The late Daniel Patrick Moynihan once observed: “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.” But what did he know? Having one’s own facts is now thoroughly ensconced in American political dialogue. The melding of fact and opinion, in turn, leads to magical thinking in contemporary American politics. More precisely, one […]

Two related concepts that are hallmarks of free societies are individual choice and the rule of law. Being “free to choose,” as Milton Friedman’s title described it, distinguishes the responsible adult in a free society from the small child or prisoner. But freedom of choice cannot be unlimited if a society is to have more […]

The American Prairie Foundation (APF) may be America’s most ambitious conservation organization. I’ve long admired it from afar, provided modest support, and hope to visit the area again. Getting there, however, is quite the trek. Here’s how the Spokesman Review described the reserve’s location: “To reach the refuge, tourists are going to have to travel […]

Ralph Waldo Emerson observed, “Success is a journey, not a destination.” Given that my journey landed me here in Bozeman working with the Foundation for Research on Economics & the Environment (FREE), I consider both my journey and destination to be wildly successful. During the upcoming months it will be my pleasure to work with […]

I recently spent a week in Santa Rosa, California, and Portland, Oregon. It reminds me once again of the cultural, political, and legal differences within our country. I returned with a renewed appreciation for the mores of Virginia and Montana, where I live and work. Santa Rosa is the seat of Sonoma County, the heart […]