Here a sampling of some questions and comments from recent email messages, to which I have responded privately, but will summarize and answer here.

For those faraway who once asked me how many cows are in Whitewater

I’m tardy in answering that question, as you have reminded me. In fact, I took a cow-searching drive through Whitewater in December, and recorded remarks along the way for subsequent transcription and posting.

There’s a regulatory angle in it all, too.

I promise to put it up tomorrow.

Why have I posted about televised meetings, and why do I now have a film reel/video icon on the right side of my website?

Because televised meetings are a great benefit to the city, offering the most accurate account of what actually happens at one of our public meetings.

Unfortunately, our public access cable team cannot be everywhere at once. Fortunately, they don’t have to be: Wisconsin law allows ordinary citizens to record public meetings, and requires accommodation of ordinary citizen recording.

In 2010, beginning in a few months, I wouldn’t wonder, we will see the exercise of these rights in Whitewater. Just as important, our small town will see the defense of these rights at law.

Legal justifications for decisions in this town are often thin and flimsy. An American town deserves better, and we will only get something better if someone exercises his rights, and defends that exercise at law. One always prefers an easier route, but it is better to prepare for a harder one.

The days of poorly publicized meetings, with little more than a few vague lines as minutes, will end for this town. Some of our public meetings have never seen the light of a movie lens, so to speak. For everything I have ever written, there’s a dozen times as much to be done.

In all of it, there’s the great adventure of being an American citizen.

I’ll post much more about this as the time gets closer.

Why no Facebook page?

Facebook seems like too much to me; I like having my own website, set up the way I like, and a second Facebook page would be too fancy for FREE WHITEWATER.

This website does have a Twitter account, and I like the simple, succinct format of Twitter. I learn a lot from others’ tweets, and enjoy following them.

Here’s a question that just came in today, to which I quickly replied: I was wondering what is your opinion of the recent Supreme Court decision regarding campaign funding?

Here was my brief reply:

I think it’s a great victory for free speech. I will post on it this week, and I will write about how local – not federal – enforcement of campaign finance laws is often biased and used to penalize dissenters, to the benefit of incumbents.

The fewer restrictions on speech, the better.

Will catblogging be back, why did it go away, have I stopped liking cats, etc.?

I like cats a great deal. I won’t say I love them, because if I did, I know one particular reader who would quickly ask, “Well, if you love them, why don’t you marry one?”

It may seem surprising, but for some people, a line like that still seems new. There are a lot of surprises in correspondence; I enjoy the unexpected range of opinion very much.

I enjoy reading what others write more than writing, myself — much appreciated, and many thanks.

I posted summaries of some replies that I made to reader mail, making a virtue of necessity (lack of a regular Internet connection). I listed some topics, and then a summary of my general replies.

The Internet’s back up in the House of Dissenting Opinion, but there are a few more topics that I’d like to catch up on.

Do I dislike advertising?

No! Advertise away! The question comes from a comment I made that I would never take advertising on this website. That’s not because I don’t like merchants who advertise; it’s really because I like them very much.

We live in a small town, where a few people are very sure that criticism is wickedness itself. Those people are wrong, surely, and ugly and malodorous, probably.

That’s a joke, but one sees my point: we’re just not the place where comments like that wouldn’t make some people, and merchants, jittery. That makes sense to me.

What makes even more sense is that I don’t want to have to concern myself with anything other than what I write. There are enough people who worry about public opinion – to the exclusion of good sense or meaning – around here. (Public opinion seldom means the whole public in Whitewater; it usually means a small collection of The Same People Every Time.)

I have neither thermometer nor weather vane beside my desk.

There’s great power in being a small website publisher, beholden to no one, just on his own.

What do I think of Governor Doyle/the Doyle Administration, etc?

I have only met our governor once, years ago. He delivered a simple, workmanlike speech. I cannot, truly, remember a single word of it, but it wasn’t the forum for anything rousing, in any event. Friendly, cordial, all very conventional.

The questions I’m summarizing are really about the economic performance of the Doyle Administration, though, not his speeches or manner. One sees that Wisconsin is in difficult fiscal straits, and will be for a few years yet, most likely.

Now I know that it would be easy to say this is all Doyle’s fault, but our state has been over-taxed for a long time, even before Doyle’s first term.

