Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my patriotic public!  How are you?  We’ve been a little bit cool lately, but I’m not complaining.  “They” are currently predicting 80 degrees and sunshine on the 4^th of July.  So, you can be sure it’ll be 55 with freezing rain.  I hope you don’t mind my (un)friendly jabs at the National Weather Service.  I figured out they get drunk every day on the job.  That’s the only thing that explains their inaccuracies.

No matter the weather, I don’t plan on attending the parade.  Too much hoopla for me.  Junior, of course, will attend, looking at every girl along the route instead of the parade itself.  Señor Zanza and I plan to take it easy.  We’ll have a little cookout in the yard, weather permitting.  And that’s about it.  There’s no way I’d go to the fireworks.  Crowds bother me, while huge armies of human flesh, much of them drunk, packed like sardines into the nighttime sand, terrify me.  I love fireworks.  I also love my “personal space.”  The parade and fireworks display are for the children in all of us.  This “child” is staying home.

Unfortunately, Mr. Mayor Dickert is being the Grinch in this holiday.  He’s trying to close down the Hospitality Center in St. Luke’s Episcopal Church downtown.  Apparently, the needy aren’t part of the Ten Year Plan.  You can read more about it from Racine County Eye: http://racinecountyeye.com/hospitality-center-needs-new-conditional-use-permit/ With so much need and poverty throughout our city, it’s abhorrent that Mr. Mayor would try to shut down a shelter that helps because of doubtful complaints and bureaucratic BS.  Okay, off my soap box.

And back onto another one.  I’ve been aware for awhile of the plans to replace the portrait of Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill with a woman of note.  Too be honest, I don’t really care if Mickey Mouse’s picture is on the money, just as long as it’s legal tender.  The other day, though, I started thinking about it and one of the notions that hit me was replace “Stonewall” Jackson on the $20 bill.  I never heard much about Hamilton’s escapades, but Mr. Jackson’s transgressions were numerous and open.  Nobody budged Mr. Stonewall unless he wanted to be budged.

Lo and behold, I discovered an editorial yesterday from The Chicago Tribune which addresses this very issue: “Editorial: Currency conversion: Harriet Tubman for the $20 bill, not the $10” - http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-money-twenty-tubman-hamilton-jackson-20150625-story.html  Mr. Jackson was nasty.  A president, yes, but a nasty one.  I don’t have much feeling about which woman is used although The Chicago Tribune’s pushing for Ms. Harriet Tubman to replace Mr. Jackson is ironic, if nothing else. 

Because the 4^th of July is on a Saturday this year, I believe most employees are getting off Friday for the holiday.  That makes it a three-day weekend.  I do hope that people use moderation, but the 4^th of July is often an all day drunk.  There’s going to be a lot of Mojo floating around this weekend. Be careful!

I want you to be careful because I love you.  It’s really pretty simple.  I want my Irregular and regular friends to be safe and sound so that we can chat now and in future blogs.  I’m so selfish I want you to live forever.

Does a Grinch need a City Administrator?  Ask MadameZoltar@jtirregulars.com

Thank you again, my dears, for reading my blog.  I like to share the love while I still make pointed accusations.  Too bad, but the JTI won’t have a float in this year’s 4^th of July parade.  Just like every other year.