Many quite normal people, not just the paranoid, believe America will spiral downward and drown in a sea of debt. The August 5th downgrade of U.S. bonds stoked their fears. Much of the debt problem is based on entitlements, commitments to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Prescription Drug Act. As Rep. Barney Frank of […]
Read More
FREE just completed a conference for religious leaders, “The Environmental Economics of Creation Stewardship.” Participants came from a dozen states and even more denominations. All agreed we are indeed blessed to live here. Hiking, riding, and rafting near Gallatin Gateway testify to an environment worth conserving. And this is a great place to learn how […]
Read More
I lived in Seattle during the academic years of the early 1990s. Ramona and I had sold our half band of breeding ewes (A band of sheep is 1,000 animals.), but ran a few dozen horses on our winter range. A good neighbor fed and monitored the horses while another friend lived in the manager’s […]
Read More
We recently joined friends in exploring unused railroad lines in northern Idaho. This is part of my new research project on the economic and cultural history of a changing West. The “rails to trails” concept has the potential to counter fiscal constraints. The conversion of railroad rights of way to bike trails illustrates creative and […]
Read 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 […]
Read More
Our interns and research students are smart, fun, active, and presentable. Some have come from the MSU Honors program, others from the Ivies or other top schools such as Duke or University of Virginia. They work hard and enjoy our conferences with federal judges, seminary professors, and other religious leaders. Nearly all go on to […]
Read More
Despite April snows, I find spring a fine time to be here. I know it’s spring for the Sand Hill cranes have returned to our place. One pair has long claimed an island on one of our ponds. The hen began nesting on Easter—after driving off trespassing geese. The male has less luck when fighting […]
Read More
This April is Earth Day’s 41st anniversary. In 1970, Yale law professor Charles Reich, published a remarkably popular, fundamentally naive book, The Greening of America. He argued that a new, non-materialistic, environmentally sensitive culture was emerging in a “Consciousness III.” Reich discounted the value of conventional religion. Instead, Greening celebrated the counterculture and fostered an […]
Read More
Bozeman has excellent schools. Bozeman High often ranks among the top 6 percent of America’s government run schools with over a dozen AP classes. It has terrific music and athletic programs. A national organization, Great Schools, gives BHS a perfect 10. More impressive, a few years ago a small group of students wanted a course […]
Read More
Vogue, America’s leading fashion magazine, is one of those glossy periodicals providing in David Brooks’ words “nutrition for the imagination.” He asks, “Why do we eagerly seek out images of lives we are unlikely to lead?” Perhaps of greater interest, why did a magazine that a year ago launched an auction to advance, “…human rights […]
Read More