It's time to ROCK THE VOTE
If your circle of friends is anything like mine, you like to discuss all the ways you can save the world. My circle usually focuses on one major, hypocritical, liberty-oppressing issue but we do venture off into other topics, as well.
There is a pretty important vote coming up here in the great state of Wisconsin and, again, if your circle of friends is similar to mine, it’s been a major discussion topic since some time last year.
When it comes to casting a vote, you have to check the box for the person whom you TRULY believe is MOST deserving of your vote. I’m of the belief that for many issues, the two most-popular viewpoints or choices will be split just about evenly down the middle. And, no matter which person or party receives the most votes, the debate will rage on for eternity -- or at least until the next vote.
For months I have heard and read numerous comments from both sides regarding why their argument is best and why you should cast that specific vote. One only need browse this very website to read any number of comments for or against an idea or an individual, and every last commenter believes common sense and logic is on his/her side. While not everyone views it this way, I believe everyone has the right to believe he/she is correct because, in the end, opinion is all about perspective.
One's perspective is just that -- one perspective -- and there is no such thing as a wrong perspective. You know the old cliché about walking a mile in someone else’s flip-flops? It’s true. You have absolutely no way (especially when reading in black and white online) to know the life someone has lived in order to create his or her perspective.
I’ll get to the "no-brainer" in a second, but let me begin by sharing my perspective on why you should ROCK THE VOTE for Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun for the 2012 All-Star game.
Not one single person alive can even begin to comprehend the past six months of Mr. Braun's life. We can debate until we are blue in the face on whether Matt Kemp should have been named the 2011 N.L. MVP, but the fact remains that it was awarded to Ryan Braun.
In early December someone (likely an MLB insider) leaked to ESPN that Mr. Braun failed a urine test for performance-enhancing drugs and the circus began. What should have been an off-season filled with excitement and pride instantly was flipped upside-down.
I’m not going to pretend that I understand the thoughts that have run through Mr. Braun's head, but I imagine they were stress-filled and loaded with what-ifs. What if the appeal process didn’t work and, even though he was completely innocent, he had to deal with this for the rest of his life? What if no one believed he truly never ingested anything to enhance his performance?
I’ve seen Braun speak and perform enough to know that he certainly does not lack confidence and am sure he quickly erased those what-if thoughts and used them as motivation to go out and play even better this season. Still, it's not a pleasant way to spend an MVP off-season.
Which brings me to my argument for casting your vote for Mr. Braun (or 25 votes, per MLB rules): He dealt with that off-season, as well as losing one of the most-feared hitters in baseball behind him in the lineup, and still is batting better than .300 and in the top five in home runs and RBIs. In addition to losing his protection, the player signed to replace Prince Fielder in the lineup plays the first six weeks of the season with a batting average barely above the Mendoza line. Granted, Aramis Ramirez has hit the ball hard, but too often right at defenders. But what kind of pitches would you throw Mr. Braun if Ramirez is hitting behind him? Exactly. Vote Braun.
There are other outfielders who also deserve a vote, such as the Dodgers’ Matt Kemp and the Cardinals' Carlos Beltran. But the great thing about the MLB All-Star vote is that you can vote early, vote often and vote for several different people. No ID required.
Now for the "no-brainer." Despite an injury that will keep him out for four-to-six weeks, catcher Jonathon Lucroy thus far has had nothing short of a monster year and deserves your all-star votes as much as any catcher in the league. His batting average is close to .350, he has hit five home runs and driven in 29. Those are without a doubt all-star-caliber numbers, but when you add in the fact that he leads all of MLB by batting .533 (16-for-30) with runners in scoring position, you have the icing on the cake.
When it comes to casting the all-star vote, one thing I will not do is vote for an undeserving Brewers player simply because he is a Brewer. I’ll use Rickie Weeks as an example here, but literally everyone else on the team qualifies for this category. Rickie has been wearing that "potential" tag for as long as he’s been wearing a Brewers jersey. Anyone reading this knows we’ve seen that potential a few times only to lose it to injury. We’ve also seen Rickie get sent down to AAA, long after becoming a full-time big-leaguer, in order to get himself together. I hate to say this, because I love and (used to) believe in Rickie as much the soon-to-be Mrs. (who has him pretty much at the top of her list), but he has been awful this year.