To paraphrase Billy Joel, Doyle didn’t start the fire.

I see that Jim Doyle’s not done yet; he’s on his way to the climate summit. One might wonder what Wisconsin has to gain from being there, unless one considers a more prominent attendee.

President Obama will be there, and now that Doyle’s not running for governor again, Jim Doyle has a political constituency of only one.

Biggest or Most Important Economic Events in Whitewater?

Admittedly, I’m collecting different messages into a single question. Generally, it’s a question line about what’s been the most important economic development – or the hardest – of recent years. All the messages like this come with an opinion, a statement about what’s been good or bad.

I’d say a few come to mind: the Bypass around Whitewater as a detriment, the current recession, the closing of the nearby GM plant and related closings in nearby Janesville, all other problems.

Underlying problems specific to Whitewater one finds an overly regulated and restrictive city, and one that spends far more than any small town should on marquee projects that produce more headlines than anything else. We find ourselves at a competitive disadvantage as a result.

As gains, I’d say any work over these last few years of merchants, through Downtown Whitewater or the local Chamber, to band together. Moving the Aquatic Center closer to solvency, while only affecting one enterprise, has been impressive, and is worthy of notice.

Really, though, I cannot think of a single economic success that did not depend principally on private investment and effort. Tax dollars and bonds have not made Whitewater stronger or more competitive.

There is no circumstance under which I would describe tax incremental financing, and tax incremental districts within the city, as a net positive. There’s so much more to write about TIDs in Whitewater, and I’ll not venture more now.

I awoke to a light dusting of snow on the lawn this morning; it’s the second time, by my count, that there has been any snow this season. Today’s won’t last long; Whitewater will have to wait for appreciable accumulation.

At my home, the House of Dissenting Opinion, my Internet connection is down, so it’s posting via mobile for today. Surprisingly, my Internet service provider’s surplus Soviet network doesn’t seem to be working properly.

I’ll take this opportunity – committed as I am to turning lemons into lemonade – to answer publicly some reader mail. I have answered these messages privately already, but I will summarize some recent correspondence and my replies. The meaning of both messages and replies will be the same.

Some are light, some serious.

My favorite song.

I can’t really pick a favorite, sorry to say. I am sure most people have one, but even if I were to choose one, it wouldn’t be a firm choice. I’m just not that musical.

If I had to pick a single Christmas song, this being that season, I would pick O Holy Night. I think it’s both beautiful and compelling.

Several questions and messages on how much race does or doesn’t matter in Whitewater.

Well, I think it matters more than it should, but I have no particular theory about race, racism, or race relations. There may be someone in town who can explain all this very clearly; I claim no such insight.

The best I could offer anyone would be for him or her to read from the thousands of years of religious insight, and the hundreds of years of American political documents, that consider race, ethnicity, and equality before the law.

Hours reading there is worth years elsewhere, as those writings and documents are the consequence of real and often painful experience, deeply considered or revealed. If one sought a foundation for understanding, I could not recommend a better one.

On the film Dark City.

Yes, I discovered it, as others have, and like it very much. It’s a great science fiction and mystery film from 1998. There was recently a tenth anniversary edition issued, with commentary from the director, Alex Proyas, two of the writers, and Roger Ebert.

What is the Dark City, why is it always dark, what happens at midnight, why does it happen, and will things ever change?

The movie never answers all the questions one might have about how the Dark City came into being. In the commentary, one of the writers offers a theory on how the city came about, as a backstory, and tells viewers that the director had a different theory. I think only the director’s theory makes sense.

No matter – it’s not how the city began, but where it’s heading, that matters most.

Definitely one of my favorite films.

Assorted Questions about Our Public School District.

The questions cluster around what I think of the direction of the district and its new administrator.

I think we came through a long period of mediocre leadership under the last administrator, Leslie Steinhaus, and it’s a long road ahead to build a better district. There are few people I have ever seen in Whitewater, or elsewhere, who seemed as dull, plodding, and uniformly mediocre as Dr. Steinhaus.

There’s a long road back from wasted years, and Whitewater is a town that doesn’t handle long walks well. It’s no easy task to forge a new path here. The longer I write, and reflect on life here over even the last decade, the more one sees how inertia works to keep things at rest, rather than keeping things in motion.

