During the holiday season from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, we confront the problem of plenty. The classic problem is what to get someone who has the ability to treat herself to far more than you could possibly afford. But there is another problem, one that requires inspiration and organization. How do we give something meaningful […]
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I’d like to help reduce the frustration of folks who care about national politics and public policy. It’s my observation that a simple truth drives the major political parties. Here it is. When a national government goes beyond its most fundamental functions, e.g., enforcing the rule of law and providing national defense, it becomes a […]
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All modern societies are critically dependant upon bureaucracies. These organizations, be they for-profit, nonprofit, or governmental, are central to our well-being. Hospitals, schools, courts, and supermarket chains are all bureaucracies. They constitute our institutional environment. The natural tendency of a bureaucracy is to defend and perpetuate itself and to resist change. Private bureaucracies, however, differ […]
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I recently visited the National Conservation Training Center near Shepherdstown, WV. My goal was to find an eastern site for our seminar series for federal judges. It is an excellent facility run by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the U.S. Department of Interior. (Its creation and operation exemplify political entrepreneurship, but that’s another column.) […]
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It’s great to be back in Montana after three weeks in DC and the Southeast. Working on joint FREE/MSU programs for federal judges, I met with distinguished foundation officers, wildlife and health scientists, judges, and professors. They all appreciated offers to join us in Montana. It’s far more comfortable and constructive to deal with optimists […]
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If this column seems familiar, it’s an argument I’ve run for over three decades. The principles and conclusion don’t change, only the characters do. I just heard Brian Schweitzer note that 9,000,000 people visit Montana each year. They don’t come to see heap leach mines or Superfund sites. Most come to experience our natural wonders, […]
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I applaud the Bozeman Bicycle Network Plan of August 22. It was prepared by Mack Durham, a research assistant at MSU’s Western Transportation Institute. It was designed to “alleviate the issues facing the cyclists of the Bozeman area.” It aims to “provide a tool to help improve the quality of bicycle transportation in the city […]
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Three years ago Ramona and I were returning from Santiago, Chile, on a new Delta flight. It was less than a quarter full. I asked a flight attendant if we would go faster since the plane seemed empty. He responded that we were maxed out on weight. “Why?” I asked. “We’re nearly empty.” No, he […]
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Dear Brian, I thoroughly enjoyed talking with you at your Bridger Canyon fundraiser. I am favorably impressed with your intelligence, knowledge, and personality. I share your concern about the complex issues surrounding the pharmaceutical industry. Congress recently approved a prescription drug benefit for Medicare costing $40 billion per year and I expect more. You’ve supported […]
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Some of my best memories come from summer road trips with my wife, Ramona. I naturally focus on economic anthropology, i.e., how folks organize, coordinate, and exchange. Differences are huge. They testify to the vitality, viability, and variety we’ve come to expect from an open society. Here are a few examples. We twice visited the […]
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