It’s not news that Gallatin County, like much of the West, is growing rapidly. Planners, politicians, and preservationists worry about the shape of our future. Restricting growth to preserve agriculture and open space increases housing costs (think Boulder, CO). Unchecked growth keeps home prices down but consumes land and other qualities that make this place […]
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When Lewis and Clark explored our region, it was a vast “commons.” Anyone sufficiently skillful and lucky to survive the dangers could exploit its bounty of furs and gold. Without individual incentives to consider the common good, the land was subject to the “Tragedy of the Commons.” Consequently, beaver were trapped out in many areas […]
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One of the best features of our community is the most difficult to measure. While we can cite symphonies, recommend fine restaurants, and calculate the distance to skiing, spring creeks, and Gallatin Field, how can we calculate the value of trust? The implicit ability to trust others facilitates social interaction. Trust reduces the costs of […]
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Entrepreneurs are visionaries who see innovative ways to move resources to higher value. These resources include knowledge, ideals, and good intentions. Entrepreneurs make immense contributions to our wealth, health, and well-being. Noted entrepreneurs, Henry Ford and Bill Gates for example, created businesses that changed the world. The great majority of research on entrepreneurship focuses on […]
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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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Thich Nhat Hanh notes in Peace Is Every Step that “It is difficult to explain to children in the ‘overdeveloped’ nations that not all children in the world have such beautiful and nourishing food…. [How can we] … assist those who need our help so much?” The material wealth of America’s average citizen astounds those […]
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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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Many people don’t understand my opposition to government subsidies for “green” energy and question my belief that the market process is likely to generate environmentally and ethically superior results. Since both government mandates and markets will produce errors, it’s reasonable to ask: Which is more likely to correct them quickly? Government should provide funds for […]
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