We are likely to find ourselves in the longest period of high unemployment since the Great Depression. The way out is to allow people to keep more of their own earnings. There’s a new unemployment report out, and it shows an increase in national unemployment to 9.8%, with the “broader measure of the unemployment rate,…
179 search results for "great recession"
City
Whitewater’s Fiscal Trend Analysis
by JOHN ADAMS •
About two months ago, the City of Whitewater prepared an analysis our small city’s fiscal condition, entitled, City of Whitewater Financial Trend Analysis (1988-2009) and City Budget Projections (2011-2016). I have embedded a copy of the document at the bottom of this post. It’s a description of only part of the city’s life, a part…
Daily Bread
Daily Bread for Whitewater, Wisconsin: 8-31-10
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good morning, Whitewater’s forecast for today calls for a partly sunny day with a high temperature of eighty-nine degrees. Whitewater’s Common Council will meet tonight at 6:30 p.m. for a budget planning session. The agenda is available online. At the Huffington Post, there’s a story best read in the morning, rather than at night: “U.S.…
Economy, Weird Tales
For Sale: T. Rex, Good Condition, Wooly Mammoth, Needs Repair – WSJ.com
by JOHN ADAMS •
This lingering recession has affected many businesses, great and small. Among those small businesses are any number of unusual and eccentric tourist spots. Many were vulnerable even before the recession, and a good number will likely be lost during these difficult times. Prairie Dog Town, near Oakley, Kan., is for sale, with an asking price…
Economy
The Recovery Was An Illusion But That’s A Good Thing — Forbes
by JOHN ADAMS •
Sy Harding, in Forbes: Yes, the economic recovery was an illusion. So let’s not talk of double-dips. Let’s face the reality that the real economy’s first dip is still underway, that the real economy is still scraping along a bottom. That’s not a bad thing. It’s better than the thought that the economy recovered but…
Economy
U.S. Economy: Fears rise as disappointing figures pile up – latimes.com
by JOHN ADAMS •
….Most economists believe a dip back into recession — as well as an equally debilitating bout of deflation, or broadly falling prices — will be avoided. But many have nonetheless warned that the prospects are rising, and say the more probable scenario isn’t much more appealing: a protracted economic malaise with imperceptible growth and stubbornly…
Government Spending
Excessive Public Compensation in Bell, California (Lessons for the Rest of America)
by JOHN ADAMS •
It’s hard to believe, but true: Bell, California paid its city manager eight-hundred thousand dollars ($800,000) per year in salary. When I first read about this, I thought it was a typo, or that they were paying Robert Rizzo in some other currency. It’s true, and astonishing. He’s now resigned, but every politician connected with…
Press Release
Downtown Whitewater, Inc. Receives 2010 National Trust Main Street Accreditation
by JOHN ADAMS •
I received the following press release that I am happy to post: Downtown Whitewater, Inc. Receives 2010 National Trust Main Street Accreditation Downtown Whitewater, Inc. has been designated as an accredited National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Trust Main Street Center. Each year, the National Trust…
City, Innovation Center/Tech Park
The City Manager’s Greetings from Ames, Iowa
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ve posted cards about Whitewater from earlier times, but it’s a card from Iowa that I’ve embedded today. Imagine someone passing along a card from Ames, Iowa, site of a recent International (!) Town and Gown Association meeting on sustainable partnerships. Here’s that recent find: Click card to view larger image The postcard that I’ve…
City, Development, Free Markets, Government Spending, Laws/Regulations, Planning
A Bigger Walmart Proposed for Whitewater, Wisconsin
by JOHN ADAMS •
I wrote once about the Walmart, No. 1274, in Whitewater. (Walmart now uses a name without a hyphen in advertising. I’m guessing they consider it both simpler and more upscale than “Wal-Mart.”) I wrote about Walmart a while ago, and a lot has changed. Walmart now sells both beer and liquor, there’s no east side…
Economy, Free Markets
Epoch Times — Capitalism: Passé or Neo-Classic?
by JOHN ADAMS •
Neo-Classic! From the story in the Epoch Times: The economy seems to be showing signs of recovery, but people’s faith in capitalism are being put to a test in face of tough challenges such as the current health care reform. Has capitalism stopped working for the U.S.? What is the cure for today’s troubled economy,…
Daily Bread
Daily Bread for Whitewater, Wisconsin: 2-22-10
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good morning, It’s a snowy day for Whitewater, with a predicted high temperature of thirty-three, and little additional accumulation beyond the few inches already on the ground. Whitewater’s Community Development Authority meets this afternoon at 4:30 p.m. The agenda is available online. For Lakeview School, it’s a 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. PTA Culver’s Night.…
City
Real Data Describe Real People
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Although small towns like Whitewater are supposed to be places of clear thinking and straight talk, in a small town like Whitewater, bureaucrats will flack any aparently positive data over the actual conditions of life in town. It’s how simple-minded cheerleading has replaced honesty and integrity as the lingua franca of Whitewater. Consider, for example,…
Economy
Federal Deficit to Hit All-Time High
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Over at the Wall Street Journal, there’s a troubling story from Jonathan Weisman entitled, Deficit to Hit All-Time High. The situation is so alarming that a scholar from a left-leaning think tank is alarmed: Isabel Sawhill, a budget expert at the Brookings Institution, criticized the president’s goal – a deficit of 3% of GDP long…