FREE WHITEWATER

Freedom of Speech, Politics

The Impossibility of ‘Opinion-Making’

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Someone asked me about opinion-making — whether it’s possible to create and control opinion. The question was about whether a newspaper or website could push a candidate to the front, and thus assure that candidate’s success.

I’ve been writing for years, about sundry topics, but I don’t believe in opinion-making. People make up their own minds, for or against a topic (or a candidate). Americans are a literate and educated people, and often independent-minded. They don’t need someone to guide them.

The influence of writing isn’t that the writer ‘makes’ opinion, but that, upon reading something, others will consider or reject it wholly on their own. Some may say that they feel the same way as the writer does; others may object. No opinions, however, are made during this process. Changed a bit, perhaps, but not made.

That doesn’t mean — and this was the questioner’s concern, I think — that some won’t try to push their friends and allies forward, in the best possible light. They will. As long as people have been writing, they’ve been advocating. Admittedly, some of this advocacy is disingenuously and ridiculously denied, but it’s obvious enough, nonetheless.

There’s no particular reason for concern. People aren’t as impressionable as would-be people-of-influence imagine (and hope) they are. Not at all, actually. Beyond that, in a free community with diverse and easily accessible media, alternative views will emerge to challenge status-quo platitudes.

There’s a view of nineteenth-century England that’s like this: that England was the decisive European power because she balanced against Continental blocs. She wasn’t of the majority, so to speak, but rather her influence counterbalanced an otherwise powerful collection of rival powers, preventing them from overcoming all Europe. As others waxed and waned, she adjusted accordingly, to establish a new balance.

New media, emerging now and again, are like this: more than capable of preventing a single, conventional view from overwhelming a place.

City, Laws/Regulations, Politics, Wisconsin

A Freshman Legislator’s Unusual Choice

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There’s an AP story over at Walworth County Today entitled, Rep. Wynn pushes for earlier alcohol sales as a convenience to tailgaters.

Rep. Evan Wynn is the freshman assemblyman representing the 43rd Assembly District, a district that includes Whitewater.

I’m opposed to most restrictions on alcohol, but it’s easy to see that this is an odd proposal for a freshman legislator: to propose moving the time for off-premises alcohol sales to 6 a.m. (from 8 a.m. presently). A bill like this would have better come as a lesser concern of tenured legislator with a long record of commitment to other issues.

One can guess that the AP thinks so, too, and that’s why the story went out on their news wire across the Midwest. They likely didn’t run the story because they thought it was a good idea, but rather because it was an unusual one.

Looking at online comments to the proposal at newspapers’ websites, support and opposition seem about evenly split.

There’s a gap, though, between how commenters respond to the proposal. Supporters see this as a matter-of-fact convenience for third-shift workers. Opponents, though, simply ridicule the proposal, considering it a waste of legislative resources and an enticement to over-drinking. The greater intensity — leveled as sarcasm — seems to rest with opposition to the idea.

(This makes sense — the number who would avail themselves of this proposal is far smaller than the number of people who will comment without any likelihood of using a more generous opportunity for purchasing.)

On the merits, I think the change in time is slight and innocuous.

It’s puzzling, though, that a freshman legislator would sponsor this proposal, when it should be obvious it would draw exactly the kind of opposition that it has drawn. It’s one thing to sponsor an idea some dislike — but another for a new legislator to sponsor an idea that many will consider unserious.

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 5.6.11

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Good morning.

It’s a mostly sunny day ahead for Whitewater, with a high temperature of sixty-seven degrees.

Tomorrow is Whitewater’s “Tour d’ Triangle,” taking place on

Saturday May 7, 2011 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm beginning at Cravath Lake Front Park.  Downtown Whitewater, Inc. is partnering with W3 ~ Working for Whitewater’s Wellness to promote the new art inspired bike racks and cycling for exercise through a good old-fashion fun filled friends & family event.

