Paul Soglin: Waxing America

Zilber's Gift: It Is More Than The Money

When it was announced that Milwaukee business and civic leader, Joseph Zilber, was giving $50 million to fund neighborhood initiatives the response, as expected, expressed gratitude and hope.

Zilber gives $50 million Philanthropist hopes to revive low-income areas in city, encourage others to give

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett called the action "an unbelievably generous gift from Joe Zilber to this city."

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel article focused on something just as important as the size of the gift, it's scope:

The Zilber Neighborhood Initiative, as the effort will be called, will work with local organizations to support specific efforts to improve the quality of life in up to 10 neighborhoods...

...A key early step will be creating or selecting a "central intermediary," an organization to oversee the effort and make decisions on where money should go, while giving neighborhood organizations and representatives a strong voice in what goes on.

The gift to the people of Milwaukee measured in dollars is obvious.  Not so obvious is the thought and planning that went into the structure of the gift. As Zilber noted:

...There are a great many individuals and foundations prepared to invest resources to strengthen our community. For months I have worked behind the scenes with these entities. My mission is to mobilize them with good ideas, strong proposals and the promise that our shared commitment to our great city will yield positive results...

Joseph Zilber and his advisers gave careful thought to the structure of neighborhoods, how neighborhoods change, and the importance of building upon neighborhood assets:

We can (and must) act quickly and decisively to support programs that work, replace those that don't, bring proven and promising solutions to scale, sustain them long enough to gain traction and provide them with sufficient resources to get the job done.

The selection of Susan E. Lloyd of the Program on Human and Community Development to direct the effort is just one more indicator that this is a well planned gift. The money is important, but the context makes it even more valuable.

Blacks in Madison and Wisconsin

It is no surprise to Madisonians that a black youth has a thirteen times greater chance of being arrested than his white peer. We know that there are some in our state who look at that number and simply respond, "So? Blacks commit more crimes."

A number of leaders from Madison's black community called for action, as The Capital Times reported:

Coalition wants Madison to face race issues

A coalition of leaders in the African-American community called today for a renewed assault on the disparate conditions that separate Madisonians by race...

..."The State of Black Madison 2008: Before the Tipping Point," a report unveiled at a news conference Tuesday, summarizes data on criminal justice, education, economic development, health, housing and political influence. The report was commissioned by the State of Black Madison Coalition, whose members include Gray; Robert Wynn, Asset Builders of America; John Odom, Charles Hilton Houston Institute; Richard Harris, Genesis Community Development Corporation; Ray Allen, publisher of The Madison Times; and Kenneth Black, 100 Black Men.

When I took up this issue last fall, Wisconsin Policy Research Institute: Milwaukee Can Tolerate More Black Murders Part II, one of the antagonists finally muttered, "Some of those proposed ideas for reducing black crime sound good to us (strengthen families and reintegrate fathers into communities, bringing people to God), and some sound like more of the same things that have failed (more spending on education, jobs programs).

Wrong. Read their report, read the well documented study I referenced:

Effects of a School-Based, Early Childhood Intervention on Adult Health and Well-being

A total of 1539 low-income participants who enrolled in the Child-Parent Center program in 20 sites or in an alternative kindergarten intervention...

...For preschool participation, by age 24 years, the preschool group relative to the comparison group had significantly lower rates of felony arrest (16.5% vs 21.1%, respectively; P = .02; a 22% reduction) and incarceration (20.6% vs 25.6%, respectively; P = .03; a 20% reduction). They also were less likely than the comparison group to be found guilty of a crime both overall and for a felony (15.8% vs 19.9%, respectively; P = .03; a 21% reduction)...

... That the impacts of intervention extend beyond educational performance is not surprising given the well-documented links between education outcomes and adult health, mental health, and social behavior.^{25-26,36-38 ..}

^{...This study provides evidence that established early educational interventions can positively influence the adult life course in several domains of functioning. The scope and magnitude of intervention effects reveal not only the benefits to participants in fundamental indicators of health and well-being but also the potential returns to society for investments in early educational programs.} 

Prayer is nice but just like abstinence, it does not work. what works is education, education, education, job training and family enhancement. Not necessarily in that order. Spending on education and jobs programs that are properly managed work. Spending money on education and jobs programs that are not properly managed  do not work. That is not the fault of the recipients.

