tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58714960091785554842011-07-08T07:04:50.451-05:00True North is a no nonsense blog advocating pragmatic, critical thinking without the limits of political correctness. I reserve the right to change my mind since a conclusion may simply be a moment where I stopped thinking.Michael T. Schumacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04968444915791717105noreply@blogger.comBlogger61100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5871496009178555484.post-3364326279250028202009-08-02T19:19:00.040-05:002009-08-03T08:46:04.656-05:00

Let me make a simple prediction: After all is said and done and we have spent a trillion dollars authorized by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), also known as stimulus money, we will not know whether it recovered our economy. What we will know is that our public debt will be one of the highest in our history and remain with us for decades to come. (Let's just hope China

Michael T. Schumacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04968444915791717105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5871496009178555484.post-45049480869992275572009-07-25T18:27:00.022-05:002009-07-29T11:11:06.729-05:00

Madison has evolved into a "strong mayor - weak Council" model. Therefore, when Paul Soglin states that "Madison, like most Wisconsin cities has a weak mayor, strong council form of government," I take into account that he is a former mayor who experienced most of public life as the "chief executive." The deliberate as well as unconscious bias for strong, executive leadership is part of our

Michael T. Schumacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04968444915791717105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5871496009178555484.post-74460758541585024832009-07-11T13:05:00.021-05:002009-07-13T10:08:40.446-05:00

From Mobile, Alabama, to Las Vegas, Nevada, from Key West, Florida, to Portland, Orgeon, appointments to city committees occur mainly through the legislative body, whether they are called city alders, council members, or commissioners. In Madison, however, citizens and alders are appointed by the mayor and approved by the Common Council. Alders do not have the authority to appoint residents or

Michael T. Schumacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04968444915791717105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5871496009178555484.post-70379425584768389192009-06-04T13:48:00.038-05:002009-06-05T21:56:28.821-05:00

How would you feel getting another "city leader" without an election? At no additional cost? Sounds too good to be true? Yet this is exactly the scenario that many municipalities across the world enjoy. It requires having a City Administrator who takes on the day-to-day management tasks of running the city government while allowing the elected mayor to focus on strategy, vision, and the political

Michael T. Schumacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04968444915791717105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5871496009178555484.post-44247590473920946062009-05-30T18:58:00.007-05:002009-05-31T14:27:20.365-05:00

The abrupt closing of the Catholic Center is a severe blow to our community during a time when more people need financial, social, and moral support.As a business owner and elected official, I am mindful of painful financial realities and decisions. I presume that Bishop Morlino and the leadership of the diocese felt compelled to act out of financial necessity. I trust they wanted to prevent a

Michael T. Schumacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04968444915791717105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5871496009178555484.post-21809449341509571292009-05-30T18:54:00.005-05:002009-05-30T19:39:03.926-05:00

I've been contemplating a blog for quite some time but refrained from it because of time constraints. As an alder I serve on twelve committees and as a business owner and consultant I manage two companies. So there isn't much time left.I also felt that a meaningful blog requires regular attention. And because I've been journaling since the age of eleven and didn't want to compromise this

Michael T. Schumacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04968444915791717105noreply@blogger.com