The Badger State

What is going on in the Badger State in February? You know Wisconsin. The home of the Cheeseheads, the orange hunting vest, no razors, bratwurst and Andy North. There hasn't been this much noise coming from the great northern frozen tundra since the little fella got jambed into the wood chipper and for what...a few extra bucks. (I know that's from Fargo but just roll with it.)

First the wild card Green Bay Packers win the Super Bowl over the big bad Pittsburgh Steelers. Aaron Rodgers, QB extraordinaire, finally made the Lambeau faithful forget about #4. Paul Ryan Congressman from Janesville, Wisconsin, Chairman of the House Budget Committee, is suddenly the reincarnation of economist, Milton Friedman. He has become the annoying gnat whining "don't kick the can down the street" in Obama's ear. Finally, Republican Governor Scott Walker is taking control of the People's Republic of Madison, saying of all things, "the state is broke and there is no more money. We can't pay these long term gross pay outs to public sector unions anymore." The people are mad as hell. And if they don't negotiate reasonably with the governor, their pensions will be bankrupt in a few years. Do I sense "on frozen pond" revolution a-comin'?

The Packers. How glorious was their victory? Face it. Chicago and Minnesota aside, deep down we're all Packer fans at some level. Poor San Francisco 49ers. To think six years ago, they could have chosen Aaron Rodgers from Cal as their #1 pick. Instead they chose Alex Smith from Utah. Packers win and Rodgers is the Super Bowl MVP. The sorry-ass 49ers and Alex Smith remain ever re-building.

Paul Ryan. If you don't know of this man then wake up and read up. He is the voice of reason and wisdom in the land of fiddle faddle in Washington DC. His drumbeat is simple: cut spending now and that includes the untouchable holy grail of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. There I wrote it and "I wasn't struck down by lightning", to borrow a line from Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey. And he adds, "if we don't boldly act now, we and our children are doomed by debt." And I was worried about weapons of mass destruction!

Scott Walker. This story reads like fiction. What's he doing, standing up to those public sector unions and sychophantic legislators and saying "no mas" in Madison? This is akin to a 49er fan rooting for the Niners in the Oakland Raiders Black Hole. Crazy stuff. This guy, as my son curtly said, "has brass balls."

All this happening in Wisconsin in the dead of winter. Go figure. Must have run out of Pabst or something. I can't wait until it warms up up there. It will really get entertaining then.