I’m sure a commenter will tell me that this second baseman or that second baseman is deserving of my vote. I’m also confident they would have logic and reason on their side. I want to vote for Rickie, because who doesn’t like to see their guy win? But if I did so, I would be voting for the lesser of two evils and, when it comes to that option, I prefer to abstain. I also have been known to vote "NONE OF THE ABOVE," which is how I plan to vote in that other upcoming election.
Vote with your head and your heart, but most importantly, regardless of the outcome, let’s ALL be adults once and for all. Let's come together and forget about this crap until the next time we need to vote. Let the winner do his thing and, if it’s not your guy, go home and be quiet until the next cycle. Because regardless of who gets the vote, the hatred needs to stop.
("The Bullpen" notes: AMEN!)
Tim Thompson is a carsalesman, farmer, and huge fan of the Milwaukee Brewers. He lives in Milton area with his wife and two kids. Tim is a community blogger and is not a part of The Gazette staff. His opinion is not necessarily that of the The Gazette staff or management.
Jun 4, 2012 at 7:58 a.m.
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Bravo, jvlhousewife! +1 +1 +1
Jun 2, 2012 at 7:28 a.m.
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That doesn't even make sense normie.
Jun 1, 2012 at 10:11 p.m.
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Bigger crowds are at Brewer Park when Braun is playing ------when was the biggest crowd at the Capitol? Did Braun get any big crowds in the wintertime?
Jun 1, 2012 at 5:50 p.m.
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A big reason I want Walker out of office is all of his lies. My husband is a state employee so the collective bagaining does affect us but having a Governor that we can't believe is far worse.
Jun 1, 2012 at 5:39 p.m.
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It's hilarious to me that reading this is a waste of time, but taking the time to tell me that is not:) Thanx for the chuckle HD:)
jvlhousewife: I am not under that mis-conception, in fact if you read thru my posts you will see that I have made that exact point to the anti-teacher crowd. But I also know that for A LOT of people that is not the perception and unfortunately in most aspects, perception is reality, which makes that point invalid when discussing it. Besides, from what I've read from the left, for the most part losing the money wasn't the motivating factor for the recall. It was the loss of collective bargaining. I understand why the loss of that would upset people, I just don't feel it's reason to recall a governor. If you don't like you it you get louder with your voice, convince people of the wrongs, and then convince them to vote your guy in at the next election.
Jun 1, 2012 at 3:48 p.m.
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tthompson - A big misconception that a lot of people have is that the retirement money is given to the employees, the retirement for the state workers is paid for with the employees money, it is not money that is handed to them it is money they have earned and chosen to have put into the retirement system.
Jun 1, 2012 at 3:06 p.m.
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TYVM Tim and to agree with Bullpen......AMEN!
Jun 1, 2012 at 2:56 p.m.
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Now that column was a total waste of space....
Jun 1, 2012 at 2:30 p.m.
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I knew why...weaksauce;)
Jun 1, 2012 at 2:20 p.m.
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... and now you know why I wouldn't post my personal plea in this forum ... :)
Jun 1, 2012 at 1:24 p.m.
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Ha. We all have a right to our opinions and if you want mine then I guess here we go.
I sell cars for a living and I have for a while. I'm good at my job and have always gotten my bills paid, but you don't think my income dropped a few years ago?? Who could I recall or even call for them to feel pity for me?? If I was leaning to Barrett the retired Janesville teacher who sold me out last month for a few dollars to a dealership in another town pushed me into the NONE OF THE ABOVE category. They didn't care about my family income then, now I should care about yours?? I feel for your situation shopiere, truly I do, but I DO NOT believe that the legislation regarding collective bargaining is motive enough to recall someone.
