Across America, it’s Sunshine Week, a “national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information.”
Those who work for open government through efforts like Sunshine Week do so because they love their country and wish to fortify America’s tradition of liberty.
See, www.sunshineweek.org.
I saw recently that a senate candidate, in the Democratic party’s primary in California, quoted Reagan on equality. The candidate mentioned that Reagan had once said that equality required not merely formal equality before the law, but that people believed that they were “equal in the eyes of each other.” I could not remember hearing Reagan having said it. I thought I’d search around, and see if I could find if Reagan did say as much, and when.
He did use the expression, in 1992, at the Republican national convention, at which Presdient Bush was nominated to run for re-election against Bill Clinton. Here’s the portion of his address to the delegates in which he uses the expression:
Whether we come from poverty or wealth; whether we are Afro- American or Irish-American; Christian or Jewish, from big cities or small towns, we are all equal in the eyes of God. But as Americans that is not enough — we must be equal in the eyes of each other.
It’s true, as Johnson (speaking in a video I posted on Monday) or King would have known well — that formal equality before the law cannot easily endure without the conviction among people that all are worthy of that equality. Neither status nor position nor expectation changes the truth and necessity of the conviction.
The Democrat who quoted Reagan found Reagan’s expression memorable. It is; having encountered the expression, one is likely to recall it, easily. It’s more than memorable; the religious and philosophical foundation of equality is both a safeguard of a community and an enduring devotion between friends.
Good morning,
Today’s forecast calls for a clear day with a high of sixty-three.
It’s Market Day in Lincoln school. There will be pickup from 5 to 6 p.m. in the upper gym. It’s also Market Day at the High School, with pickup there from 4 to 5:30 p.m. During the day, the Middle School’s eighth grade band will make a tour today of district elementary schools.
On this day in Wisconsin history, the Wisconsin Historical Society recalls a wage increase in 1954 for workers at Parker Pen:
1954 – Parker Pen Employees Win Wage Increase
On this date employees of Parker Pen in Janesville won a 5-cent-an-hour wage increase in contract negotiations. After the raise, male employees made a base pay of $1.95 an hour while their female counterparts were paid $1.62 an hour. [Source: Janesville Gazette]
Here’s a picture of the Parker 51:
Good morning,
Whitewater’s forecast calls for a sunny day, and a high of sixty-one degrees.
It’s St. Patrick’s Day. Here’s an excerpt from a description of St. Patrick Day:
Little is known of Patrick’s early life, though we know he was born in Roman Britain in the fifth century, into a wealthy Romano-British family. His father was a deacon in the Church, like his father before him. At the age of sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken captive to Ireland as a slave.[1] It is believed he was held somewhere on the west coast of Ireland, possibly Mayo, but the exact location is unknown. According to his Confession, he was told by God in a dream to flee from captivity to the coast, where he would board a ship and return to Britain. Upon returning, he quickly joined the Church in Auxerre in Gaul and studied to be a priest.
In 432, he again says that he was called back to Ireland, though as a bishop, to save the Irish, and indeed he was successful at this, focusing on converting royalty and aristocracy as well as the poor. Irish folklore tells that one of his teaching methods included using the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) to the Irish people. After nearly thirty years of teaching and spreading “God’s word” he died on 17 March, 461 AD, and was buried at Downpatrick, so tradition says. Although there were other more successful missions to Ireland from Rome, Patrick endured as the principal champion of Irish Christianity and is held in esteem in the Irish Church.
The Chicago River having been dyed green to mark the day:
On this day in Wisconsin history, the Wisconsin Historical Society recalls a different Patrick:
1849 – Patrick Cudahy Born
On this date Patrick Cudahy was born. A philanthropist and meat packer, Cudahy was born in Callan, County Kilkenny, Ireland, and arrived in Milwaukee with his family in 1849. He began working in the meat packing industry at the age of 14.
He became superintendent of the Plankinton and Armour plant in Milwaukee in 1874. Cudahy became partners with Plankinton in 1884 and formed John Plankinton and Company. Upon Plankinton’s death in 1888, Patrick Cudahy and his brother John purchased the company which became the Cudahy Brothers. He founded and promoted Cudahy, Wisconsin, as an industrial city.
Patrick Cudahy served as company president from 1893 to 1915. He was a director of the First Wisconsin National Bank of Milwaukee. His extensive real estate holdings in Milwaukee were incorporated as the Patrick Cudahy Family Company. He was active in and contributed to the Milwaukee Association of Commerce, Ancient Order of Hibernians, and Friends of Irish Freedom. [Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin Biography, SHSW 1960, pg. 91]
Good morning,
The forecast for Whitewater today calls for a mostly clear day, with a high of fifty-eight.
In the City of Whitewater today, there will be a Common Council meeting at 6:30 p.m. The agenda for that meeting is available online.