Ironically, that inertia doesn’t come from someone who writes about the town, but from those same people who dislike anyone writing about the town except in a certain way.

City government is a perfect example. Some don’t like anything one writes if it’s not sugary, but writing hasn’t caused any of the fiscal and administrative problems the city faces. On the contrary, the decisions that have been troublesome to this town have come from within the municipal building, and among those who consider themselves supporters of those inside.

Former city manager Gary Boden wasn’t a failure, and current city manager Kevin Brunner isn’t indecisive and floundering, because someone wrote as such. The problems they face aren’t because someone writes.

Years of settled habits, or lack of habits, from Dr. Steinhaus’s tenure will take time to change. I don’t know what the district will seem like, after a year.

In any event, if I have no particular theory of race relations, then I also have no particular theory of education. The theory of teaching someone is beyond me.

I will tell a small story that illustrates my view. Years ago, as a student in a seminar on the history of the American south, I listened to two guest speakers: a professor of literature, and an engineer who happened to have read a lot of Faulkner. The purpose of both guests was to talk a bit about southern authors.

The literature professor was surprised that the other guest was self-taught, and she was initially dismissive of his remarks. Only initially – it soon became clear how much he knew, but more still, how much more excited and enthusiastic he was about the topic.

I don’t mean to suggest that an autodidact is always a better teacher; I mean to contend that one cannot always tell where one will find the best learning. At least, I am not sure where one will always find it. A beginning often requires enthusiasm for one’s subject, and from there, only afterward, do discipline and rigor matter, decisively.

I am sure, though, that America was better off for the engineer who read Faulkner, and spoke of the subject with clarity and interest.

Do I Think that God Finds Whitewater Beautiful?

Oh my, that’s a profound question. There’s a simple answer, though, that anyone from among the laity can confidently answer: Yes, I am confident that He does find Whitewater, Wisconsin beautiful.

The question stems from lyrical, poetic remarks a member of our common council offered some months back that even God would find a particular view in Whitewater lovely.

That’s likely true and compelling, as poetry and hope: there are many times when the city is astonishingly lovely. Those times are most evident not during celebrations or grand events (but as the council member implied, I recall) during quieter moments: early morning, or toward the end of a day.

There is considerable natural beauty around us; those visiting often remark about how beautiful the drive to town is, past farms and pine woods. It is beautiful, and we are fortunate for it. Another reason, surely, for us to have been grateful this Thanksgiving.

When will Police and Fire Commisson meetings be on television?

Not soon enough.

Yesterday, in my Daily Bread feature, I linked to a Wired story on the upcoming auction of a T. Rex skeleton. (See, Third Most Complete T. Rex to Be Auctioned in Vegas.)

Today, I received a request from a young person, with parental help, for a picture of a triceratops skeleton. (As you can guess, I don’t get a lot of requests like this. I’d suppose I’m not Whitewater’s go-to guy for touchy feely posts. I’m happy to oblige, though — very much my pleasure.)

Here’s a photo of a triceratops skeleton, at the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt, Germany, as photographed by Eva Kröcher.

The museum has a website in English, and more about a triceratops can be found online, in a Discovery Channel video.

Yesterday, I posted a reader note on an alternative response to budget cuts in our school district. Afterward, I received two notes from another, longtime reader, suggesting a second alternative. I’ve combined the two notes on the second alternative with an ellipsis.

Mr. Adams, I hate to sound like a broken record about this, but if the WUSD citizenry is looking for place to ‘cut’, how about employees’ health retirement benefits? I’ve no doubt the district could have made up for most of the staff cuts they just announced if they simply stopped increasing their employees’ retirement health benefits, which for most employees now totals well over $100,000 per employee. Of course, you will not hear this from the district nor the Register, but it is worth pointing out nonetheless…

You might want to include also the fact that increases in their health retirement benefits are NOT included in reported pay raises that we all hear about.

Every time a teacher retires, it costs the district over $100,000 in health benefits on the spot.

There’s more than one way to compensate for a reduction in state aid, to a school district or municipality.

(And, if it should be true that the Obama administration establishes some form of universal health care – an effort that I am convinced would be wildly imprudent – the proposal outlined above would be doubly compelling.)

