No Runny Eggs

Welcome to the 5th and final day of the NRE 2011 Awards. Today, we name our people of the year. As a review, here is the rest of the schedule:

– Jackass of the Year, 1/3
– Thank You for Existing, 1/4
– Dumbest Thing Said, 1/5
– News Story of the Year, yesterday

For historical sake, here’s the 2009 and 2010 nominees for Person of the Year. Now, on with this past year’s nominees:

Paul Ryan (from realdebate) – While Washington D.C. regulars offer band-aids and kick the can down the road one man offers actual solutions instead of rhetoric. Time after time that man is Paul Ryan. The left hates him and his own party doesn’t understand him but Paul Ryan continues to articulate the issues in a clear, concise fashion. Why is this the exception instead of the norm?

Scott Walker (from BadgerBlogger) – Governor Walker’s steadfast support of common sense changes that were needed to save Wisconsin from its self, even in the face of the vitriol heaped upon him by teachers and other public employees and their unions, makes him, my Person of the Year. Honorable mention goes to the Republican legislators that have had the courage to follow our Governor.

Steve Jobs (from Shoebox) – I think one could argue that not since Thomas Edison has a single individual had a greater influence on how we work and play over the past 30 years. Computers, software, movies, music, communications are amongst the industries where Jobs had significant influence and caused or led major change. Some might argue that Jobs himself wasn’t the creative spark like Edison but rather a catalyst that unleashed creative talent in others. Either way, Jobs was transformative and should have been Time’s person of the year as well.

Jenni Lake (from Kevin Fischer) – She stopped her cancer treatments o avoid aborting her pregnancy. She died 12 days after she gave birth to her son. Selflessly, courageously, she chose her baby’s life over her own. Jenni Lake was 17.

Dan Kapanke (from steveegg) – As Patrick pointed out, Scott Walker couldn’t change the dynamic of the taxpayer-to-public-employee relationship, or fix the damage done to the state finances, without the Republican legislature. Kapanke was from the most-liberal of the seats held by Republicans to start the year – indeed, his home was targeted for vandalism when Assembly Bill 11, what was ultimately to become Act 10, was introduced. He had to know that it was quite possible that, once the talk of recalling state Senators began, that he would lose his seat. He went forward anyway, not backing away from his votes in the recall election that ultimately cost him his Senate seat.