On this day in Wisconsin history, the Wisconsin Historical Society, recalls
1967 – Sculptor Jean Pond Miner
On this date Jean Pond Miner Coburn died at the age of 101. A well-known sculptress during her time, Jean Pond Miner’s statue “Forward” was placed at the north corner of Capitol Park in Madison in 1895. At the time of the World’s Columbian Exposition, the Janesville Ladies Afternoon Club recommended Miner as a Wisconsin sculptress who might be featured at the Exposition’s Wisconsin building. $8,000 was raised by Wisconsin women for this exhibit featuring local talent. The statue is now in the first floor lobby of the Wisconsin Historical Society headquarters in Madison. [Source: Famous Wisconsin Women, Vol. 6, SHSW Women’s Auxiliary, 1976, pg. 4]
Good morning,
Whitewater, Wisconsin’s forecast is for a clear day, with a high of fifty-six degrees.
The History Channel recalls that on this date in 1965, President Johnson addressed a joint session of Congress, and called for equal voting rights for all citizens:
On August 6, 1965, Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, which made it illegal to impose restrictions on federal, state and local elections that were designed to deny the vote to blacks.
While state and local enforcement of the act was initially weak, mainly in the South, the Voting Rights Act gave African-American voters the legal means to challenge voting restrictions and vastly improved voter turnout. In Mississippi alone, voter turnout among blacks increased from 6 percent in 1964 to 59 percent in 1969.
In 1970, President Richard Nixon extended the provisions of the Voting Rights Act and lowered the eligible voting age for all voters to 18.
The full text of President Johnson’s speech is available online.
Here is a portion of his speech —
Here’s a Reason.tv post about how the government’s taking part in a conflict between UPS and FedEx.
You may have heard the UPS is in quite the fight with FEDEX. Though both are package-delivery companies, they’re governed by totally different federal labor rules. As a result, UPS’s workforce is much more heavily unionized than FEDEX’s—and more than twice as expensive.
So now UPS is trying to get FEDEX reclassified under federal law as a way of screwing a competitor. That’s horrendous, but it also makes a sick kind of business sense. And it also reveals the real villain: A government that is big enough to absolutely, positively guarantee it can screw any business. Overnight.
“UPS Vs. FEDEX” was produced by Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie (who also hosts). Approximately two minutes long.
Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzZ0nz7XVFo&feature=player_embedded more >>
Good morning,
Today’s forecast calls for a chance of rain, and a high of fifty-one degrees.
It’s activity night at the middle school tonight, from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m.
On this day in American history, FDR gave his first fireside chat. The History Channel’s website has the details:
On this day in 1933, eight days after his inauguration, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gives his first national radio address or “fireside chat,” broadcast directly from the White House.
Roosevelt began that first address simply: “I want to talk for a few minutes with the people of the United States about banking.” He went on to explain his recent decision to close the nation’s banks in order to stop a surge in mass withdrawals by panicked investors worried about possible bank failures. The banks would be reopening the next day, Roosevelt said, and he thanked the public for their “fortitude and good temper” during the “banking holiday.”
At the time, the U.S. was at the lowest point of the Great Depression, with between 25 and 33 percent of the work force unemployed. The nation was worried, and Roosevelt’s address was designed to ease fears and to inspire confidence in his leadership. Roosevelt went on to deliver 30 more of these broadcasts between March 1933 and June 1944. They reached an astonishing number of American households, 90 percent of which owned a radio at the time.
Journalist Robert Trout coined the phrase “fireside chat” to describe Roosevelt’s radio addresses, invoking an image of the president sitting by a fire in a living room, speaking earnestly to the American people about his hopes and dreams for the nation. In fact, Roosevelt took great care to make sure each address was accessible and understandable to ordinary Americans, regardless of their level of education. He used simple vocabulary and relied on folksy anecdotes or analogies to explain the often complex issues facing the country.
Here’s the audio of that first fireside chat:
Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt9f-MZX-58&feature=player_embedded more >>
One way to see the influence of federal spending is the benefit it confers to the area around Washington, D.C. THe Washington Examiner reports that
Loudoun ranks as the richest county in the United States, immediately followed by Fairfax and Howard counties, while Montgomery, traditionally one of the wealthiest, is now 10th.
Forbes magazine ranked eight other Washington-area counties in its list of the nation’s 25 wealthiest counties, far more than any other area in the country. The rankings are based on 2008 median household income data from the U.S. Census Bureau….
Northern Virginia and Fairfax also house government agencies and employers that have been less affected by the economic downturn than biotech-heavy Montgomery, Robertson said.
While other traditionally wealthy regions such as New York and San Francisco have suffered heavily in the recession, the Washington area benefits from the presence of the federal government and its contractors, the overall high level of education, and the area’s high proportion of two-income households.
The local economy “really is built on those pillars,” Robertson said. “Really all of the region [is] poised for a period of new growth and prosperity” following the economic downturn.
There’s no similar benefit to small towns, or cities distant from Washington.
Good morning,
Whitewater’s forecast calls for thunderstorms with a high temperature of fifty-three degrees.
There will be a charter schools listening session at 6:30 p.m. in the library of Lincoln School tonight. At Lakeview School, it’s twin day today.
