Good morning,
There’s a forecast for a partly sunny day in Whitewater, with a high of around twenty. Nearly spring.
There are no municipal public meetings scheduled for Whitewater today. Less is more. I’d almost happily pay more in taxes for less in planning. Like protection money, I’d guess.
There’s a PTA meeting at Lakeview School tonight, at 6:30 PM.
A very predictable lesson awaits Wisconsin, and all America, really, from the Wisconsin Historical Society:
1813 – Utopian Community Leader Warren Chase Born
On this date the founder of a Fourierite Utopian community in what is now Ripon was born. Their inspiration came from the writings of Charles Fourier, a French Socialist who urged the rebuilding of society from its foundation as the only cure for economic ills such as the depression of 1837. The idea was supported by Horace Greely in New York and caught the eye of Warren Chase. Chase and others built a successful, non-religous communal society in which everyone recieved wages according to their skill, need, and work ethic. The community reached their greatest population (180) in 1845 but soon dissipated when members began moving toward agriculture as an economic tool. Families gradually left the community to live in their own houses and work their own land in the same area. In 1850, the community disbanded and $40,000 in assets was divided among the remaining members. Warren Chase moved around the country and finally settled in California, where he held many public offices. [Source: Wisconsin Saints and Sinners by Fred L. Holmes, p. 94-104]
Emphasis added.
From utopian socialist founder of failed community to politician: Why should one not be surprised?