A community wants to impose a penalty for eye rolling at a meeting. An American community. More absurd still, they’ve asked their city attorney to research the matter. Among the books they’ve asked him to consult is Roberts Rules of Order. It’s a venerable guide, but imagine someone so clueless that he’d use it as…
Law
Economy, Free Markets, Law, Laws/Regulations, Politics
Milk, Wisconsin Dairies, Competition, and Anti-Trust
by JOHN ADAMS •
Jessica Vanegeren of the Capital Times has a thorough story online about the dairy industry in Wisconsin and beyond, entitled, Does Dean Foods Have Unfair Advantage? Hers is thorough description of the Wisconsin dairy scene, emphasizing the influence of Dean Foods. I would only add that our outgoing governor has shown himself susceptible of pressure…
Beautiful Whitewater, City, Law, Police, Politics
Citizens’ Complaints and the Reaction of Misguided, Selfish Officials
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s a question about (limited) government: If the residents of a town want an official fired, is the fundamental problem that they’re asking that he be fired, or the reason that they’re asking? In the Township of Linn, not far from Whitewater, a group of residents want the police chief fired. They’ve filed a complaint…
Law, Politics
Wisconsin Supreme Court Deadlocks in the Gableman Ethics Case
by JOHN ADAMS •
Wisconsin’s newest Supreme Court justice, Michael Gableman, is embroiled in an ethics case, and Wednesday night (!) that court deadlocked on whether Gableman committed misconduct. See, Supreme Court Deadlocks in Gableman Ethics Case. The issue before the court was. as Ryan Foley of the Associated Press notes, was “whether Justice Michael Gableman violated the judicial…
Law, Liberty
Reason.tv: “Citizenship and the Pursuit of Happiness”
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over an Independence Day holiday, I can think of no more inspiring story than that of people who have become American citizens. Enjoy. “Reason.tv caught up with immigrants to learn why they moved to a country that defines itself as a multicultural melting pot. Citizenship: The Pursuit of Happiness was produced and edited by Dan…
Law, Laws/Regulations, Liberty
Can Government Tell You What You Must Eat? Is There No Limit to Federal Power Under The Commerce Clause?
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a lot of commentary about the Kagan nomination, although public interest seems tepid. I’ve not mentioned anything about her nomination, mostly because I have no strong view. I believe she’s surely adequately qualified in education, experience, and intellect. She’s no one’s ideal nominee, but absent a showing of official misconduct, the president’s qualified nominees…
City, Law
Good, Open Government and Email
by JOHN ADAMS •
Wisconsin has both a Public Records Law (Wis. Stat. ss. 19.31-19.39 (2003)), and an Open Meetings Law (Wis. Stat. ss. 19.81-19.98. Both are designed to ensure that citizens will have access to government actions in communication and deliberation. These laws represent the goal of an open Wisconsin, committed to good and open, limited and responsible…
Law, Liberty
Reason: Libertarians Respond to [Victory for Individual Rights in] McDonald v. City of Chicago
by JOHN ADAMS •
Law, Liberty
Ilya Shapiro on McDonald v. City of Chicago: “The Court Restores a Fundamental Right”
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at Cato@Liberty, Ilya Shapiro offers his early assessment of a United States Supreme Court case correctly applying the Second Amendment to the states. See, Ilya Shapiro on McDonald v. City of Chicago: “The Court Restores a Fundamental Right.” He’s right to note how close this decision was, and how unfortunate and unsettling it is…
City, Law
The City of Whitewater’s Test of Impartiality and Fairness
by JOHN ADAMS •
I wrote last week about the City of Whitewater’s survey for information about a community calendar on the municipal website. See, Community Calendars. FREE WHITEWATER’s not really a community calendar, but there are private ones already available, so the city’s suggestion that it might produce its own version is odd. There’s no insuperable impediment to…
Law, Planning
The Institute for Justice on Five Years Since Kelo: Considering One of the Supreme Court’s Most-Despised Decisions
by JOHN ADAMS •
Five years ago, the United States Supreme Court handed down a poor, and consequently notorious, decision in Kelo v. City of New London. Here’s a brief summary of the case, as described in the preceding link: The case arose from the condemnation by New London, Connecticut, of privately owned real property so that it could…
Law
The Ineffectual and Tragic Approach
by JOHN ADAMS •
We have every reason to be concerned about the dangers of drug dependency for individuals and society; we have no reason to persist in trying to overcome drug dependency with the costly and ineffectual methods we’ve used these past three decades. Illegal narcotics are a bad thing; the methods of the war on drugs haven’t…
Law, Libertarians, Liberty
Cathy Young on Racism, Civil Rights, and Libertarians
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s been a controversy over remarks that Rand Paul, a Republican candidate for U.S. senate made, about the 1964 Civil Rights Act. While on an MSNBC program, Paul (the son of libertarian-leaning Republican Ron Paul) implied that he supported the right of private private businesses to decide whom to serve. (The 1964 Act prohibits the…
Government Spending, Law, Laws/Regulations, Police
Sarah Palin’s Right: Minor Marijuana Arrests Are a Waste of Police Resources
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ve supported reform of Wisconsin’s laws so that chronically ill people can take regulated medical marijuana lawfully. I think reform in Wisconsin is long overdue, and that although reform did not pass in our recent legislative session, it one day will. When that happens, Wisconsin will join many other states that allow medically prescribed marijuana.…