Here’s why —
Free Markets
Business, City, Free Markets, Good Ideas, Hip & Prosperous, Local Government, New Whitewater, Planning
The Planning Commission Meeting for 11.11.13
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater’s Planning Commission met last night, and among the topics was consideration of re-zoning and a conditional use permit for Casual Joe’s, a new restaurant, tavern, and distillery to operate at 319 W. James Street (at the site of a long-unused commercial building, the former Fort Auto Body). On 4-3 votes, a majority of…
Business, Economy, Free Markets, Hip & Prosperous, Laws/Regulations, Local Government, Planning
Why Plan?
by JOHN ADAMS •
All people make plans for the future, even if that should be no farther ahead than for later the same day. Why specifically, though, should government plan? Every city has plans for development, plans for budgeting, and many (as we do in Whitewater) have a public commission with lawful authority to approve or reject certain…
Business, Economy, Free Markets, Hip & Prosperous
Downtown Whitewater and an Emerging Business Culture
by JOHN ADAMS •
At Tuesday’s Common Council meeting, there was a brief presentation from two board members of Downtown Whitewater (DTWW), with others from that group also in attendance. In the life of a small town, success of merchants matters greatly. (I’m opposed to pitting local independent merchants against local chain stores, but I very much support local…
Business, Free Markets, Laws/Regulations, Liberty
Update: Victory for the Entrepreneurial Monks of Saint Joseph Abbey in Louisiana
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over three years ago, I posted about Louisiana’s attempt to prevent the monks of Saint Joseph Abbey from making and selling handmade caskets. Their products were of fine craftsmanship and durability, and so sought-after. Despite the quality of their work, Louisiana insisted that only a state-licensed funeral director could sell caskets, and that it was a crime…
Business, City, Development, Free Markets, Hip & Prosperous, New Whitewater
Whitewater’s Common Council Meeting for 10.15.13 (Downtown Whitewater and Whitewater’s Merchant Class)
by JOHN ADAMS •
Municipal funding for local business groups, including Downtown Whitewater, Inc., lies ahead. I’ll not discuss those line items today. Instead, I’ll offer a simple observation about local merchants. Whitewater has spent too much time and money on failed big-ticket, white-collar projects and too little time on her local, merchant class. I’ve no particular interest in favoring local retailers over national…
Free Markets, Politics, Weird Tales
Do Rally Monkeys Really Spark Market Rallies?
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at the Financial Times, there’s a post that has a video of a rally monkey, and the possibilty of a market rally if there’s a House-Obama compromise on the debt-ceiling (and perhaps on the shutdown, too.) Well, a political pact might spark a rally, but what role does the monkey, himself, play? Most likely none,…
Free Markets, Immigration, Labor, Law, New Whitewater
Who Should Live in Whitewater?
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Food, Free Markets, Laws/Regulations, Liberty
Whitewater’s ‘Transient Merchant’ Ordinance is Only Half That
by JOHN ADAMS •
Whitewater has a Transient Merchant Ordinance, at Chapter 5.28, et seq., of her Municipal Code, but the ordinance’s title is only half right. It’s not merely an ordinance that restricts food trucks’ sales, but also and necessarily consumers’ purchases. It’s part Transient Merchant Ordinance and part Consumer Restriction Ordinance. Each and every time a city…
Economy, Free Markets
Free markets as the secret to Sweden’s success?
by JOHN ADAMS •
Yes, Sweden. And yes, they have been, as Stefan Karlsson observes: …Sweden during its most free market oriented era, from 1870 to 1950, had the highest rate of per capita economic growth in the world. After massive tax and spending increases during the 1950s and 1960s, Sweden stopped outperforming other countries….However, free market reforms implemented…
Economy, Free Markets, Labor
Immigration Myths
by JOHN ADAMS •
Free Markets
Cabs and Free Markets
by JOHN ADAMS •
Cabs are often hard to find, and they’re more expensive than they would be if they were more plentiful. Why is that? Jeanette Petersen of the Institute for Justice talks about the reasons it’s hard to get a cab: Cabs can also be greener than other forms of transportation. They take a specific number of…
Economy, Free Markets, Freedom of Speech, Libertarians, Liberty
Happy Birthday, Dr. Friedman
by JOHN ADAMS •
Agriculture, Business, Food, Free Markets, Laws/Regulations
Boosting Big Farms at the Expense of Small Ones
by JOHN ADAMS •
It’s about as hard as ever to be a small famer in America. Some difficulties are simply a consequence of competition, by which both farmers (compelled to be more innovative) and consumers (getting better goods at lower prices) benefit. Yet, when government, itself, becomes a burden and hardship for small famers, we have tolerated what…