February started out with a bang, with the entire state getting ready for the event of the millennium for most Wisconsinites: the Packers tackling the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV on February 6. Remember that? Seems like a distant memory. But despite always being a month of winter doldrums, February took on a life of its own, and that reached a crescendo when the Packers won. We celebrated hard, for 11 days. Then the roof fell in.
The fact that it’s gone downhill as fast and as sharply as it has is simply astounding. But the peak of the mountain was delicious, even if it didn’t last very long.
Packers win!
We all know that the Packers beat the Steelers 31-25. This sent the state into a euphoria that should have lasted for a long time. It certainly started out that way. I stopped into all the appropriate retailers the week after the game, looking to buy a hat and a t-shirt, and I’ve never seen people so collectively happy. Everyone was talking to each other, marveling at the miraculous season just concluded, sharing a joy that doesn’t come around very often.
That’s one of the best things about Wisconsin; the unbridled feelings of happiness that occur with such a big victory, and the common ground which we all find to celebrate. It says a lot about our people. Makes one feel proud to live here.
I would never have believed that I would wind up craving to put February in the rear-view mirror so quickly, but it happened. On February 17, the day of the full moon.
Us vs. Them.
This whole thing that’s been going on in Madison the last three weeks has changed the scope of the state and the people who live here. It’s the single most polarizing thing I’ve ever seen. It’s caused rifts between family and friends, co-workers and teammates. There are very few people who don’t have a very strong opinion about this, to the point where shouting matches occur at the most inopportune times, no matter where you are.
You know, this is all really sad. There should be an answer, but there doesn’t appear to be one that will appease both sides. In a democracy, and a state where people are passionate about the same things for the most part, it’s the responsibility of our elected leaders to find that compromise. The group currently in Madison (or hiding out in Illinois) can’t or won’t do that, and it’s become a national embarrassment.
I of course have no solution other than to suggest both sides sit down, hash it out, represent the people who elected them and find a common ground that seemed so real and so tangible only three weeks ago.
Maybe the Ides of March and the onset of spring will turn things around. I just want to get ready for Brewers Opening Day and go to Sports Authority and enjoy shopping for Super Bowl Champions gear with everyone else.