Loss of state aid may be addressed in more than one way, and although corresponding reductions will be necessary, there’s more than one response available, no matter how often one might hear from politicians and bureaucrats that only one choice was possible.

I received a message recently from a student who remarked on budget cuts in the school district.  Here’s part of what he had to say – 

I don’t know if you have heard but recently the WUSD released its tentative cuts for next fall.  They might be cutting the 5th grade band program but for sure they are getting rid of Josh Barret the current band director at that level.  The administration of course will still be receiving its 10% raise this year though.  I feel that this is a serious mismanagement of government at our school level by the administration because most Americans across the country are taking pay cuts now.  If you should chose to run with this story you may email me at any time and I will be willing to help you out.

I wrote back privately, and here’s a longer public reply – 

Our community will often hear that a certain cut had to take place, because of a loss of state aid, the bad economy, etc. Someone will declare that we’re out of money, and so a certain cut had to take place. 

That’s not true, as the reader correctly observes. Cuts may be necessary, but that doesn’t justify any particular cut. Our city and school district confuse – deliberately, sometimes, I think – cuts generally with specific cuts. We find ourselves in the position where the City of Whitewater and the Whitewater Unified School District will surely lose contributions on which they had counted from the State of Wisconsin. 

As the state budget’s unfavorable, we can expect that cities and school districts across Wisconsin will feel that impact.  And yet, it’s so easy to declare that cuts to a particular position, or service, where inevitable, because we’ve received less state money.  It’s as though, faced with less from the state, there were only one choice possible — the very choice that politicians, administrators, or bureaucrats made. 

Choices are seldom so constrained, that there is only one possible solution.  It’s not as though we’re on a lifeboat, with one cracker left to share.   

One might cut staff, but there are other options, too.  We might have chosen differently before now, and we might choose differently now as well.   

Declaring that cuts made were forced as a consequence of declining state aid masks the responsibility and accountability for choosing one cut over another.  

Specific cuts, by the way, often seem to fall on others, including front-line workers, rather than politicians, bureaucrats, etc., themselves.   

I received an email over the weekend asking if I’d comment on the post and pictures on Whitewater’s Citizen Police Academy, published recently at the Whitewater Banner.

I will. I’ll take my time, though, with replies that consider the Citizen Academy as policy, public relations, open government, and journalism.

Strictly speaking, a consideration of the Academy as a news story applies only to coverage and participation from those at the Daily Union; the Banner itself is not a work of journalism.

There’s much to consider in all this, and I will inquire on it, and post only thereafter.

I have received email from two readers, asking about the upcoming Walworth County edition of the Gazette.

One reminded me that the launch is about a month away. I’ve sent an inquiry to learn more, and I will post any additional information that I receive.

I received another message recently from the Phantom Stranger. My pleasure to hear from him, surely.

Here’s what he had to say, with my remarks thereafter.

I have noticed that our proud American Flag was not displayed about town on Martin Luther King Day (Federal and State Holiday) nor today, Inauguration Day 2009…

I was out and about on Monday and Tuesday, and did not notice any additional display of the flag in the city.  That’s too bad, really, for both occasions – Dr. King’s birthday commemoration and the Inauguration are both extraordinary events.

I received a message recently from the Phantom Stranger, whose storied career hardly need be recounted on these pages. 

He has been in Whitewater for a while, and dropped me a line.  It’s my pleasure to hear from him. 

Here’s what he had to say, with my remarks thereafter in blue. 

Nice to see Walgreen’s open: their prices are very competitive with the local WalMart. I’m sure the students will soon discover the cost in savings, compared to Sentry, “the only game in town.” Any update on the East side grocery? We no longer grocery shop in Whitewater: Sentry is so high and marked up. We grocery shop weekly in Fort, or Delavan, or Jefferson, where prices are realistic. Same for gas—cheaper a few miles out of town.

He went on to note that he felt higher prices were like the actions of Robber Barons.

Adams replies:
 
The Phantom Stranger’s not alone in these views – many in the city share them.  What’s different about Whitewater is the conviction that it’s wrong – almost a betrayal – to hold views that might be critical of a local business.  There is very much a my-city-right-or-wrong view that grips Whitewater.
 