My mom is 60 years old and owns a successful supper club. She has owned or ran several businesses in her life and NO ONE has ever put ONE DIME into her retirement plan. She has worked all of her life to get where she is, and has done what she needed to do to provide for her family. Who do you think she is going to vote for?? Can you understand why she may be a bit jaded to all of this and 'your' situation?? Do you understand how I can not only see, but agree to some extent with her jadedness??
I don't mean to not take a stance here because you are correct, I am absolutely taking a stance by voting NONE OF THE ABOVE. And I'm not doing that by avoiding the booth, because I am absolutely going in to write NONE OF THE ABOVE.
The fact of the matter is the recall process was started specifically because of the collective bargaining issue. Other issues regarding Mr. Walkers character have come up since then which is why I will not vote for Scott Walker. As I mentioned before I don't believe he has done enough to warrant being recalled so I also will not vote against him.
Saying that I am against you and your family for not voting for your guys is like saying those who are pro-choice are pro-abortion. I'm NOT against you and your family. I am FOR my family. I'm in sales and that means that the more jobs the state of Wisconsin has the more people there are spending money. I'm not convinced one guy can produce more jobs than the other as much as I'm convinced the turbulent climate in this state is preventing jobs. The more jobs there are the more people that are spending money, the more my family benefits. That is after all, your thought process right, what's best for you family??
You may not agree, or even think I'm a coward for voting NONE OF THE ABOVE, and that's fine but I don't see it that way. If Barrett wins the public unions will control the flow of money in this state. If Walker wins the corporations control the flow. Either way I think a majority get screwed for the benefit of the minority. I want a candidate who gives me a reason to vote FOR them, not multiple reasons to vote AGAINST the other guy. I haven't seen one reason to vote FOR either guy.
Jun 1, 2012 at 12:18 p.m.
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Concerning the election for governor, there are two candidates. No matter what "higher plane" thought processes you use to avoid taking a stance, you are taking a stance.
I am a public employee, if you are not voting for Barrett, you are voting against my interests and against me. There is no cute blanket to hide under on this one, you are either for me or against me. To not take a stance and vote none of the above is a cop out. Not enough balls to take a stand, I find that more disgusting than some of the Walker supporters.
Jun 1, 2012 at 11:58 a.m.
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What major, hypocritical, liberty-oppressing issue do you and your circle of friends usually discuss Mr. Thompson?
Jun 1, 2012 at 9:49 a.m.
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Thanx poo. I too hope Mr. Braun wins the vote, and as far as that other one, I TRULY do not have a favorite in that one.
Jun 1, 2012 at 8:38 a.m.
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I should know better than to wade into a baseball blog. About the only things I understand, or care to understand, about the game are the peanuts and Crackerjacks. Have a good one and I hope your guy wins (the All-Star thing and that other election a few people are talking about).
Jun 1, 2012 at 8:04 a.m.
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Thanx for reading poobah:) There was no political talk here at all;)
On your note, I do agree and that is why we are where we are right now. BUT we can't do this again. If the governor retains his belt then it's time to let him work.
I have now written two consecutive posts that someone has 'taken exception' to. I must be getting better. Muahahahahahahahaha.
Jun 1, 2012 at 6:39 a.m.
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It was a bit hard to know where sports talk ended and politics began, and vice versa, but I have to take exception with what I think was your POLITICAL advice of, "Let the winner do his thing and, if it’s not your guy, go home and be quiet until the next cycle."
It's vital, particularly in our representative democracy, that citizens remain fully engaged in the political process. Before, during and after elections. This is particularly true when you have elected officials, with extreme positions using tactics that divide and conquer the people, in a position to dictate their policies on a citizenry that had never given them the mandate they believe they were given.
May 31, 2012 at 10:44 a.m.
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Politically, the best liar is usually the winner.
Sportswise, the city that can conjure the most votes will place their player on the all-star team. A player can be having a "better than average" year or even the best year ever, it still might keep him off of the ballot. Sometimes these "over the hill" Hall of Famers will garner enough votes, even though they are having a terrible year. Even in sports, politics plays a role.
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