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…
Laws/Regulations
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…
Crime, Elkhorn, Health, Law, Laws/Regulations, Liberty, Police, Walworth County
The End of the Beginning
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Laws/Regulations
A Compromise on Zoning Restrictions
by JOHN ADAMS •
Of residential zoning restrictions in Whitewater (restricting residential occupancy to no more than two unrelated persons in an R-O overlay district), a few points may safely be made: We’ve been arguing about this for years. The last municipal administration – before this one – grandly declared housing the biggest issue in the city (yes, really). …
City, Development, Economy, Laws/Regulations, Planning, Zoning
No Resolution
by JOHN ADAMS •
There was a Planning Commission meeting last night, and the principal topic was a proposal to extend a zoning overlay on North Fremont from the existing overlay in the Starin Park neighborhood (those few streets to the west of Fremont, and between Main and Starin). The zoning overlay would prohibit more than two unrelated persons…
Crime, Health, Law, Laws/Regulations
Wisconsin and Marijuana and the Drug War
by JOHN ADAMS •
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…
Film, Laws/Regulations, Liberty
Reason’s 2012 Nanny of the Year
by JOHN ADAMS •
Below is a clip with scenes from Demolition Man (the film to which Balaker meant to refer) that depict violations of the ‘Verbal Morality Statute’ of that film. (The film is rated R, and the supposed violations cited in the clip may be NSFW.) Also posted at Daily Adams. Whitewater note: I’ll get a message…
Animals, Beautiful Whitewater, City, Good Ideas, Hip & Prosperous, Laws/Regulations, Liberty, Local Government, New Whitewater
Common Council Session of 12.18.12: Backyard Chickens
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s my fourth post on last night’s meeting. Approved unanimously, and waived from a second reading, Whitewater now has a backyard chicken ordinance. Not just an ordinance, but a fine, model one of which we should be proud. This is a good idea, that’s come to Whitewater through the hard work of a thoughtful resident.…
Agriculture, Animals, Beautiful Whitewater, City, Farming, Food, Good Ideas, Hip & Prosperous, Laws/Regulations, Liberty, Local Government, New Whitewater, Planning
A Model Ordinance
by JOHN ADAMS •
These last few months, beginning in September, Whitewater’s Planning Commission has heard, and subsequently considered, a proposal for an urban (backyard) chicken ordinance. The proposal is not mine; I have been a mere observer of this effort. One may write about a topic, but only after months of careful observation, as in this case. I…
Laws/Regulations, Liberty
Nanny of the Month: Texas Schools Track Students with RFID Chips
by JOHN ADAMS •
Business, City, Laws/Regulations, New Whitewater, Planning
The City of Whitewater’s 2013 Draft Budget: Downtown Whitewater
by JOHN ADAMS •
Under the 2013 draft budget, there’s the possibility of the City of Whitewater increasing the contribution for Downtown Whitewater, Inc., to compensate for the loss of funding via Tax Incremental District 4. While I’d surely rather the city didn’t prop up businesses, and I’d rather it didn’t fund just one area at that, I candidly…
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…
Business, City, Laws/Regulations
The Transient Merchant Ordinance
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a discussion at Common Council tonight of our “transient merchant ordinance.” The text under discussion is part of the agenda packet, at numbered pages 33 – 42. This current provisions of our municipal code are online as well. Council’s session begins at 6:30 PM in City Hall the Municipal Building.