Last year Downtown Whitewater hosted the Whitewater Gone Wild Safari featuring Jungle Jack Hanna to raise funds to purchase additional bike racks for the downtown area.  With an emphasis on functionality, public art and shopping local, fourteen new bike racks will soon be installed.

Look for the Comedy & Tragedy Theater Mask near the Young Auditorium, the Library Books promoting READ at the public Library, a Blue Fish and Bicycle at Cravath Lake Front Park, a Coffee Cup at the Sweet Spot Coffee Shoppe, a Pizza Slice at Toppers Pizza, a TREK Bike and several Shopping Bags promoting the communities shop local program, Think Whitewater, art inspired bike racks.

W3 ~ Working for Whitewater’s Wellness is a community coalition that promotes healthy lifestyles.  W3 encourages you to take part in the Triangle Bike Tour for a little bit of exercise, a little bit of history and a whole lot of fun.

Start your morning at Cravath Lake Front Park at the first Bike Rack Tour stop, answer a history question about Whitewater’s rich history, for example, “When was the Grist Mill Dam built” and perform a physical exercise such as “10 jumping jacks” and then bike to the next rack you choose on the tour for more fun.  Each time you stop at one of the rack tour stops get your passport punched.  Bring your passport back to Cravath Lake Front Park for the last tour stop with at least 10 out of 14 punches and receive your prize and join in more fun.  Healthy snacks and water will be available to purchase and a map of the event with a recommended route will be available to print as the tour draws closer.

The Bike Federation will be on hand to talk about their Share and Be Aware program and will give a presentation at 12:30 pm.  Dave Saalsaa, owner of Quiet Hut Sports along with TREK will be on hand introducing new bikes and will have disc golf set up for you to play.  John & Liz Sotherland, owners of BicycleWise & Sport Fitness will also be on hand promoting Sotherland Custom Bicycles; their new line of bikes designed & built by John Sutherland.

Both sporting goods businesses will also show you basic care and maintenance for your bike such as, when should you oil your chain, correct height of your seat or how much air should be in your tires for the optimal performance.  The Whitewater Police Department will be handing out Rules of the Road for bikes and available for any questions.  W3 will offer maps of the Whitewater area bike trails and have information about their organization and will be promoting biking, running, and other activities to stay healthy.

Activities at the park such as, an obstacle course, maze, twister and more, plus safety information will be going on until 2 pm.  Please bring your family and friends and join Downtown Whitewater, Inc. and W3 ~ Working for Whitewater’s Wellness for a great afternoon filled with fun and history as they encourage a healthy lifestyle through biking and exercise and promote the new bike racks and their locations.

Downtown Whitewater was formed in 2006 and is working to preserve, improve and promote Whitewater’s quality of life by strengthening our historic downtown as the heartbeat of the community.

 

City, Politics

Whither Whitewater’s Democrats?

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At a time of large labor protests, the near-victory of a previously-unknown Supreme Court candidate, and the prospect of recall elections against six GOP state senators, can Whitewater’s Democrats have a hard time in 2012?

Yes, for at least two reasons.

First, successful restrictions on public employees’ collective bargaining rights are meant to reduce unions’ coffers for 2012. Don’t think so? Just listen to Wisconsin’s Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald tell Fox News that’s an intended consequence of the legislation. See, Sen. Leader Fitzgerald Declares that GOP Win in Collective Bargaining Battle to Make ’12 Difficult for Obama.

By appellate court approval or by inclusion of bargaining restrictions in a budget bill, the GOP is likely to pass union limitations somehow. If the Republicans are right, that will mean less Wisconsin money for Democrats in ’12.

Second, and significant for a college town like Whitewater, would be a more restrictive photo ID requirement at the polls. Even a supposed lessening of the bill’s original restrictions will make student voting more difficult. See, Elections Board Director Criticizes Voter ID Bill. These restrictions would not be a local matter open to discretion, but the result of a statewide change in voting law.