As you can guess, I do not share it.  The world is filled with cities, and businesses in them; favoring one local enterprise blindly is no more sensible than anyone else abroad slavishly devoted to a place in which they were born.
 
It’s not a city as place, but the quality of its institutions, how well-ordered it is, that matters.   
 
That’s why someone can hope for new and different businesses to provide competition, to benefit consumers, without betraying one’s city.  Quite the contrary – competition improves life here, sometimes considerably.   
 
That’s also the difference between a pro-business and a market outlook – I favor free exchange, without seeking to defend one or another business.  I don’t wish any businesses ill (although I have mentioned that I consider Cousins subs unpalatable). 

It’s been a while since I have posted relies to reader mail, although I have replied to messages privately.

Here is a sample of email messages and questions, sometimes verbatim, sometimes paraphrased, along with my answers. The messages are in black, and my replies in blue.

What’s a good reference for blogging?

I would suggest the EFF, where there’s solid information for bloggers. Here’s the link:

I am a member, and I would strongly encourage other bloggers to join.

What’s the farthest place from which you’ve received email?

Singapore.

What’s your goal for blogging and/or do you have a final outcome you’d like?

I write from a libertarian perspective, and I have no particular outcome in mind.

I have no idea what kinds of posts will present themselves.

Do you care/know if some people in Whitewater read your blog? Do you want certain readers?

I am fortunate that people stop by, and that readership is strong and growing. Candidly, I was happy and contented even when readership was much smaller.

There are lots of clever people in Whitewater, Wisconsin, but there are also quite a few officials who have listened to their own voices for so long that those sounds are all they hear and know.

Will conditions ever change / can libertarians / can bloggers bring about change?

Yes, but changes happen over a long period, and in unexpected ways. Look at the amazing work of Radley Balko, at Reason, against the slipshod and disgraceful practices of Mississippi medical examiner Dr. Steven Hayne. Hayne was more than a fool – his aberrant professional practices led to innocent people being convicted of serious crimes.

A man or woman committed to the truth should be willing to stay the course – it’s a small price compared to the hardship ordinary people experience from self-interested, dishonest, rationalizing officials.

Any changes in readership?

Yes, I have more libertarian readers than when I started. A statistics package cannot always tell that, however. It’s a solid guess based on email, and sites from which I receive visitors.

I have no idea why one post is more popular than another. It’s enough to keep writing, and be happy that readership is growing.

Reader George Washington writes about a City of Whitewater notice concerning the number of cars that municipal regulations permit to be parked at a single-family home at any given time. Washington’s remarks in black, my reply in blue.

Washington writes:

A few landlords have recently received letter stating (due to complaints) that an old ordinance will soon be enforced once again. The ordinance states that no more than 2 vehicles can be parked in any driveway at any time at a home zoned single family. The letter stated that any vehicles beyond the 2 would be ticketed by the city. This only affects about 90% of student housing which is zoned single family!!!! I was informed of this by my landlord today.

Adams replies:

Well, we may be sure that Dr. Roy Nosek — who advocated this approach as far back as August 2007 during a slideshow presentation to the Common Council, will be pleased. One might think that a violation of this type would be ‘fairly innocuous,’ but City Manger Kevin Brunner reserves that term for other matters, it seems.

Sadly, we’ve waged that silly campaign, too.

A reader wrote me with a concern about a proposed change to delay the time that school might start on some days, to accommodate meetings of school staff. Her email appears below, with my reply in blue thereafter:

Reader: I feel the public should know what the school board is tiring to pass basically under the table. They would want school to start one hour later every Thursday so the teachers can discuss what has been going on. What are parents with smaller children in school supposed to do as many of them have jobs to go to. I feel the public should be aware of this matter as it will greatly affect some people.

Adams: My views, simply described, on our schools can be found in my post entitled, “On Public Education.” Most especially, I am interested in the ways that a spontaneous order — rather than a engineered solution — can advance substantive learning though interesting, creative possibilities.

I urge the district to abandon this stress-creating proposal.

Yesterday, I received two email messages from a downtown merchant, first with concerns about snow removal, and a second message with broader concerns about downtown businesses. The messages were sent, also, to officials at the city. I will post key excerpts from these messages, without identifying the author specifically.

