At the conservative Commentary, Peter Wehner offers a critical assessment of the federal administration that I think would be more apt for the municipal administration of Whitewater, Wisconsin: Its policies are failing, its popularity is sinking, its excuses aren’t working, and its incompetence is showing. Yet the administration appears incapable of admitting – even to…
City
City, Planning
Whitewater’s Planning Commission Meeting for 7-12-10 (Live Blogging)
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s the format I will be using for live blogging tonight’s Planning Commission meeting. I wouldn’t expect anyone to read my comments live; instead, I’m interested in experimenting with live blogging to produce commentary more quickly. (My comments will remain after the meeting for later viewing.) The window will become live just before 6 PM,…
City, Economy, Planning
Meeting with Confidence the Challenge of the Hard Economic Times Likely Ahead
by JOHN ADAMS •
It’s seems ever clearer that there is no “Recovery Summer” in store this year for America’s economy. The problems of the last few years haven’t been solved. What will happen next is disputed, between those who see a second recession, those who see growth so weak it will feel like a recession, and those who…
Beautiful Whitewater, City, Law, Police, Politics
Citizens’ Complaints and the Reaction of Misguided, Selfish Officials
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s a question about (limited) government: If the residents of a town want an official fired, is the fundamental problem that they’re asking that he be fired, or the reason that they’re asking? In the Township of Linn, not far from Whitewater, a group of residents want the police chief fired. They’ve filed a complaint…
City, Economy, Government Spending
After Ineffective Spending, an Effective Comparative Advantage Solution
by JOHN ADAMS •
There are two recent stories that highlight the challenges facing the national economy, and that implicitly show the impossibility of a national solution to Whitewater, Wisconsin, or any other small town. One has probably read that U.S. Representative Ryan of Wisconsin said that he thought of “the stimulus as a sugar high.” See, Top Republican:…
City, Economy
U.S. Private-sector Job Growth Lags in June – JSOnline
by JOHN ADAMS •
The stark numbers, and then the stark reality: The economic recovery limped ahead last month as the nation’s private-sector employers added an anemic 83,000 jobs – a pace far too slow to replace the 8.5 million jobs obliterated by the recession. June marked the second consecutive month of wheezing private-sector job creation, and long-term unemployment…
City, Holiday
Whitewater’s Fourth of July Events
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater’s Independence weekend events continue, and a full description is available at ww4th.com. Here’s what’s upcoming: Saturday, July 3rd (Kid’s Day) 12 Noon Festival Opens – Midway by Christman Amusement Opens (Arm Bands 12PM-4PM) – American Legion Beer Tent Opens – Food Vendors Open 12:00 noon – 4:00PM – Children’s petting zoo – Sponsored by…
City, School District
It’s Online for All: The City of Beloit’s Good Government Example
by JOHN ADAMS •
Yesterday, I posted on the use of paper documents rather than timely and easily accessible public ones, in places like my own town, Whitewater, Wisconsin. See, “It’s in Your Packet.” The best part of publishing a website isn’t writing, but is reading the good ideas and information from generous readers. A fine example would be…
City, Economy, Government Spending
Forewarned is Forearmed: Facing the Tough Going Ahead
by JOHN ADAMS •
Dr. James Hussman, of the Hussman Funds wrote recently that he sees a possibility of a second recession in the offing. (I have no connection to the fund.) He writes that “[b]ased on evidence that has always and only been observed during or immediately prior to U.S. recessions, the U.S. economy appears headed into a…
City, School District
“It’s in Your Packet”
by JOHN ADAMS •
Often, during a public meeting, one will hear a public employee tell members of a council, board, or commission that an item to be considered is available as part of a packet of documents provided to each member of the public body meeting that night. It’s all casual and blithe: “It’s in your packet,” someone…
City, Law
Good, Open Government and Email
by JOHN ADAMS •
Wisconsin has both a Public Records Law (Wis. Stat. ss. 19.31-19.39 (2003)), and an Open Meetings Law (Wis. Stat. ss. 19.81-19.98. Both are designed to ensure that citizens will have access to government actions in communication and deliberation. These laws represent the goal of an open Wisconsin, committed to good and open, limited and responsible…
City, Law
The City of Whitewater’s Test of Impartiality and Fairness
by JOHN ADAMS •
I wrote last week about the City of Whitewater’s survey for information about a community calendar on the municipal website. See, Community Calendars. FREE WHITEWATER’s not really a community calendar, but there are private ones already available, so the city’s suggestion that it might produce its own version is odd. There’s no insuperable impediment to…
City, Economy, Government Spending
Wall Street Journal: The Keynesian Dead End
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s an editorial from last week’s Wall Street Journal entitled, The Keynesian Dead End: Spending our way to prosperity is going out of style. (In fairness, many plans implemented as “Keynesian” would probably shock Keynes, himself. To reflect this truth, the WSJ refers to recent policies Neo-Keynesian. Emphasis on the “neo,” I wouldn’t wonder.) The…
City, Economy, Government Spending
Associated Press: Economy Faces Tough Road Ahead with Slower Growth – Yahoo! Finance
by JOHN ADAMS •
Status quo efforts to restore prosperity, especially to places like tiny Whitewater, Wisconsin, won’t work. We don’t need more public projects; we need more private opportunities. Whitewater’s municipal government can’t make our lives better, and the road ahead is too uneven to expect conventional solutions to help us. Our way out: dismantling every part of…