Turkeys, Cougars: Chicago Makes Badgers Look Like Mice

Having a fondness for cats, wild and not, I was deeply saddened to learn of the Chicago police shooting the cougar. As the Boston Herald reported, Cougar killed in Chicago may have journeyed from South Dakota,

Mayor Richard Daley supported the police use of lethal force in a news conference Tuesday morning.

"Now, I just want to tell you, if the cougar attacked a child, they’d sue the city because the police officer didn’t do their job," Daley said. "I didn’t see a neighbor run out and grab it and say, ‘Oh I love you’ and bring it in the house."

Phooey. Or as Daley's father might have said, "Balderdash."

But on the heels of the turkey attacks on Madison area postal workers it does not make us look good. Which led the Wisconsin State Journal's Doug Moe to enter the fray, Gloves come off in turkey fight in his own combat with Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass:

John Kass, a Chicago Tribune columnist of my acquaintance, has written a column questioning the courage of Madison postal workers.

On Wednesday, Kass mocked the mail carriers who have been attacked by wild turkeys while trying to deliver mail on Madison's West Side...

Kass responded Wisconsin comes up short in cougar-sexy turkey bout

What's tougher? A slinky cougar in Chicago? Or a gang of sexually addicted gobblers desirous of the bare, hairy legs of Madison mail carriers? Must I even answer that question?
...So I have no sympathy for such beasts. Meanwhile, the Madison turkeys have committed acts so heinous that their behavior has wreaked havoc with the mail and caused widespread turkey-sexual panic among shorts-wearing Wisconsin men.

Wisconsin, you don't need some confused turkey lovers. You need a few Chicago cops.

Doug Moe has made an honorable and noble attempt to defend our honor. But face it, Kass and the Chicagoans have us. It is a losing battle.

None of this would have happened if someone had simply blown away the turkeys.

Best. Prank. Ever.

You might have seen news coverage of one of the pranks from the Improv Everywhere group, which calls their events "missions" and their participants "agents."  They are best known for having 200 "agents" freeze in place for five minutes in rush-hour Grand Central Station in New York, although their annual "No Pants! Subway Ride" drew 2000 people to ride pantsless in 10 cities, with 900 in New York alone. Of course, there is video.

They've outdone themselves recently, with agents turning a normal Hermosa Beach, California Little League baseball game in progress into an major-league level extravaganza, complete with Goodyear blimp, peanut vendors, and autograph-seeking fans.  The joy of watching the surprised kids and parents at the Best Game Ever has made me an Improv Everywhere fan for life.

Why is there not a chapter of this wonderful madness in Madison?

-Barry Orton

Free Tibet Madison Style: The Real Olympic Spirit

I will not be in Madison on Saturday, April 19, 2008,  but if I were, I would be at the State Capital for the rally to focus on Chinese oppression against the people of Tibet.  Among the sponsors are Students for a Free Tibet - UW Madison.

Until a family event sent me off to California for the weekend, I was supposed to join State Representative Joe Parisi and Wisconsin Olympian Casey FitzRandolph.  They will be apart of a different torch relay, the Human Rights Torch that is part of coordinated effort in 37 countries to publicize the incompatibility of Chinese crimes against all of its citizens, not just Tibetans, and the true spirit of the Olympics.

Casey is a great athlete, one who truly understands the nature of humanity in all aspects of life. There are too many people who like to use sports metaphors to draw lessons about life. Casey lives the best of the competitive world both on and off the ice.

We all know that the commercialism of the Olympics far overshadows the games. The athletes deserve to demonstrate their skills with honor, but are relegated to the status of doorknobs or garden rocks serving to enhance the mansion and the landscape, the corporate sponsors and their products.

My guess is that most Americans could select more official sponsors of the Olympics from a a list of hamburger, camera, and automobile companies than could identify the athletes who won medals last time in aquatics, archery, boxing, or even tennis.

Back in the day when the Internet was in its infancy, the only web page that came up when you put my name in a search engine was: The Mayor of the city of Madison, Wisconsin Proclaims March 10 1996 as "Tibetan Independence Day"

It was an honor to participate then; it is an honor now to be part of this world wide humanitarian effort. Tibetan rights and lives are more important than these games.

Someone get Casey's autograph for me. Please.

