing to a greenhorn,
so be cautious when using them. •

letters

Third-Party
Candidate Snubbed

The Jewish Community Relations
Council/AJC announced that it would
hold a forum for Democratic and
Republican candidates for governor
and Congressional districts 9 and 11 at
Adat Shalom on Sept. 6. (Jewish News,
Aug. 23, 2018, page 36.) On Aug. 24, I
sent JCRC/AJC the following email:
“I’m the Libertarian Party candidate
for Congressional district 11. I’m run-
ning an active campaign. I’ve already
ordered three mailings to voters.
“I make frequent trips to Israel to
visit relatives. My brother moved there
in 1988. He has a son, a daughter, and
six grandchildren in Israel. His son is
in the Israeli navy. His son-in-law is in
a reserve commando unit in the Israeli
army.
“The Libertarian Party has been on
ballots only since 1972. It has had four
Jewish candidates for vice president
and one Jewish candidate for presi-
dent. The Democratic and Republican
parties have been on ballots for more
than 150 years. Neither has had a

Jewish candidate for president. The
Democrats once had a Jewish candi-
date for vice-president.
“Does the JCRC/AJC want to embar-
rass itself … by not allowing a Jewish
candidate running an active campaign
to participate?”
It replied that it still wouldn’t let me
participate.

Yiddish Limerick

Here we go again. Credit card debt is
higher now than it was in 2008 - when
the Recession virtually stopped the
world. When that happened, the banks
shut down available credit lines on credit
cards and equity lines by sending letters
to their users after they had already shut
down the use of the credit! Millions of
people were left with no cash in savings
and no available credit on their cards
and equity lines. There are two stories
here. First, and most important - if you
are carrying $30,000 or more of credit
card debt, paying 15% - 30% interest
- you are wasting valuable retirement
money because you're in the credit card
trap. You keep paying the minimums
or a bit more, but the balances never
go down - they usually go up - because
you have no cash left to buy things after
making your payments - so you "Charge
LW7KLVLVWKHELJJHVWÀQDQFLDOPLVWDNH
you can make. Multiply your credit card
balances, by 2.5%, then by 12 (months),
and then by 10 (years) and that is the
amount of money you will have wasted.
(i.e. 50,000 x 2.5% x 12 x 10 = $150,000)
- and that is without earing any return on
your money. The second story is more
telling - what do you think will happen
when economy cools down? Call us
today - we will help you get out of the
Credit Card Trap and preserve your
ÀQDQFLDOIXWXUH

Leonard Schwartz
Oak Park

Editor’s Note: The JN reached out
to the JCRC/AJC for a reason why
Schwartz was not allowed to partici-
pate in the panel. Executive Director
David Kurzmann replied, “JCRC/AJC
invited Democratic and Republican
candidates for the 9th and 11th
Congressional districts and the guber-
natorial race to speak at its 2018 can-
didate forum. The program could not
accommodate third-party candidates
or additional contests due to time
constraints. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization, JCRC/AJC does not
endorse or oppose any candidate for
public office.”

YOM KIPPUR

Eib ich zitz or eib ich shtay
Dos the rabbi has to say.
And oy, ich vil shayn essn
But hob ich shayn fargessn ?
It is Yom Kippur, friends, Today.

Eib ich zitz: if I sit
Eib ich shtay: if I stand
Dos: this
Ich vil shayn essn: I want to eat
already
Hob ich shayn: I have already
Fargessn: forget

THAV GROSS has been solving
its clients’ business, tax and fi nancial
problems since 1982. Be sure to tune
in to the Law and Reality – Sunday
mornings at 11 AM on TV20.

L’Shanah Tova!

thavgross.com ‡ lawandreality.com

30150 Telegraph, Suite 444
Bingham Farms, MI 48025

By Rachel Kapen

jn

September 13 • 2018

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