After a British victory at the Second Battle of El Alamein, Churchill famously observed of the war in November 1942 that ….Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning…. So it is, even locally, with the War on Drugs.…
Walworth County
Charity, Government Spending, Nature, Walworth County
The Nature Conservancy
by JOHN ADAMS • • 2 Comments
If a man wanted to leave a legacy of land to remain forever in its natural state, then he could donate it to the Nature Conservancy (http://www.nature.org/), a charity that preserves donated nature land in exactly that way. I’m indebted to a sharp reader who offered this suggestion for proposed parkland for Walworth County. I’ve…
Gluttony, Government Spending, Walworth County
Parkland at a Price of Millions: Bogus Philanthropy at Public Expense
by JOHN ADAMS • • 2 Comments
How about a plaque for the site of Walworth County’s parkland scheme, should it be completed? DEDICATED TO ONE PRIVATE SELLER WHO FULFILLED HIS DREAM WITH MILLIONS OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS Last Sunday saw another public-relations exercise in selling the residents of a rural county on purchasing private land, at a cost of millions in…
Economy, Federal Government, Gluttony, Government Spending, Local Government, State Government, Taxes/Taxation, Walworth County, Wisconsin
The Crazy-Wrong Argument on Taxes
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
A succinct truth: money doesn’t grow on trees. Local government funds municipal projects in one of three principal ways: through local taxes & fees, local borrowing (debt in the form of bonds), or public money from other jurisdictions (grants from the state or federal government). These grants of state or federal public money are, themselves,…
Government Spending, Walworth County
Hey, Walworth County, How About Buying Over-Priced, Half-Unsuitable Parkland with Taxpayer Money!
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Most people would say that among the important uses for public money are public safety (and the administration of justice) & emergency services for the truly needy. One might think of it this way: safety, justice, and poverty assistance. There are few people who would ask a small rural county – with a large state…
Agriculture, Walworth County, Weather, Wisconsin
USDA declares 23 Wisconsin counties disaster areas
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Walworth County among them. Neither ordinary nor easy times: MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Federal officials have declared 23 counties in southern Wisconsin as natural disaster areas, making farms in those areas eligible for low-interest emergency loans. The counties have been baked by recent heat waves in which temperatures sizzled into the 100-degree range and left…
Politics, Walworth County
Election Transparency: How Jefferson and Rock Counties Still Top Walworth County
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
On April 5, 2011, I wrote about the more transparent and informative election websites in the area: Election Transparency: How Jefferson and Rock Counties Top Walworth County. It’s a year later, and Walworth County still lags behind Jefferson and Rock Counties. The Walworth County website doesn’t list results by precinct, leaving residents in the dark…
Charity, Walworth County
Walworth County Today: Farmers market vouchers available in Walworth County
by JOHN ADAMS •
There will be (first-come, first-served) vouchers available for low-income senior citizens of Walworth County to use at farmers’ markets. Details of the program appear in the story to which I’ve linked, below. In a world of many programs, government or otherwise, efforts like these are particularly admirable. See, Farmers market vouchers available in Walworth County —…
Economy, Poverty, Walworth County
Whitewater Among Top Six Walworth County Communities for Foreclosures
by JOHN ADAMS •
Although Whitewater is a larger city than some others in the county, nothing about her presence on a foreclosure list is auspicious. If there’s even the slightest doubt that these last several years have been unfavorable for countless thousands in the county, perhaps another disappointing statistic will overturn years of empty boosterism. See, Top Six…
Crime, Law, Walworth County
Update: Walworth County District Attorney Koss’s Foolish, Ignorant Price Tag on Justice
by JOHN ADAMS •
I wrote in January about Walworth County District Attorney Koss’s Foolish, Ignorant Price Tag on Justice, where D.A. Koss expected a crime victim to pay for the cost of an expert witness against the woman alleged to have defrauded her. Needless to say, this expectation called the prosecution of the criminal defendant, Beth Reeves, into…
City, Laws/Regulations, Liberty, Politics, Walworth County, Wisconsin
Emily’s Post: ‘Welcome to Wisconsin, Jim Crow’
by JOHN ADAMS •
Emily Mills writes about Assembly Bill 7, sure to become law: This bill is, at its core, a rollback of the right to vote that impacts the most vulnerable and already disenfranchised populations in this state. It spits in the faces of those who’ve come before and fought (and sometimes died) to see this most…
Open Government, Walworth County
Election Transparency: How Jefferson and Rock Counties Top Walworth County
by JOHN ADAMS •
All Wisconsin has been debating and pondering the reporting of votes from the Town of Brookfield in the supreme court race. Waukesha County’s become a national topic, in the worst way. One way to prevent something like this is to allow citizens to see – on election night – how each precinct within a county…
City, Politics, Walworth County, Wisconsin
Post-Election Day in Whitewater
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ll take the topics from yesterday’s election preview post in reverse order. Wisconsin. Justice Prosser did far better than I guessed; Asst. A.G. Kloppenburg certainly didn’t win comfortably. I would have thought Kloppenburg by 2-3 percent, outside the range of a recount. There will be a recount, with results now showing Kloppenburg with 739,589 and…
City, Politics, Walworth County, Wisconsin
Election Day Curiosities
by JOHN ADAMS •
Before the polls close, a few questions of note about the spring election for the City of Whitewater, Walworth County, and Wisconsin. City of Whitewater What’s Whitewater’s turnout today? Assuming that JoAnnne Kloppenburg carries Whitewater, by what margin will she do so? (If she can’t carry places like the City of Whitewater, she’s likely in…