Springtime

Ah, springtime: Trees budding on the tips of branches. Flowers poking their small green stems out of the ground. Birds chirping happily in the sunlit morning. Trash littering the side of the highway. Oh the trash.

If you've lived in Wisconsin long enough, you're aware of the embarrassing and disgusting sight that adorns our highways each spring after the snow melts. The trash that has built up all winter long, hidden by the beautiful fresh fallen snow, is finally exposed and displayed for all to see. It's not pretty.

In a way, it is quite indicative of the political landscape right now too. Politicians are the kings and queens of snow jobs. Politicians will invariably tell us that their intentions are as pure as the wind driven snow. But whether that be the case or not, often lurking beneath the snow is a lot of trash.

Nancy Pelosi recently said of the health care bill that "we have to pass the bill so we can find out what is in it." Both sides of this issue have been laying on the snow thick for over a year now. Does anyone really doubt what's under it? Take a drive on the highway and you'll get a hint.

Some will say, "Sure it's a flawed bill, but we'll fix it after it's passed," just as the motorist who throws his garbage out the window says "Someone will clean that up in the spring." In addition, both sides have proven that facts frequently get buried along with the trash.

Politicians do a great job of keeping the snow falling, and keeping the trash hidden. Maybe that's why the President is still out there campaigning for the bill even after stating that, "Everything there is to say about health care has been said." Then why is he still crossing the country talking about it? Best not put your skis away for the season just yet.

I know good and decent people can and do disagree on the health care issue – I have wonderful friends on both sides. But I think one thing we can all agree on is that we've certainly experienced a horrendous blizzard from both sides this past year. And political blizzards are usually created to hide one thing, and one thing only: Trash.

It's time for American citizens to elect true public servants that will bring the heat to melt the snow, expose the garbage, and clean it up. Just as we experience each spring, the clean-up job won't be easy. And we'll certainly be fighting an uphill battle against the career politicians who littered the landscape in the first place. But there is only one way back to "government of the people, by the people, and for the people" – and that is for the people to take back the government.

Happy Spring to everyone. Now let's get to work on that garbage.