First and foremost, Happy New Year to all of you who listen to my radio show, watch me daily on television or follow this blog. We've all made another successful trip around the sun! I hope 2013 is a great year for all of you.
I actually had a pretty good track record when it came to predictions in 2012. My record was, of course, colored by my big mistake - namely, believing that Mitt Romney would win Ohio and Florida. Oh well, time to turn the page.
Here, in no particular order, are ten predictions for 2013:
1. The Dow will hit 14,500 sometime during 2013. Despite a year of political and economic turmoil, the Dow finished 2012 at 13,004 (up approximately 7% for the year). If politicians don't get in the way (and that is admittedly a big "if"), I think the economy is going to pick up steam, hiring will increase and home values will rise. If that's the case, a 10% to 15% increase is not out of the question.
2. Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Pat Roggensack and Wisconsin Superintendent of Schools Tony Evers will both be comfortably re-elected this April. Justice Roggensack is one of the bright lights on the Wisconsin Supreme Court and should coast to re-election over an undistinguished field of announced challengers. Despite the fact that WEAC has largely been de-fanged as a political force, election fatigue combined with donor fatigue combined with the power of incumbency bodes well for Evers.
3. More newspapers will cease daily publication. People want the content more than ever but newspapers delivered to homes each morning will continue to go the way of 8 Track tape players and Beta-Max recorders. Radio, by the way, will continue to thrive - bolstered by apps that let people access their favorite radio stations via their Smart Phones.
4. The Brewers and Packers will both field better teams in 2013 than in 2012. I'm not necessarily predicting better records - just better teams! The Brewers seem to have solved their bullpen problems and the Packers outstanding rookie draft class of 2012 will be better with a year of experience.
5. Palermo's workers will reject unionization. Union organizers have been trying to delay a vote on unionization presumably because they know any such vote will fail. You can only stall for so long though. Sometime during 2013, workers will get a chance to vote on whether to form a union and will say "no".
6. Summerfest will have a record year. After a down year largely attributable to record heat, I look for Summerfest to rebound in a big way. Summerfest is a local treasure being run by an extremely strong management team.
7. Homicides in Milwaukee will decrease. Milwaukee Police say that there were approximately 90 homicides in 2012 (up slightly from 2011). This may be wishful thinking but I'm getting the sense that some community leaders are finally beginning to take some responsibility for helping hold bad guys in high crime neighborhoods accountable.
8. Chief Ed Flynn will move on. He won't allow himself to be forced out but my guess is that after some high profile investigations into MPD are concluded, Chief Flynn and Mayor Barrett will agree that it's time for a change.
9. The Waukesha water deal with Oak Creek will fall apart. Although it's a good arrangement for both parties, look for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett to use his political influence to kill the deal (in an effort to force Waukesha to negotiate with Milwaukee). So much for regional cooperation.
10. Act 10 and Voter ID will be upheld. The wheels of justice turn slowly (especially when dealing with Dane County judges) but the contentious legislative decisions of 2011 will - and should - be found constitutional in 2013!
There you have it - ten predictions for 2013. Print them out, hang them on your refrigerator and then see how I did a year from now.
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