And these people are ill to boot. The problem is that the cost of the law is NIS 120 million per year, quite a significant sum in terms of the national budget. The equal rights for widowers law is considerably cheaper - only NIS 35 million. But the nature and number of the needy involved makes the law granting discounts to the elderly and new immigrants more just than the law ensuring equality among widows and widowers, even though its cost is 3.5 times as high. One could go on listing the justifications for other bills, both those that have passed and those that have been rejected.
All populist bills are basically just.
Above all, if all of these just laws were to be passed, there wouldn't be nearly enough money in the state coffers to pay for them - and that's even if no more money was earmarked for the settlements, construction of bypass roads was halted, the extra financial supports for Haredim were cancelled, the government was reduced in size, all the deputy ministers were fired and the highest possible tax rate was imposed on Yuli Ofer. Therefore, there is no avoiding it - priorities must be determined. Unfortunately, our Knesset Members have not proven themselves capable of rational and sober decision-making when it comes to setting priorities. Unfazed by the present economic situation, they are continuously coming up with new populist initiatives that would cost billions. Someone has to man the gates to try to hold back the flood and to ensure that, as far is as possible, the money goes to vital necessities and to the neediest of the needy.