Dear Mr. President

Dear Mr. President,

I have received numerous emails soliciting donations to the Democratic Party so that it may help reelect you and various members of Congress. The avowed hope is also to regain control of the House. This is indeed laudable. I suspect that the call for donations will continue through the November elections and probably expand to include postal mailings and phone calls. This, too, is laudable.

These solicitations come under the name of a variety of leaders in the party: the head of the DNC, numerous officers of the DNC, and other well-known Democrats including John Kerry, and you and the First Lady. I am not so naive, however, to think that you or they actually wrote these solicitations. 

Although I appreciate these efforts and know they are necessary, I cannot make any such donations at this time. Any political donations I make this year, as minimal as I can afford, must go to recalling Scott Walker in Wisconsin. Sadly, you and the Democratic Party have almost totally ignored this most important election in the country. The DNC has not given any money, run any ads or done any fund raising to support the recall effort. None of the big names in the party have lent their support or presence in the state. I ask where are the luminaries of the party? Where is the Vice-President? Where are you Mr. President? What I sincerely and honestly expect is your full support and the party's full support of Tom Barrett. Raise funds, run ads, send people. NOW!

The Wisconsin recall effort is truly a grassroots one. Volunteers gathered at least three-quarters of a million signatures to force the recall. Now that that election is closing in upon us, we realize that a Walker victory would only serve to embolden the GOP around the nation to take similar draconian measures of destroying collective bargaining and gutting funding to education and health care. In Wisconsin the GOP legislature and governor enacted legislation that effectively repealed equal pay for women. They continue their efforts to disenfranchise minorities and senior citizens through Voter ID legislation. The citizens of Wisconsin have done their part, but the Walker campaign and its millions of dollars from out of state donors is outspending the Barrett campaign 25-1.

If Scott Walker is successful in fending off the recall effort, he will have done so with almost unlimited financial support, much of which comes from Super Pacs and larger money donations. One Wisconsin billionaire donated $500,000 to his campaign. The supporters of Tom Barrett are still waiting while in DC people are sitting on their hands and pocketbooks. So again I ask, where is the Democratic Party support? Where are you, Mr. President?

I do want to support your campaign. I do want to see the Democrats regain control of the House. I simply think this recall election is more important. It seems to be increasingly apparent that you and the Democrats will continue to ignore Wisconsin. Thus, the real question, I suppose, is not whether I should send money to your campaign. Rather, the real question for me has become why should I?

Sincerely, Tim Mocarski, Retired High School Teacher

cc: Debbie Wasserman Schultz, DNC Chair

On his own terms

I doubt that Kerry Wood will ever be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His career numbers do not approach those of the other great hurlers in Cooperstown. But that one game ...

In his rookie year in just his fifth start Kerry Wood pitched what is one of the most dominating performances in baseball. He struck out 20 batters and gave up a lone infield single. According to the Bill James Game Score method, it was the greatest game ever pitched. On the scale, Sandy Koufax scored a 101 for his perfect game. Wood's score was 105. Today, after one last performance at Wrigley, Wood hung up the cleats. This is how all careers should end:

Wood left the Cubs and came back as a free agent. He wanted to end his career in Chicago. He went out on his own terms, on three pitches, all strikes. Two fast balls and one giant, unhittable curve.