I’m not sure if it should be true everywhere, but in Whitewater it seems as though small (apolitical) community groups fare better than small political groups. I’ve not made a study of this; the observation rests on impressions, here or there, only. There’s not enough to say as much with confidence. Many would note –…
Politics
Culture, Politics
How a Perimeter Fence Dooms Elites Within to Impossible Tasks, Exhaustion
by JOHN ADAMS •
Consider a society that erects a figurative, narrow perimeter fence, one that is meant to keep unwanted influences & people out, and desirable influences & people safely within. The key characteristic of that barrier is that all that exists outside is presumed hostile: the fence sets the boundary between what’s acceptable and what’s not. That’s…
Corporate Welfare, Gluttony, Government Spending, Politics, WEDC
The Weakness of Sugar Cubes
by JOHN ADAMS •
When conditions are dry, sugar cubes are fairly sturdy. When placed in coffee, they don’t last long. View image | gettyimages.com Cronyism is like this – it does well in the dry jar of municipal officials, insiders, press-toads, big-business lobbyists, and their lightheaded cheerleaders. In the bracing coffee of careful analysis, sound economics, and impartial…
Gov. Walker, Politics, Presidential race 2016, Press
Last Night’s GOP Debate
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’m not a major-party voter, but like millions I have watched the GOP presidential debates (and will watch the Democrats’ debates, too). There’s a lot to learn from watching the candidates, for all the showiness, the pre-debate theatrics, etc. The key point about all these encounters is that they are intra-party affairs – it’s a debate…
City, Culture, Education, Local Government, Politics
The Desiccator
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at National Review, conservative Peter Spiliakos writes in reply to conservative Washington Post blogger Jennifer Rubin on Scott Walker’s campaign. (Rubin thinks Walker has gone too far to the right, but Spiliakos thinks that Walker – and many Republicans leaders – have lost touch with huge parts of their own electorate.) For Rubin the matter…
Politics, Wisconsin
Wisconsin Ill Serves Her Nationally-Ambitious Politicians
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over the last generation, Wisconsin has had her share of politicians with national ambitions, to cabinet offices or elected executive office (Democrat Les Aspin, Republicans Tommy Thompson, Paul Ryan, Scott Walker among them). They’ve not fared so well; Gov. Walker’s effort is still ongoing. All of those I’ve listed were regarded in Wisconsin as especially skilled before…
City, Culture, Local Government, Politics
Language is Often a Necessary, But Seldom a Sufficient, Condition of Inclusion
by JOHN ADAMS •
The City of Whitewater hopes to improve communications with Spanish-language residents. That goal is, of itself, a good one. It’s a practical, worthy ambition. Language, however, is not the cause of local government’s self-acknowledged problem of attracting plentiful participation on public boards and committees. Greater facility with language, however admirable, is not the solution to government’s low participation…
Law, Misconduct, Negligence, Politics
The Four-Dog Defense
by JOHN ADAMS •
View image | gettyimages.com Readers familiar with organizational or political excuse-making are likely familiar with the four-dog defense. The provenance of the defense is uncertain, but Acronym Required describes its four points nicely, citing a story from the St. Petersburg Times: First of all, I don’t have a dog. And if I had a dog, it doesn’t bite. And…
City, Culture, Politics
On a Clear Day, One Can See Far Ahead (and Far Back)
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Culture, Politics
The Perimeter Fence
by JOHN ADAMS •
Historian Francis Bremer’s study of Puritanism, First Founders: American Puritans and Puritanism in an Atlantic World, offers insights for our own time, apart from early American history. (I know that Whitewater’s founding had a Puritan influence, but that’s not my point, today. Bremer’s observations on Puritanism are useful far from his particular study, and apart…
City, Culture, Liberty, Local Government, New Whitewater, Politics
The (Welcome) End of ‘Big’ in a Small Town
by JOHN ADAMS •
I don’t think much of the term ‘movers and shakers’ (that a nearby newspaper used to describe supposedly influential people) or ‘big’ people, etc. The terms almost always exaggerate actual influence. I am sure, though, that a combination of diverse social media, the decline of print, the shifting demographics within Whitewater, and the next generation’s…
Politics, Poll
Friday Poll: The Fox GOP Debate
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Local Government, Politics, Press
Message Frenzy
by JOHN ADAMS •
If one runs a business, and has a sale scheduled, advertising the time and place of the sale is vital: people won’t attend events of which they’ve no knowledge. Some news stories are like this: reporting on an approaching storm requires quick publication of the weather. It’s not true, however, that every story requires quick…
CDA, City, Corporate Welfare, Economics, Economy, Gluttony, Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park, Local Government, Politics, WEDC, Wisconsin
The State’s WEDC and Whitewater’s Facsimiles
by JOHN ADAMS •
Ongoing revelations about the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation are a double concern: they’re stories of statewide malfeasance, and those revelations beg the question of how local officials in Whitewater are managing their own pools of public money. First, the latest stories (it’s a steady stream) of state-level error, waste, and negligence: Madison— Failing to run…