(Although copies were sent to city officials, I follow the custom of other bloggers of not identifying an email’s author unless the author directly requests that I include his or her name. I receive a steady volume of email, from Whitewater residents, business owners, city workers, and politicians. I have always appreciated their messages and respected privacy. Sometimes I respond via email only privately, and sometimes — as with this message — I will post excerpts to convey the principal message and my reply on FREE WHITEWATER.)

The excerpts are in black, and my remarks in blue, thereafter.

From the email message about a car illegally parked, and taking up space that a business owner needed for customer parking:

This is exactly the type of issue that downtown
businesses have with the city and that we have
complained about for the past 6 years.
I was led to believe – apparently foolishly – that our
monetary donations to this “Whitewater Community
Foundation” were going to correct these downtown
business issues, but this must be yet another attempt
by the City of Whitewater to chase business away.

Where is this money going that we have pledged for
three years in a row?

The sidewalk in front of the former Furnace on Center
Street has not been shoveled in over three weeks -
this I know because I walk over the mess to get to the
bank and post office. We had these issues last year
and they were to be corrected – or so I thought.

Is Downtown Whitewater Inc. attempting to recruit
businesses to a downtown that is unsafe to walk in?
Has anyone from that office attempted to correct this
situation? Are they also going to attempt to pass the
buck on these ongoing problems?

From the later email about being a business owner in our downtown:

Isn’t there some sort of Downtown Whitewater Inc. that
is supposed to be supporting downtown business? We
have never ever seen this new “director” that we make
yearly contributions in order to pay her salary.

We have been at our current location for 6 years and
have been in a constant battle with various city
officials – simply to get them to do the jobs they are
being payed for.

I would like to see some time devoted in your column
to let the public realize that city does not, in fact,
support business the way they claim. Instead, they
seemingly make every attempt to chase businesses away.

Anyway, its time we stop keeping to ourselves about
the problems with the city the way we had hoped. I
think the people of Whitewater deserve to know that
the city is not giving the support to bring in outside
businesses. The City of Whitewater apparently would
rather its residents drive to Fort or Janesville to
spend their money.

I believe we are the fastest growing business in the
downtown area and the city is trying to chase us away
- either with a purpose or because of their
incompetence – and those officials that are offended
by that remark are probably the ones NOT doing their
jobs the way they would like the residents to believe.

Here is my reply:

Thanks very much for taking the time to visit my site, and to email me, albeit under disagreeable circumstances. It’s hard to run a business anywhere, much less in a small town with a fragile economy. After you wrote, I headed over to the downtown, to look at some of the concerns that you mentioned about snow and parking.

Here is a message I received from a reader with the excellent pen name, “John Kennedy.”

Thank you for offering a resource for alternative opinions in our City. I, too, love Whitewater, but agree there are many improvements can be made, and many of them begin with our local government. I wonder why there is growth all around our City, but there is nothing happening here. Is it the “reputation” Whitewater is rumored to have? Thank you for the time you devote to the website. With the current political climate, I expect your readership will continue to grow.

My reply:

No, thank you for visiting FREE WHITEWATER, and for your kind words. We can build a new and better reputation, but only through genuine reform. When we are open and fair, we will be happy and prosperous. We were this way once, and we will be this way again.

Best regards, Adams

I received the following email from a member of the Common Council. I have altered the letter to preserve the anonymity of the author. The email is in black, my reply appears in blue.

Mr. Adams,

I understand that you, like a fair number of others, do not like some of the provisions in the 2008 budget. However, I do not think that it is fair for you to completely blame Kevin [Brunner] for the Common Council’s actions. We voted 4-3 to hire an additional police officer, which obviously means a majority of the council. You cannot expect Kevin to question his boss’ decisions publicly in his weekly report, whether he agrees with us or not (which you should probably look into before claiming that he was in support of our action). It is true that he did not mention the contingency fund contribution loss, but he also did not mention several funding sources of the many of our projects, items, and services. If you want someone to blame for the the budget, blame me. I was one of the seven voting members and Kevin was not. I stand by my vote 100%, but I think that you should give criticism where it’s due, even if it means more heat on me…I can handle it.

Again, thank you for sharing your opinions with our community; it really does help me do a better job.

Adams: