2009 Predictions Revisited

1. Some ill advised stimulus and public works package will be enacted. It will have little impact on the economy although we will see the end of the housing slump this summer.

Nailed the first part and there are some signs that the housing slump has leveled off.

2. The Wisconsin legislature will pass little this year. It will enact a series of tax increases as part of the budget package, largely consisting of things that they can argue will not fall on the "average" taxpayer.

Right on the budget but they passed more than a little.

3. Healthy Wisconsin will not be enacted.

Yes.

4. The smoking ban will not be enacted.

No.

5. Obama will fight - and win - a rearguard action over whether to investigate the Bush administration.

Pretty much so.

6. Justice Stevens will resign at the end of the 2008-09 term and will be replaced by Harvard Law Prof Cass Sunnstein.

Wrong.

7. There won't be much of a race for the state supreme court and Chief Justice Abrahamson will be easily reelected.

Right.

8. Dissenting views on global warming will get more attention, with some major study or claim critical of the current "consensus" making a major splash.

Booo-yah.

9. Little will change in Iraq.

Neither policy nor the fact of victory have changed.

9. Israel will invade Gaza. Obama, wisely, will do nothing. Iran will pitch a fit and the clock will keep ticking on its nuclear program.Not at all.

10. We won't do anything about Iran but Israel will strike a target there. Obama, wisely, will no nothing.

We haven't done anything but Israel did not strike. Not yet.

11. Despite losing C.C. Sabbathia and Ben Sheets, the Brewers will win the Central Division. Gallardo and Parra will have breakthrough seasons and Seth McClung will contribute in the bullpen. They will lose to the Phillies in the NLCS.

Not close.

12. Brett Favre will retire and the Packers will bounce back in '09, winning the NFC North with a 10-6 record.

Well, he did retire. Then he unretired. The Packers didn't win the North but they did bounce back.

13. The Badger football team will bounce back as well with a 9-3 mark and a New Year's Day bowl.

Not a New Year's Bowl, but they did bounce back to a 9-3 record. And the Bowl matchup was a good one - against a team ranked in the top fifteen that had spent some time in the top ten. And they won.

14. In college basketball, both Marquette and Wisconsin will make the NCAA tournament and the Warriors will make the Sweet Sixteen. UWM will surprise everyone with a 12-6 conference record. The Panthers will lose to Butler in the Horizon league title game and finish at 20-12.

UW and MU did make the tournament and MU came within a bad call of making the Sixteen. UWM fell a bit short with an 11-7 conference mark and more significantly short with a 16-13 overall mark and a loss in the second round of the tournament.

15. The Steelers will win the Super Bowl. Florida will beat Oklahoma next week. Georgetown will win the NCAA tournament. The Yankees will finally buy the World Series again. I don't care who wins the NBA.

Three out of four ain't bad, although Georgetown was a whopper. They collapsed and didn't even make the tournamant.