Over at the Wall Street Journal, Nobel laureate in economics Gary Becker and Univ. of Chicago economist Kevin Murphy ask, “Have We Lost the War on Drugs?” Their answer is that we have, and what Richard Nixon began in 1971 has been a forty-years’ failure: President Richard Nixon declared a “war on drugs” in 1971.…
Law
Crime, Health, Law, Laws/Regulations
Wisconsin and Marijuana and the Drug War
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Colorado and Washington State are backing away from the Drug War, having recently decriminalized minor marijuana offenses. The long-term prospects for widespread drug prohibition, of the kind we’ve had for a generation, aren’t good: it’s been too much money, and for no lasting gain. It’s a fair guess that by the 2033, the hundred-year anniversary…
City, Law, Local Government, Police
Common Council Session of 12.18.12: On the Police and Fire Commission
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Here’s my third post on the 12.18.12 session. Seeing a need to harmonize Whitewater’s municipal code with state statutes, Council restored the title of Police and Fire Commission to a citizen’s commission previously known as the Police Commission. Years ago, I remarked how odd it was that Whitewater’s PFC never addressed fire department matters, name…
43rd Assembly District, Law, Open Government, Politics
Choosing Wrongly
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
A new legislator starts out with a promise of independent thinking, and with a clean slate before him. One hears that he’ll represent only his constituents, regardless of party, buck his own party whenever necessary, and stand only on principle. He’s photographed signing the legislator’s book, attending some civic events, and touts some (but not…
Human Nature, Law
The True Measure of Institutional Greatness
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Most communities – even small ones — have a few larger institutions, and Whitewater is no exception. The measure of those institutions is not how they protect their leaders’ reputations, but how they support and nurture the many individuals, separate and distinct, of which they are formed. This is true even when those individuals meet…
America, Federal Government, History, Holiday, Law, Liberty, Politics
Happy Constitution Day
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Freedom of Speech, Law, Local Government, New Media
First Amendment and Social Media in Federal Lawsuit Against City of Honolulu, Local Police
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
There’s a case in Hawaii, in federal court, that may limit a city’s restrictions on municipal webpages and social media. If municipal agencies establish Facebook or other social media pages, can they censor critical comments from among all other comments? That’s the question before the court in Hawaii, about the comments policy of the Honolulu…
Law, Liberty, Local Government, Open Government
Chetek, WI bans open public comments from council meetings
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
The elected representatives of Chetek, WI would rather their constituents ask permission to speak openly to those they’ve elected: Mum is the word in a local community after the mayor removes people’s ability to come into city council meetings and openly speak their minds. If residents of Chetek have something to say at city council…
Crime, Law, Liberty
Oregon Man Sentenced to 30 Days in Jail — for Collecting Rainwater on His Property
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Is collecting rainwater that falls on your property a crime? It is in Oregon: A rural Oregon man was sentenced Wednesday to 30 days in jail and over $1,500 in fines because he had three reservoirs on his property to collect and use rainwater. Gary Harrington of Eagle Point, Ore., says he plans to appeal…
Law, Liberty
The Legal Implications of Writing Fan Fiction
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
CDA, City, Development, Green Energy Holdings, Law, Local Government
Questions for the CDA about a Proposal with Green Energy Holdings
by JOHN ADAMS • • 2 Comments
Yesterday, I posted a series of general questions about a proposed deal with Green Energy Holdings for a waste digester. See, Preliminary & General Questions about a Proposal with Green Energy Holdings. (For all posts about this deal, I’ve a designated category.) Today, here are questions specific to the Whitewater Community Development Authority’s role in…
City, Law, Open Government, Planning
The Long and Good Meeting
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Last Monday, June 11th, Whitewater’s Common Council and Planning Commission met jointly, to receive a sixty-two-page .pdf presentation from Graef Consulting as part of a zoning rewrite project. The meeting lasted about three hours, during which members of Council and the Planning Commission heard residents’ views on the presentation. The easiest description would be to…
Law, Libertarians, Liberty
Justice Kennedy the….Libertarian
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
The Cato Institute’s David Boaz teases the venerable Time magazine about its cover story on Justice Anthony Kennedy’s supposedly inscrutable jurisprudence. (Time is a survivor – it’s really the only remaining newsmagazine of its kind; it’s fared far better than rival publications.) Massimo Calabresi and David Von Drehle write in that magazine that Efforts to…