My wife and I are taking our honeymoon in February. Since we’ll be gone for three weeks but still want to travel light, I was in the market for a new suitcase. The last time I actually bought a piece of luggage was probably 20 years ago — an internal-frame backpack with shoulder straps and […]
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I find travel a mixed blessing, with the best part returning home. I always gain renewed appreciation of qualities we take for granted. I also again understand why our region is so appealing. No wonder we’re a magnet for migrants. Our most recent trip to Washington, DC reminds me that simply living here inures us […]
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America needs a well-educated citizenry. Along with good character and discipline, a quality education is required to succeed in today’s economy. Most suburban schools, like those in Bozeman, perform well. Bozeman High boasts SAT scores well above the national average, regularly produces National Merit Scholars, and sends graduates to top-flight colleges. I occasionally guest lecture […]
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This is not a review of P. J. O’Rourke’s delightful 1987 book. Instead, I’ll explain some Bush administration pathologies. Here’s the sorry context of these failures. In 1964, folks of classical liberal (libertarian) and politically conservative persuasions were attracted to the Republican presidential campaign of Arizona senator Barry Goldwater. While he received only 42 electoral […]
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“We do not need to despoil the pristine wilderness of the Arctic Refuge,” said John Flicker, President, National Audubon Society. I strongly agree. The Audubon Society long accepted carefully controlled exploration on its Rainey Sanctuary, a 26,800-acre wildlife preserve in southern Louisiana. Audubon was a pioneer when it permitted carefully regulated gas and oil drilling […]
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I recently met with a Bozeman writer about my opposition to subsidies for alternative fuels. Am I opposed to all subsidies, including those for fossil fuels, or just for wind, solar, and synfuels? Of course, I responded, I’m opposed to all commodity subsidies on ethical and environmental grounds. But I support federal investments in basic […]
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Most folks who make New Year’s resolutions begin today. The first three items on the official U.S. Government web site are: lose weight, pay off debt, and save money. But of course these goals don’t apply to the federal government. (Nobel Prizes are given to economists who explain why these goals are antithetical to modern […]
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This year, I believe for the first time since 1957, Christmas and Hanukkah begin on the same day. (Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of Lights commemorating the rededication to Judaism of the Temple in Jerusalem.) This concurrence of celebratory dates reminds me of a childhood Christmas on our family farm. Far more importantly, this conjunction […]
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I was recently in Texas meeting with folks devoted to the preservation and improvement of their state’s wildlife habitat — university researchers, ranchers, public officials, and NGO leaders. The take-home lesson was that private ownership offers no magic elixir. Texas conservationists face problems that challenge us in Montana — habitat fragmentation, water allocation, and invasive […]
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How will we meet our future energy demands and what are the environmental consequences of our choices? We’ll have a better chance at crafting successful policies if we recognize three vexing realities. First, fossil fuels are our cheapest, most available sources of energy. “Renewables” (e.g., solar and wind) will play only a limited role in […]
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