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Gluttony

Gluttony, Grifters, Trump

GOP Cribs

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The Never Trump Republicans of the Lincoln Project have criticized Trump more than once, and are now burrowed deep under his oddly-pigmented skin. They’re highly effective in the way that Russian dissidents were highly effective against the brutality of the Soviet Union: no one knew both those experiences and the character of the regime that…

Authoritarianism, Bigotry, Conway, Ethics, Gluttony, Grifters, Impeachment, Kakistocracy, Medicine, Mendacity, Nepotism, Never Trump, Official Misconduct, Sloth, Trump, Trump-Russia, Unfit

Trump’s Condition: Unfit by Many Standards

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It’s enough, as an indictment of Trump, to see and then reject his role on purely political grounds: a bigoted autocrat of limited knowledge & reasoning ability with a love of foreign dictators and contempt for American liberal democracy.  One doesn’t need a training in medicine to reject Trump. There are, however, compelling critiques of…

CDA, Development, Economics, Economy, Gluttony, Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park, Local Government, Press, Public Relations, WEDC

‘WEDC has been a disaster from the get-go’

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After years of defending the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, one newspaper (out of several in the area) finally concedes the obvious:  ‘WEDC has been a disaster from the get-go.’ See, from 11.28.15, http://www.gazettextra.com/20151128/our_views_consider_two_steps_for_salvaging_state8217s_job_creation_agency, subscription req’d. Yes, it has been a disaster, as politicized intervention in the economy, to the benefit of one’s well-fed, white-collar executive…

CDA, Development, Economy, Gluttony, Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park, Local Government, Newspapers, Poverty, Press

Theranos as a Cautionary Tale

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Theranos is a much-hyped biomedical start-up that’s fallen in valuation and reputation (not always the same thing) following published doubts (e.g., @ Wall Street Journal, Fortune) about its supposedly revolutionary technology. Here’s the meaning of this story for Whitewater: Theranos had the participation (and attention) of some of the most gifted men and women in America,…

Blogging, Business, CDA, City, Free Markets, Gluttony, Local Government, New Media, New Whitewater, Politics

If Market-Based Solutions Are Superior to Cronyism, Why Are There So Many Cronies?

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Here’s a question, concerning even small towns like Whitewater, for which the Financial Times publishes an answer: If market-based solutions are superior to cronyism, why are there so many cronies? First, there aren’t that many cronies (or insistent insiders) in Whitewater or elsewhere, but the few there are manipulate or intimidate weak reporters at local papers into representing their numbers as…

CDA, Corporate Welfare, Gluttony, Government Spending, Local Government, WEDC

WEDC Spends More, Produces Less

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It should come as no surprise that the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s millions in taxpayer handouts to well-fed executives and political cronies are producing less with each successive spending spree: The state’s flagship job-creation agency handed out nearly $90 million more in economic development awards last year than the previous year, yet those awards are…

Corporate Welfare, Gluttony, Government Spending, Politics, WEDC

The Weakness of Sugar Cubes

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When conditions are dry, sugar cubes are fairly sturdy. When placed in coffee, they don’t last long. View image | gettyimages.com Cronyism is like this – it does well in the dry jar of municipal officials, insiders, press-toads, big-business lobbyists, and their lightheaded cheerleaders. In the bracing coffee of careful analysis, sound economics, and impartial…

CDA, Economics, Economy, Gluttony, Gov. Walker, Government Spending, WEDC

The WEDC Taints Walker (and local officials even more)

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The WEDC is a state and national story that has local implications. Some of the toughest political battles are intra-party ones: Republicans or Democrats fighting against fellow party members for their respective primary nominations.  For rival Republicans, Gov. Walker’s creation of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation will offer a legitimate and compelling line of attack against his…

Business, Corporate Welfare, Gluttony, Government Spending, WEDC

WEDC Leader Quits: “It is time for me to return to my previous retired status”

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Having presided over the national embarrassment that is the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, WEDC leader Reed Hall now heads for the exit:   The state’s top economic development agency, stung by a series of scathing audits, media reports about questionable loans and accusations of mismanagement, is once again seeking new leadership. After three years steering…

CDA, City, Corporate Welfare, Economics, Economy, Gluttony, Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park, Local Government, Politics, WEDC, Wisconsin

The State’s WEDC and Whitewater’s Facsimiles

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Ongoing revelations about the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation are a double concern: they’re stories of statewide malfeasance, and those revelations beg the question of how local officials in Whitewater are managing their own pools of public money. First, the latest stories (it’s a steady stream) of state-level error, waste, and negligence: Madison— Failing to run…