Nehemia Shtrasler

It would be worthwhile for Steinitz to take a break from his meetings in China and do some soul-searching. Was he right to hug Eini, call him his "loyal partner," and give him a series of accomplishments and laws that hurt the economy and prevented important reforms?

Civilian national service must be stopped, and everyone must be forced to do military service. That is also the only way to achieve equality and to make Israeli society healthy.

Bank of Israel employees complain to IMF about 'low pay.'

Anyone who still claims that the summer protests didn't achieve anything is wrong, big-time.

Income tax must be lowered for low earners, negative-income-tax payments must be increased, and stipends that ensure minimum income must be improved so that weak citizens can take the money and do with it what they want.

Ofer Eini wants to prove that he is the real leader of the Israeli economy and that it dances to his tune. Wednesday we will see if Steinitz and Netanyahu surrender and give him what he wants.

Atias' criteria for subsidized housing make a mockery of social justice. Because social justice means a positive correlation between what you give to the state and what you get from it. But on the housing issue, the less you give, the more you'll get.

In the comptroller's office, they simply do not understand the ABCs of economic theory and the concept of a shortage. The blanket is always too short and can't cover everything; the budget is always limited and it is impossible to meet every need.

If we always follow the hard-and-fast rules without any deviation or creativity, we shall certainly miss extraordinary talents and unusual people, and merely get a great deal of boring mediocrity.

The ones to blame for the current situation in Israel are the secular, middle-class people who carry the economy on their backs, work hard, serve in the army, have moderate opinions and believe in democracy and equal rights; Ultimately, only one day counts - election day.

Religious youth must serve in the military for the full three years. This is the only way it will be possible to bridge the gaps of hatred and preconceived ideas that exist between the secular, religious and ultra-Orthodox communities.

Netanyahu agrees with Akirov's claim that tax hikes would make businesspeople and entrepreneurs move their affairs overseas, but he is scared. He is afraid of the public's reaction in the next election, because today, it is popular to screw the rich, even though raising taxes screws us all.

It's amazing to see four MKs constantly raising the banner of consumer rights sponsor a bill canceling price labeling.

The elections will be held between November 2012 and February 2013 and we are already in the midst of an election year which, most regrettably, is being accompanied by a callous 'election economy.'

Young Haredim are educated to totally despise the values of the secular state, which is why they have no problem scaring a little girl or calling policemen Nazis.

Given the sensitive global situation, we can no longer sit with folded hands. The finance minister and the current head of the budget division, Gal Hershkowitz, have to slash NIS 9 billion from the budget.

Everyone runs for the primaries from the second they are elected to the Knesset; thus the chairman of the Knesset Labor, Welfare and Health Committee is stronger than the Prime Minister.

Finance Minister tells Haaretz: 'I have declared war on Ehud Barak on the issue of transparency and control and it will happen - if not now, then later through Knesset legislation.'

The rebels among the medical interns broke all the rules of negotiating by continuing with their sanctions and demonstrations even after an agreement was reached, thus committing their legal representatives. That is a turnabout for the worse in labor relations.

The government is afraid of the people with vested interests; it prefers them to the 7.8 million citizens.

It is clear to everyone that without a slash in the defense budget even the little that remains of the Trajtenberg Report will be impossible to carry out.

The main reason why the incidence of poverty in Israel is so high is the low rate of employment among two population groups - ultra-Orthodox men and Arab women.

Angry at the advantage being given to the outlying areas, doctors in the center of the country are saying the agreement doesn't give them anything.

Rabin was the first to prove that there is a clear connection between peace and economics, between peace and growth, between peace and employment, between peace and society.

The high price levels in Israel do not derive from a failure of the market economy, which simply does not exist in large and important parts of the system.