Selective Thoughts

In one of the greatest displays that our government is still run by the people and for the people, the slap down of Treasury Secretary Jack Lew regarding the change of our currency restored some faith that there is a future for our country.

Lew, the omnipotent, decided that he and he only was going to dictate where and how a woman would appear on our currency. His tragic mistake of attempting to replace Alexander Hamilton was met with one of the great uproars of the ‘peasantry’ in my lifetime. Thankfully, Hamilton was retained and the original target for replacement, the $20 bill, will be changed and the hero of the Battle of New Orleans and our seventh president will be retired.

Do you think Lew will be watching the Tony Awards when Hamilton and Lin-Manuel Miranda sweeps the awards and Lew into oblivion?

It is truly great that our society has reached an understanding and a sensitivity level for those born with a mixed level of perception regarding their sexuality. The question is how did this become the biggest human rights issue in our country?

How many transgender individuals are there actually? Not the made up statistics like 20% of women are sexually accosted on college campuses. Or the one that 10% of people are gay. And can’t one be sensitive to the concerns for these individuals and at the same time be concerned about males going into lavatories where women are trying to safely relieve themselves based on a claim the male feels more female than male and thus should be there also?

This question cannot be shouted down by scare tactics and political correctness.

President Obama still asserts this disruptive election has nothing to do with his presidency. It is near the top of either his delusional moments or just outright lies. I have stated for a long while that Obama is the biggest single factor in this most bizarre presidential election.

I told that to my unwaveringly liberal uncle at a family event in January to which he just shook his head and walked away. The very next day David Axelrod had a column in my uncle’s daily bible, the New York Times, stating all elections are a direct reaction to the existing administration. I had great joy forwarding a link to my uncle.

The New York Times Magazine did an in-depth study of how Hillary became more hawkish than most of her party including Barack Obama. That is akin to comparing Shaq’s basketball skills to mine. Kind of a low bar. Also, kind of early for the NYT to start their fall campaign for Hillary for President.

We all lived through the saga, but seeing the film The 33 that details the rescue of the Chilean miners in 2010 brought back rich memoirs of a modern day tale of Hanukkah-like proportions. The 33 miners survived for 17 days before the initial contact that validated they had survived on three days of rations. It took 69 days to finally bring them to the surface. It is a story of family, faith, fortitude, friendship, commitment, ingenuity, brotherhood and a few other excellent traits that makes anyone feel good about how people can be.

Obama continues in the eighth year of his presidency to be unendingly audacious. He goes to Flint, MI, to speak about the water crisis there and never touches on the fact that his administration has attempted to expand the control over our water by the EPA or its failings to deal with the issue. If there ever was proof positive this agency has too much control over our lives already and not enough ability to perform, Flint is it.

Brace yourself for this: I am going to say something good about President Obama. Not for any effort on his part and despite the quantitative easing that occurred during his term as president, our currency has fared fairly well throughout the world. Part of the success of the dollar has been gross mismanagement by other governments like Argentina, Brazil and South Africa. A strong currency is always good for a country. Obama has been president during this time and his taking credit may be akin to him taking credit for the increase in U.S. oil production, but he is president and it happened while he is in charge so he does get credit.

Was forced to get a reader (Kindle) due to luggage weight restrictions on African safari. Still adjusting to it. Best use has been when I get up much earlier than The Wife; I can read my book with no lights on in the room which disturbs The Wife who needs complete, utter darkness. Still like reading printed books which I can share with family members and friends. First electronic book: The Covenant by James Michener, which is the history of South Africa Michener style. Certainly appropriate for the trip and fascinatingly educating.

I am a college basketball fan, but I certainly hope Steph Curry heals quickly for the NBA playoffs. The titanic tussle that could occur between his Golden State Warriors, winners of the most regular-season games in NBA history, and the San Antonio Spurs with historic coach Gregg Popovich will be lessened by his absence. One of the best offensive teams of all time versus one of the best defensive teams of all time anchored by two-time defensive player of the year, Kawhi Leonard, could be one of the great sporting events in history. Mr. Curry, please be ready to play so we can enjoy this in its full glory.

Almost universally wherever we go in the world, the guides, the hotel staff and all other local personnel we deal with tell us their favorite visitors are Americans. They say we are the most open and friendly people they have the opportunity with which to work.

I miss Yogi Berra.

Happy Mother’s Day!

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Bruce Bialosky is the founder of the Republican Jewish Coalition of California and a former Presidential appointee.