GOLD mining on federal lands, raising sugar cane near the Everglades, and irrigating Western deserts all illustrate the critical differences between being pro-free market and pro-business. It is easy to see why many people confuse the two. Wise Use groups and others, out of duplicity or ignorance, posture as defenders of the free market. But […]
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PRESIDENT Clinton is desperately looking for places to cut the budget. He even hints of hitting the Rural Electrification Administration. REA is an egregious example of government subsidies that enrich the wealthy while retarding environmentally beneficial innovation. REA was established in 1935 by President Roosevelt. It subsidized the delivery of electric power to remote rural […]
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ECONOMIES are like ecosystems in that everything is tied to everything else. We cannot do only one thing. Protecting owls by limiting timber harvest has multiple consequences, mostly unintended. People anticipate outcomes, estimate how regulations affect their security and livelihood, and often change their behavior accordingly. Regulations that ignore this interconnectedness can make matters worse, […]
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I’VE sent my check to the Salvation Army for the relief of California’s earthquake victims (Salvation Army, Earthquake Fund, 615 Slaters Lane, P.O. Box 269, Alexandria, VA 22313). People are in genuine distress and there is clearly a need for outside help. But I’ve also written letters to my congressional representatives, urging them to not […]
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TOMORROW is the Seattle meeting of the President’s Council on Sustainable Development. According to their news release, the council’s goal is to: “explore and develop policies that encourage economic growth, job creation, and effective use of our natural resources.” Council leaders want to learn what works in environmentally sound economic-development policies. The council includes prominent […]
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AT a conference last October, I listened to a speech by Gregory Benford, a respected biophysicist and acclaimed writer of science fiction. He noted that the 19th century had been dominated scientifically and culturally by chemistry, the 20th by physics, and predicted the 21st would be dominated by biology. Professor Benford is undoubtedly correct that […]
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IT is easy to be an enthusiastic supporter of recycling, especially in Seattle. Recycling requires little effort from consumers and appears to eliminate waste and alleviate pressures on the environment. Recycling is an easy choice for those who believe it will always save money and resources. They have little problem equating it with conservation and […]
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DEFENDERS of Wildlife is a national environmental group devoted to the protection of wildlife and the restoration of habitat. For years, Defenders strongly advocated the regulatory approach to species protection. But they now realize the limitations of regulations, particularly when dealing with private landowners. This October, they published a collection of essays titled “Building Economic […]
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THE debate over old-growth forests pits preservationists against those depending on this timber for their livelihood. With each side committed to different uses of nature, conflict seems inevitable, for not all good things go together. This conflict is heightened by public ownership and political control. Special-interest groups are special precisely because they focus on their […]
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