“No big deal.”
My dream was that during the first part of March that some benefactor would come out and say, that I'm buying Schwartz's Book Store and guaranteeing its existence in Shorewood until we find a permanent way to handle it and at least for the next five years.
Whitefish Bay and Glendale (Bayshore) actually GET IT concerning Construction & Snow Impact on Retailers
Yesterday for only about the fourth time since Bayshore has been remodeled, I actually went there. It was to celebrate my wife's birthday at Bravo (highly recommended by our 7th grade boy whose aunt had taken him there !)
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“THE INVISIBLE HAND”
As a child of the great depression, as one with interest in economic history, but not a historian, I've begun to review the times when Adam Smith lived, in the early to late 18th century, spanning the period of America's birth.
THE NEW ECONOMICS.
(Non-economists beware. This is so dry, it may require a couple bottles of water to get to the finish).
Do all questions have answers?
It appears that in the last few years that whenever the Village of Shorewood seems to become aware of a situation not readily understood by both Board members and staff that a consultant or consulting firm is readily sought.
The importance of the knowledge of yesterday.
We must remember that professionals can only bring us knowledge of the past. That is what we refer to as experience. And the value of experience is in the art of application of the knowledge of the past to the problems of the hour.
WHERE IS THE NEW MAGIC COMING FROM?
The gradual invention of money, eventually made it possible to carry portions of wealth around in our pockets. Underlying its value was the trust that we put into its actual metallic worth.
Toto, We're Still in Kansas
A funny thing happened the other day on the way to the 21st century. Teachers were given a half-day to do progress reports. Nice gesture, but it takes elementary teachers about four times that to take everything into consideration that goes into a grade as we are assessing math, reading, writing, listening, speaking, work skills, study skills, science, social studies and adding comments that aren’t pulled off a list.
The virtue and warmth of the people of Shorewood.
When I observe institutions and participating members of our society here in Shorewood, I think of George Santayana who said, that “human society owes its warmth and vitality to the intrinsic virtue in its members.”
IT'S SPRING, BUT NOT BLACK SPRING.
I find that the artistic element of my mind is at its best in early morning. Saying that there is an artistic element and that it works at all is not saying that the thoughts that it produces are so outstanding.
If “Small is Beautiful” then what about large?
Some years ago, when a small local bank would lend money, placing a mortgage on a house, several years later and usually until it was paid off, the bank would still be holding the mortgage.
What do we do now?
This evolving economic situation is now taking us to another level of learning about ourselves.
To: Scott Walker: A Solution to Improve Public Transit in Milwaukee County, Make it Safer and Keep Costs Down; cc. Mayor Barrett
Dear County Executive Walker and Mayor Barrett:
The problems with the public transit system in Milwaukee County seem to be that it costs too much, does not cover enough routes, does not run often enough, and has the perception of not being safe.
Is this the democratic way to represent us?
There are three incumbents running unopposed to retain their seats on the Village Board.
Allowing economic forces to work.
One of the problems in counties with developing economies is that the governments have remained too long in the business of influencing economy and are now stultifying the process.
Inherit the wind, ye children of Shorewood and of the world.
Someone said recently, that we cannot afford to have an economy based on DISHONESTY. And I guess the point has now been made.
Opening a Can of Snakes
Well, we’ve done it again. We’ve fallen for marketing which has made us all wear, do and say things we know very little about. The country goes green because it’s saint Patrick’s day. Ask ’em who Patrick was and why he deserves a holiday and nobody cares. Sorry sir, but can you hand me my beer? I wonder why it is we don’t teach that history in schools. A white Brit who is taken for a slave and forced to live in Ireland until he escapes and then returns because he heard someone in his head tell him to. The snake metaphor? We bought it, so now all hail the carpetbagger.
An excellent example of how to do Community Policing in Shorewood
A little more than a month ago, I was at Municipal Court, courtesy of the the favorite taxing device in Shorewood, known as Parking Tickets.
Find the Reason
So I’m sitting here at home asking myself why I write these blogs. I’m having trouble coming up with ideas lately, although there are plenty of things worth noticing. I don’t get paid to do this, so I ask my material self what the heck?. I go through all the memorized good reasons I have for writing about life in Shorewood and in schools particularly but the real reason is because writing makes me feel connected. I don’t need to get paid, in fact payment often just messes it all up.
