There are many inspirational videos available online, but few more so than one of the entries to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s “I am Free Enterprise” video contest. A video about small-business owner Tracy Foster, who makes a line of stylish camera bags, is now a finalist in the Chamber’s contest. (I wrote about the…
Free Markets
Free Markets
Reason.tv: A Delicious Free Enterprise Contest Entry
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s a video from Reason.tv’s Meredith Bragg. Entitled, “A Delicious Free Enterprise Contest Entry,” it’s one of the finalists in the the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s “I Am Free Enterprise” video contest. The winner of will receive a $50,000 grand prize, to be determined through online voting. Readers can vote and view the other finalists…
City, Free Markets, Planning, Politics
Whitewater Local Government’s Favoritism of Some Local Businesses Over Others
by JOHN ADAMS •
In towns across America, private businesses and groups compete for support. This is to be expected and defended in a free society. That competition for support need not — and should not — receive a preferential boost from local government. It’s only in a community where bureaucrats are confused about the limits of government that…
City, Development, Free Markets, Laws/Regulations, Planning
Local Merchants and Whitewater’s Walmart, Co-Existing
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ve contended before that many local businesses can do very well alongside Walmart, and will weather an expansion of our current Walmart, store number 1274 of that retail chain. I can safely say this, because in towns across America with Walmarts, there are other businesses, too. They co-exist. Consumers should be able to make choices…
Free Markets, Law, Laws/Regulations
Freeing Small Farms: Minnesota Farms Fight Protectionism
by JOHN ADAMS •
One often hears that residents should ‘shop locally.’ That’s a choice any consumer should be able to make. What would happen if a city told residents that not only should they shop locally, but that they could only buy products produced locally? Not a suggestion, not a request, but a law that said: Residents can…
City, Free Markets, Laws/Regulations, Planning
Whitewater’s Planning Commission Meeting: Residential Overlay Miscellany
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s a bit more on the proposed overlay — there are arguments that I’ve made before, but did not repeat in my 5/16/10 post about the May 10th Planning Commission meeting. The proposed overlay has a grandfather clause for existing rental properties, but that hardly solves the long-term problem of restrictions on buying and selling…
Free Markets
Should People Raise Really, Really Tiny Horses? Sure, Why Not?
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a story at Wired about the world’s smallest horse. Named Einstein, he was “…born in late April on a farm in New Hampshire. Weighing in at 6 pounds at birth, Einstein appears to have beaten the previous record holder by three whole pounds.” See, Could a Mini Horse Be Bred Small Enough to Fit…
Charity, Development, Economy, Free Markets, Planning, Poverty, Press
Madison’s Isthmus: Janesville on the Brink
by JOHN ADAMS •
From Madison’s Isthmus, one reads a story about hardship in nearby Janesville, hardship that should be of concern to those in Whitewater, too. No matter how dire the conditions for Janesville now, I believe that an abandonment of virtually every aspect of commercial and business regulation, along with drastic reductions in government spending except principally…
Free Markets, Law, Laws/Regulations, Liberty
CNN: Rights Groups Say They Will Challenge New Arizona Immigration Law
by JOHN ADAMS •
A legal challenge is right and inevitable: Arizona’s law will lead to abuse of citizens and non-citizens, and will inhibit a free market in labor, making Arizonans poorer and life there harsher. The law is destined for failure and obloquy, as were the restrictive efforts in California under Gov. Pete Wilson years ago. (That’s something…
Free Markets, Laws/Regulations
Private Space Exploration – Absence of Regulation Helped Early Aviation, Would Help Now
by JOHN ADAMS •
Free Markets, Laws/Regulations, Liberty
Cosmetology Nannies, Part 2: Expensive Courses for Eyebrow Threading
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s the second of two posts on cosmetology. (I’ll tackle all manner of topics at FREE WHITEWATER.) The post is about a Texas salon owner who is among those who brought a venerable practice, eyebrow threading, to the Lone Star state. It may seem new to us, but it has been practiced safely abroad, and…
Free Markets, Laws/Regulations, Liberty
Cosmetology Nannies, Part 1: Banning Fish Pedicures
by JOHN ADAMS •
Readers can guess correctly that I don’t spend much time considering cosmetology. Unfortunately, some bureaucrats spend too much time regulating cosmetology. These regulations often inhibit new procedures, favor incumbent businesses over newcomers, and insist on unnecessary and expensive licensing. (The price for mandated coursework benefits, first and foremost, those who are in the business of…
City, Development, Free Markets, Planning
Visalia, California’s Sensible Choice in Favor of a Free Market
by JOHN ADAMS •
Visalia, California is far from Whitewater, Wisconsin. (It’s about 2100 miles by car, according to Google Maps.) Despite the distance, they recently confronted a question like one we in Whitewater once faced. In Whitewater, we once foolishly imposed a moratorium on residential apartments in our downtown; in Visalia, they considered and rejected a moratorium on…
City, Development, Free Markets, Government Spending, Laws/Regulations, Planning
A Bigger Walmart Proposed for Whitewater, Wisconsin
by JOHN ADAMS •
I wrote once about the Walmart, No. 1274, in Whitewater. (Walmart now uses a name without a hyphen in advertising. I’m guessing they consider it both simpler and more upscale than “Wal-Mart.”) I wrote about Walmart a while ago, and a lot has changed. Walmart now sells both beer and liquor, there’s no east side…