FREE just completed a conference for religious leaders, “The Environmental Economics of Creation Stewardship.” Participants came from a dozen states and even more denominations. All agreed we are indeed blessed to live here. Hiking, riding, and rafting near Gallatin Gateway testify to an environment worth conserving. And this is a great place to learn how […]

During this tough year for the American economy, President Obama repeatedly has declared “If we want more good news on the jobs front then we’ve got to make more investments in education.” While others have challenged the federal role in education and debated the issue of tuition vouchers versus public schools, there has been little […]

I lived in Seattle during the academic years of the early 1990s. Ramona and I had sold our half band of breeding ewes (A band of sheep is 1,000 animals.), but ran a few dozen horses on our winter range. A good neighbor fed and monitored the horses while another friend lived in the manager’s […]

We recently joined friends in exploring unused railroad lines in northern Idaho. This is part of my new research project on the economic and cultural history of a changing West. The “rails to trails” concept has the potential to counter fiscal constraints. The conversion of railroad rights of way to bike trails illustrates creative and […]

The late Daniel Patrick Moynihan once observed: “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.” But what did he know? Having one’s own facts is now thoroughly ensconced in American political dialogue. The melding of fact and opinion, in turn, leads to magical thinking in contemporary American politics. More precisely, one […]

Two related concepts that are hallmarks of free societies are individual choice and the rule of law. Being “free to choose,” as Milton Friedman’s title described it, distinguishes the responsible adult in a free society from the small child or prisoner. But freedom of choice cannot be unlimited if a society is to have more […]

The American Prairie Foundation (APF) may be America’s most ambitious conservation organization. I’ve long admired it from afar, provided modest support, and hope to visit the area again. Getting there, however, is quite the trek. Here’s how the Spokesman Review described the reserve’s location: “To reach the refuge, tourists are going to have to travel […]

Ralph Waldo Emerson observed, “Success is a journey, not a destination.” Given that my journey landed me here in Bozeman working with the Foundation for Research on Economics & the Environment (FREE), I consider both my journey and destination to be wildly successful. During the upcoming months it will be my pleasure to work with […]

I recently spent a week in Santa Rosa, California, and Portland, Oregon. It reminds me once again of the cultural, political, and legal differences within our country. I returned with a renewed appreciation for the mores of Virginia and Montana, where I live and work. Santa Rosa is the seat of Sonoma County, the heart […]

Our interns and research students are smart, fun, active, and presentable. Some have come from the MSU Honors program, others from the Ivies or other top schools such as Duke or University of Virginia. They work hard and enjoy our conferences with federal judges, seminary professors, and other religious leaders. Nearly all go on to […]