When one thinks of a small town – or sees depictions of a small town in books or films – one imagines that the people who work in the town also live in the town. So, city workers live in the town, teachers live in the town, and campus professors live in the town. For…
City
Babbittry, City, Corruption, Federal Government, Law, Local Government, Official Misconduct, Open Government, Police, Politics, State Government
Cameras, Not Committees
by JOHN ADAMS •
Recent protests across America against excessive and biased use of police force began after ordinary people in those communities recorded official (to the point of murderous) actions, and then shared their recordings with others. It was not government – local, state, or federal – that promptly shared these recordings of excessive force; it was ordinary…
Babbittry, Bad Ideas, Boosterism, City, Culture, Local Government, Politics, School District, University
The Lingering Problem of Local Exceptionalism
by JOHN ADAMS •
A common error in small rural communities is the persistent, false claim that local officials are examples of a local exceptionalism that makes them implicitly immune from the flaws and mistakes that beset the rest of humanity. Under this thinking, while there may be problems in the wider world, there are no local examples of…
City, Education, School District
The (Unexpectedly) Divergent Paths Before the Whitewater Schools
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Whitewater Unified School district is looking for a new district administrator. The public K-12 district serves Whitewater and some smaller towns nearby. Over the last two days, the two finalists for that position participated in public forums held via audiovisual conferencing. There’s no reason whatever to doubt that both candidates are sincere in their…
Babbittry, Boosterism, City, Culture, Local Government, Politics
Local Voting & Voting Locally in Whitewater
by JOHN ADAMS •
The spring election, conducted during a pandemic, is now behind Wisconsin. There’s little question that statewide, it was a good night for Jill Karofsky and Lisa Neubauer. (I supported both candidates.) Whitewater – the city proper – also supported these candidates. A majority of the city’s voters did, in fact, prefer these voters even while…
City, Demographics, Television
Broadband Gaps
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a story over at Wisconsin Watch that reports on the broadband gap in rural Wisconsin communities. Peter Cameron reports Broadband gap leaves rural Wisconsin behind during coronavirus crisis (‘Wisconsin’s dearth of high-speed internet in rural areas makes virtual schooling, remote health care and working from home even more difficult’): Already, Wisconsin lags behind the…
City, Public Health, Reasoning
Specific Numerical Claims Require a Citation
by JOHN ADAMS •
During a public health emergency involving a contagious infection, it is possible – and so it is rational – to assume that some portion of that emergency lies hidden beyond one’s immediate view. This likelihood can be described simply, in this very way: some portion of this emergency likely lies hidden beyond one’s immediate view.
Update, 3.28.20: the original article linked below has been updated (with the remaining, substantially-cited portions helpfully still present). A personal note in this, sincerely offered: a thank you to the editor for the update. We find ourselves – as an entire country – in startling and difficult circumstances. We will make our way as best we can.
Remaining original remarks after the excerpt –
Babbittry, Boosterism, CDA, City, Development, Economics, Economy, Free Markets, Local Government, Poverty, School District, WEDC, Wisconsin
Local Public Policy as if Charitable Assistance
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater’s policymakers, and those of other small, rural cities, should – in these times of economic stagnation, a lingering opioid crisis, failed business welfare, and an approaching recession – view their principal obligation as if it were charitable outreach. (It’s not charity, of course, but that’s how policymakers should view it: as both palliative and…
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, March 10th, 12:30 PM @ Seniors in the Park, Jojo Rabbit
by JOHN ADAMS •
?? This Tuesday, March 10th at 12:30 PM, there will be a showing of Jojo Rabbit @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin Community Building: (Satiric Comedy/Drama/War) Rated PG-13 1 hour, 48 minutes (2019) Young Jojo Betzler is a member of the Hitler Youth in 1940’s Germany. Lonely and saddled with the nickname “Rabbit,” he…
City, Law, University
March 4, 2020 @ 5:15 PM: What is DACA? (A Legal Understanding)
by JOHN ADAMS •
Bad Ideas, CDA, City, Conflicts of Interest, Development, Economics, Economy, Free Markets, Local Government, Special Interests, WEDC
Miscellany on Development Policy in Whitewater
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a significant difference between local, political calls for urgency and genuine need. Recent discussions about development policy in Whitewater only bolster this view. A few remarks (as I’ve been asked more than once what I think of the last two months’ events) — Independence. The best decision one could make when writing about policy…
City, Film
Film: Tuesday, February 25th, 12:30 PM @ Seniors in the Park, Judy
by JOHN ADAMS •
?? This Tuesday, February 11th at 12:30 PM, there will be a showing of Judy @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin Community Building: (Biography/Drama) Rated PG-13 1 hour, 58 minutes (2019) A biography recounting the rough and harrowing later years of Judy Garland. The action takes place during a 1969 European concert tour in…
City, Courts, Elections, Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Supreme Court Race
by JOHN ADAMS •
Yesterday’s spring primary included a statewide contest for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, with incumbent Justice Dan Kelly and challengers Judge Jill Karofsky and Professor Ed Fallone. (It was the only race on Whitewater’s ballot, as there were no contested local races). A few remarks — Statewide. Kelly and Karofsky will move on to the spring…
Bad Ideas, CDA, City, Corporate Welfare, Development, Economy, Foxconn, Government Spending, Local Government, Public Relations, WEDC
Do Yorkshire Terriers Dream of Being Wolves?
by JOHN ADAMS •
Perhaps Yorkshire terriers dream each night of being ferocious wolves. If that should be so, and if even tiny dogs imagine themselves as mighty predators, then there may be a natural explanation – in animals and people – for the yearning of smarmy local development men for gigantic corporate welfare schemes. Of those men and…