Montana’s economic prosperity is no longer tied to extracting natural resources. It is simply not our strong suit. The best strategy for our prosperity lies in policy innovations that retain and attract human capital, the ultimate key to progress. In part this requires protecting the environment and reducing the state’s income taxes while simultaneously stressing […]

Bozeman is an attractive place to live. Its natural beauty and community character foster rapid growth. Increased traffic is one unpleasant consequence. In response, some have proposed a public bus system. Is this really the best solution to our traffic woes? How many people travel only from home to work and back home on a […]

Poverty is the worst form of violence; this is from the pacifist philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi. The U.N. estimates that to avoid famine some 13 million of the poorest of the poor in countries across southern Africa will soon need 1.2 million tons of food aid. Drought, corruption, dysfunctional political institutions, and war are contributing […]

A question for the reader: Does the development of land inherently degrade our shared social and environmental values? If you answer yes, I would agree that it typically does. But, does it have to? I believe not. It is possible to harness development as a tool to serve and protect those same values. This question […]