There’s a story in the Walworth County Gazette about the legislation to allow sales of raw milk in Wisconsin, and another story from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on the same subject. Hundreds of people turned out for a public hearing in Eau Claire.
In Wisconsin history on this date, the Wisconsin Historical Society reports that in
1950 – Jerry Zucker [was] Born
On this date film producer Jerry Zucker was born in Milwaukee. With his brother David, he has written, produced, and directed a number of classic comedies including Naked Gun, Airplane!, Top Secret, Police Squad, and Rat Race. Zucker also produced My Best Friend’s Wedding, First Knight, A Walk In the Clouds, and My Life and gave the 2003 commencement address at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. [Source: Internet Movie Database ]
From Reason.tv, here’s a half-hour presentation from former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson on free market economic solutions for America. Here’s a description from Reason:
On Tuesday, February 9, in the midst of one of the biggest snowstorms in recent Washington, D.C. memory, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson and Harvard economist (and Reason contributor) Jeff Miron talked about economic revitalitization and Johnson’s views on immigration, war, and other issues at the heart of the new organization Our America.
Reason.tv’s Nick Gillespie intros the speakers and moderates audience Q&A. Shot by Dan Hayes and Meredith Bragg; edited by Bragg. Approximately 35 minutes. Scroll down for downloadable iPod, HD, and audio versions.
For more Reason.tv with Johnson, go here.
To watch Miron make the “case for doing nothing” (that is, actually letting markets work) during the 2008 financial crisis, go here.
Program Link: http://www.reason.tv/video/show/gary-johnson-event
Good morning,
The forecast for Whitewater today is for a rainy day, with a high temperature of fifty degrees.
There’s a meeting today in Whitewater of the Indian Mounds Park Committee (that group is seeking a name change to ‘Whitewater Mounds Archaeological Preserve’) at 5 p.m. today.
The Wisconsin Historical Society reports that in 1903, Clare Boothe Luce was born. She was a pioneer in many fields, and the Historical Society describes her life:
1903 – Clare Boothe Luce Born
On this date playwrite and diplomat Clare Booth Luce was born in New York. She began her career editing for Vogue and Vanity Fair. She married publisher Henry Luce in 1935. Her play The Women, satirizing wealthy New York matrons, was a success on Broadway. Other hits were Kiss the Boys Goodbye (1938) and Margin for Error (1939). She was twice elected to the House of Representatives (1943-47) as a Republican from Connecticut. During the Eisenhower administration (1953-56) she served as ambassador to Italy. Clare Boothe Luce lived in Marinette, Wisconsin for part of her life.
Here’s another reason to be skeptical of England, and further confirmation of that nation’s decline. They’re complaining about mice and insects.
Has no one in England ever considered a case of Raid and a few tabby cats?
Private charities sometimes spend money, from wealthy private donors, on fancy parties to celebrate and encourage greater charitable giving. Whatever one thinks of those lavish events, there’s no doubt that the donors earned the money they’re spending.
Government bureaucrats can’t say the same – when they hold fancy parties, the fine evening rests not on the earnings of their labors, but on those of ordinary taxpayers who will never be invited to those sophisticated events. Fancy food, a nice venue, and entertainment paid with tax dollars is a good time only for those who attend, and of no real use to those common people who paid for the evening.
Here’s the sad situation in Washington, D.C., as Reason describes it:
If you’re a politician, lobbyist, or insider and you’re in the mood to party, check out a Washington D.C. mansion called the Sewall-Belmont House. Party with senators and celebrities at thousand-dollar-a-plate fundraisers! You might even get to ride a mechanical bull! The Sewall-Belmont House hosts so many A-list events, you might be surprised to find out that your tax dollars help fund this hotspot for Washington insiders. “Over the last 10 years, the Sewall-Belmont House has gotten over $3.4 million in earmarks,” says Leslie Paige of Citizens Against Government Waste.
Reporters often highlight the most ridiculous examples, but politicians have learned how to make their pork projects sound uncontroversial, even appealing. Just say your project will help children, senior citizens, or – if you really want to slip under the radar – direct taxpayer dough to a museum.
“Museums are one of the biggies because they sound so good,” says Paige. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) used that angle to direct a million-dollar earmark to the Sewall-Belmont House (after the Senator received an award from the Sewall Belmont House). Turns out Landrieu was just getting warmed up, because her recent $300 million “Louisiana Purchase” shot her into the ranks of pork legends.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this, laments Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), one of Congress’s few legitimate pork busters. Flake tells Reason.tv that despite pork-laden scandals that stuck some members behind bars – remember Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-Calif.) – and promises from Barack Obama to reform earmarks, spending on pork continues to swell in the giant pork party house called the U.S. Congress.
“Pork Party House” is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Producer: Hawk Jensen; Host: Nick Gillespie; Field Producer: Dan Hayes; Associate Producer: Paul Detrick; Additional Camera: Meredith Bragg; Production Assistant: Josh Swain; Music: “Get What You Want?” by Beight (Magnatune Records).
Approximately six-and-a-half minutes.
Link: Pork Party House. more >>
