Social entrepreneurship is becoming ever more important for achieving social goals. As the government sector hits budgetary reality checks imposed by unsustainable political promises and payoffs, its scope of activities will necessarily contract. When public choices require tradeoffs among important functions, maintaining police, public health, and pollution control are compelling examples, other worthwhile social activities […]
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On February 18 the Montana Policy Institute and the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) co-sponsored an environmental policy conference in Bozeman. The title, “Your Land is My Land: Property Rights in Montana,” suggests this was not a typical Green gathering. And it surely wasn’t. The introduction to the program agenda provided the orientation, noting […]
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If you think you’ve seen this column before you are correct. In the interest of promoting “local diversity,” the Bozeman Daily Chronicle no longer runs FREE’s columns each Wednesday but rather once every third week. However, each week we place a FREE Insight on our website. We posted a slightly longer version of this column […]
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I recommend an insightful column in last Sunday’s Washington Post, “Why are liberals so condescending?” (February 7, 2010) This op-ed is by University of Virginia political scientist Gerard Alexander. It is based on a forthcoming Bradley Lecture at The American Enterprise Institute. The essay is likely to interest individuals who’ve observed that nearly every Prius […]
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It’s fascinating to observe the path of many contentious environmental problems. They attract national attention, the future is seen as foreboding, and then, years later, they have been solved, ameliorated, or forgotten. Acid rain and fluorocarbons exemplify this path. Regulations may solve the projected problems, and we sometimes find that the alleged problem is less […]
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I happened to be reading Arnold Kling and Nick Schultz’s excellent new book, From Poverty to Prosperity, when the earthquake struck Haiti. This quake was a 7.0 magnitude event, the same as the Bay Area quake of 1989. The geological disturbances may have been equal but the result surely was not. The California quake killed […]
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I have friends involved in construction, finance, and real estate. None of them, not even those in Bozeman, are prospering as they were two years ago. Several have asked me to speculate on the future. I’ll focus on Bozeman, but will first outline the national context. Initially note that we are among the many victims […]
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Dear Readers: This edition of FREE Insights gives a preview of the conference topics we have selected for 2010. We are now designing these programs, and we welcome your suggestions for speakers and funders. Best, John & Pete FREE’s programs target (and hit) important decision makers and opinion leaders. We attract some of America’s most […]
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I find this Christmas season an especially wonderful time to be in Montana. There is much to celebrate. Even our record snowfall and unusual cold bring blessings. Snow is our summer water for fish and irrigation; cold kills bugs and discourages others. And we have early skiing. Technology reduces cold’s discomforts and dangers; consider today’s […]
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This week’s FREE Insights is by Harry Teasley of Tampa, Florida. Harry is a Georgia Tech graduate and former president of Coca Cola Foods, among other top positions at the Coca Cola Company. More importantly here, Harry is a businessman with an excellent understanding of political economy, especially public choice economics. Teasley’s “Thinking About Public […]
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