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Under The Big Top

T

hough we might hear of the child-
hood ambition to run away and
join the circus, there are not many
who availed themselves of that desire. The
longing is, however, one explanation for the
preponderance of circus vocabulary we use.
If you are a busy working mom or head
of a business, etc., you may feel that your
day is a three-ring cir-
cus. It is up to you, as
ringmaster, to keep it
all flowing smoothly.
You will not, of course,
tolerate any clowning
around. You will often
be called upon to juggle
appointments, walk
Sy Manello
Editorial Assistant the tightrope in han-
dling people and feel as
though you spend many
waking moments with your head in the
lion’s mouth. The menagerie of your base
of operations keeps the spotlight on various

“acts.”
Have you ever received free tickets to
attend an event? If so, you may not have
known these are often referred to as
Annie Oakleys. To promote her appear-
ances, Annie would often shoot bullets
though tickets to prove her marksman-
ship and then offer these to spectators to
attend the show.
Sometimes we are faced with a sales-
man, politician or other often long-wind-
ed presenter. He regales his audiences with
ballyhoo. This comes from the prepared
talk originally used by side-show barkers to
attract crowds.
If you have experienced a presentation
that has lots of hype but little substance, it
may be referred to as a dog-and-pony show.
Such acts were common under the big top.
You cannot these days pass a fast-food
place and not be aware of the use of the
term “jumbo.” We are so used to oversiz-
ing food items. The term came from the

My
Story

elephant so named by P.T Barnum, the
man of circus fame. (A reminder: He also
said, “There is a sucker born every minute.”
Tie that in to fast food if you wish.)
If someone is grandstanding or if your
seats are in the grandstand, that is a car-
ryover from the circus when those grand-
stand seats were nearest the ring.
You see, you do not have to stroll down
a midway, munching on cotton candy to
have what you say be reminiscent of the
big-top days.

*

two views:

Worst Fears, Best Hopes
For A Trump Presidency

M

y highest hopes for a Trump administration are
the same as for any incoming presidency: four
or even eight years of peace and prosperity. And
there is a path for getting there as the post-election stock
market boom has suggested. If Trump successfully prunes
back regulatory overreach, reforms the tax code and finds a
way to encourage businesses to keep their
capital in the U.S., then we might see a
return to 3-4 percent economic growth
rather than the anemic growth we have
seen in this century thus far.
On foreign affairs, other nations may
fear Trump’s unpredictability and be
wary of confronting the U.S. abroad.
The Trump administration also won’t be
Tevi Troy
pressing for externally imposed peace
JTA
deals between Israel and the Palestinians,
which could allow for breathing room to
emerge and also allow Israel to continue to develop improv-
ing relations with Middle Eastern nations such as Egypt and
Saudi Arabia as well as other emerging partnerships with
China, India and Japan.
On the worst fears side, I have been disturbed by some of
the anti-Trump hysteria questioning the legitimacy of the
election. Eight years of protests in the streets and gridlock in
the Senate won’t do anyone any good and will keep America
divided after future election cycles as well.
Of course, things will likely fall between these two poles,
as highest hopes and worst fears typically end up being
dashed in favor of reality. That reality is what voters will
have to assess 1,400 or so days from now in the next presi-
dential election.

*

Tevi Troy is a presidential historian and former White House aide in the
George W. Bush administration

I

am concerned that in the coming years we may face a potential ero-
sion of our democratic institutions and a time in America when the
separation of powers, which we thought was so ingrained in our
democracy, will be challenged. How will members of Congress and
presidential appointees balance loyalties to their party and president with
fealty to democracy and country?
Will President-elect Donald Trump and his advisers operate as part of
the bipartisan continuum in foreign policy that has
shaped our post-World War II international system or
dismiss our international obligations and alliances?
The president-elect can be unpredictable and
inconsistent at times. Looking at specific policies, I
am perplexed why he sees same-sex marriage as set-
tled law but takes the opposite perspective on Roe v.
Wade. Overturning Roe v. Wade would be an assault
on a woman’s fundamental right to choose, leaving
Ron Halber
millions of women without access to safe abortions,
JTA
jeopardizing the health and sometimes lives of count-
less numbers of them.
I see some hope in Trump’s reversal of some previous positions: He
wants some parts of Obamacare to continue and has pulled back on
promises of mass deportation. These changes should not be rejected
as “flip flops” but instead embraced and encouraged as a move toward
responsible decision-making and governance.
My hope is that as president, Trump will be repeatedly outspoken and
passionate in rejecting every form of anti-Semitism, bigotry and racism,
leaving no doubt of his intent.
My greatest hope is that once the power and responsibilities of the
office rest on the president-elect’s shoulders, he will provide the assur-
ance and stability that Americans and our allies require, demonstrating
that the rhetoric and promises of a divisive campaign are not the prin-
ciples of governance.

Pam Torraco grew up in New
York, attended college in Ohio, and
chose the University of Michigan
for her Master’s degree.
"I've always found people and
their individual stories interesting and
I always wanted to help others in
some way so I studied social work,”
Pam said. “My first job was at Henry
Ford Hospital and my welcome to
Detroit was the riots that began
shortly after I arrived!" She stayed,
worked at the Detroit Health
Department and Kingswood Hospital,
and then enjoyed a long and satis-
fying career in long-term intensive
individual and group psychotherapy
which she practiced with a group in
Southfield.
Now retired, Pam still orders her
life like someone who loves to
learn. She studies Hebrew and
Italian, and volunteers, including
her time as an HFL Board member.
“My professional background
makes it easy to relate to people
who come to HFL,” Pam said. “I’m
already accustomed to confiden-
tiality, and hearing people’s stories.
I’m familiar with putting people at
their ease quickly and establishing
a rapport, and trying to work through
seemingly insurmountable issues. I
have a great respect for those who
know they’re in trouble and seek help,
whether the difficulty is emotional or
financial. Hebrew Free Loan is a
good place, well run and supported
by people who really want to help.
When I tell friends I work with HFL,
they are impressed and appreciative
of the good we do.”

Click. Call. Give Now.
www.hfldetroit.org
248.723.8184

Health. A fresh start.
A good education.
The next great business idea.

Hebrew Free Loan gives interest-
free loans to members of our com-
munity for a variety of personal
and small business needs. HFL
loans are funded entirely through
community
donations
which
continually recycle to others,
generating many times the original
value to help maintain the lives of
local Jews.

*

Ron Halber is the executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of
Greater Washington.

We Provide Loans. We Promise Dignity.

6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 300 • Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301

Hebrew Free Loan Detroit

@HFLDetroit

December 29 • 2016

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