As the campus has been a greater source of support for Democrats than Republicans, disqualification of student voters under a more restrictive state law would be a greater problem for Democrats.

So what will Whitewater’s Democrats do? They can manage by substituting enthusiasm for money, but there’s no substitute for votes. They’ll have to get students to the polls, and once there make sure that they’re eligible to vote under whatever new requirements apply.

A loss of even a few percent of voters might be decisive to elections in the city and the legislative district of which it is a part.

Local Democrats haven’t had a problem getting student voters to the polls, but they’ve not had these sort of voter ID requirements before. Assuring the same number of voters will require planning unlike that needed for past elections. Other communities with colleges will face these same challenges, but my focus here is Whitewater.

Neither major party in our city has been as structured and disciplined as one might expect in a larger city, with big teams of volunteers.

Even in small-town Whitewater, we may yet see if a major party’s volunteers can be as organized, prepared, and disciplined as the new terrain will require.

Government Spending, Politics, University

4.3 Beats 35

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There’s a story over at the Janesville Gazette about the budget for UW-Whitewater:

WHITEWATER – Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal to slash funding to state universities could drain as much as $4.3 million from UW-Whitewater’s 2011-12 base budget, college administrators estimate.

See, Walker plan could cut $4.3 million from UW-W — GazetteXtra.

The story comes despite a recent Walker Administration proposal for tens of millions in new construction on campus.

Here one sees the limitation of new construction, when matched against loss in revenue, and restrictions in labor rights. Long after students and faculty grow tired of the novelty of a few buildings, they will remember – and experience daily -the disappointment of higher costs, lower salaries, and a downcast workplace.

Looking at the Walker Administration’s approach to labor relations, it’s an understatement to say that they can’t see the fundamental importance of a happy workforce, and the greater importance of relationships between people over capital spending.

That’s why, for the most part, reductions in labor costs should fall first and foremost on leaders, with others coming only afterward.

In any event, capital spending will prove inadequate to offset the social and political irritation that budget shortfalls and changes in labor relations will inflict.

City, Innovation Center/Tech Park, Planning

Whitewater’s Innovation Center: ‘The die is cast’

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It was Caesar, in Suetonius’s account, who said of his fateful crossing into Italy that ‘the die is cast,’ the Latin of which comes out as ‘alea iacta est.’  There’s scholarly debate about the saying, but this is how most have come to know it — that a small game-piece has slipped from one’s hand, the result now beyond one’s control.

So it is, mostly, with Whitewater’s Innovation Center: the venture’s success or failure, like the landing of a die, will take a course apart from easy alteration. The principal design of the project will determine its future. Some are sure of its success; I am equally sure against it. Some are certain this was the right use for these millions; I am equally sure it was not.

And yet, and yet… it will be years from now, when the rhetoric for or against the public project is long forgotten, before one will know whether it has, after all, produced those thousand new jobs promised.

Perhaps ten years from now, when we are all older and grayer, we’ll see what has become of this.

When we look back, from that time to this, there will be more than a single building to consider. We will then be able to ask ourselves if, after all, a beautiful but struggling community felt this project’s influence.

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 5.5.11

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Good morning.

It’s a mild day ahead for Whitewater, with a high of sixty-two degrees, and a chance of afternoon showers.

Today will be the third in a series of either groundbreaking ceremonies or openings for the Innovation Center.  For posts about that project, see Innovation Center/Tech Park. After these many months, a building with tens of thousands of square feet now has about 780 square feet rented for a private concern (and even then, one that has some workers with publicly-paid work elsewhere).

That’s 97-98% public, but only 2-3% private, in a town with a dozen greater, more urgent needs.

The truth about how all this will turn out, though, isn’t to be found in the contemporary commentary on the project, but in a pithy remark from a long-dead Roman.  More on that later today.