Overture's Problems Start With the Structure

It is not a surprise that the Madison based Overture Center is in financial trouble. Anyone who follows the stock market would suspect that the first quarter of the year was not kind to the trust fund established by benefactor Jerome Frautschi. The Capital Times noted Overture trust fund falls below $100M:

Frautschi, whose original $205 million gift to the city was the foundation for the world-class arts facility, agreed to fund the center's debt service if the amount of the trust fund dipped below $100 million. At the end of March, the fund stood at $98.9 million, down from $106 million at the end of 2006.

There is a group of civic leaders who will meet on their own time at their own expense to work on the problem:

A group of Overture patrons is in the process of organizing a panel with expertise in financing and public funds to come up with recommendations to tackle Overture's financial woes. Mark Bugher, former state Department of Administration secretary and current director of the University Research Park, said he was asked to get the effort off the ground.

That is a sound contribution to the community, but it does not get at the inherent problem, the structure of Overture. It is neither fish nor fowl, nor mammal for that matter. Cobbled together to meets the needs of a community that wanted Overture, but with no government wanting responsibility, the structure is not conducive to day to day management nor for long range planning.

There is no chief executive responsible to the public for the management of the facility. There is an executive director, who reports to a board, but the board is neither elected itself, nor do they report to any one chief executive.

The staff is hired by one agency, the city who handles hiring and firing. But that staff is directed, not by the city, but rather Overture.

None of this really makes sense.

Any long range solution to financial or management problems will come with an improved structure.

Wisconsin Curdles California In Cheese Contest

When I arrived in Madison as an undergraduate, among the urban, or should I say rural legends, was the claim that there were more cows in Wisconsin than people.

It may or may not have been true.

But I do recall with some certainty that in the late 1990's California passed us in terms of having the most cows and the most milk production.

Then, in 2006 the New York Times reported that,

Crown of Cheese Is Within California’s Reach :

As if California’s capture of the top milk production title more than a decade ago ...the  cheese crown is now at serious risk, too, perhaps changing hands as early as next year.

Foolish eastern snobs should know better. It is the quality that counts.

Just as a reminder, we should not overlook a critical story that emerged from last week's 2008 World Championship Cheese Contest held right here in Madison at Monona Terrace. Actually it was an editorial from the Sheboygan Press that said it best: Wisconsin cheese again among best in the world.

California may have more cows than Wisconsin and those cows may produce more milk than Wisconsin, but when it comes to making something out of milk, Wisconsin has no equal..

... Badger State cheese makers came took first place in 27 of the 77 categories — easily the best showing of any state — or nation. New York was second with five winners. California had one.

World Cheese Champions Crowned in Madison

For those of you who prefer to eat your cheese rather than wear it as a hat, Madison just hosted the 2008 World Championship Cheese Contest. Intrepid traveler, photographer, and foodie pigiste (look it up) Nina Camic gives us the word straight from the judges' mouths in her blog The Other Side of the Ocean:

Jean-Marie Humbert is here to judge from France. I am drawn to his table because he is…expressive. A gorgonzola is placed before him. He looks at it, takes one whiff and shudders. I ask him in French what’s wrong. I don’t want to eat this! He says emphatically. It may make me sick.

- Barry Orton

Last Night's Dream: Bus Driving in Seattle While Lost

I woke up this morning with one of those recollections of a dream as clear as reality. I was a bus driver. In Seattle.

I was lost and could not find the route. I drove around the city trying to get on course.  Every time I passed a bus stop with large crowds, they grew angry when I failed to stop and pick them up.

I wanted to alter the destination sign on the front of the bus but did not know how to operate the gizmo that would allow me to change it to "Not in Service." There was no radio so I could not call the dispatcher to get help.

Seattle was very hilly with narrow streets and the bus kept getting wedged in between the buildings.

This dream and the bowling alley dream seem to stand out.

Two armies were fighting a war in a bowling alley. But they were not bowling against one another. They took turns bowling and lobbing the balls down the lane at the opposing army that stood in front of the pins. The soldiers on the defense had to stand in front of the pins and dodge the bowling balls.

The bowling balls were bombs.

Anyone know what is going on?

Doug Moe Moving to State Journal

Waxing America's favorite local columnist, Doug Moe, is moving to the Wisconsin State Journal in mid-March, so he'll still be available in good old newsprint. Doug is Madison in so many ways, and always gets the Madison angle to whatever happens anywhere.  It's the single smartest move the Wisconsin State Journal could make, and it's great for Doug as well.

Mazel Tov, Doug.

- Barry Orton