Recently I spent several hours discussing environmental issues with an honors class at MSU. One of the points I emphasized was the importance of thinking beyond slogans. When seeking to craft effective environmental policies, good intentions are simply not enough. I left the class with a handout that included this quote from Mark Twain: “It […]

Controversy over the location and operation of gravel pits illustrates an exceedingly important, widely neglected, and oft misunderstood principle of economics: clear and enforceable property rights minimize conflict. Their absence or ambiguity fosters all manner of negative feelings and behavior, sometimes even violence. The Indian Wars of the 1800s, Israeli-Palestinian conflicts over settlements, and the […]

Have you noticed the huge new billboards on U.S. 191, a major gateway to Yellowstone Park? They seem to be sprouting like mushrooms after a spring rain, but the probable cause is different. I suspect this furor anticipates regulatory control on more billboards. It is certainly not due to increased traffic and, hence, more viewers. […]

Only a few years ago there was substantial talk of a permanent Republican majority. Through the workings of demographic, economic, cultural, and religious forces, the GOP was to become the powerful, controlling institution in Washington, DC and most states. While a few redistributive, “progressive”, secular, archipelagoes would persist in the Northeast and West Coast, America […]