Over at Science News, there’s a video map of the earth’s gravitaional field — it’s not all uniform, but irregular —

Gravity varies from place to place because of many factors, such as the presence of mountain ranges, the bulge around Earth’s equator, and the moon’s gravitational influence. The new snapshot comes from the European Space Agency’s GOCE satellite, launched in 2009 to map the geoid. GOCE dances along at the top of the atmosphere, using six special accelerometers to measure, many times a second, how the Earth’s gravity tugs on the spacecraft.

Via A Matter Of Gravity – Science News.


PLANETARY PULL from Science News on Vimeo.

Liberty

Bollywood vs. Bin Laden: Why radical Islam fears pop culture

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Here’s the description accompanying the Reason.tv video:


Even before Osama Bin Laden was killed by U.S. soldiers, his brand of anti-modern, anti-pleasure Islam was under attack by Bollywood, India’s pop culture juggernaut that boasts a global audience of 3 billion people.

As Reason Foundation Senior Analyst Shikha Dalmia explains, Bollywood movies and videos appeal to young men and women in Muslim and Arab countries because they dramatize the sorts of tensions between traditional and modern ways of living. “Who should decide who one should marry – is it the parents or is it the boy and girls themselves?” asks the Indian-born and raised Dalmia. “In the West, in Hollywood movies, it’s not even an issue. But it’s a huge issue in that part of the world and all of Bollywood movies deal with that one central question.”

Dalmia also notes that Muslims are among the most popular – and sexually suggestive – performers in Bollywood productions. “When you have Muslims succeeding in Bollywood as Muslims, it makes them feel, well, we don’t have to give up our religion in order to be modern,” observes Dalmia.
more >>

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 5.4.11

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Good morning.

It’s a sunny day in Whitewater’s forecast, with a high temperature of sixty degrees.

This afternoon, there will be a Landmarks Commission meeting in Whitewater. The agenda for the meeting is available online.

Later, at 7 p.m., there will be an informational meeting on possible consequences of Wisconsin’s state budget. Several local officials will speak on that topic, at the Cravath Lakefront Community Center. See, Informational Forum: Potential Local Impacts of the Proposed Wisconsin Budget, Wed., May 4th, 7-9 PM.

The Wisconsin Historical Society recalls that on this day in 1873,

On this date John James Blaine was born in the town of Wingville in Grant County. A politician, governor, and U.S. Senator, Blaine attended public schools in Montfort, and received a law degree from Northern Indiana University. He was admitted to the Wisconsin bar in 1897 and practiced briefly in Montfort before settling in Boscobel.

A Progressive Republican, he served as Boscobel’s mayor for four terms and was elected to the State Senate in 1909. It was there that he gained prominence by leading investigations into the campaign expenditures of Wisconsin Senator Isaac Stephenson, attempting to block Stephenson’s re-election. A zealous advocate of progressivism and the ideals embraced by Robert M. La Follette Sr., Blaine was one of the organizers and vice-president of the Wilson National Progressive Republican League.  After running unsuccessfully for governor in 1914, Blaine was elected state attorney in 1918.

In 1921, he became governor and held this office for three consecutive terms. During his tenure Blaine promoted progressive labor legislation, fostered a campaign to eradicate bovine tuberculosis, and signed the nation’s first law giving equal rights to women. In 1926, he won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate where he served from 1927 to 1933, becoming one of the leaders in the effort to repeal prohibition. He died on April 16, 1934. [Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin Biography, SHSW 1960, pg. 39]

 


City, Government Spending, Police

Funding a Leadership Search

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Whitewater’s Police Commission is conducting the search for a new chief, and there’s a request before Whitewater’s common council for additional funding. Information on the request may be found in the council agenda packet, and in a story about the search published last week in Walworth County Today. See, Whitewater panel seeks more money for chief search.

It’s worth funding the search more fully, in order to pick a solid and reputable firm.

No search assures a good result, but a poor search makes a good result less likely.