We’ve had “global warming” for more than a decade — the hottest decade on record worldwide. Is this the “greenhouse effect” that scientists have been warning about, i.e. a response to increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, or is it some natural — not man-made — climatic change? The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) […]

Government transfers resources, money, and opportunities from the poorly organized to the well organized. That’s the way the world works. One form is corporate welfare. The Continental Pit copper mine in Butte, Montana, exemplifies this sorry process. In 2000, due to high electricity prices and low copper prices, Montana Resources, Inc. suspended operations at its […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

Does economic growth come at the expense of environmental quality? Democratic Presidential candidate Howard Dean thinks not. He’s right. Here’s why. Economic progress is a prerequisite for improving environmental quality. The real enemy of the environment is poverty, not affluence. Consider U.S. air quality. The EPA reports that between 1976 and 1997 ozone levels — […]

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 […]

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 […]

I recently spoke on the scientific and ecological issues of genetically modified foods. But many in the audience, as well as friends I meet at our co-op, were actually concerned about “globalization.” Some want to arrest the spread of the market economy and modern technology. They believe these are the root causes of environmental degradation […]

I like to help reduce communication barriers that isolate and alienate people. This task is especially compelling when individuals share core values. However, the exchange of ideas across ideological camps is difficult and rare. The debate over benefits and costs of modernization and markets exemplifies this problem Why don’t all nations adopt institutions of the […]