I like open space and affordable housing. How can we have more of both in the fastest growing county in Montana? The good news is we don’t make all or nothing choices. However, we should remember two rules of public policy: not all good things go together and there are no cost-free solutions. Bozeman’s high […]

The Bush administration has authored a proposal that will, for the first time, give Western governors authority to formally propose development in our wildest public lands. This overturns President Clinton’s decision to set aside 40 million acres of National Forest as roadless areas. Although the initiative was criticized as part of the Clinton administration’s “War […]

The term “entrepreneur” usually invokes images of Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, or Bill Gates. Such individuals mobilize ideas and arrange resources to bring new products to market. They have clearly made huge contributions to our wealth and well-being. They have, in fact, democratized luxury. However, the commercial sector has no monopoly on entrepreneurial talent. Consider […]

Rural communities all over America are shrinking. Consolidation of farms and agribusinesses reduces the number of local jobs. Those residents who remain must bear ever more of the tax base. As individual tax burdens grow, the towns no longer can support their schools, hospitals, and other amenities. As amenities disappear, fewer young people return. The […]