I received an invitation from the Gallatin County Democrats to join with local labor unions to renovate a portion of the Gallatin Labor Temple and raise funds for Hurricane Katrina relief. I hope the event was successful. The invitation came on a picture postcard. The image was in the genre known as Socialist Realism. It […]

Gasoline prices have hit new highs. Hurricane Katrina, a lack of refineries (the newest U.S. refinery is thirty years old), a “Balkanzied” fuel market, and high demand drive prices. Politicians are tempted to “protect” consumers from being “gouged” by oil companies. Unfortunately, one of their favored policies, a cap on gasoline prices, has a sorry […]

How would $6/gal gas or diesel change the lives of folks living in Montana? With an area slightly smaller than Japan and a population of just under one million, we are rather dispersed; it’s not a great place for mass transit. We are totally dependent on cars, pickups, and SUVs. Further, our housing locations were […]

Bozeman is growing rapidly — no surprise there. This both excites and concerns residents. I grew up here, and like many others, want Bozeman to handle growth successfully. I am now in Oregon for college. Portland has some of the nation’s most aggressive “smart growth” policies. Among other things, these aim to increase housing density […]