I find it interesting that green activists and their political allies uniformly favor dramatic and draconian action to avert climate change. Serious policy analysts are different; they generally favor less dramatic action applied over the long term. What explains this difference? Perhaps it’s because the analysts understand long-term adjustments are much cheaper and easier than […]
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The Bozeman Business and Professional Women recently invited me to speak at a luncheon on ballot initiative I-151. This seeks an increase in Montana’s minimum wage to $6.15 from $5.15 per hour. I-151 includes an annual cost of living adjustment and exemptions for small businesses with gross sales of $110,000 or less. I was delighted […]
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Montana ballot initiative I-154, which protects property rights and requires compensation for “regulatory takings,” is in judicial limbo. It arose from the blowback from the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2005 Kelo decision allowing cities to seize private property and turn it over to private developers. This strong reaction to Kelo should alert “progressives” to the importance […]
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Why do well-intended people so often propose counterproductive policy solutions, the outcomes of which thwart their stated goals? What’s wrong? Let’s employ an ecological perspective to help understand this paradox. Human systems, like ecological ones, are inherently complex. When intervening it’s nearly impossible to do only one thing. The distinguished ecologist Garrett Hardin offered the […]
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The proposed construction of six new coal-fired power plants in Montana has citizens rightly concerned about the human and ecological risks posed by the mercury emissions of these new plants. Like all environmental issues, this one is scientifically complex and highly emotional. And unfortunately, there are no perfect solutions. Much of the problem is beyond […]
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The 21st Century will be the century of biology. Breakthroughs in rDNA technologies allow the precise manipulation of genetic material. This holds great promise for human and ecological well-being. Applying these molecular tools builds on the oldest and most widespread of human inventions — traditional selective breeding. It is through this method that we created […]
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Science is systematically reducing uncertainties regarding the causes and consequences of climate change. This is critical, for it helps us identify the tradeoffs we must make. It is irresponsible and naive to pretend they don’t exist or won’t be difficult. Crafting effective solutions begins with considering two questions. First, should we care about a warming […]
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In his 1967 book The New Industrial State, the late Harvard economist John Kenneth Galbraith opined a view that’s been accepted by “progressives” ever since: corporations exert great power over consumers. Like zombies, we are seduced into buying things we don’t (or shouldn’t) want. Galbraith asserted that markets can’t even be trusted to produce proper […]
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In an earlier life I taught school in a Midwestern Rust Belt town. The economy was depressed as auto makers struggled to adjust to new realities. Through the school’s community service program, my students and I were introduced to less fortunate folks as we helped a local church prepare free hot lunches. I found the […]
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What is it about rising gasoline prices that causes IQs and body temperatures to converge? Or are our national politicians just behaving as usual, i.e., cravenly and cowardly? Democrats favor higher gasoline taxes and higher gasoline prices — except when gasoline prices are high. While claiming concern about rising levels of CO2, they demand gasoline […]
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