I don’t know if you heard about the latest government proposal. According to the Department of Agriculture, the government intended to impose a $.15 per tree charge on “producers and importers” of fresh Christmas trees, provided they sell or import more than 500 trees a year.
Of course, no one in the administration is calling it a tax but rather funds to create, yeah you got it, yet another “board” which is supposed to promote the Christmas tree industry. Apparently, tree growers are in major competition these days with artificial tree sellers.
Whatever you want to call it, the White House has decided to drop it after being ridiculed by critics as a tax on Christmas.
What I want to know is if a Jewish family buys a tree and it becomes a Hanukkah tree 
and no longer a Christmas tree, would it have been exempt from the $.15 charge?
And in keeping with the Christmas spirit, I received the following in an email which I thought was worth passing on:
Twas the Month before Christmas
Twas the month before Christmas
Nor taking a stand.
See the PC Police had taken away
The reason for Christmas – no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people’s feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a “Holiday.”
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-Pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny’s and Sears
You won’t hear the word Christmas; it won’t touch your ears.
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate “Winter Break” under your “Dream Tree”
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS,
not Happy Holiday !
