One can expect to read of more suits like this, against sundry state and local governments that have issued bonds – The Securities and Exchange Commission, in its first securities-fraud case against a state, accused New Jersey of misleading investors about the health of its two largest state pensions while selling billions of dollars in…
Government Spending
Government Spending
Which Government Programs are Real and Which are Fake?
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at Reason’s Rough Cut group blog, there’s a posted video entitled, “Which Government Projects are Real and Which are Fake?” “Joke-telling robots, expensive walking tunnels, BlackBerries for smokers, and training American prostitutes to drink responsibly. What do these things have in common? They’re all questionable government spending projects in a time when our economy…
City, Government Spending, Taxes/Taxation
The Whitewater, Wisconsin City Manager’s Unpersuasive Lament
by JOHN ADAMS •
I read, each week, the Weekly Report from Whitewater’s City Manager, Kevin Brunner. The August 13th issue has clippings that Brunner chose to include from news stories and columns published elsewhere. Brunner included one from New York Times columnist Paul Krugman. Here’s the clipping Brunner included: Krugman States Anti-Government Movement Hurting “Basic Government Functions.” Paul…
Government Spending
Voters Back Tough Steps to Reduce Budget Deficit – WSJ.com
by JOHN ADAMS •
Government Spending, School District
A Referendum for Whitewater, Wisconsin’s Schools
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a story at GazetteXtra.com about a November referendum for the Whitewater Unified School District. See, Whitewater schools seeking referendum. I haven’t written much about our schools lately. There’s been talk about a referendum for months, but no commitment in the press until now. The Gazette reports that “the school board is expected to approve…
Government Spending
Congress Can Withhold Funds from ACORN, Federal Court Rules
by JOHN ADAMS •
Government Spending
Nevermind layoffs, Milwaukee teachers union sues over male members’ right to erection help — Los Angeles Times
by JOHN ADAMS •
It’s a national story now – Andrew Malcolm of the Los Angeles Times covers the Milwaukee Teachers’ Union’s demands and dubious legal basis for those demands — The Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Assn. has gone to court asking a judge to order the financially strapped school board to reinstate coverage for Viagra, Levitra, Cialis and other…
Government Spending, Taxes/Taxation
JOHN STOSSEL: Memo to Alan Greenspan — Zip It
by JOHN ADAMS •
….[Greenspan] says he supported the 2001 cuts because of pending budget surpluses, but now that huge deficits loom, new revenues are needed. Why? Brian Riedl of the Heritage Foundation says that since the cuts, “The rich are now shouldering even more of the income tax burden.” The deficit has grown not because we are undertaxed…
Economy, Government Spending, Taxes/Taxation
Krugman Is Wrong on Ryan and the CBO – McArdle @ The Atlantic
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park, Planning
Buildings in Tokyo, Japan and in Whitewater, Wisconsin
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s an intriguing video on YouTube that records in time-lapse filming the construction of a tower in Tokyo. It’s the Tokyo Sky Tree. The video depicts work over an extended period. (Although the description on YouTube somewhat misstates the timespan of the recording, it’s still fascinating.) Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb8MUeZrxbc. Despite all its beauty, the video invites…
Government Spending
Mark Budman: New Jobs at $100,000 a Pop?
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Local Jobs for America Act proposes to spend up to $100 billion to create and save a million public and private jobs in communities this year. While a million jobs sounds like a huge number, let’s look at the money spent on that task and analyze the premise…. The money will go someplace, obviously,…