Environmental issues are vexing for three reasons: they carry heavy emotional baggage, they are scientifically and technically complex, and often they are important to our health and well-being. No other policy arena is so burdened. These attributes foster disingenuous arguments and even dishonesty. Consider Stephen Schneider, a Stanford biologist and global warming alarmist, who argued […]
Read More
At our ski hill I recently overheard one of my friends, Duke Brown, tell a refugee couple from Denver that “this is the perfect place to live.” Mr. Brown holds a good position, lives the good life, skis, mountain bikes, and guides fly-fishing clients. My friend is an excellent ambassador-in-residence. I’m glad he is here […]
Read More
In 1985 we founded Gallatin Writers to explore pressing Western issues. Gallatin is sponsoring a writing contest for college students. The three prizes are modest, $1500, $1000, and $500; the challenge huge. The Stegner contest solicits essays to help our decision makers and opinion leaders understand and wrestle with the implications of demographic, cultural, and […]
Read More
Even the saints among us practice economics. Miracles aside, they must make choices among competing alternatives. Mother Teresa had to decide how, when, and where to allocate her time and other resources dedicated to the sick. People deliberately or subconsciously weigh the benefits and costs of alternatives. Do we go to church or ski on […]
Read More
Animals and Christmas go together. Sheep around the manger, turkey or Hutterite goose for dinner. My message builds upon holiday trips to my grandfather Baden’s farm and the comments of a friend, Bob Cindrich, a federal judge in Pittsburgh. They would agree on many important things including treatment of animals. My family’s heritage in America […]
Read More
I admire George McGovern’s good cheer — but not his understanding of political economy. Clearly, government has an important role in preventing harm, e.g., protecting human rights and the environment. It’s far more difficult to identify government investments that improve well-being. It’s not a null set but it is a relatively small set. Investments in […]
Read More
The Kalispell Daily Inter Lake lamented the closing of the Stimson mill in Libby: “When the centerpiece of Montana’s timber basket loses its last mill, industry watchers say the impacts will be profound.” It tells us even Montana’s best timberland can’t compete with the Southeast and Pacific Northwest. The laws of silviculture dictate that trees […]
Read More
(This column was submitted by John at 10:00 am on Oct. 10, before Mike Taylor dropped out of the race for U.S. Senate. He was attending the Mont Pelerin Society meetings in London. MPS is an international organization of scholars, journalists, and governmental officials, advancing the principles of a free society and market economies. FREE […]
Read More
For more than a decade we’ve run a series of seminars for federal judges. We don’t teach law but rather explore contentious scientific issues with policy implications. Several hundred federal judges have come to Montana to learn about biotechnology, endangered species, climate change, and energy policy, for example. Whatever the topic, ethical concerns always emerge. […]
Read More
Here is the key to America. If born here, it’s as though you’ve won the lottery. You’ve had the opportunity to be part of the most successful large-scale social experiment ever. Then what? Two things. First, act legally and ethically to make the best of your circumstances. Second, work to preserve this undeserved blessing. This […]
Read More