On a 10-9 vote, supervisors won’t take immediate action to cut their pensions. County supervisors shouldn’t have pensions; they should never expect that compensation for their work, even in large counties. See, Milwaukee County Supervisors Sidestep Proposals to Cut Their Own Pensions.
Politics
Economy, Government Spending, Politics
Walworth County Sunday on “Time to Open the Roadmap”
by JOHN ADAMS •
Politics
‘Contract on America’ Parody Actually Sounds Pretty Good | Cato @ Liberty
by JOHN ADAMS •
Ilya Shapiro’s right — the Democratic National Committee’s attempt to embarrass Republicans by producing a parody of the 1994 Contract with America actually lists good ideas that many Americans would support. Pretty good, indeed. See for yourself: ‘Contract on America’ Parody Actually Sounds Pretty Good | Cato @ Liberty.
Politics
Wisconsin County Board Sizes
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at the GazetteXtra.com, Greg Peck asks Should Walworth County Board Expand?. He notes that Dane County’s considering downsizing its county board, at a time that Walworth County officials (some, anyway) are pondering an expansion. (The Walworth County Board was recently downsized, but now some supervisors are complaining about too much work.) Peck’s right to…
Politics
Amity Shlaes: Palin Mama Grizzly Shows Limit of Woman Wisdom
by JOHN ADAMS •
Politics
Update: Republicans Jump Too Quickly: “Baldwin Kept on Ballot After Board Nixes Complaint”
by JOHN ADAMS •
One of the characteristics of life in my small town is that when government makes a mistake, it’s never acknowledged as a mistake. There can’t be mistakes, really, in a place in which noble public servants and visionary leaders, transform the community from a near-utopia to complete utopia. At least, that’s the impression of their…
Politics
Gallup: Congress Ranks Last in Confidence in Institutions
by JOHN ADAMS •
The institution that inspires the most confidence is the military. Congress is the bottom dweller in Gallup’s list of sixteen institutions. Even Health Maintenance Organizations rank (slightly) higher. I’d guess that a Wisconsin version of this ranking would put our legislature at the bottom of a list of state-level institutions. See, Congress Ranks Last in…
Freedom of Speech, Law, Politics
Update: Let Ieshuh Griffin Run with Her Chosen Description on the Wisconsin Ballot
by JOHN ADAMS •
I posted earlier today on the effort of a Milwaukee woman running as an independent candidate for the Wisconsin Assembly to use the words “NOT the whiteman’s bitch” as her statement of principle on the ballot. The Government Accountability Board denied her request, as she received a majority supporting her effort, but not the required…
Libertarians, Politics
“Libertarian Influence”
by JOHN ADAMS •
At Fox Business, the topic’s “Libertarian Influence,” as Judge Andrew Napolitano talks with Nick Gillespie, Virginia Postrel, and John Stossel about the increasingly libertarian direction of American politics. Watch the latest video at video.foxbusiness.com Link: http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/4285389/libertarian-influence/
Freedom of Speech, Law, Politics
Let Ieshuh Griffin Run with Her Chosen Description on the Wisconsin Ballot
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’d never heard of Ieshuh Griffin, an independent candidate for a seat in Wisconsin’s Assembly, until Wednesday. I read yesterday about the Government Accountability Board’s denial of her request to describe her candidacy on the November ballot with the words “NOT the Whiteman’s Bitch.” (Candidates may have a brief description of their candidacies on the…
Politics
Democrats in Wisconsin Squander Incumbency: The Burden Tom Barrett Bears
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at the left-of-center Capital Times, John Nichols writes about the many difficulties Wisconsin Democrats will have this year. In What Barrett Must Do to Win Governor’s race, Nichols is candid about the difficult terrain for Democrats: The gray governorship of Jim Doyle is edging to a close after eight years of uninspired managerialism. Even…
Politics
Republicans Jump Too Quickly: “Baldwin Kept on Ballot After Board Nixes Complaint”
by JOHN ADAMS •
Last week, Dane County’s Young Republicans challenged the campaign papers of U.S. Representative Tammy Baldwin, alleging that she had improperly listed her Congressional office as her home address (and declaring that she was likely residing outside her district). I received an email copy of the Republicans’ press release. The release surprised me, because Baldwin has…
Elkhorn, Politics
Walworth County Today: Walworth County Wants Public Input on Board Size (politicians complaining about a large workload)
by JOHN ADAMS •
Walworth County, where I Iive, voted to reduce the size of its county board of supervisors from 25 to 11, in 2007. I read today that at least one supervisor on the board now wants to talk about expanding the board again, because the smaller board size means more work for elected officials. There’s a…
Laws/Regulations, Politics
FoodConsumer.org: “The Despicable Reason Behind Raw Milk Bans”
by JOHN ADAMS •
Why is raw milk banned even in Amerca’s Dairyland? Over at Food Consumer, there’s a story that reveals The Despicable Reason Behind Raw Milk Bans. From the comments to the post, here’s a nice summary of what lies beneath the war against natural, unpasteurized milk: The FDA and CDC have been particularly aggressive recently in…