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Economy

Authoritarianism, Daily Bread, Economy, Politics, Poverty, Recession, That Which Paved the Way

Daily Bread for 12.2.21: Kasparov on How Foreign Dissidents Can Help Renew U.S. Democracy

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Good morning. Thursday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 49.  Sunrise is 7:07 AM and sunset 4:21 PM for 9h 13m 28s of daytime.  The moon is a waning crescent with 4.8% of its visible disk illuminated. Whitewater Fire Department, Inc. holds a business meeting at 5:30 PM and the Landmarks Commission meets…

City, Conspiracy Theories, Development, Disinformation, Economy, Ignorance, Local Government, Medicine, School District, Vaccines

Daily Bread for 9.26.21: The Vaccine Divide and the Economic Divide

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Good morning. Sunday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 82.  Sunrise is 6:47 AM and sunset 6:43 PM for 11h 55m 49s of daytime.  The moon is a waning gibbous with 73% of its visible disk illuminated.  On this day in 1789, George Washington appoints Thomas Jefferson the first United States Secretary…

City, Daily Bread, Economy, Poverty, School District, Technology

Daily Bread for 8.16.21: Broadband Gaps, Right Here in Whippet City

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Good morning. Monday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 84. Sunrise is 6:03 AM and sunset 7:54 PM, for 13h 50m 37s of daytime.  The moon is a waxing gibbous with 59.7% of its visible disk illuminated. Whitewater’s Equal Opportunities Commission meets at 5 PM, the Community Development Authority at 5:30 PM,…

America, CDA, Common Council, Development, Economics, Economy, Free Markets, Local Government, Regulatory Capture, WEDC

Competition: Good for Individuals and Society

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Pres. Biden plans measures to increase market competition. David Leonhardt reports Biden’s New Push (‘The U.S. economy suffers from a lack of competition. President Biden wants to change that’): The U.S. economy has been less dynamic in the 21st century, by many measures, than it was in the late 20th century. Fewer new businesses are starting.…

Business, Economy, Free Markets, Labor, Lobbyists

Businesses, Workers, Goods, and Services

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Over at Dan Shafer’s Recombobulation Area, guest columnist Shawn Phetteplace reminds us that WMC Doesn’t Speak for All Businesses. Phetteplace, the state manager for the Main Street Alliance, writes that When former Gov. Scott Walker declared Wisconsin “Open for Business,” what he meant was it was open for deregulation, tax cuts, and special deals to…

Bad Ideas, CDA, Corporate Welfare, Development, Economics, Economy, Foxconn, Government Spending, Mendacity, Scott Walker, Trump, WEDC

Foxconn: New, More Realistic Deal Means 90% Reduction in Goals

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After years of flamboyant lies about what Foxconn would be able to achieve in Wisconsin, there’s a new deal with that foreign corporation. That new arrangement reflects a reduction of 90% or more in what Wisconsin expects and what the state will offer. Local governments have already wasted millions on absurdly grandiose, false promises Not…

Boosterism, CDA, City, Culture, Economics, Economy, Local Government, Politics, School District, That Which Paved the Way, University

Local Politics Hasn’t Been Merely ‘Local’ for Years

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Over at the Wisconsin Examiner, Henry Redman writes (with concern) that All politics is national (‘Candidates for local office are ignoring community issues, instead highlighting national culture wars’). First, Redman’s case, then a few remarks. Woodman [Kyle Woodman, a Republican running for Eau Claire’s city council] is part of a mostly conservative group of candidates…

CDA, City, Conflicts of Interest, Development, Economy, Free Markets, Law, Laws/Regulations, Local Government, Regulatory Capture

Texas (But Not Only Texas): Regulatory Capture

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Regulatory capture is a simple concept: it applies when regulatory agencies become dominated by the industries or interests they are by law required to regulate. These agencies begin to act to benefit particular incumbent firms or people in the industry they are supposed to be overseeing. The concept is also sometimes called agency capture or…

City, Economy, University, UW System

The Bad Economy Isn’t Causing Good Enrollment Numbers

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Catherine Rampell observes Tough economies usually push people into more education. It’s not happening this time. She writes that Usually, postsecondary enrollment increases during tough economies, as workers seek shelter from the lousy job market and invest in upgrading their skills. This can be a (small) silver lining of downturns: If displaced workers choose wisely…

City, Disinformation, Economy, Employment, Poverty

Unemployment Imagined and Real

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National unemployment figures have been undercounting the true number of those unemployed. Rachel Siegel reports Fed chair: Unemployment rate was closer to 10 percent, not 6.3 percent, in January: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell said Wednesday that the unemployment rate in January was “close to 10 percent,” significantly higher than the 6.3 percent rate…