Whitewater will see two contested Council races this year, for a district and an at-large seat. The at-large race will assure the city at least one new Council member from the two candidates; the district race has one incumbent and one challenger. (The school district has no contested races.) If our laws were less burdensome,…
Laws/Regulations
Foreign Affairs, Freedom of Speech, Laws/Regulations, Liberty
China’s President Pushes Back Against Western Culture
by JOHN ADAMS •
BEIJING — President of Hu Jintao of China has said that China must strengthen its cultural production to defend against the West’s assault on the country’s culture and ideology, according to an essay in a Communist Party policy magazine published this week. The publication of Mr. Hu’s words signaled that a new major policy initiative…
Crime, Laws/Regulations
The Wrong Strategy on Synthetic Marijuana
by JOHN ADAMS •
When a society’s drug enforcement focuses on the supply of a drug, drug traffickers will (1) alter the concoctions they sell and (2) change the way they sell those concoctions. Sure enough, in response to a ban on synthetic marijuana, dealers are altering their formulas to circumvent existing local laws, and are now selling though…
City, Laws/Regulations, Politics
How to Keep Roma or Bedouin from Dominating Whitewater, Wisconsin’s Politics
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here in our exceptional city of 14,622, we can’t be too careful about outside influences, nefarious plots, and the reputed scheming of Madisonians to force every man, woman, and child in the city to wear tie-dye clothing. And yet, and yet, there’s something even worse than these unsettling threats: at any moment, hordes of Roma…
Law, Laws/Regulations, Wisconsin
The Journal Sentinel on Justice Gableman’s Receipt of Free Legal Services (and a bit about the story, itself)
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over the the Journal Sentinel, there’s a story about Justice Gableman’s deciding votes on cases in which the Michael Best & Friedrich firm represented the victorious party, despite his receipt of free legal services from that firm: State Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman in two cases cast the deciding vote in favor of parties represented…
Law, Laws/Regulations, Liberty
Out in the Cold at Age 84: Wisconsin’s Ruthelle Frank Fights for Her Right to Vote
by JOHN ADAMS •
Ruthelle Frank is no less a citizen than anyone else in Wisconsin. I’ve posted before about Ruthelle Frank’s disenfranchisement under Wisconsin’s new voted ID law. She’s a citizen, lifetime resident of Wisconsin, and officeholder, but after eighty-four years, she now faces hundreds of dollars in fees to do what she has a right to do…
Law, Laws/Regulations, Liberty, Wisconsin
The Disgrace of Wisconsin’s Photo ID Law: Rules leave village leader without right to vote
by JOHN ADAMS •
Although obviously a citizen by birth, and although she’s served on the Brokaw Village Board since 1996, Ruthelle Frank is now disenfranchised: Ruthelle Frank was born Aug. 21, 1927, in her home in Brokaw. It was a hard birth; there were complications. A doctor had to come up from Wausau to see that she and her…
Free Markets, Laws/Regulations
Anti-immigrant legislation threatens Alabama’s farms
by JOHN ADAMS •
Of course it does, as any option other than a free market in labor for a need this large is an inferior, inefficient solution. (It’s also an insult to reason that desperate — and dim — officials think that prison labor is an adequate replacement.) Farmers have complained of a lack of field hands since parts of…
Laws/Regulations
Remy: Missing You – The Incandescent Light Bulb Song
by JOHN ADAMS •
Business, Free Markets, Laws/Regulations
F.L.O.S.S: Protecting You from Low-Cost Teeth-Whitening Services
by JOHN ADAMS •
It’s not health, but favoring some businesses over others (and over consumers) that’s the concern of Connecticut’s regulators: Here’s the description of the Institute for Justice’s video: Teeth-whitening services are popular and increasingly available at spas, salons and shopping malls. This has been a boon for consumers because these businesses offer whitening services at a…
Animals, Business, Economy, Food, Laws/Regulations, Liberty
Idaho legitimizes small-scale raw-milk producers
by JOHN ADAMS •
The potato state bests America’s Dairyland in common sense and consumer choice: “There were a lot of illegal raw-milk sales throughout the state,” Patten said. “Across-the-fence sales, let’s say.” So, in early 2010, instead of drawing guns and raiding those operations, the state of Idaho–with the help of raw-milk advocates and a less-enthusiastic dairy industry–modified…
City, Economy, Free Markets, Law, Laws/Regulations, Liberty, Wisconsin
The War on Immigrants
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at Reason’s blog, libertarian Shikha Dalmia writes on Alabama’s War on Immigrants. The essay is solid from beginning to end. I’d recommend readers to consider her full essay, but I’ll quote now from a few key passages. Overview: Conservatives are resorting to ever more draconian measures to take back the country from “illegal immigrants.”…
Free Markets, Law, Laws/Regulations, Liberty
Good Riddance, Arizona Sen. Russell Pearce
by JOHN ADAMS •
I see that Russell Pearce, the Arizona Senate president who authored that state’s harsh immigration law, met defeat in Tuesday’s recall from another Republican. Although the other candidate, school-executive Jerry Lewis, shares some of the same views, Pearce’s defeat is still a good day for Arizona and America. See, Arizona recall: Why Russell Pearce lost.…
Business, Economy, Free Markets, Laws/Regulations, Planning
How Anti-Dumping Laws are Bad for American Jobs
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s a brief video (perfect for classroom use!) on how anti-dumping laws – designed to protect American jobs from foreign competition — actually inhibit American production, raise Americans’ prices for goods, and stymie domestic job creation. Restrictions on importation may not be sensible as economic policy, but they’re a great gain for a few protected…