In the liberal Capital TImes, there’s an interview with the Scott Fitzgerald, who will be the Wisconsin Senate’s new majority leader. (His brother Jeff will be Assembly Speaker.) I’m not sure what to make of it — there’s certainly not a lot of humility on display: SF: Well first, I think we are the right…
Politics
Freedom of Speech, Laws/Regulations, Politics
U.S. Supreme Court Considers Whether to Hear IJ’s Challenge to Arizona’s “Clean Elections” Scheme
by JOHN ADAMS •
Think that ‘clean’ elections laws keep elections, well, fair and clean? You might be surprised. The U.S. Supreme Court is considering an Institute for Justice challenge to the fairness of Arizona’s supposedly clean election laws. Here’s a video from the IJ entitled, “The Dirty Game of AZ’s “Clean Elections.” Below the video, I have placed…
Government Spending, Politics, Taxes/Taxation
Rep. Paul Ryan on Tax Increases
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin’s first congressional district, on federal taxation, as his remarks appeared on Monday, November 15th in USA Today. Ryan is set to become chairman of the House Budget Committee in the new Congress Stop the Tax Hikes By Paul Ryan Congress should act now to prevent across-the-board tax increases from…
City, Libertarians, Politics
The Return of the Status Quo, Twice as Loud as Last Time
by JOHN ADAMS •
There are two trends I think well possible for my part of the world, one of which matters, the other not at all. The first, the one that matters, is that Whitewater, Wisconsin is heading toward conditions in which she has a permanent underclass. That’s tragic, for everyone in the city, and a large topic…
Politics
Capital Times: Disrespect for League Harms Democracy
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at the Capital Times, there’s an editorial entitled, “Disrespect for League Harms Democracy.” The Cap Times contends that major parties have come to ignore the League of Women Voters’ non-partisan voters’ guides and debates. (Hat tip to The Phantom Stranger for the link.) The paper contends that ignoring the League harms our statewide politics.…
Politics
FTC’s first Chief Technologist: DRM basher Ed Felten
by JOHN ADAMS •
Congratulations to Princeton computer science professor Ed Felten — What do you get when you spend your academic career exposing broken DRM schemes, suing the recording industry when they try to silence you, showing the insecurity of e-voting machines, filing DMCA exemption requests, and freeing US court documents from behind their paywall? You get to…
Libertarians, Politics
Libertarian Party Nominees for U.S. House Again Receive Over 1,000,000 Votes
by JOHN ADAMS •
….the Libertarian Party nominees for U.S. House have polled, together, more than 1,000,000 votes. Other years in which the party has broken the 1,000,000 mark have been 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2008. Via Ballot Access News » Blog Archive » Libertarian Party Nominees for U.S. House Again Receive Over 1,000,000 Votes.
Government Spending, Politics
John Stossel: Did Freedom Win?
by JOHN ADAMS •
Libertarian John Stossel has cause for skepticism: ….Remember the last time the Republicans took power? They promised fiscal responsibility, and for six of George W. Bush’s eight years, his party controlled Congress. What did we have to show for it? Federal spending increased by 54 percent. That’s more than any president in the last 50…
City, Politics
Why Whitewater Isn’t a Progressive City; Why Whitewater’s ‘Conservatives’ Hold the City Tenuously
by JOHN ADAMS •
Yesterday, I posted on the election in Wisconsin’s 43rd Assembly district, of which [the City of] Whitewater is only a part. The race wasn’t decided in Whitewater; the winning margin came from other parts of the district. My remarks below are not about that race, but are general, apart from those candidates. Whitewater’s politics are…
Politics
Reason.tv: 3 Reasons This Election Didn’t Change A Thing
by JOHN ADAMS •
For those feeling disappointed with the election results, Reason.tv offers a bit of solace; for those feeling confident, they offers words of caution — Here’s the description accompanying the video: There’s no question that the Republicans painted the map red during the 2010 midterm elections, picking up control of the House of Representatives, gaining share…
City, Politics
On the Wisconsin 43rd District Assembly Race
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ll offer a few remarks on the 43rd Wisconsin Assembly race, a contest in which Evan Wynn defeated incumbent Kim Hixson. At the bottom of the post, I’ve listed results of prior races, from the Wisconsin Blue Book. (The major candidates’ percentages don’t always add to 100 because of write-ins, etc.) The results of last…
Politics
The Vanity Index: The biggest egos in the Senate – Slate Magazine
by JOHN ADAMS •
Who are the biggest egomaniacs in the United States Senate? Darren Garnick and Ilya Mirman write that In a quest to find out, we developed the Senate Vanity Index, a formula that measures the level of egotism displayed in each senator’s lobby, the part of his or her office open to the public…. Visiting all…
Freedom of Speech, Politics
Reason.tv: Political Attack Ads, Circa 1800
by JOHN ADAMS •
Politics
John Nichols: Why a Conservative Paper Backs Feingold over Johnson
by JOHN ADAMS •
Support for campaign finance restrictions notwithstanding, Feingold’s been a good senator for Wisconsin. His opponent would never do so well. Describing the Republican nominee as a “one-note” candidate, the paper said Johnson made a big deal about the need for fiscal responsibility but “seemed unable to further articulate his plan for job creation — especially…