The Sunday New York Times had an op-ed vilifying casino magnate Sheldon Adelson yet again. Stating that he is pouring money into a political agenda that is “wildly at odds” with the American nation’s needs, the NYT wrote about Adelson in a way it has never written of George Soros or labor unions who have given more to the liberal left.

The op-ed stated that Adelson was “the perfect illustration of the squalid state of political money, spending sums greater than any political donation in history to advance his personal, ideological and financial agenda, which is wildly at odds with the nation’s needs.” Does every American – in fact, every person in any democracy — not follow and vote with their “personal, ideological and financial agenda”? Is the Times saying Adelson can’t vote as such simply because he is a self-made billionaire? Isn’t that what every poor man seeks to become? A rich self-made man? Is that not the essence of greatness in America – putting one’s money where one’s mouth is?

Under the headline, “What Sheldon Adelson Wants,” the New York Times suggests Adelson is disgusted by the idea of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “He considers a Palestinian state ‘a steppingstone for the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people’,” and says he is “concerned over Obama’s plans to raise taxes for the wealthy.” Continuing one can read: “Mr. Adelson’s other overriding interest is his own wallet. He rails against the president’s ‘socialist-style economy’ and redistribution of wealth, but what he really fears is Mr. Obama’s proposal to raise taxes on companies like his that make a huge amount of money overseas. Ninety percent of the earnings of his company, the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, come from hotel and casino properties in Singapore and Macau. (The latter is located, by the way, in China, a socialist country the last time we checked.)”

Many minorities (including, one may think, Mr. Obama himself) were raised with exactly the same values as Adelson — vote on what is best for your people and your pocketbook. Is that not the American way? As Adelson once told Forbes Magazine, he’s “against very wealthy ­ people attempting to or influencing elections. But as long as it’s doable I’m going to do it. Because I know that guys like Soros have been doing it for years, if not decades. And they stay below the radar by creating a network of corporations to funnel their money. I have my own philosophy and I’m not ashamed of it. I gave the money because there is no other legal way to do it. I don’t want to go through ten different corporations to hide my name. I’m proud of what I do and I’m not looking to escape recognition.” Certainly values which I will pass along to my children – and the words that should be used to describe the man are “heroic” or “role model.”

He puts his money where his mouth is – legally and openly. The son of Jewish immigrants, Adelson grew up lower-class, dropped out of the City College of New York, and transitioned to the Republican party for a fairly simple reason. As his wealth increased, he asked, “Why is it fair that I should be paying a higher percentage of taxes than anyone else?” And that of course is a damn good reason to oppose Obama – his pocket book will be hurt. And what exactly is wrong with that?

And last I checked, when it comes to criticizing the man who has “made more money in the last three years than any other American,” and commenting on his success overseas, nearly every wealthy American makes money overseas. Major Obama donors like DreamWorks big-wig Jeffrey Katzenberg (who is under investigation by the Securities Exchange Commission for bribing Chinese officials to secure exclusive film rights in the communist country), former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt, who is worth $7 billion and others all made money overseas – and the NYT isn’t criticizing them. Yes, people vote and donate to candidates who support their interests. What’s the news flash there?

Regarding Israel, it is quite simple Adelson and his wife are proud and tough Jews whose foundation gives more than two hundred million dollars annually to Jewish causes and the man simply is standing up for what is right. As he has said: “The two-state solution is a stepping stone for the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people.” He couldn’t be clearer: “I really don’t care what happens to Iran. I am for Israel.”

Sheldon Adelson is a heroic man who should be recognized as such – arguably the richest Jew in the world he deserves the thanks of every American. He thinks quite clearly and puts his money where his mouth is – “Is it good for America?” And that’s how he makes his decisions.

We must never forget that only 80 years ago the whole world stood by as six million Jews were slaughtered – people like Sheldon Adelson and Dr. Irving Moskowitz put their money where their mouth is. The Jewish community – in fact, the entire Western World needs to say, “Thank you, Sheldon Adelson.” (Copyright © 2012 FrontPageMagazine.com 06/25/12)