My letter to Readers Write in the Yated

The following is a letter I had written to the "Readers Write" column/forum in the Yated. I know the writing is a bit choppy, but after reading the "Readers Write" it is almost impossible to think clearly.

I find it interesting how we talk about a 'financial crisis' in the frum community, while we simultaneously encourage kollel. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize that we already have a solution, we just aren't putting it into practice! How hard is it to recognize that the only way to make money is to work for it. I remember learning in High School that Hakadosh BaruchHu does not want us to rely on miracles, rather he wants us to do our hishtadlus.
As much as reality may disappoint you, government handouts are NOT miracles- they are in fact temporary. If one follows national news, he would notice that more and more politicians (both the Republicans AND the Democrates) are trying to limit these handouts.
Just the fact that the expression "working bums" was uttered by someone in the community, only goes to show how disdainful the community is of their supporters. Don't ever forget that it's the "working bums" that pay the taxes which provide the government with money to support kollel. Its also these same "working bums" who CHOOSE to pay their 10% of maaser money to the yeshivos.
A while back, I went out on a date with a guy who said he "didn't have the personality" to sit and learn all day. He was a "working bum." The problem with him, was that he had the same mentality as the "financial crisis" whiners. He told me during the date how his life plan was to make enough "parnassah" so that he can support his sons learning full-time. I asked him what he would do if he had 7 sons, and he replied "I hope to have enough money to support them." Unsatisfied with his answer, I asked him "what will you do when your grandsons will want to learn full time, as well, and will have no money to do so?" He answered "I only think about one generation at a time" By this point in the conversation, I realized I was talking to the wall. The entire concept of PruErvu is to WORRY about the following generations.
All the major Rebbeim who influence us today had professions. Both RamBam and RamBan were physicians. Rashi worked on a vineyard. What makes us think we're better than them? What makes us think that we can look down on "working bums"? If not for working AND learning "bums" we wouldn't have made it this far as a klal. If not for "working bums" we wouldn't have anything. Just because we lost millions of people during the holocaust does not change "true torah values" of WORKING AND LEARNING!